I recently traveled to London and did all the dirty work for
you. In 7 days I visited 46 attractions in the hopes of seeing as much of the
city as I could and today I am sharing with you my favorites.
Watch out for London Part 2 where I will be covering budget and
spending. I will share with you real
numbers to help plan your budget for a London vacation.
So let’s get started! First, here are the 46 places I
visited. If you have any questions about any of these, please email me at Sonia@sonartravel.com
7 Days – 46
Attractions
Big
Ben
|
Bomber
Command Memorial
|
British
Library
|
British
Museum
|
Buckingham
Palace
|
Camden
Market
|
Churchill
War Rooms in Whitehall
|
City
Cruises
|
Covent
Garden
|
Greenwich
Market
|
Greenwich
Park
|
Harrods
|
Holland
Park
|
Houses
of Parliament
|
Hyde
Park
|
Jack
the Ripper Walking Tour
|
Kensington
Gardens
|
Kensington
Palace
|
Millennium
Bridge
|
Museum
of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
|
Museum
of London
|
National
Gallery
|
National
Portrait Gallery
|
Natural
History Museum
|
Open
Air Theatre Regent's Park
|
Oxford
Street
|
Portobello
Market
|
Regent's
Park
|
Royal
Albert Hall
|
Royal
Mews
|
Royal
Opera House
|
Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre
|
Sir
John Soane's Museum
|
St.
James's Park
|
St.
Paul's Cathedral
|
Tate
Modern
|
The
Courtauld Gallery
|
The
London Eye
|
Tower
Bridge
|
Tower
of London
|
Trafalgar
Square
|
Victoria
and Albert Museum
|
Wallace
Collection
|
Westminster
Abbey
Science Museum |
So what were my favorite attractions? Here are my top 10
places to visit in London!
1. Houses of Parliament AKA Palace of
Westminster
It’s a little bit confusing because
sometimes the Houses of Parliament are referred to as the Palace of Westminster.
That’s because it once was a palace that was home to members of the royal family.
Today it is home to the two branches of government, the House
of Commons and the House
of Lords. You must take a tour if you would like to visit the interior and
unfortunately, a tour of The Elizabeth Tower (home to Big Ben) is only available
to UK residents. Once inside, you are not allowed to take photos, sit, or use
the restroom during the 90 minute tour. But those small annoyances aside, the
interior and the history of the structure are amazing. You can walk down the
same halls where kings and queens walked, stand in the Queen’s Robing Room where
she prepares for events, and stand in the Chambers where laws have been passed
for hundreds of years.
2. The
London Eye
I will admit I was a little skeptical at
first. With so many historical buildings and landmarks to see, why would I want
to waste my time on a ferris wheel? Obviously, those reservations flew out the
window after I boarded the pod and slowly climbed to the top where the most spectacular
views of London were revealed! The slow ride up and around the ferris wheel provided
many photo opportunities as well as time to relax and enjoy the view.
I wanted to visit The Eye on a clear night so
I decided not to purchase advance tickets on line so I could go on whichever
day I picked – big mistake. Of all the places I visited during my trip, this
line was the longest. Around 7:00pm I spent about 30 minutes in the ticket line
and another 20 minutes in line to board the wheel. You may also be surprised to
learn The London Eye closes relatively early at 8:30pm so plan accordingly if
you want to visit at night.
3. Royal
Albert Hall
Admittedly, I love the theatre, so for me
this was a great treat! You are free to walk around the exterior of the building
as well as the lobby on your own but in order to visit the interior of the theatre
you must take a tour. The tour was about an hour long and gave you access to
some pretty neat areas! You get to see the Queen’s private box (you don’t actually
get to go inside it but they do take you to the neighboring box), the gallery
at the very top of the theatre for amazing views, and most impressive, the
private royal waiting room. What was especially cool about this is that you can
sit in the exact chairs used by the royal family! I was imagining I was Kate
for just a moment =)
4. Regents
Park
This park is just stunning and rivals any
park in Paris. It is filled with beautiful flowers, meticulously trimmed trees,
fountains, cafés, restaurants, playgrounds and the Open Air Theatre. I was here
on my last day in London and it was the perfect send off. Be sure to visit
Queen Mary’s Garden in the center of the park. The fragrant roses are out of
this world and you can stop for a bite to eat and a glass of wine at the Garden Café.
5. The Courtauld Gallery
The
Courtauld Gallery is a very small museum but packed with famous pieces. You can
easily cover the entire area in under an hour but you may find yourself
spending 10 minutes starring at one piece of art. Unlike other larger museums
that can be quite overwhelming, I loved that I was able to see literally
everything in the gallery and not leave feeling bad because I missed something. It was just the right size and with just the right assortment of art including
some of my favorites Degas, Gauguin, Manet and Van Gogh.
6. Victoria and Albert Museum
The
Victoria and Albert Museum of Art and Design is the coolest museum I have ever
been to. Yes, a museum can be cool! The exterior of the building is beautiful,
but the interior is even more spectacular. One room will feature ornate
decorations gilded in gold and another feels like you’ve walked into an ancient
roman structure. And it also has the best museum café I have ever been to! In
particular, I loved the Club to Catwalk exhibit featuring London fashion from
the 80’s, how cool is that?
7. Greenwich Market
The
Prime Meridian of the world is certainly a big draw in Greenwich. It’s a lot of
fun to stand with one foot in each hemisphere, but I found the Greenwich Market
to be so gosh darn charming, I just had to share. The Greenwich market is filled
with the most delicious smelling and looking food and, unlike some other
markets, real handmade goods. Yes, there are a few booths selling
purses and scarves but there were plenty of artisans on hand that created each
and every item on their table. For instance, one booth will sew any design you
like, your face for example, onto a piece of cloth in one single continuous line!
There were also plenty of handmade lotions, kids’ toys and art, making it the
perfect place to pick up an authentic and unique souvenir for friends back home
or for you.
8. Museum of London
As
the name would suggest, the Museum of London is all about London from the
beginning of time. Each area of the museum focuses on a certain time period and
is displayed in chronologically order. I really appreciated this because often
times you find yourself lost or back tracking in larger museums but here you
can easily and intuitively stroll through the museum without missing a beat. The
displays were very interesting and featured many artifacts, not just reproductions
or photos. I will admit, the costumes from the opening ceremonies of the London
Olympic Games were pretty neat but it was also very interesting to learn about
the various fires that consumed London over the years and how they were able to
rebuild and carry on.
9. Tower of London
Diamonds.
Rubies. Emerald. Sapphires. Gold. Need I say more? The Tower of London, which
is a surprisingly small tower compared to the towers we’re use to in London, is most
famously home to the Crown Jewels. There was no line the day I went, however, I
knew it must get crowded because you may only view the jewels while standing on
a moving runway. This prevents crowds from gathering and keeps lines moving.
They are really some of the magnificent pieces of art/jewelry you will ever lay
eyes on. A word of caution, if you really want to see Queen Elizabeth’s crown, go
on a day she's not using it!
The
Tower of London has also many other exhibits, towers, moats, and execution
areas you can visit. A fun time for all!
10. Buckingham Palace
A top 10 list would not be complete
without Buckingham palace. There are several areas you can visit that require a
separate ticket. The State Rooms, which take you inside Buckingham Palace, the Royal
Mews, which display carriages and horses, and the Queen’s Gallery, which
exhibits art from the Royal Collection. The exhibit on display when I went was
the Queen’s Coronation which chronicles Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 and
featured her magnificent coronation gown. With the audio guide you can go at
yours pace and finish off with some tea in the garden.
Being an animal lover, I had to
visit the Royal Mews. I was a little disappointed to only see a few horses but
the Gold State Couch was pretty impressive too!
Every attraction I visited was
special in it's own way and you should definitely explore more then just the few
places I listed here. But hopefully you enjoyed learning a little about London
sightseeing and you’ll visit soon! And, of course, if you need helping planning your
London Itinerary, I'm (and sonartravel.com =) here to help with that too!
And here are a few more photos of other wonderful places to visit in London!
Westminster Abbey
Trafalgar Square
British Library
St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Check out London Part 2 - Budget and Spending to learn more about how to budget for vacation to London!
If you liked this post and found it useful, or want to share your thoughts about London, please leave a comment!
Wow that was some amount of attractions you got in in 7 days! I've been to London 6 times (is just short flight from Dublin) and I think you've seen more than me! My top 10 list would be quite similar to yours, and one reason I want to return again soon is to go to the new temporary exhibit of the Cheapside Hoard in The Museum of London- a fab museum alright. Well done on seeing so much in London :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Susan! Thanks so much! It was certainly an exhausting trip but definitely worth it! I can't wait to go back and relax a little more. And see more shows of course! =)
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Thanks for the wonderful suggestions! I'll be there this summer and compiling a (very) large list!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful time Deborah! I know you will! London is so much fun! Let me know if you have any questions and hope my little list helped! =)
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