I'll be making the trip to Canary Wharf in London in about two weeks, to drop off the manuscript for the novel I've almost finished. I'll be there for around six hours, so what is there to do? All suggestions will be considered. Thanks DD
While I am not much of a drinker, there's something it seems near everyone tells me to do in London: hit the pubs. Yeah sorry, I'm not from London so I can't say much in way of specifics. I honestly thought just walking around the city was awesome enough. Fun place.
I don't drink alcohol, but perhaps just walking around and seeing the sights will be a great experience. A little clothes shopping too could be on the cards.
I realllly enjoyed the Natural History Museum on Cromwell road. Also the Kew Gardens were amazing as well if the weather is good when there. If you are into shopping, Oxford Street has some pretty nice shops as well. This is something you probably may not want find interesting, but if I were to go back I would ride the Tube around just to see different parts of London lol. Coming from a city with only a bus system, the Underground simply amazed me.
Some of my favourite things to do in Central London, and mostly free: Covent Garden: Nice market and some good shops in the square and surrounding streets, and overall far less imposing than Oxford Street and Regent Street. National Gallery: A wonderful selection of paintings, including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Rousseau and others (to name but a few). Southbank Centre: The BFI is based here, and they have a screening room where you can access all sorts from the BFI archive, as well as exhibition areas. British Museum: One of my favourite museums EVER. What the Louvre does for paintings, the British Museum does for anthropology. Some of my favourite sections include the North American, Enlightenment and Japanese rooms. British Library: There's always a permanent collection there of precious items (such as original manuscripts by Jane Austen, the Magna Carta, the Lindasfarne scrolls), as well as changing exhibits. Not much there to spend a whole day, but worth popping in for an hour or so, especially if you're coming by rail into Euston, Kings Cross or St Pancras (it's on the same street as those three stations). And a place for lunch... Herman ze German: I lived in Germany for a few months, so I can't not recommend this as a place to stop for lunch. Herman Ze German
There's a Warship on the Thames, by Tower Bridge you could visit, HMS Belfast, or visit Madame Tussauds Wax Work Museum, or visit Buckingham Palace
Seconding the pubs (The Bear and Staff on Charing Cross Rd was my favorite, friendly place and lots of great cask ale on tap) and the National Gallery, the Brit Museum, and the Brit Library. And, surprised nobody has said this yet - St Paul's Cathedral. Churches aren't everybody's thing, but this is the one of the most impressive ones I've seen. The echo gallery and the view from up top are worth it alone, not to mention all of the sights on the way. Don't forget some fish and chips!