City Download: London 

London is probably my favorite city in the world. I say probably because I haven’t visited all the major cities to be sure. I studied abroad in London and have visited multiple times since my very first trip abroad more than 20 years ago. 

London is what a friend of mine calls a “Tuesday City.” There’s always something going on, even on a Tuesday night. As such, it can be totally overwhelming. Start by letting go of the idea you will see it all. I literally lived there for nearly 5 months and still have things I haven’t had a chance to see. There are also a lot of seasonal openings and festivals. Check Time Out or social media to see what’s happening when you are in town!

Because there’s so much to do, I’m going to do this post a little different. I’m going to organize quick brain dumps by category and link everything so you can hop around and see what’s relevant for you. Let me know if you like the format and I can do them for some other cities!

• The Basics
• Getting There 
• Getting Around
• Where to Stay
• What to do: The Big Attractions
• What to do: The Museums
• What to do: Theater / Opera / Ballet / Events
• What to do: Day Trips
• What I still need to do

The Basics

• London is in England, which is part of the United Kingdom of Britain. It’s the capital city and wildly international. 
• Power is 230 volts and 50HZ. The plugs are flat 3 progged plugs. This site has more information.
• They drive on the left, which if you are from somewhere that doesn’t do this can make road crossings dangerous. Luckily, they tend to paint giant “LOOK LEFT” signs on the crossings. 
• Britain is no longer part of the EU so check the requirements to visit. 
• Britain has always used the pound for currency. A single pound is also called a quid like we call a dollar a buck. 
• Generally, gratuities are included but most people will leave the change. 
• London is an old city and the streets reflect that. There’s no rhyme or reason and London cabbies famously must pass tests to drive their black cabs. You used to always carry an A to Z London map book with you. Nowadays, make sure you have data to use Google Maps. 
• The basic orientation is the city (where the finance district is) and everything circles out from there. The Thames runs through the middle. It used to be everything was on the North Bank but now the South Bank has a lot to offer itself. Most of the tourist sites are in the central business district, zone 1 of the Tube. 
• A note on the weather – everyone jokes about London rain and yes it does rain there but not every day. That said, be sure to have comfortable waterproof shoes and pack an umbrella or risk being a bit soggy. But that’s just solid city travel advice. Layers are your friend because as the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it will change. 

Getting There 

London has a lot of airports. Long-haul international flights generally come into Heathrow (closer to the city center and on the Tube) or Gatwick. There’s also Stansted, Luton, and City. A lot of the discount carriers go in and out of Stansted and Luton. Be mindful that if you are booking flights in and out of different airports. They can be quite far apart, although you can book a bus transfer between airports. I love to use London as a hub for cheap European flights. Details on that in my “How to Save Money While Traveling” post.

Options to get to the center city from least to most expensive. Prices from Heathrow to Victoria Station or Paddington as of May 2024. All other airports are generally a little bit more expensive   

• Have a friend pick you up! (Hey a girl can dream)
• Take the Tube if coming to Heathrow. It takes forever but is £6. 
• Take a bus transfer. This is a particularly good option for Stansted or Luton. Fares range £10-15. 
• Take the national rail. Fares are £12-35. This is not an express route, it’s the regular commuter train so a plus here is there are other stops you could get off at depending on where you are staying. 
• Heathrow / Gatwick Express – as the name implies, these are direct trains from the airport to downtown. As such, they cost more. £25-32. 
• Uber – Ubers are widely available in London (though not Lyft in my experience). The Internet says the typical fare is £49. 
• Black cab – the quentisential London car will set you back £45-70. This is a great option if you have a lot of people and luggage though as black cabs are roomier than most cars in Europe. 

Getting Around

London is the most complex, easily navigable city I’ve ever been to. Confused? The roads are winding and it’s easy to get turned around, but the signage is terrific and the public transportation makes sense. It gets you where you need to go and connections are easy. 

Here are some ideas for getting around:

• Walk – One of my favorite ways to explore a city is to wander around and London is an incredible walking city. Many of the main tourist sites are close together, so if you are a walker like me, you can connect them on a walking tour. Lonely Planet has several suggested routes that are all great. My favorite route is from Buckingham Palace, down the mall to Trafalgar Square, then across to Parliament for photos with Big Ben, and across the bridge to the London Eye to see it all from the sky. It’s about 2 miles one way.  The reverse route would work as well.
• Bike – I would only recommend this if you are accustomed to biking in a city. I did a bike tour of London and to this day it’s one of my favorite activities I’ve ever done in any city. I also almost got run over by a black cab, so maybe don’t do this if you aren’t used to city biking.
• The Tube / Underground – London’s subway system is known as the Underground or the Tube. It is truly comprehensive and if you are going somewhere that isn’t near a tube stop, I don’t know where you are going. Buy an oyster card that makes sense for the amount of time you will be there as unlimited rides allow you to easily navigate far and wide. However, f you are only in town for a short time, it might be easier to walk most places, ride the tube once or twice, and take a few Ubers. London also has a very big bus network, although they’ve retired the classic double-deckers with the back doors. I mostly only take these after the tube goes to night hours and the night buses start running.
• Uber or black cab – Handy for when you’ve had a long day walking and you just can’t rally to go the 15 minutes back to the tube station. Or if you aren’t a big walker and need something more convenient Trust me, I’ve been there.
• Hop on / Hop off bus – Personally, I think a hop on / hop off bus is the best way to get around a city if you only have a day or two to be there. It connects all the places you probably want to see anyway and allows you to do a “drive-by” and see a site without having to get off and go visit if you just want to snap some photos. This is also a great option for families with different ability levels so you aren’t walking as much. You also learn some things if you listen to the commentary. The only issue I’ve ever had with these is the loop tends to be one way, so if you were trying to go somewhere and it was the stop before, you do need to go the entire route to get to your destination. Therefore, be sure to look at the route map and plan your day(s) accordingly. If you have more time, these buses start to make less sense because of this.
• River Boat Tour – I personally think in a city like London or Paris, a river tour is a wonderful way to see the sights and learn about the history of a place. It’s also a great chance to rest if you’ve been walking around a lot, usually with a beverage.

Where to Stay

My advice here varies based on how long you will be in town and what you are looking to do. Short layover and you want to see the sites? Stay near Victoria station. We stayed at the Clermont Hotel on a one-night stopover on our way home from Croatia and loved it.  Staying longer and want to have easy access but away from the hubbub? I love South Kensington, Notting Hill, and Marylebone for longer stays. Want to be a little more off the beaten path but still connected? I’ve enjoyed spending time in South Bank and Southwark, although I’m not sure what the hotel situation is like in those areas. 

What to do: The Big Attractions

Look, I’m a sucker for a good tourist attraction and London is full of incredible architecture, history, and fanfare! A lot of the biggest attractions and museums are free, which is awesome.

• Buckingham Palace – Most people snap photos of the outside, but did you know the palace is open to the public every summer? Check on the dates and see if you can get tickets. 
• Changing of the guard – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am the royal guard changes out with great fanfare. It’s a total tourist attraction but it’s so much fun, especially for kids! Get there early to grab a good spot to watch. More information is available here.
• Parliment / Big Ben – You may not realize but Big Ben is the name of the bell inside Parliment’s clock tower. It chimes on the hour and recently finished up a major refurbishment. 
• Trafalgar Square – Home to London’s iconic lions at Nelson’s column, a statue of George Washington (fun fact, they brought dirt from the US to put under him because he said he would never stand on English soil again, and the National Portrait Gallery. Be sure to swing by for some photos.
• The London Eye – I love the London Eye. I’ve ridden it during the day, at night,  in beautiful weather, in the rain, and I just love it. My favorite way to ride is to do a champagne experience at sunset (it’s a standard ride but they roll on a bar car and you get to drink champagne).  
• The Tower of London and Tower Bridge – The bridge that you probably think is London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge. You can pay to walk across the top of it, which sounds cool although I can’t personally attest. Tower Bridge, as the name implies, is directly in front of the Tower of London. Personally, this is my top attraction in London if you have more than say 12 hours in the city. It has everything – history, a fortress, a palace, murder, mystery, the crown jewels, and views. What more could you want? You could spend an entire day here, but usually, you can get through the highlights in 2-4 hours, depending on how much you want to read in the museums. Highlights include the armory, the jewels, the monument to all those executed by Henry VIII including Anne Boleyn, traitor’s gate, the ravens, and the spot where they found the bodies of the two boys (the missing princes? No one will ever know). In the summer, they do a really cool flower planting in the moat. 
• Westminster Abbey – A stunning church and burial ground for kings, queens, Shakespeare, and more. It’s located opposite of Parliament. Be sure to plan your visit in advance, as the Abbey is not always open to the public for tours because they still have services.
• St. Paul’s Cathedral – Another stunning church, St. Paul’s is the second largest in the world. Climb the 528 steps of the dome for stunning views. Fun fact – it’s forbidden to block the sight lines to St. Paul’s hence some of London’s crazy skyscraper designs like the shard, gherkin, and the walkie-talkie. 
• Harrods Department Store – This was a must for my grandmother. The food halls are legendary. If you are into shopping, it’s a nice, albeit pricey, stop.
• Leicester Square / Piccadilly Circus – the “Times Squares” of London, home to the West End, shopping, billboards, you get the drift. 
• Covent Garden – Fabulous shopping and dining amidst beautiful architecture. Be sure to check out neighboring Soho as well.
• Portobello and Camden markets – Portobello and Camden are world famous. Mind your belongings as you wander the streets and take in the shops and wares for sale.
• King’s Cross Station Platform 9 ¾ – there’s a nice photo op for any Harry Potter fans. It’s been years since I went but I hear you may need to pay now. There’s also a set tour outside London but I’ve never been able to go. 

What to do: The Museums

London has some of the world’s best museums and most of them (and all my picks) have free admission, though you will likely pay for special exhibitions. Given there are nearly 200 museums in London, I decided to do this section with superlatives.

• My favorite museum in the world – The Imperial War Museum. Full-scale WWI trenches and a WWII blitz experience. And it’s free. What’s not to love here (I mean other than war, but you know)? 
• Must do – The British Museum. Yes, there is a lot of controversy surrounding how the collection was obtained but where else can you see the Reading Room, Rosetta Stone, mummies, and more?
• My favorite art museum – Tate Modern – opened in 2000 in the Bankside Power Station, the galleries and building are both worth a visit. 
• Sleeper pick – the National Portrait Gallery. I genuinely love this museum. The history of the world (well, the European-centered world) told through portraits of Kings, Queens, and the movers and shakers of the British Empire.
• For all the rest of the museums, check to see what they have on at the moment. There can be some really awesome exhibitions and shows! 

What to do: Theater / Opera / Ballet / Events

You can’t be a Tuesday city if you don’t have cultural and sporting events! London delivers on all fronts:

• The West End is London’s equivalent of Broadway, with many of the same shows or different versions of the same shows.
• The Royal Opera House is home to both the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. The building is fabulous and if you love the arts, you should go.
• Premier League Football (Soccer) is THE sport in England. And you will pay for it. London has 7 premier league teams, but if you want the sporting experience without the eye-watering prices, check out one of London’s 10 other teams that play in various leagues. This site has a nice overview of all the clubs and links to get tickets. 
• Fancy something else? London hosts tennis at Wimbledon, cricket matches at Lord’s, American NFL Football games, and rugby. There’s a good chance something will be going on while you are visiting!
• London also has tons of festivals and events throughout the year. Notting Hill’s Carnival at the end of August is world-famous. I personally LOVED the Open House Festival, where you can tour various buildings not usually open to the public. Don’t forget Bonfire Night, BBC Proms, the Chelsea flower show, Trooping the Colour, and more! Visit London has a great rundown of all the things happening in London by month.  

What to do: Parks

London has lovely parks. Most were reserved for royalty until the 1800s. Try to visit one or two while you are in town.

• Hyde Park – nestled between Notting Hill and Chelsea and home to Kensington Palace, this park features a beautiful memorial to Princess Diana and is home to the BBC Proms in the park during the summer. 
• St. James Park – connecting Buckingham Palace to Parliament Square, a stroll through St. James Park is a must for anyone visiting London for the first time. 
• The Regent’s Park – Home to the London Zoo, a great option for kids.
• Hampstead Heath – go for the views of the city, stay for the walking trails.
• Kew Gardens – A Royal Botanical Garden, Kew is incredible. Visit to see the world’s largest Victorian glass house and the art exhibits they frequently have on.

What to do: Day Trips

If you have the luxury of time and want to mix it up a bit, London is a terrific jumping-off point for many places in England, and even France, making it easy to add a day trip or two to your itinerary.

• Windsor – one of my favorite day trips from London, the village is adorable and the castle is fantastic. It’s only a 40-minute train ride and Windsor is very walkable. 
• Stonehenge – This one might be easier to book a tour for given the site does not have direct access to public transportation. The tours are usually coupled with Salisbury, which is the nearest public transportation connection. According to Stonehenge’s website, you can take a bus or cab from Salisbury.
• Salisbury – A nice place to visit by itself, but if you’ve made the hour-and-a-half trek from London, go the final 30 minutes to Stonehenge. The cathedral here is lovely though, do make sure to visit.
• Bath – Any Jane Austen lover will want to go to Bath. Home to one of four bridges in the world with shops on both sides the full length (the others are in Florence, Venice, and Erfurt, Germany), as well as the original Roman baths,  Bath makes for a fun little day trip.
• Greenwich – This is technically a day trip although Greenwich feels like part of London to me since it’s on the Tube. You can visit the prime meridian and tour the naval conservatory. A fun little outing. 
• Brighton – A lovely seashore town with a fun pier and an eclectic royal pavilion, Brighton is only an hour’s train ride from London. Plus, any Jane Austen fan will know it’s where you go to find husbands. 😛
• Paris – Now hear me out. You may be thinking “no way do I just want to go to Paris for the day” and I hear you. I LOVE Paris and think it deserves its own time and space in your travel plans. However, if you are only going abroad once in your life and you want to see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa, the Eurostar makes this super doable. In fact, that is how I went to Paris my very first time. It’s also the only time my grandmother ever made it to Paris, allowing her to check off a bucket list item of seeing the Mona Lisa. The train leaves from St Pancras Station and arrives in Gard du Nord in less than 2.5 hours. If you are day-tripping, I highly recommend doing one of the hop-on hop-off bus tours discussed above. 

What I still need to do

There’s a lot in London I somehow haven’t done or is new since I was there last. Here’s a short list:

• Westminster Abbey – poor planning and bad luck means I’ve somehow never toured the Abbey
• Churchill War Rooms – I’ve always wanted to do these but the ticket price always deterred me when there are so many free options. 
• Hampton Court – One of Henry VIIII’s favorite palaces, the mazes and artwork are said to be spectacular. It’s at the top of my “next time” list. 
• Hampstead Heath – I do think I went here once, but I’m pretty sure I met up with friends and slept on a picnic blanket the whole time so I’m not counting it and I need to go back. 
• The Shard – Built after I lived here, I haven’t had a chance to do an observation deck or the bar I’m always seeing on Social. It looks super cool though.
• Dover – I planned to go see the white cliffs of Dover and when Saturday came, my roommate and I had partied a little too hard on Friday to make the trip. It’s about a 2 hour train ride from London though so I do want to check it out at some point. 
• There’s a cable car from Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks. It looks pretty cool and I’d love to check it out sometime. 
• There are now hop-on-hop-off bus tours that offer afternoon tea. It looks super fun and I for sure want to do one.

Anything else I need to add to my list? Let me know in the comments. I want to try to do New York City next!