Englondongu

　　　　Hammersmith　Bridge

I collect information by myself or tips
dropped from my friends. I picked up
and listed through my personal point of
view.

*It's not so expensive (incl free info).

*You can reach all places if you get
"a travel card (zone1-6 or less)"
except Lakeside shopping centre,
Amersham, St. Albans.

*It's unique. You may not find many of
them in your travel guide. If you are fed up
with stereotypical travel.

Whether you are travelling or stay in
London as a student or business, please
take full advantage of my secret tips.

The London map called "London A to Z"
is useful when you travel around.

左：Left: my poor old A-Z. :-))

Secret budget London Guide
You do not like conventional tour? Read this.
Still under construction, but adding one by one.

　　●Tourists tips from locals●
Asmission free events in London
Ceremony of the keys(Need a ticket but FREE!)
London pubs (menu etc)
Pantomime(entertaiment with jokes)
London Walks (Guided walking tour )
Long wayt to a loo?
New Year Eve in London
Foreign Exchange

　　●Enjoy London greenery area●
Birds in London Parks
Richmond hill
Primrose Hill-in London panorama
Farm in mid-London!?
Ruth Rendell's Green Road!

　　●Watery London●
Thames Riverside Walk
Little Venice in London！

　　●Day out from London●
Greenwich through a foot tunnel
Ｃavern experience-Cｈｉｓｌｅｈｕｒｓｔ　Ｃａｖｅ
Tram trip in London
Good-Old Amersham Village
20 minutes by rail historical St Albans

　　●Shopping around London●
It's NOT Oxford/Bond street!-Shopping like londoners

　　●Eating out in London●
Museum & Gallery cafe
1.50pounds teas set in supermarket
Would you like a posh traditional tea set?
Indian restaurants recommended by Indian-English

　　●Weired or curious places...●
Cemeteries in London
Pet cemetry in Hyde park
Greyhound Racing(dog race)
Unique shops in London(Under construction)

　　●London hostel & dormitory report●
London accommo report
Youth hostels in London(to the other page)

Yeah! It's free events

Admission free London events. Do not miss if you are lucky enough to be there.

*Changing the Guard
　　I am sure it's in your guide book and I do not need to explain this.
　　Place: Buckingham Palace 　　 MAP
　　　From April to August: every day from 11:30am　
　　Other month: every alternative day. (You'd better confirm before you go.)
　　Underground:Green Park, Victoria (Zone1,--Victoria line), St. James's Park (--Circle line)
*Horse Guards Parade
　Place:Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall
　Start from Hyde Park Barracks　Route:Hyde Park Corner-Constitution Hill-The Mall　MAP
　　毎日開催：Mon-Sat from 11：00AM Sun from 10：00AM 30minutes Weather permitting
　　March accompanied with the band.
　　Underground:Embankment, Charing Cross, and Westminster
*February Event s
Pancake Day
Pancake Day is held about mid-Feb(Shrove TuesdayFeb.12, 2002)
Pancake racing is held Carnaby Street in Oxford Circus.
Underground:Oxford Circus (Zone1, --Bakerloo line, --Central line)
Chinese New Year Festival
Huge crowd, fire crackers and New Year's good luck money! If you like a festival, you woul love this oriental celebration in China town.
Underground:Leicester Square (Zone1, --Picadilly line, --Northern line)

*March Events
Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
Held in River Thames between Putney Bridge and Mortlake. Large crowd is expected, so you should leave early to stake out a good spot.

*April Event　
The London Marathon
If you are in London in April, watch people running in funny outfits and have a nice laugh. Start:Greenwich Park Goal:The Mall

*August Event
Notting Hill Carnival
You are lucky if you are in London in August, you will definitely enjoy cheerful Caribbean Carnival. Many food stalls and flasy parade.
Underground:Notting Hill Gate (Zone1,--Central line, --District line, --Circle line)
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Tower of London Ceremony of the keys (Free of Charge)

I am sure you know one of the famous tourist destinations-The Tower of London. But have you ever heard the nightly held"Ceremony of the keys"?
Simply, beefeaters (the guards) lock the gates around the tower at the end of the day. It has 700 year history and never stopped even at war time. Amazingly, the ticket is FREE. But you should send the application form at least two months in advance to have it. Tower of London at night is the another entertainment? It starts 21:40 and concludes 22:05. Near the main tower gate, there's the sign says "Ceremony Of The Keys, Queue Here". You should arrive there before 21:30.

Send a letter below and ask an application form.
You should enclose... (They DO NOT accept a phone call, FAX and e-mail)
1. a self-addressed envelope
2.the requisite British postage stamps, or a minimum of two International Reply Coupons (Coupon-response International)

The Ceremony of the Keys
HM Tower of London
London
EC3N 4AB
England
http://www.hrp.org.uk/
Underground:Tower Hill (Zone1,--Circle line,--District line)
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Fancy London Pubs?

While you're in London sure you want to visit London pubs. I recommend riverside pub cause view is excellent expacially in Summer. Try River Thames side or canal side. Hammersmith or Bayswater area is nice. Personally I think Chelsea pubs along Kings Road are a bit fashionable.
(Underground: Hammersmith, Zone2, --Hammersmith & City line, --Picadilly line, --District line)
(Underground: Sloane Square, Zone1, --District line)
For women, you should not go to a pub alone, otherwise other people think you as professional. I heard one of my friends' female friend was asked "How much do you cost?" In addition, if you are not, you should be careful gay pubs. For my Japanese standard, people are not so well-mannered, broken glass on the floor is a usual thing. Some old British told me women should drink a half-pint glass. But youg people said it is old-fashioned and more expensive! For your information, pubs close early (11:00PM). Landlord of a pub blinks the light and kicks you out!

*What you order？
Is there a menu in a pub? I've never seen it. Here's tips from my British friend.

Lager---a kind of beer, effervescent and ligt in colour and body.

Stout---a strong dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley.This beer's got a macho image somehow. Ex. Guinness, Red Stripe

Shandy---a drindk of beer mixed with lemonade or ginger beer.

Cider---an alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice. It's sweet and like juice. But you should not drink too much cause the alcohol content is unexpectedly high. Two kinds: dry & sweet.

Bitter Lemon---a mellow yellow lemonade with stronger lemon flavor. It's popular in Britain.

Tonic Water---a carbonated soft drink containing quinine.

Crisps---When British people go a pub, they just drink and do not eat a lot. The only side dish? is crisps. Many unfamiliar flavors such as Cheeae＆Onion, Plane salt, Prawn Cocktail, Beef & Onion, Spring Onion. Usually sold a small package (approx. 30g)

Pub night---Pub is an entertainment place for Brits. People play darts or,billiards. Some pub holds a special pub night like KARAOKE and bingo. You may need a ticket and buy in advance.

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Pantomime

It's a theatrical entertainment based on a fairy tale with music and topical jokes. Usually produced around Christmas. It is FUN. The one I've seen was "Jack and Beanstalk". Jack threw candies and sausages (? Yes un-cooked) to the audience. We all stood up and gladly picked up them. There was a female impersonator and she's extremely funny. "She" changed her extravagant dress several times. I believe that you'll all really enjoy the show. Pricing is around 15-20 pounds. Peformers seemed to enjoy themselves.
I've been to school as a volunteer teacher and surprisingly found "drama" lesson at ordinary schools. British people are quite keen on drama, I think. Therfore, the level is very high.

Where you get the info.
Tourist information, library, hotel etc.
Price:15-20 pounds

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Londonwalks(London on foot)

You would see this pamphlet (left) at hotel or library. Every day and night several walks set up. What you should do is just turn up the place at the time. (usually tube station) No need to book. (Only large group needs to book.) The price is 5 quids (pounds). If you're senior or student, you'll get a discount.
I personally joined "Unexpected London". We wandered around Docklands with a pleasant lady guide. There was a farm in a development site and really unexpected.
Also there're seasonal special walks visit below.

http://www.walks.com
http://www.jacktheripperwalk.com

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Richmond Hill---Magnificient pastoral scenery

I was really moved when I first saw the view over the Richimond Hill. Richmond is a quite pretty riverside town and it's only zone 3! You can not imagine the hustle-bustle central London there. On sunny day, Water's blue and parks are green, then the sky is light blue...
There's enormous Richmond Park at the top of the hill. If you are lucky you could see deer.(You should go by car or bike. The park is that big.)The beautiful Hampton Court Palace is within short train or bus trip.
Route: From Richmond Station turn left->Kew Road->The Quad->The Square->George St.->Hill St.->Hill Rise-Richmond Hill
Along Kew Road & George Street there's many shops. Pubs in Hill street & Hill Rise.

Hampton Court Palace
If you go south-west London, Hampton Court Palace is a nice place to visit. I personally love SW London because its beautiful scenery.
Admission is charged; 10pounds 80pence(2001). For your information you can walk in to the entrance (see right photo) from the gate for free. There's a ticket office on the left. There's several events you can join without additional fee (included in your admission). Some event you need to book, but others you just turn up the scheduled time at scheduled place. The exhibition is mainly past people's life (outfits, food and entertainment etc..). It is just a few minutes walk from Hampton Court
railway station. Park & gardens are free in off-season.

National Rail: Hampton Court(Zone6, =National Rail From Waterloo station)

Hampton Court Palace
East Molesey
Surrey
KT8 9AU
TEL:(0)870 752 7777
http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/home.asp 　Click Hampton Court Photo

Primrose Hill---Another beautiful hill even within zone 2!

My Camden Town friend told me about this hill and I checked it out. It is very open and beautiful area! I remember I read an article says many artists love & live Chalk farm. When you want to break away from the Camden Lock Market crowd, it's the best place. Nearest Undergrond station is Chalk Farm. From Camden Town pass the market then turn to left. Primrose Hill share a border with Regent's Park. You can go there by boat from Camden Lock. (Nearest Boat Stop:London Zoo)
Route:Chalk Farm Road->　 Regent's Park Road->　 Primrose Hill Road
Underground:Chalk Farm, Camden Town (Zone2, --Northern line)

Walk along The River Thames---Thames River Walk

In London along River Thames, there's nice riverside walk. After sightseeing or museum visit, you can stroll around and find your very best London view. Here's some idea.

Around Westminster You can see the London Eye (observation wheel). From the London Eye walk down Westminster Bridge, then you are in front of Houses of Parliament.
Around Embankment You can still see the London Eye. Cleopatra's Needle's beside the river. Somerset House's backyard is along.
Around London Bridge Hey's Galleria (shops & restaurants) is just beside the river. You can see the HMS Belfast and the Tower Bridge(Night light-up is beautiful). Tower of London is far bank of the river.
Around Tower of London There's pubs, hotels and shops at St. Katharine Docks. Go there after the above mentioned Ceremony of the keys.
Around Richmond The further you're up the Thames, you could see clearer water and wild life. If the weather's nice, it would be excellent day-out. Sometimes flood may prevent your way.