The Houses of Parliament at night
This is your free London City Guide! The capital city of Great Britain is a beautiful, bustling giant with plenty to see and do. London is great fun all-year-round, and we go and stay a couple of times a year to soak up the atmosphere and see the sights. Here are our personal recommendations to you…
WHAT TO DO IN LONDON
Houses of Parliament – This is one of the most impressive of London’s buildings where the politicians of the country sit in two “houses”. The buildings are best viewed from Westminster Bridge or the opposite side of the River Thames where you get a good view of the huge clock tower containing “Big Ben” . The only tourist access is in the summer when the MPs are away. Tube stop: Westminster. More info, pics, links & map…
Buckingham Palace – The London home of the Queen is open to tourists for a short while in the summer. It’s well worth visiting too as you get to see most of the state rooms. If the Royal Standard is flying on the flag pole, the Queen is in residence. Tube Stop: Green Park. More info, pics, links & map…
St Paul’s Cathedral – The Millennium footbridge is a great way to get to St Paul’s Cathedral from Tate Modern on the other side of the river. You have to pay a substantial fee to get in which always annoys us, but once inside there is a trip you can do going up to the dome. This is a fantastic experience, and there is also the opportunity to go outside and look at the views of London. On the dome level, you’ll find the famous “Whispering Gallery” where the acoustics allow you to whisper to someone on the other side and still be heard. Nearest tube station is St Pauls. More info, pics, links and map…
The Tower Of London
The Tower Of London – This place has so much history, it would be impossible for the “Beefeater” guides to mention it all. Almost every major event in Britain’s royal history has a connection to the Tower. Personally I wasn’t that impressed with the crown jewels, but the oldest bits of the tower made up for that. One observation though – on the tour, you’re constantly told that the Tower belongs to the British people – and yet they still charge you to get in! Nearest tube station is Tower Hill. More info, pics, links & map…
National Museums – They’re all free and so fascinating, you can spend hours in them! Our choices would be the National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square, The Natural History Museum, The British Museum and the Science Museum.
The London Eye
Tower Bridge – Another of London’s famous landmarks. It’s free to cross and free to look at, but if you’re interested in how it works and how they built it, we’d also recommend the tour which you have to pay for. It takes you right up to the top of the towers and back down to the engine room. After your tour, take a walk down the re-developed South Bank past the “Bee Hive” mayor’s offices to the Hays Galleria wharf which is full of restaurants and shops. Nearest tube station is Tower Hill. More info, pics, links & map…
The London Eye – It was supposed to be temporary, but this huge wheel has become a permanently popular attraction. It’s not cheap, but it is a great way to see London from a different angle. We once booked a Champagne “flight” and as we were the only ones booked at that time, we had a pod to ourselves and a full bottle to drink! The Eye is at the front of County Hall. Nearest tubes: Westminster, Embankment or Waterloo. More info, pics, links & map…
Covent Garden/Leicester Square – We always group Leicester Square with Covent Garden because both are busy places to be part of the crowd and we always walk between them to see the little shops along the way. Covent Garden is full of boutique shops and street entertainers. Leicester Square is best known for its movie premieres and discount theatre ticket booths. If you can afford it, watch a movie in the Odeon’s huge main screen where premieres take place every couple of weeks – imagine how many famous people sat in your seat before you! More info, pics, links & map…
The Royal Parks – London is a very green city with several huge parks to wander around. They all have notable things to see too. We’d particularly recommend Hyde Park where you can see the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, Regent’s Park where you can enjoy formal gardens and open air theatre and Greenwich Park which is bisected by the Greenwich Meridian.
HMS Belfast – There are so many twists and turns inside this old warship, that it takes a good half a day to see it all. You get to see pretty much every bit of it from the torpedo rooms to the captain’s quarters. Children go free too! Nearest tube stop: London Bridge.
Borough Market - If you want to see an example of a flourishing market in Britain, this has to be one of the finest. In the shadow of Southwark Cathedral, just off Borough High Street this market is a celebration of great food. Cheeses, fruit, vegetables, home-made pies, flowers, olives, meat, currys, pastries, you name it! The market varies in size and numbers of stalls but even in the winter months it’s always busy. Everything looks so good, it would be very easy to spend an absolute fortune. Nearest tube: London Bridge. More info, pics, links & map…
The Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall – Not only a familiar landmark, but also a working theatre and concert hall. Named after Prince Albert, whose idea it was to have a multi purpose venue which could hold everything from orchestras to a circus, but he never saw it completed. The building is a beautiful Victorian masterpiece and you get to learn a lot more about it on the guided tours which are available. Although it’s a fascinating tour, we were slightly dissapointed that it doesn’t go “behind the scenes” - instead it mainly focusses on the public areas of the hall. You do get to stand in the private Royal reception room however. Nearest tube: South Kensington and then a 15 minute walk. More info, pics, links & map…
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – This is a recreation of the theatre that became synonomous with Shakespeare’s plays. It was built after a huge fund raising drive and you can now experience plays there regularly. The tour of the theatre is fascinating too and well worth doing. You can’t miss the Globe along the River Thames as it’s so much older looking than the buildings around it! It’s on the South Bank – nearest tubes: London Bridge (10 min walk) or Mansion House (10 min walk). More info, pics, links & map…
The O2
The O2 – Formally the Millennium Dome. This dome-shaped structure resembles a very large tent and was the centre piece of the UK’s millennium celebrations. It now houses a massive concert arena, restaurants, shops and a cinema. It’s free to enter the concourses and we’d recommend it because it’s a fascinating building to see. Tube stop: North Greenwich. More info, pics, links & map…
There is so much to London, that we could keep writing for ages. This is a good introduction to the city though, and we’ll gradually expand this page over time.
OUR TOP TIP IN LONDON
Take a walk down the South Bank from The London Eye to the Tate Modern. It’s quite a way, but it’s a great introduction to London. Along the way, you’ll see many of the major sights and mingle with joggers and cyclists. Call in at the cafes and restaurants in the Royal Festival Hall area, and we can thoroughly recommend the behind-the-scenes tour of the National Theatre.
GETTING AROUND LONDON
The safest and simplest way to travel is by London Underground (known as the tube). One thing to bear in mind though, if you’re only going a couple of stops, it may well be quicker to walk. Tube tickets are available from the ticket offices and automated machines in all stations. If you’re planning to take more than 4 journeys in a day, it’s cheapest to buy a one day travelcard. If you live in the UK, think about investing in an Oyster Card.
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