Going there for a business trip in January. I've received permission to extend my trip and flight by a week if I cover the hotel/meals/etc. for the extra time and take the 2nd week as vacation.
So, you've got a week in the UK and no restrictions, what do you do? 
Get the heck out of London and visit either France or Ireland.
Chavs are shiny happy people, there's a tax on EVERYTHING, you can get soft porn on page 3, and Ireland is somewhere around there. Ireland has whiskey.
Just spent a week there earlier this year. What are you interested in? There's a lot of different things to do there.
One of my favorite things was the tour of Tower Bridge. Also, if you find something interesting outside of town, don't be afraid to take a train ride. We took a trip to Bletchley Park via train, and the train ride through the country was just what I needed to wind down from several days in the crowded city.
I was there last week. Walked to the Tower of London, and the bridge. Took the subway. Got wet and cold. Was eternally grateful not to be driving - holy hell, who designed the labyrinth of roads there, Moebius?
I might be biased (I lived in London and the Southeast of England for 12 years) but there's a ton of stuff to see even without leaving town.
Obviously the usual tourist stuff (Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, London Bridge, Hampton Court). There are a bunch of museums well worth visiting (National Gallery, British Musuem, Victoria & Albert Museum). Go to Brick Lane for good Indian food.
Cambridge and Ely are a day trip by train, if you like cathedrals dating back to the middle ages Ely is worth a visit. As is Canterbury's town center and cathedral.
The Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon is also worth a visit, but that's quite a trip and better done by car.
January is most likely wet, dark and cold if you're lucky, snowy if you're unlucky. The south doesn't deal with snow very well. Be prepared to be stuck for a few days if you get proper snow.
We got weeklong passes and used the Underground for getting around. It was way better than using cabs or buses.
Lesley wrote: Was eternally grateful not to be driving - holy hell, who designed the labyrinth of roads there, Moebius?
M C Escher.
Driving in the center of London is fun (I used to commute into the City of London by motorbike for a good ten years) and something I'd avoid if I were there for a week. Well, I would drive, but I know my way around there.
eastsidemav wrote: We got weeklong passes and used the Underground for getting around. It was way better than using cabs or buses.
I wouldn't bother with cabs unless you're out way late and the busses and tube have shut down.
The advantage of the bus system is that you can see a lot more, but it'll take you a longer. How much longer depends on how much of the route is via bus lanes.
Beer Baron wrote: Get the heck out of London and visit either France or Ireland.
Yup, too bad its the wrong season to go to the ring.
It's on an island, the people are said to have bad teeth, they call fries chips, they drive on the wrong side of the road, it has Seattle style weather, they are known for their electronic prowess in cars,
James May, Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson are from there.
Spend a couple hours walking the Thames and go back via riverboat. Cheap and fascinating.
I had fun burning a few hours on a business trip by taking the Barclay's bikes around town. There's a lot of traffic but its not moving very fast.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far everyone. I purposely left things unstructured to see what people would come up with.
That being said, if I were to narrow things down a bit, here are a few things on my radar, some of which might require day or overnight trips:
-Tourist stuff: Museums, Tower of London, etc.
-Walking around downtown and stopping in any random pub not full of soccer hooligans
-Tour of McLaren facility (any others? Aston? Can I pick over the remains of TVR's shop in Blackpool, or have they restarted production w/ the new guy?
-Are there any former WW2/Spitfire Aerodromes that have good museums? I'm a big airplane geek, and have been to both Smithsonians, several in the midwest, and the Boneyard out west at Davis-Monthan.
-Possible trip to Ireland or Isle of Man.
mndsm wrote: Chavs are shiny happy people, there's a tax on EVERYTHING, you can get soft porn on page 3, and Ireland is somewhere around there. Ireland has whiskey.
but their horrible taste in cars would fit in here quite nicely!!
Go to the British Museum. There will be at least one gallery there that interests you. I went there twice, and still didn't get to see all I wanted. I particularly like the clock collection, especially the ones that were still functional.
Went to Greenwich via boat, the cruise down the Thames was neat, but didn't have a lot of fun at the destination. If you're into sailing ships, I think thats where the Cutty Sark is stashed.
The London Museum of Transportation was alright, but not a highlight. The parts about how the underground was built were the neatest to me.
The Victoria and Albert is neat if you are curious about how Royalty lived in the past.
In my earlier post, I mentioned the train to Bletchley. We didn't make it to the codebreakers museum, but we did hit the National Computing Museum. Its in a run down building in the park, the hours are limited, and the collection is packed in tight in places, but if you are a computer geek, its a must see.
Oh, and somewhere theres a place that sells discount tickets to theater shows. We got cheap 2nd row seats to Spamalot while we were there.
Don't listen to the people saying leave London. It is an awesome place to visit. Go to the Tower of London and the British Museum for sure.
Flynlow wrote: -Tour of McLaren facility (any others? Aston? Can I pick over the remains of TVR's shop in Blackpool, or have they restarted production w/ the new guy? -Are there any former WW2/Spitfire Aerodromes that have good museums? I'm a big airplane geek, and have been to both Smithsonians, several in the midwest, and the Boneyard out west at Davis-Monthan.
The Fleet Air Arm Museum about 2 hours from London is an awesome museum. The Haynes Motor museum is another museum that I really enjoyed.
93EXCivic wrote: Don't listen to the people saying leave London. It is an awesome place to visit. Go to the Tower of London and the British Museum for sure.
Sure, but he'll have already spent time in London. Things are closer than people realize and there is a lot to see. Paris is 5 hours away. Bruges is 3.5.
Cold, wet, hellish traffic, a lot trashier than you might expect 
But no shortage of good tourist attractions.
2 hours from London
Stonehenge
Bath in Somerset - 86 miles from London, access by train - cool Roman architecture and technology
London is awesome. If you have never been there - be a tourist.
SOHO is worth a late night if you hit the Village when you go to NYC.
Double decker buses are slow and irritating. Walk instead. You will want to after 10 minutes anyway.
The food is generally boring - except Indian food. It is by far the best way to eat in England.
I walked endlessly in London Tate Modern Gallery, Pubs, Indian food, The phone boxes smell like urine inside, The best/cheapest gifts in London I bought at a used book and magazine store
Beer Baron wrote:93EXCivic wrote: Don't listen to the people saying leave London. It is an awesome place to visit. Go to the Tower of London and the British Museum for sure.Sure, but he'll have already spent time in London. Things are closer than people realize and there is a lot to see. Paris is 5 hours away. Bruges is 3.5.
Sure but the first week is a business trip so he won't get to see the sights really. And if you want to see sights not in London, there is a ton in England anyway. I have visited England 9 times and I still haven't seen close to everything.
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