[guyx1992]

So, me and a couple of friends will be graduating in two weeks and we want to take a 4-5 day holiday to London.
We're thinking of going in September, just as the flight prices drop after the summer.
We just discussed it and quite frankly, we have no idea what there is there to do. 
I mean there's siteseeing (Buckingham palace, Big Ben and stuff like that) that will fill up a day. And then there is a day dedicated to football (BTW, how much does an Arsenal home-game ticket cost?).
But then there are 3 more days we don't know what to do. 
So, what can 18 year old guys do in London? 
Thanks!

 

[oneslashzero]

Jesus..not asking much are you? Depends entirely on what floats your boat and budget...I'd do the Monopoly Tour one morning/afternoon on foot to cover the main sights, chill in Camden for cheap nosh and a beer or two, maybe check out a club or show or two. Soho and Chinatown are buzzing at night, there are top quality museums (mostly free) like the Natural History and Victoria/Albert at Kensington, and of course the likes of the Tower etc. And still time for the football (although it ain't cheap these days)
 
Check out http://www.timeout.com/london/ nearer the time of your visit, and plan it out a bit (but not too much). Enjoy, London never fails to deliver!
 
 
 
 

 

[apatN]

Dude, you got it all wrong. It is shipping up to Boston!

 

[DanielCox]

I don't know where you currently live but London is one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world - there's plenty to do, you don't have to follow a premade plan.

 

[Aeneas]

Arsenal ticket prices are supposed to be (good sources) higher than any others in the UK (new stadium costs etc.) and generally difficult (or even more expensive) to obtain for decent games. Visit their website in August.
I would expect to pay £60 at least.
 
... Museums and art galleries. You could spend a week at just one museum. There are also many theatres for plays and musicals, opera houses, concert halls. You'd have to book/buy tickets for some of these in advance. On weekends there are usally afternoon performances at many of these places (e.g. Shakespeare's Globe and even ROH). Speaking of ROH, they sometimes have free midday recitals.
 
You can get all sorts of food and other stuff as well (street markets) if you travel a bit (i.e. other parts of London). Cheaper too.
 
All in all, it's very expensive but there's a lot available. The pound is weaker than a few years ago, so maybe that helps a bit if you're from the US or Europe.
 
(I will be living in London from September.)

 

[jwjw]

Being in London myself, I can recommend some nice food

- Steak places, Sushi, French, Quaint, Casual, 'Upmarket', etc.
Also hate me if you will but I've never found sightseeing (London anyway) to be interesting, a tour of Parliament was just 'meh'.

 

[guyx1992]

I don't really care about the money.
It's a last trip before I go to the army for at least 3 years so I wanna have fun.
I'll check all your recommendations, if you have more please don't be shy!

 

[Aeneas]

Where are you from, anyway? Things like food (variety) will be no better in London than New York or LA. Music (classical) too, probably.
 
If you get the chance, I'd definitely see a play at Shakespeare's Globe one afternoon. You can do the South Bank walk from there, or go to the Tate Modern, which is very close. If it's at the end of September, I also will be very close.
It will be prom season at the beginning of September (no, not acne and poorly fitted dinner jackets...) but tickets will be hard to come by.
 
I second the sightseeing comment above and was going to put that in my earlier post. What's the point of going to Buckingham Palace and standing at a fence with a few hundred others and trying to look in. All you need to see can be found in pictures - it's just the size that is impressive in real life I expect.
 
There are also many, many places to see live music (all types) virtually every day, along with a lot of night clubs.
 
Definitely visit Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park - it can be hilarious and mind-blowing. Free speech and all that.
Expect some anti-war/anti-US & UK presence in Iraq/Afghanistan views though. An unrelated, similar expression of free speech at a homecoming parade last year may well lead to riots this summer, if the papers are right.

 

[guyx1992]

I'm from Israel. 
I'll check out the speakers corner, I think many will have things to say about my country lol.

 

[apatN]

^ Esp. considering you're to become an Isreali souljah boy...

 

[Aeneas]

"I think many will have things to say about my country".
It's very likely!
 
"An unrelated, similar expression of free speech at a homecoming parade last year may well lead to riots this summer, if the papers are right." (my post).
 
Funnily enough, that group (EDL/English Defence League) waves Israeli (and Indian) flags along with English, to provoke Muslims (they claim to be protesting against extremist Islam, but I've seen monkey chants and blatant racism). In essence, it's a group of young angry, white, working class/underclass men who feel neglected ('Muslims 'areas' get better funding', 'immigrants come to this country and take our jobs'). You get the feeling that these same people would blame the Jews and Indians if they were told to do - they are, on the whole, stupid, half-educated ignorant thugs who dream of a return to easy work through cotton mills and factories...
 
Avoid their marches/protests if you're not white, although they will be safe enough due to the police presence.
That said, ordinary Muslims in the UK hate Israel immensely. They're not bad people on the whole, but they're gullible, easily led (bad PR doesn't help when you're already convinced of guilt) and I suppose a cause gives a person some sort of purpose.
 
 
I think you'll find Speakers' Corner far more interesting than politics though.

 

[pcf]

Sightseeing in London might not be a big deal for the locals but it is a totally different experience for someone else.I still remember myself arriving in London for the first time all those years ago. Seeing Big Ben and Tower Bridge was like stepping into a different world.
A boat trip along the Thames is a good way to see London in a relaxing manner. Natural History Museum and British Museum are also not to be missed.

 

[KevDo]

When I was at some gigs a few weeks ago I had time to kill in London beforehand. We went to the museums and we were unimpressed to be honest. They're aimed at kids mostly (not a bad thing) which means they don't go into much detail about the history. I think it was the Natural History museum that was the better of the two we went to and, again, to be honest, the building itself was much more interesting than the contents. Since you're not stuck for time, yeah, check them out but if you miss them for any reason I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[guyx1992]

Quote:

^ Esp. considering you're to become an Isreali souljah boy...

Yeah, we Israeli soldiers do look like Satan..

 

[stewtheking]

The science museum is fantastic, well worth a visit. Plus it's free, so you can dip in and out without feeling like you're wasting the entrance fee if you aren't feeling it.
 
If you are in early September, I would HIGHLY recommend taking in a Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. (http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms.aspx) It's a fantastic spectacle of British culture, and you can always meet some interesting people in the queue.
 
I second (third/fourth) the recommendations to check out Camden as well. The market has loads of fantastic stuff to see and buy (admittedly interspersed with loads of tat) and loads of places to get some good food.
 
Another brilliant place to spend some time is Covent Garden. There's a cool market, perpetually flooded with great street performers and musicians, and if you are in that part of town in the evening, you can take in any number of shows in the west end, or treat yourselves to a night at the opera house.