What should I do with Kiwi who has never been to London before?

[Mrs Miggins]

Give me your top 5 London things.

I am hosting someone from NZ this weekend who has never been to London before.

I've asked what he's interested in but as usual, the response is "I'll be guided by you" which is annoying because everything is here! I need a steer!

I'm going to book the London Eye and do the South Bank but what else?

 

[jontz01]

Bone em.

 

[Callie]

How well do you know them and their interests?

 

[Supine]

Drunk in brixton

 

[Callie]

How long are they here for and where else are they headed?

 

[8ball]

Slice them up and put them in a nice fruit salad.

 

[Callie]

Are they delicious fruit salads?

 

[8ball]

How well do you know them and their interests?

Being serious - what Callie said.
I went to London on a lovely sunny day and a mate took me round the best record shops and out for some great Japanese food. That wouldn't be most people's first thought, but doing something they like where London has something special or different to offer is the way to go.

So if they *want* to do the touristy stuff, that's all cool too.

 

[AverageJoe]

Watching the St theatre in Covent garden from the pub in the centre.

When it's dark a river cruise down to canary wharf and back past St Paul's. The light show and different angle of London is surprisingly brilliant and will give him some brilliant photo ops.

Coffee in Old Compton St

Zoos, museums, galleries maybe but might be a bit meh if you want to show him the spirit of the town.

Borough Market and Camden Market

Just going on the tube might be something new.

Let him wander around on his own somewhere you think he'll enjoy based on his interests for a couple of hours and then meet up and go for a meal.

 

[Callie]

My other half has said ....pubs! And no queen based stuff.

He's very helpful

 

[Callie]

Take them to an SLD urban75 pub excitement day

 

[metalguru]

Depends what their interests are, but in terms of seeing the sights:

Borough Market is a good call
Covent Garden/Monmouth Street/Neals Yard/Seven Dials (maybe a meal in Belgo - which is not too expensive)
The South Bank - maybe a late afternoon/evening walk from the Royal Festival Hall to Tate Modern/ over the bridge to St Pauls
Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens (maybe a picnic and then a visit to Notting Hill Gate and Portobello Road)
Shoreditch/Hoxton etc for a drink/meal

 

[metalguru]

Oh you said South Bank, so maybe replace that suggestion with a visit to Little Venice (it's quite nice around the canal beside Paddington now), and either try the floating cafes or the pubs by Little Venice, or walk along the Canal to Primrose Hill/Regents Park.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

National Portrait Gallery for tea in the rooftop cafe
Evensong at St. Pauls can be very nice on a Sunday afternoon (3:15), even if you´re not religious. It's free.
Wilton's
Cheap seats at the ENO one night

 

[komodo]

Greenwich and British museum!

 

[clicker]

As you've already decided to do Southbank, good call, I'd probably do a touristy circular walk...Big Ben, then walk up past Downing St, statues in Whitehall, Trafalgar Square. Have a sit down and coffee feeding canadian geese in St James Park, Buck House, then walk along to Picadilly Circus and into Soho to a pub.
Eta actually Carnaby St is only up the road so I'd fit that in too.

 

[Saul Goodman]

A lap of the M25 should fill the weekend.

 

[The39thStep]

Take them to Manchester

 

[marty21]

Walk from London Bridge to Tate Modern & South Bank (gets you Borough Market as well) . Bridges, the Thames, and arty stuff

Walk from Kings Cross up to Camden Market along the canal . Gets you new Kings Cross (Pancras Sq and Granary Sq , plus Camden Town and the market)

Maybe a wander around the city of London, the Barbican ,etc.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Greenwich (can do a ride on the ducklands light railway / walk under the thames via the foot tunnel)

ride on a (heavily refurbished) 1960s Routemaster bus on route 15 (the bit between Charing Cross and the Tower - now only weekends)

the open top sightseeing buses are damned expensive

if he wants to do something guided, some of the walking tours can be good - i have a fleeting twitter acquiantance with look up london,

some sort of boat trip on the Thames (either one of the river buses, or the Woolwich Ferry - assuming it's not out of action due to technical troubles with the new boats or industrial action as a result of them)

how much royalty related heritage is he interested in? there's plenty out there if so inclined.

alternatively, radical history but can take a bit of research.

or does he have any musical interests? various bits of london could be pligrimages for various artists / bands, likewise film locations

 

[isvicthere?]

I once walked two new-in-town Canadians from Southwark Cathedral on market day to the South Bank. They liked how it was different from the "London" they'd been expecting.

 

[killer b]

Take them for a load of afternoon wine at Gordons, then a drunken lurch round the national gallery.

 

[eoin_k]

1. Bimble around the east end: if they're into culture there's the Whitechapel Gallery and Rich Mix; if they're into record shops there's Rough Trade and Sister Rays; there are a few good independent bookshops between Brick lane and Broadway Market; loads of options for tasty food on a budget (bagels, curry, generic street food in the Truman Brewery on a Sunday); go for a pint in the Carpenters Arms on Cheshire St; take them to Broadway Market on a Saturday if they like flat white's, craft beer and generic hipster shit, take them to Colombia road on a Sunday and they can buy you flowers or a house plant as a sign of their appreciation of your hospitality; take them to Freedom and the Cable St Mural if they've got good politics

2. If you have to go to the west end: spend most of your time in Soho: its got good food on a budget; the best cinema (Curzon Soho); Foyles, China Town, record shops around Berwick Street, Old Compton St. Refuse point blank to take them to see the queen/parliament/houseguards parade. Only go to Trafalgar Square for a demo, or the National Gallery at a push. You could walk through Hyde Park to the museums in South Kensington though, but refuse to take them to Harrods. If you go to Portobello Road have a coffee in the Spanish supermarket and spend more time at the Goldborne Road end than the Notting Hill Gate end.

3. if you take them to the South Bank don't go as far east as Tower Bridge or as far west as the London Eye/Westminster Bridge

4. Avoid the City of London like the plague... unless you have a good reason for going to the Barbican, or they're really into the psycho-geography of central business districts.

5. If they don't like cities take them to Epping Forest. If they like cities and the weather is good take them to the park. If they're a hipster go to London Fields. If they're a bird spotter, or have an appreciation of bleak edge spaces, take them to Rainham marshes.

 

[cuppa tee]

Boat trip up the Thames.

 

[Treacle Toes]

River boat ride down to Greenwich, walk around the colleges and up on the hill by the observatory for great views, then sit in a pub by the river and people watch.

Pick a couple of markets to go to on different days- Brick lane, Shoreditch and Columbia road is a good Sunday combo and then people watching and a curry afterwards.

Work out which museums they'd like best and have a day in town visiting them...go to one in the morning, then lunch in a park and then another in the afternoon.

Insist on them going on one of those sightseeing buses but don't go with them. They will see all they need to.

Pick a nice weather day and go out to Richmond, hire bikes or walk around the park and along the river. Go to a pub on the river for a lunch and enjoy the atmosphere.

 

[eoin_k]

Boat trip up the Thames.

If they're under ten years old or a bit of a trainspotter you could combine this with as many other modes of transport available with an Oyster card, including the Thames Clipper, the DLR (which you can pretend to drive!) and the Emirates Cable Car, providing a fantastic view of waste management facilities along the north bank of the Thames before you're dumped pointlessly outside the O2 arena. After making your escape by boat, you could then finish up at the Transport Museum in Covent Garden or the Cutty Sark in Greenwhich!!!

 

[eoin_k]

Whatever you do, don't do this:

 

[8ball]

My other half has said ....pubs! And no queen based stuff.

He's very helpful

Seems reasonable.

 

[8ball]

Oh you said South Bank, so maybe replace that suggestion with a visit to Little Venice (it's quite nice around the canal beside Paddington now), and either try the floating cafes or the pubs by Little Venice, or walk along the Canal to Primrose Hill/Regents Park.

Def South Bank for a skater.
(is that still a thing - I hope so)

 

[hash tag]

Then Continuing right on from 8ball White banks Slam City Skates
from there beer mile The Bermondsey Beer Mile
Then there is Bermondsey High Street, Museum of fashion and textiles also White Cube.
While headed down that way is Maltby Street Market (the new borough market).
The freebie, just across the river is the Walkie Talkie, which is best booked Sky Garden | SkyGarden
Back up to the river for HMS Belfast

But there again, it depends on their age and interests

There is a steam train running on the underground this weekend and the Ruskin Park summer fete.