20 Things To Do This Weekend
Stuck for things to do this weekend? Feeling
uninspired? Well, we've noted down 20 different options
that might help you to make the most of your weekend.
Read on...
1. Go for a whirl on the London
Eye and enjoy the views.
2. Enjoy the sun - and have a few beers!
The seasons change, but that's no excuse to pack
away the BBQ or the beers, so fire up that barbie,
get a few mates around, and crack open a cool one
or three. Or better still, try out one of London's
historic pubs
and have a beer by the fire...
3. Get some culture - go to the British
Museum
For those of you who don't know, the British
Museum is a treasure house of goodies from throughout
the world. The rooms and even some staircases are
filled with such notable items as a range of Egyptian
mummies, the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, giant
Persian statues, Iron age artefacts, plus a few Roman
mosaics and Greek temples thrown in for good measure.
With the excellent £100 million Great Court
now funnelling visitors more effectively throughout
this vast complex, the Museum is rarely overcrowded.
And the best thing of all? It's free.
Holborn or Russell Square Tubes.
4. Scare yourself at the London Dungeon
The London Dungeon is constructed under the ancient
streets of Southwark, and is a dimly lit trip back
through the gruesome 2,000 year history of London's
mean streets. Watch as Japanese tourists and small
children discover that the colour of fear is brown...
Check out www.thedungeons.com
for details.
5. Enjoy an ale at an old riverside pub
There are few more enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon
than on the terrace of an old
English pub, especially if it gives you an eyeful
of the Thames and its various maritime activities.
You could even 'push the boat out' yourselves and
have a roast with all the trimmings.
Check out Riverside
Pubs for the low-down.
6. Have a walk or a picnic in one of the royal
parks
If the weather's good, why not pack up the tartan
rug, bottle of cheap plonk, bacon and egg sarnies,
and head for one of
London's parks. Even in a crowded place like London
there's plenty of greenage to go around, and the beauty
is you have stuff-all chance of getting sunburnt!
Try Regents
Park for open-air theatre and boating, Greenwich
Park for the Royal Observatory, or Hyde
Park for Speakers Corner and wide-open spaces.
7. Go on, get fit - go for a run or join a gym!
Check out our Health
& Fitness page for more information.
8. Catch some sport - live or on the box
There is always plenty of sport on - check out our
Calendar of
Events, and remember that Britain's number one
sport - Premiership
Football - runs for nine months of the year.
9. Go on a day break or overnighter out of London
A couple of phonecalls - train and B&B - and
you're away. There are plenty
of options, specials, and ways of getting out
of town.
For destinations, why not try:
Bath (pictured),
York, Stratford,
Oxford, Cambridge,
Brighton, or Winchester
for starters. Or get fancy and overnight in
Paris or Bruges
- there are always last minute deals going...
10. Explore a palace or castle
London and the surrounding areas have a great selection
of ancient castles, royal palaces, and sprawling mansions
that are well worth a look at.
For our recommendations - Click
Here.
11. Plan your spring/summer travels
Spring and summer will be here before you know it,
and that means there's no time to lose as you wave
goodbye to your boss, pack your backpack, and head
for the bright lights of Europe or further afield.
There are good deals for those that get in early,
and for destinations you could consider: Paris,
Venice (pictured),
Bruges, the
Greek Islands,
Barcelona,
Santorini, Rome,
Prague, Dublin,
or Amsterdam.
12. Hit the shops, and take no prisoners
The weekend always means there's time to hit the
shops, and despite the crowds it's hard to beat the
Oxford/Regent Streets axis as a destination. Niketown,
Selfridges, Hamleys, Gap, UCB, FCUK, Virgin Megastore,
Tower, Lillywhites, the boutiques of Bond Street,
Carnaby Street...all within a stones throw of Oxford
Circus tube.
13. Get off the beaten track
Go and see something different - the newly renovated
Wellington Arch,
Sir Joane Soane's
Museum, Kew Gardens, Lords
Cricket Ground, Ham
House, the RAF Museum...there are hundreds of
options.
14. Catch a movie or West End show
London never sleeps, even if the Tube turns off the
lights just after midnight. Every day and night night
there are hundreds of shows, exhibitions, and movies
to choose from.
Check out the best shows in our wrap-up of London
Theatre.
For current movies and session times the Odeon website
is useful - www.odeon.co.uk.
15. Get an eyeful at the National Gallery
London's National
Gallery is renowned as one of the great art galleries
of Europe. Stacked full of Rembrandts, Canalettos,
and Turners, and with a decent smattering of Leonardo
da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Monet, the Gallery is a great
place to escape the noise and bustle of modern London.
Oh, and it's free.
16. Drink and dance all weekend
London's bars and clubs have never been busier, so
check Time
Out or TNT for club listings and events, or
try one of the options below if you want to hit the
cocktails and/or the dancefloor:
Heaven, The Arches, Villiers St WC2. Charing
Cross Tube.
Provocation, 3-5 Rathbone Pl W1. Tottenham
Ct Rd Tube.
Camden Palace, 1 Camden High St NW1. Camden
Town Tube.
Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt St SE1. Elephant
& Castle Tube.
Home, Leicester Square. Leicester Square Tube.
Liquid Blue, 31 Duke St W1U. Bond Street Tube.
Voodoo Lounge, Leicester Square. Leicester
Square Tube.
17. Go for a cruise on the Thames
The Thames has a rich and varied history, and there
are numerous boat services that offer commentary,
dinners, or a night out. Others will transport you
to riverside sights of note, such as Hampton Court
Palace, Kew, Greenwich, and Richmond.
Greenwich and Westminster Piers are the main riverboat
terminals.
For information call Westminster Passenger Services
on 020 7930 4721 or at www.wpsa.co.uk,
or visit the London
Transport site.
18. Explore London's history
London was founded nearly 2,000 years ago, and there
are many areas where you can see clearly London's
rich history for yourself. Just one example for
a half day trip through waterfront 16th/17th Century
London:
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Starting at Monument station it is only a short walk
to The Monument itself, a 202 foot column crowned
with gold flames that marks the spot where the devastating
Great Fire
of 1666 started. 311 steps lead you to the viewing
gallery, and you'll even get a certificate for your
efforts. Crossing London Bridge you can visit the
London Dungeon, and then have the option of Southwark
Cathedral, the moored replica of Sir Francis Drake's
Golden Hind, the Clink Prison Museum, and/or
Vinopolis World of Wine. By then you'll need to stop
for a cool one at the 16th century Anchor pub, just
as travellers have for 400 years. After a refreshing
pint, it's only 5 minutes to the recreated Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre, where crowds thrilled to Shakespeare's
new plays in the 16th century. With St.
Paul's clearly visible across the Thames, the
Queen's Walk riverside path then continues on to the
Tate Modern and Gabriel's Wharf, which is only a few
minutes from the
London Eye. If you've survived this far you can
cross the Hungerford footbridge for Embankment or
Charing Cross, or head past the Eye for either Waterloo
or Westminster tubes.
19. Go out for a restaurant meal with friends
London has several thousand restaurants, many of
them reasonably priced. Check out our
Indian Restaurants feature, our Restaurant
Of The Month, or Restaurants
section for ideas.
20. Go to the races
There are five race courses in the greater London
earlier or a short distance beyond. Sandown
Park holds top-quality meets, and Ascot
and Epsom
are renowned for their prestigious meets in June.
A night at the dogs is also a popular London past-time
- Walthamstow
and six GRA
Stadiums scattered between Manchester and Portsmouth.
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