Days Out in London

Walks Around London
A relatively unknown source of fascinating information, and highly recommended for a few hours is the London Walks Company They offer guided walks (morning, afternoon and sometimes evening) through both famous and lesser known areas of London. The guides are knowledgeable and entertaining. With a wealth of anecdotes they often have fascinating backgrounds themselves too– one guide used to be an elephant keeper at London zoo. The attraction of the walks is that you don’t need to book ahead – just meet up at the designated meeting place, pay about £7 each and off you go. So you can go on a whim and choose according to the weather (they do inside ones too).

Essential Walks leave Piccadilly Circus to walk around Westminster every day at 10.00am and cost £9 for a two hour tour.

Planning a group excursion anywhere in London or the South East? If you want a knowledgeable guide to show you round and provide fascinating background history, then the creme de la creme are those who have trained to be a Blue Badge Guides. As a personal recommendation, contact Amanda on amanda@southeasttourguides.co.uk or click here.
Blue badge tours also offer 93 different walks around London, and will tailor make them if you are in a group.

Tour the Olympic sites, but book soon as there is a long waiting list. 
For tours inside the park click here  They are booking now for 3 months ahead. The tours are so heavily oversubscribed the site does not make it easy to find out how to book, so persevere by going to ‘Making it Happen’ and then ‘Living near the Park”

Galleries and Museums
With so much to see in London it is worth singling out the V&A. After a £30million refit it has reopened it’s ten new Medieval & Renaissance Galleries to huge acclaim (plus it is always worth a visit for its exhibitions). It houses one of the world’s most important collections of art and artifacts from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance, now arranged into a more visitor friendly style to tell the story of European art from the Roman Empire to the end of the Renaissance. With 1800 objects you might need to book another visit! For a great value fixed price lunch in a nearby Italian restaurant try Daphne’s
 
How about a Guided Art History Tour? Rose Balston is both educational and entertaining. For example you could visit exotic Leighton House, decode some of the Tate's modern sculpture or study Renaissance art at the National Gallery.

Apart from the obvious galleries and museums in London you may also wish to consider:

• Apsley House also known as No.1 London, was home to the Duke of Wellington and has fabulous interiors and an art collection in part gifted by grateful European heads of state. There is a  90-foot-long Waterloo Gallery based on Versailles’ Hall Of Mirrors, plus the Iron Duke's impressive collection of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, furniture, and artifacts.

• Cabinet War Rooms  

• Clink Prison Museum  (lunch at The Swan at The Globe?)

• Courtauld Gallery with its art collection of famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, and programme of temporary exhibitions

• Dali Universe  

• Dennis Severs House E1 floorboards creek, candles flicker and fires crackle in this atmospheric living museum of life in 17th Century London.

• Design Museum  (lunch at Pont de la Tour?)

• Dulwich Picture Gallery  

• Eltham Palace  one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England (with gold plated bathroom) and beautiful gardens

• Fan Museum  

• Foundling Museum  usic recitals and exhibitions in the building where 27,000 children have passed through its doors

• Imperial War Museum   

• Leighton House where the house and its dazzling Victorian extravaganza is a work of art in itself with its breathtaking Arab Hall, and  impressive collection of paintings. It’s a well kept London secret, with fabulous Islamic style interiors glowing with gold and dazzling peacock blue, furniture in original William Morris fabrics, sculptures and a few Tintorettos thrown in. A recent refurbishment means it is looking its best.

• Museum of London after a 5 year refit five new galleries tell the City’s story from the Great Fire through the Industrial Revolution and Great Exhibition up to the present. With a recreation of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, the Lord Mayors Coach and a fashion walkway from Biba to Alexander McQueen you wont be bored.

• National Gallery  

• Sir John Soanes Museum  a fascinating eclectic collection of artifacts and art from all over the world in his Lincoln’s Inn house. You need to book.

• Tate Britain  

• The Shard where two lifts whisk you effortlessly up to breathtaking 360 degree views out across London and, on a good day, over 40 miles in all directions. Then its a short walk up to the open visitors' platform. Wear something warm, as it's rather windy!

• Wallace Collection a  fabulous mansion of rococo art, gilded furniture and sumptuous paintings in the West End very near Selfridges (with a grand, airy, glass ceilinged courtyard restaurant serving excellent food).

What’s On around the UK

For cheap theatre ticket deals try Theatre Billboard launched in early 2011. You can search for discounted tickets, and some top shows will offer seats at up to  50% discount.

If you are looking for ideas for visits to galleries, museums and exhibitions go to Days Out Guide where you will find over 450 galleries and museums listed covering England and Wales with details of admission prices, hours of opening and a brief description of the principal exhibits.
Culture 24 is another useful UK website.

If you are looking at days out in London you will get up to the minute advice and reviews on theatres and attractions from Time Out.  Or for hotels, restaurants, shops, galleries and other attractions in London download London's official free iPhone app from inclusivelondon.com which has over 100,000 entries.