Going to Kent & London soon - Questions for the locals or anyone who´s visited

Hey guys,

sooo I`ll be visiting some friends in Kent & London for a little over a week, and I`ve never been to the UK before so I`m pretty excited. And I`ll be there for Halloween as well, but I`ve heard people in England don´t get as excited over it as they do in the US. Is this true?

One of the girls is already planning an itinerary for the week, but I wanted to ask people that live there or have visited what´s to do & see in these 2 cities. I always like knowing things about places before I visit.

And what about Shopping? I already know I wanna go to Primark, Topshop & TK Maxx. In general, shopping in the UK is expensive compared to my country, and I´m sort of on a budget. So does anyone know of any other affordable stores? Oh yeah, and Boots is on the list as well, to check out the Barry M stuff in person

Madfame Tussaud's rock museum ! It's a really fun place.

It's not very original, but my best friend and i agree it's only in England you can find a real english breakfast tea, so we buy tea as well. Do they still have Marks&Spencer in England ? We used to buy it there, also to satisfy our frustration of not having those stores in France anymore.

I´m not sure what English Breakfast Tea is...something like Earl Grey black tea? Eiter way, I´ll make sure to have a typical English breakfast!!!

English breakfast tea is usually a blend of teas like Assam and Kenyan - at least in the places I buy it!  It's meant to be quite strong and refreshing and not usually like Earl Grey.

 

As for places to go - well you could spend weeks in London alone.  There is so much to see and do so it really depends on what you like.  If you like foodie kind of shopping Fortnum and Mason is amazing.  Very expensive but just beautiful to walk round (and you can get almost every kind of tea known to man in there!)  It's on Piccadilly - and fairly near by just up Dover Street is Automat which is an American diner and does great brunch/breakfast pancakes and waffles etc if you're missing home at all.  Borough Market is a foodie must-do as well but gets very busy.

 

As for site-seeing, nearly all the museums and galleries are free - the British Museum is full of fascinating things, then there's the National Gallery, Tate Modern etc.  Have never done Buckingham Palace but have been to the Tower of London and that was surprisingly enjoyable - I'd recommend the yeoman's tour if you go there.

 

Shopping, well, where do you begin?!  Oxford Street is the main big name shops - but hellishly busy.  You'll find Primark and Top Shop there though and I think there's a massive Boots as well.  Although Superdrug is worth going to as well - they stock Barry M, and also Gosh, and some branches do Sleek and I understand you can't easily get any of them in the US.  Camden Market is alternative and studenty, shops around Chelsea and Knightsbridge are beyond expensive, Covent Garden and Seven Dials are quite touristy but can be nice to wander round and offer a good mix of shops and places to eat.

 

If you're after places to eat as well, Wahaca is on Chandos Place near Covent Garden - authentic Mexican food in a very busy setting but fab and cheap.   There's a nearby bar called the Porterhouse which does beers and lagers from around the world as well.  And I love Moro which is in Exmouth Market – it’s a mix of Moroccan/African and Spanish foods – and has a great atmosphere.

 

If you fancy something a little different, the Volupté lounge near High Holburn does burlesque and great cocktails – plus Afternoon Tease – afternoon tea and cabaret on Saturday afternoons.  It’s not cheap but it is great fun – and lots of people get dressed up in corsets and retro/vintage clothes – its very women friendly as well – in fact more women go than men so it isn’t a sleazy strip club kind of place at all.

 

I’m sure your friends will have loads of ideas anyway – and I’ve written way too much – sorry!!  Oh, bring warm clothes and something to wear in the rain! 

 

Hope you have a great time.

wow, thanks for the many recommendations. I´d love to try some more exotic foods while I´m in London & Maroccan sounds amazing!

And the Volupté sounds way cool, I´ve never been to a place like this!

you NEED to go to primark.. it's so cheap you won't believe your eyes. they have amazing knitwear and really good stuff for winter- like scarves and hats and things.

river island is another good shop, if you like topshop you will probably like river island. they have amazing shoes! marks and spencer is a bit fuddy-duddy for clothes, it's very English, mid 40's working woman sort of stuff. they sell some lovely snacks and puddings though.

it's worth a look in debenhams or house of fraser- those are our two main department stores, which have lots of different franchises in. they sell all the high end makeup too. don't be too tempted by the topshop makeup, it's not really that good. the nail polishes are decent but the brushes are terrible to work with. it's very overpriced for what you get.

Originally Posted by Lucy /img/forum/go_quote.gif

you NEED to go to primark.. it's so cheap you won't believe your eyes. they have amazing knitwear and really good stuff for winter- like scarves and hats and things.

river island is another good shop, if you like topshop you will probably like river island. they have amazing shoes! marks and spencer is a bit fuddy-duddy for clothes, it's very English, mid 40's working woman sort of stuff. they sell some lovely snacks and puddings though.

it's worth a look in debenhams or house of fraser- those are our two main department stores, which have lots of different franchises in. they sell all the high end makeup too. don't be too tempted by the topshop makeup, it's not really that good. the nail polishes are decent but the brushes are terrible to work with. it's very overpriced for what you get.

Click to expand...

thanks a lot. Primark is on the very top of my shopping list because I don´t have the biggest shopping budget for this trip. From what I´ve seen on blogs, their stuff is pretty trendy and fashion forward. Topshop is a must too, mainly for the jewelry...I browsed their website and liked 70% of their jewelry. Is River Island about the same price range as Topshop?

iv been to london a few times once near halloween and they dont seem to get it like we do lol

Originally Posted by Andi /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I´m not sure what English Breakfast Tea is...something like Earl Grey black tea? Eiter way, I´ll make sure to have a typical English breakfast!!!

Click to expand...

It's a blend of black teas, like another poster said. For the taste, i'd say it's a good strong tea, like earl grey but without bergamot.

Originally Posted by magosienne /img/forum/go_quote.gif





It's a blend of black teas, like another poster said. For the taste, i'd say it's a good strong tea, like earl grey but without bergamot.

Click to expand...

sounds like if I drink this in the afternoon I won´t be able to sleep at night lol. But since it´s called breakfast tea I´ll only try it for breakfast

Oh my god! I live in Kent!

Well when you come to Kent, be sure to go to Bluewater - a huge shopping centre which has so many shops. It also has ice skating, a cinema, restaurants, and rock climbing outside of it.

In London, there's Madamme Tussauds, the London eye, the London Dungeons, Oxford street and Covent Garden shopping...

Originally Posted by Roshni Diya /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Oh my god! I live in Kent!

Well when you come to Kent, be sure to go to Bluewater - a huge shopping centre which has so many shops. It also has ice skating, a cinema, restaurants, and rock climbing outside of it.

In London, there's Madamme Tussauds, the London eye, the London Dungeons, Oxford street and Covent Garden shopping...

Click to expand...

Haha I already googled "shopping in Kent" and Bluewater came up, which I had to put on my list immediately. When I arrive I´ll be spending a few days in kent so I want to go shopping ASAP.

Thanks for the thread... Next summer, I'll be in London myself, for a short period of time, and I certainly needed some help! 

If you are into history, check out Rochester which is where Dickens lived and wrote about and there are Hever and Leeds castles which are awesome. Canterbury is also worth a look, especially the 'Chocolate Hotel.

Try PG Tips tea bags, it is what everybody drinks.  Look in Saisburys or Tescos supermarkets for cheap stuff too. They have a lot of Xmas stuff in so you could get some really different presents.

Hop[e you have a good time.

Terri

Originally Posted by terricuppe /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If you are into history, check out Rochester which is where Dickens lived and wrote about and there are Hever and Leeds castles which are awesome. Canterbury is also worth a look, especially the 'Chocolate Hotel.

Try PG Tips tea bags, it is what everybody drinks.  Look in Saisburys or Tescos supermarkets for cheap stuff too. They have a lot of Xmas stuff in so you could get some really different presents.

Hop[e you have a good time.

Terri

Click to expand...

Cool, thanks. I definitely want to get some x-mas presents while I´m there

If you are in London, try Harrods or some say that Selfridges on Oxford Street is better. Then there is Portabello Road, best on a Saturday and Camden Lock, although it has become a bit touristy. Westbourne Grove in W2 has some of the best Indian restaurants, Khans used to be great. The Hoxton area in the East of London has a real arty feel with galleries and cool places to hang out.

If you want great coffee, then try Bar Italia in Soho one of the oldest coffee bars in the UK or Patisserie Valerie for breakfast. 

The Kings Road, Chelsea is still an interesting street to shop in. take a seat outside at the Picasso Cafe and watch out for celebs. Finally if you have lots of money, try lunch at San Lorenzo in Beauchamps Place near Harrods or Daphnes just around the corner. They are always full as Lady Di used to go there and loads of celebs will go for lunch or dinner there.

Hope you have a great time.