1) Visit the Tower of London – for a truly unique experience become part of a 700 year old tradition of locking up the Tower and attend the Ceremony of the Keys. You’ll get to see the Tower the way most people don’t, at night. It’s FREE, but you have to request tickets ahead of time. Oh, don’t be late! Click Here for more info

2) Spend a Sunday shopping, eating, and cruising the canals in Camden Lock. After you’ve shopped and eaten along High Street, take a cruise along London’s Canals and see a London most people don’t even know about. For more info click here.

3) Have lunch or dinner at the Marlborough Head Pub, 24 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WB (Tube Station Bond Street or Marble Arch). The perfect place to land after a hard day shopping Oxford Street. Great food, and this place oozes gothic charm. Hint: Be sure and sit downstairs and watch the uninitiated try to find the hidden doors to the bathrooms… It’s Halloween all year at the Marlboroughead!

4) See the Changing of the Guard – The most classic is of course Buckingham Palace, but if you’re there when the Horseguards are doing their thing – that’s really a show! For more information click here

5) If you’ve got kids, or are just a child at heart – check out the London Dungeon. A little cheesey, but always fun. More info click here

6) Visit Hampton Court Palace. Fan of the “Tudors”? Visit the Palace Henry the VIII killed Cardinal Woolsey to get. It’s well worth the trek to the outskirts of London to visit. Beautiful gardens. For more info click here. For a truly unique experience – stay at the Palace, for more information you can contact the Landmark Trust, click here

7) Have lunch, dinner, or take-a-way from the London institution, Sea Shell (49-51 Lisson Grove, London NW1 6UH). A short walk from the Marleybone Tube/Rail station it has both great take-a-way and a very nice restaurant. Click Here to visit their website.

Not in the mood for Fish and Chips? How about some ribs? Adams Ribs (23 Shaftesbury Avenue,
London, W1D 7EF) at Picadilly Circus will have you coming back to London just for the Ribs. You can catch a movie, or do some shopping before or after you feast.

9) Visit Harrods. Even if you manage to go to London and not shop – you need to see the Department Stores of All Department Stores at least once. Don’t want to buy anything? Then have lunch in one of the many restaurants available, or get take out from the food court.

10) Take a cruise on the Thames. See London from the river.

11) Take a day trip on the train – anywhere. You can go to Dover, Southampton, Brighton, York, Cardiff, or a dozen other places on a daytrip on the train from London. It’s a great, relaxing way to explore the English Countryside.

12) Spend a day visiting a museum. Like the classics? Go to the British Museum. Modern more your style? Visit the Tate Gallery.

Note: Looking for a great hotel in London?
Try the Montague on the Garden. It’s located next to the British Museum, a block from the underground, and in a quiet neighborhood with a beautiful park that’s wonderful for coffee and a light breakfast. Best of all, they’re usually in the Entertainment Hotel Discount program – when available rooms at 50% off!

If you’re looking for good fish-n-chips check out SeaShell – they’re a London institution a short walk from Marlyebone Station. They have both a takeaway and a very nice restaurant. Open 7 days a week, however they only server LUNCH on Sundays.

Leaving London we drove to Dover to meet our ship, NCL’s Norwegian Dream, stopping at Canterbury on the way. London really isn’t that bad to drive through – if you’re used to the left side of the road, sitting on the right side of the car (that’s can take a little getting used to). Getting lost really isn’t much of an issue thanks to their wonderful numbering system – their Postal Codes all radiate out from the center – E1 means East 1 the further east you go the bigger the number gets, the same for N, NW, W, SE, SW, NE. It does help, especially as you get to edge of London to know what the next big town is on the route you want to take. Their road signs tend to say that destination instead of the route number and direction. For step by step driving instruction for most of Europe check out Via Michelin.

If you’re head to a ship in Dover (or Southampton or Tilbury) and don’t want to drive, check with one of the many car services throughout London, or take the train.

As for the ship we were on our way to meet – you can read my low opinion NCL here. Some cruise lines just don’t have clue.