A Comprehensive Guide to seeing London, England
London Bridge (as seen from Millennium Bridge), London, England (ISO 1000, 105 mm, f/8, 1/2500 s)
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This city doesn’t really need an introduction from me. There is no city quite like London. It’s a massive city with many different neighborhoods that needs a substantial amount of time to be explored. I would say a week (maybe a little less) is a solid amount of time to see London.
As far as getting here, there are literally 5 different airports you can use, depending on your city of origin. They are: 1) London Heathrow (LHR), 2) Luton (LTN), 3) Stansted (STN), 4) London City (LCY), and 5) Gatwick (LGW). In fact, CNN has published an article on just this matter, so go here for more information for flying into London.
Getting to the city center from each of these airports will always involve a bus and/or a train (if you don’t want to fork out the money for a private taxi ride/uber). In fact, it is much more cost effective to take public transport to and from these airports. But bear in mind that you may have to build in a few more hours into your schedule for transport between airport and city center.
If you want to make your way around the city easier/to make your stay more efficient:
Download this Tube map for your own reference
Consider getting an Oyster card to navigate the Underground in London. You can get one at most stations and load it up with money to provide a seamless way of entering and exiting the Tube.
You can use Google Maps to make your way around but another App that I have found useless and sometimes a bit more accurate is City Mapper.
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Piccadilly Circus, London, England (ISO 1000, 24 mm, f/8, 1/100 s)
There is no right and wrong way to see this city and because there are more things to do here than you would have time for, I felt that the best way of presenting the city in this blog post is to break everything down by type of activity (shopping, bars/food, Attractions/Landmarks, Sports/Concerts, and Museums). In addition, I have also listed the nearest Tube station for each place for your own convenience. Lastly, most of these places are compiled on the Google map at the end of this post.
Shopping
Soho - (Oxford Circus - Bakerloo/Victoria Lines, Tottenham Court Road - Central/Northern Lines, Leicester Square - Northern/Piccadilly Lines) - contains loads of independent vintage boutiques.
Camden Market (Camden Town or Chalk Farm - Northern Line) - exceptionally popular, located on the Regent’s Canal. It attracts nearly a quarter of a million people a week. Shops sell crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac, and fast food.
Carnaby St. (Oxford Circus - Bakerloo/Victoria) - Also in Soho and thus mainly composed of small clothing boutiques.
Covent Garden Market (Covent Garden - Piccadilly Line) - You can find this market in the West End of London. This market is known for its luxury fashion, beauty stores, award-winning restaurants, and theaters. There are often street performers in the nearby Piazza.
Harrods (Knightsbridge - Piccadilly Line) - A very high end department store located in Knightsbridge. It’s actually owned by Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
Big Ben and Parliament, London, England (ISO 1600, 12 mm, f/8, 1/200 s)
Bars/Food/Fun
Nordic bar (Goodge Street - Northern Line) - Went there once while in the city and loved the drinks and the vibe. I can’t really say much else about it other than that it’s a comfy, fun, chill bar.
London Grind (London Bridge - Jubilee/Northern Lines) - Great place for coffee in the thick of it all. It’s right on the River Thames and a stone’s throw (maybe a little more) away from The Shard. It’s a cosmopolitan vibe.
Flight Club (four locations - Victoria, Bloomsbury, Islington, Shoreditch) - One of my favorite places in this city, especially with good friends. There are four locations in London and it is essentially a restaurant, bar, and darts establishment. Whether darts are your thing or not, you will have an incredible amount of fun at this place. Booking in advance is highly recommended as this is the popular activity to do.
Attractions/Landmarks
Big Ben and Parliament (Westminster - Circle/District/Jubilee Lines) - Probably the most famous of landmarks in this city. The architecture is something to really behold. The best view of it is from across the river on the opposite side.
Tower Bridge (Tower Hill - Circle/District Lines) - This bridge is named due to its proximity to the Tower of London. It’s an incredibly ornate bridge that you can actually go up and take pictures from a walkway between the Towers.
The Shard (London Bridge - Jubilee/Northern Lines) - The Shard is the tallest building in the city, so naturally that is the place to go to get the best views of London. You can buy tickets in advance to enter the Shard and get access to some of the viewing levels with some tickets also including drinks. The most popular times are around sunset so best to get here an hour or two before and stay the while.
Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly Circus - Bakerloo/Piccadilly Lines) - This area is really just a nice gathering place and mixing bowl with bars/restaurants/cafes all centered around a fountain outside the Tube stop. It’s sort of like a mini Times Square in New York City, with its brightly lit branded LED signs.
Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross - Bakerloo/Northern Lines) - A public square in the middle of the city. Due to its central location, it is often where demonstrations and gatherings form.
Somerset House (ice skating) (Temple - Circle/District Lines) - This venue is pretty awesome for they hold interesting exhibits there (kind of like a museum). It’s also wonderful around Christmas time as the center piazza is converted into an ice skating rink. Book in advance to avoid disappointment!
London Eye (Embankment - Circle/District/Bakerloo/Northern, Waterloo - Jubilee/Bakerloo/Northern Lines) - A giant ferris wheel offering great views above the River Thames. It can be quite expensive however it’s probably one of those things that is worth doing if you don’t know when you’ll return to this city. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.
St. Paul’s Cathedral (St. Paul’s - Central Line) - This is where royalty often gets married at. This is in the middle of the city and is absolutely gorgeous to behold. It’s best to see during non-peak times (think early morning).
Westminster Abbey (Westminster - Circle/District/Jubilee Lines) - Right next to Big Ben and Parliament. Another popular place where royalty gets married.
Buckingham Palace (St. James Park - Circle/District Lines) - The official London residence of the UK's sovereigns since 1837 and the administrative headquarters of the Monarch (Where the Queen lives).
Platform 9 ¾ (King’s Cross St. Pancras - Victoria/Northern/Hammersmith and City/Bakerloo/Circle Lines) - If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll know exactly what this is without me having to explain it further. Believe it or not, I have not read Harry Potter (it’s a SIN I know), but have come here with friends who are obsessed. I have at least taken the official HP quiz on what house I would belong in (here’s a hint: it was Gryffindor).
Kensington Palace (Notting Hill Gate - Circle/District/Central Lines) - Another residence of the British Royal family.
Queens Walk (Embankment - Circle/District/Bakerloo/Northern, Waterloo - Jubilee/Bakerloo/Northern Lines) - This stretch along the River Thames is probably one of the first places you should walk in the city to get a glimpse of several of the aforementioned landmarks. It is especially perfect on a spring/summer day.
Buckingham Palace, London, England (ISO 200, 25 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 s)
Sports/Concerts
the O₂ (North Greenwich - Jubilee Line) - Known for hosting popular music, sport, comedy and entertainment events.
The Oval (Oval - Northern Line) - International Cricket Ground in London. Go here if you wanna learn the rules and have several drinks with friends trying to know what is going on (that’s what most people do anyway).
Wembley (Wembley Central - Bakerloo Line, Wembley Park - Metropolitan Line) - Iconic venue for sports and entertainment.
Wimbledon - (Wimbledon - District Line) - Needs no introduction.
Also, The UK takes its football quite seriously and if you are here when the season is going on, it is worth trying to see a league game. Luckily, the city of London has several teams with arenas very accessible by public transport. Here are some of the teams based in London and where their arenas are located:
Chelsea - Stamford Bridge (Fulham Broadway - District Line)
Arsenal - Emirates Stadium (Arsenal - Piccadilly Line)
Crystal Palace - Selhurst Park (Norwood Junction - Overground)
Tottenhum Hotspur - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (White Hart Lane - Overground)
West Ham United - London Stadium (Stratford - Overground, West Ham - District/Jubilee/Hammersmith and City)
Museums
There are so many more museums in London than I will list here, but these are the ones I have personally been to and really enjoyed.
Tower of London (Tower Hill - Circle/District Lines) - This tower has played a MAJOR role in English history. It was mainly used as a prison but also as a royal residence for a time.
Natural History Museum (South Kensington - Circle/District/Piccadilly Lines) - I consider the one from my hometown of Washington DC to be one of the best. Upon seeing the one in London, I felt that it certainly took the cake (sad to say). Part of the reason why is the great hall, which usually features a centerpiece. One year it was a dinosaur skeleton, the next (the year I visisted it), it was the skeleton of a giant whale. The architecture is what really set it apart as well. Admission is free to these museums but a donation is often suggested.
Science Museum (South Kensington - Circle/District/Piccadilly Lines) - This is just around the corner from the Natural History Museum and is just as cool. It is full of cool interactive exhibits and houses technological and scientific pieces from the ages. You could easily spend an entire day here.
Tate Modern - A combination of four art museums. It is the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art.
If you want to check out some other amazing cities in the UK, you can take your pic. Book a train to see Bath, where you can also take a bus and see Stonehenge.
Check out the wonderful university and historically rich towns of Cambridge and Oxford.
You should also head further north to see places like Manchester and Liverpool. I myself lived in Liverpool for about 3 hours and have broken down the best things to do there in a separate blog post here (Everything you need to know about seeing Liverpool).
You can get to these places by taking trains from the main train station in London, which is Euston. You can get to Euston station by the Tube and take your long distance train from there.
PROTIP: Consider getting the London Pass if you are in the city for at least a few days and plan on seeing a lot of attractions. It provides a ton of discounts on over 80+ attractions in the city and may save you money in the long run.
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