2 weeks in London, Edinburgh, Montreal

July 18, 2005 10:39 AM

Two twenty-somethings, travelling to the London, Edinburgh, and Montreal, seek advice on things to do in each city.

My SO and I will be travelling to the UK in a few weeks with his family - we'll be spending a week in London and half a week in Edinburgh, with various day-trips planned. The real adults are planning all of the touristy stuff- museums, castles, etc. I'd like suggestions for activities suitable for our age and proclivities (those proclivites being drinking in a relaxed environment, short day hikes, and other cultural exchanges).

We're also seeking similar suggestions for Montreal (spending 3 nights), but are additionally looking for cultural nighttime activities - theatre, festivals, etc.

PS. the two of us are more "quirky" than fashionable, so hobnobbing with the princes is right out, sadly :).

posted by muddgirl to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Please exuse the extra "the" in the question.
posted by muddgirl at 10:45 AM on July 18, 2005

My favorite quirky thing to do in London was Highgate Cemetery. It's a pretty easy tube ride and stroll or cab ride out of central London, and you'll be rewarded with lots of neat opportunities for pictures, and if you can arrange for a guided tour or if you bring a guidebook there's a fascinating story around every turn. Plus, it's so wooded and secluded that you won't believe you're still in London. And it's fairly cheap!

It's the sort of thing not many people visit, so it's a nice option to Piccadilly Circus/Tower of London/etc.
posted by handful of rain at 10:50 AM on July 18, 2005

I'm afraid you've missed the International Jazz Festival of Montreal, but I've always enjoyed the BioSphere and the gardens... And drinking at L'Amère à Boire
on Rue Ste. Denis. They serve yummy olives with your pint.
posted by Specklet at 12:00 PM on July 18, 2005

Whoops.
posted by Specklet at 12:00 PM on July 18, 2005

For dining, try fonduementale on Ste. Denis! Excellent fondue and I recommend the "Japanese" with miso!
posted by k8t at 12:11 PM on July 18, 2005

If you like seafood, there are many restaurants in Montreal to visit, but one in particular that I've been to time and again is a casual BYOB called Le Poisson Rouge, 1201 Rachel St., [phone]. The prix fixe is an amazing deal and the food is out of sight. And the maitre d' knows everything about each fish and its preparation.

If you like to ride bikes, you can rent a bicycle and head up Mont Royal for a picnic lunch. If you rent your bike in Old Montreal, you can have your picnic, explore the city, and then come back to return the bike and explore Old Montreal's restaurants and galleries. It's a bit tourist-y but fun.

For casual drinking, St. Denis and St. Laurent are good streets, with lots of pubs and music. There's one place on St. Denis and Sherbrooke that offers hookahs, that was a good time. Can't remember its name though...
posted by Rothko at 12:15 PM on July 18, 2005

A half-day hike in London that takes in Highgate Cemetery and ends with a vast choice of relaxed drinking establishments starts in Highgate, passes through Waterlow Park (London's best kept secret), through Highgate Cemetery, down Swains Lane to Parliament Hill (great views of the city) and over Hampstead Heath into Hamstead village for beer. For that classic English boozer try Jack Straw's Castle at the end of Spaniards Road or The Flask Tavern on Flask Walk. Take the tube to Archway and walk up Highate Hill to get started. Map [here] and [here]

Another good walk is the Regent's Canal Walk. You can make it as long as you like, there's lots more pubs on the way and you get to see a side of London that not many visitors see. It passes through Camden Market, a stopping point for any visitor under 40 with a pulse. The market is fully open at the weekend. And lots of pubs...
posted by i_cola at 12:34 PM on July 18, 2005 [2 favorites]

Edinburgh was covered in this thread just a few days ago. Most boozers in the Old/New town should fit the bill, though don't bother too much with Rose Street (little lane behind Princes Street), which is more touristy than characterful. Culture wise, the Traverse in Lothian Road is a modern, professional theatre which showcases new Scottish writing and has a groovy basement bar.

In London, Hampstead Heath YAY, though you *will* get lost, it's compulsory and unavoidable. Try swimming in the ponds, which are open air, and free - there's a men's, a ladies and a mixed pond. Can't speak for the men's, but for any laydeez in the group, it's definitely worth dumping the guys for a bit and going to your own pond, very secluded and pretty, you can swim alongside low flying herons etc. and also sunbathe topless if that floats your boat.

Jack Straw's Castle I've always thought was horrible, though it was being done up a while ago so might have improved. The Flask I agree with, or better still, head up the little lane (Holly Hill) that continues uphill from the top of Hampstead High Street. Near the top on the right, you'll find the Holly Bush, which has a reasonable dose of genuine olde worlde charm without being OTT or tacky.
posted by penguin pie at 1:10 PM on July 18, 2005

A great place for a drink in Edinburgh is Oloroso. It's at the top of a tall building; sit out on the deck to enjoy the drink and a view of city and mountainside. Egg sandwiches there are good too.

In Montreal, I'm crazy about Au Pied de Cochon in Le Plateau -- an unpretentious first-rate restaurant specializing in foie gras.
posted by escabeche at 1:53 PM on July 18, 2005

The rail system out of London is wonderful, so don't feel bad for ditching the city to get out to the countryside for awhile. When on honeymoon in England last month, banjo and I found we liked the smaller city's pubs much more than the London pubs. I've only seen Rye (when we were at ATP) and Chester and a few other locales in the northwest, but the ability to get a pint of something brewed just down the street was great!

And I know it's a crummy bar, but check out 'Walkabout' near the Embankment. They're open later on Sundays, dammit, which was great for us 20 somethings when we were in town a few years back.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:25 PM on July 18, 2005 [1 favorite]

Definitely will recommend "Death Of A Salesman" starring Brian Dennehy in Lester's Square in London. I've been going to London for years and seeing plays -- this one, by far, was the best I've ever seen there. Buy the tickets on the day of at the box office to save a little dough too.
posted by JPowers at 2:49 PM on July 18, 2005

Maybe stop off in York (between Edinburgh and London). It's a pretty tourist town, and there's loads of Mefites in the area. (hint, hint)
posted by seanyboy at 4:08 PM on July 18, 2005

Visit Kew Garden's in London if the weather is nice. Take a picnic and some booze and chill out for the day. While in the area you could also check out Richmond, which is right on the Thames and has some good pubs overlooking the river. Try NOT to visit the Walkabout (an Australian theme bar - what's the point, you're not in Oz, go to a proper British pub/bar).

Also in London - have a curry in Brick Lane and a chinese meal in Chinatown (Dim Sum in a place called Harbour City is very nice). Go clubbing somewhere funky - look up where's cool/what's on in Time Out magazine. If you'd like some traditional UK sport, along with some drinking, maybe go and watch cricket for the day at the Oval.

Edinburgh is nice but really touristy. I would suggest travelling (1hr) to Glasgow for the day for a comparison. Glasgow has some excellent bars and nightlife around the University/Art School areas - and an excellent music scene.
posted by jonesor at 3:24 AM on July 19, 2005

Hampstead Heath is indeed beautiful and worth a stroll-through, but Jack Straw's Castle has now been converted into condos. While you're on the heath, head to Parliament Hill and check out the sculpture of the gigantic table and chair.

As I do every time anybody asks what to do in London, I must suggest you buy a used copy of Henry Holt Londonwalks, which is my favorite guidebook to London. Instead of trying to tell you a little something about every place in the city, it picks a handful of neighborhoods and takes you on detailed street-by-street walks through them, pointing out fascinating details along the way. You'll definitely want to supplement it with a more traditional guidebook.

If you are deliberately trying to avoid the obviously touristy stuff, you might skip Shakespeare's Globe, and that would be a shame, because they put on great productions, and you really get a sense of how the plays were intended by the author to be seen. Skip their production of The Tempest, which is the first bad production I've seen at the Globe, but Pericles and A Winter's Tale are both very well done. Also, that will take you to the South Bank of the Thames, which is one of the most beautiful spots in London. Give yourself some time to walk around, and to see the Tate Modern, which is next to the Globe.

While you're there, you can stop at Tas Pide, which is one of my favorite restaurants in London (and also one of the best values for money.)

London is an expensive city, but the other thing that's a particularly strong value for money here is the theatre. The National Theatre has a bunch of tickets for £10 each. And there's a half-price TKTS booth in Leicester Square. (Just make sure you go to the real TKTS booth--don't be fooled by all the "Half Price Ticket" signs of all the resellers nearby.
posted by yankeefog at 6:44 AM on July 19, 2005