Got a nut allergy? Fine, don’t eat the nuts.
21.07.2023 - 08:46 / roughguides.com / Neil Macquillian / London
As a tourist in London, you won’t be short of company. The capital has the three most popular free visitor attractions in the UK (British Museum; National Gallery; Natural History Museum). It also lays claim to the top three paid-for sites (Tower of London; St Paul's Cathedral; Westminster Abbey).
But should you start finding all the people wearing their backpacks on their chests a little oppressive, it’s time to shake them off your tail. As one of the authors of TheRough Guide to London, Neil McQuillian has got this down to a fine art. Here are his top tips.
Mews, alleyways, yards, courts – London does atmospheric walking like few other places on Earth. And the more you walk, the more you find; roads seem to call out to you, leading you on, ensnaring you in a wonderful riddle. Getting lost in London is one of its great pleasures.
Feeling ambitious? Writer Will Self reckons it takes a whole day to walk from central London to green fields – in other words, to actually leave the city on foot. A more manageable variation is to take a bus to the end of its line and walk back in.
Slightly less ambitious, but a lot of fun, is to take a bus back into London from the start of its route. Getting on before anyone else, you’ll have your choice of seats – which of course means top deck, front row. Picnic and hip flask optional.
You could try the number 18 from out by the legendary Ace Café, a petrolhead hub on the North Circular. The 74, meanwhile, is cut out for better things: hop on at Putney Bridge and spend the next hour or so peering in at the windows of some of London’s wealthiest residences in the likes of Fulham, South Kensington and Knightsbridge.
Many of the buses that run from around Hampstead Heath feel practically bucolic at times – get some fresh air vibes aboard the 214 or 271 (the latter is also handy for Highgate Cemetery). South of the river, the 176 runs from Penge, through leafy Dulwich (passing right by the excellent Horniman Museum) to Tottenham Court Road.
A fine companion to such explorations are the Pevsner architectural guides – with these in your backpack, you’re never far from a flying buttress or some other fascinating nook or cranny. Nairn’s London is another recommended book.
Quiet London street at night © Nejron Photo/Shutterstock
London’s lost rivers are its most powerful ghosts. Largely built over now, they run in subterranean silence, locked away from the living city, feeding its urban legend. Some twenty of them have been accounted for and a good number you can see for yourself if you know where to look.
Walk down to Blackfriars Bridge, for instance, peer over the side and you’ll see the Fleet emptying into the Thames. Stand on the platform at Sloane Square station and look up – see
Got a nut allergy? Fine, don’t eat the nuts.
No one is more game for some last-minute, improvisational travel than a spy. In Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his merry band of fellow spies embark on—and abscond via—more modes of transportation than there are punctuation marks in the title, and they do it all on very short notice. We’re not just talking planes, trains, and automobiles, either—although there are plenty of each, with “Get me on that flight,” a refrain often heard—but also desert-traversing horses, off-terrain motorcycles, and an especially sleek water taxi. The travel writer in me can’t help but wonder—did I choose the wrong career for seeing the world?
Beyond the areas that were devastated by the earthquake earlier this year, Turkey is very much open for business and keen that visitors keep coming. Away from the tourist hotspots of Istanbul, Antalya and the Cappadocia region, there are still vast parts of the country that remain relatively little-visited. We would like to hear your tips on a hidden Turkish gem, somewhere that is off-the-beaten-track and ideal for a holiday. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition.
Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Kruger – everyone who’s ever dreamt of going to Africa will know these safari big-hitters. Famous for their wildlife, they’re also famous for hordes of visitors that flock to them in convoys of Land Cruisers. If you want to get away from the masses, these are the best little-visited African national parks, each with extraordinary wildlife but far fewer humans.
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Southeast Asia is the quintessential backpacker destination – all noodle stands, grungy hostels and full moon parties, right? Not necessarily. There are still plenty of authentic Southeast Asian escapes. You just need to know where to find them. Start here.
Ticked off New York City’s big sights and wondering where to go next? From sinking a pint in Brooklyn's Red Hook to sampling Italian delicacies in The Bronx, Stephen Keeling picks the city’s off-the-beaten track highlights.
Paris is the world's most visited city. It draws in a barely comprehensible 30 million travellers each year – and its monuments, museums and galleries are some of Europe's most instantly recognisable. You could spend weeks here and not see them all. But what if you want to see an alternative Paris, a Paris off the beaten track?
Marrakesh? Check. The souks of Fez? Been there, bought that. Jebel Toubkal? Climbed it, twice. So what else does Morocco have in store once you’ve ticked off its most popular sights? Plenty, according to Keith Drew, who selects seven places that are far from the madding crowds.
Taiwan’s capital Taipei is one of East Asia’s most vibrant metropolises. It's is famous for its night markets; Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings; and the National Palace Museum, which holds a vast collection of imperial Chinese treasures. But beyond that, there are many more things to do in Taipei including urban hikes, historic neighbourhoods, hot springs, and a volcanic mountain park on the outskirts.
Australia is a vast country, though most visitors stay on the same tried and tested track, ticking off well-touristed pitstops along the way. But, of course, there's plenty more to see beyond the usual Sydney, rock and reef holiday triangle. Here’s our pick of the best places to escape the crowds Down Under.