London is one of the most visited cities in the world. Every year 30 million people visit to see everything this city has to offer. We expected London to feel like every other big city but it has so much history and unique culture that we enjoyed it so much! In this post we’re going through 10 things to do in London, England!
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London uses the Great Britain Pound so be sure if you’re visiting from anywhere else in Europe to remember your swap your Euros for Pounds!
Getting to London
You can take the train across the English Channel from anywhere in Europe. Our plan was to take the train from northern Germany to Brussels where you can catch the Eurostar to London in under 3 hours. We got to the Brussels train station and all the Eurostar trains to London for that day were full so we ended up taking a train with our Eurail Passes to northern France and then a ferry across to England. So moral of the story is if you’re taking the train across the English Channel to London make sure to book it ahead of time!
London has two airports if you’re flying in. Gatwick Airport is located about 30 kms south from downtown London. Heathrow Airport is a lot closer at about 16 kms to the west.
- You could easily get to and from Heathrow Airport but Gatwick is a little farther and therefore requires more time to get to. We took the Gatwick Express bus which took about 2 hours from Victoria Station to the airport. It cost 10 Euros or $11 USD.
Where to Stay in London
We stayed in Queens Park in northwestern London and so enjoyed it! It’s outside the main downtown area so it doesn’t feel as crowded as neighborhoods closer to downtown. There were so many really cool restaurants and cafes on Salusbury Road near the Queens Park Station. We weren’t sure how much was going to be near our Airbnb but we were so pleasantly surprised!
- If you’re looking for a really nice and more affordable neighborhood to stay in we would definitely recommend Queens Park!
1. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace serves as the administrative headquarters of the Queen. You can walk up to the gate and get a close look at the building itself. Or you can tour rooms within Buckingham Palace in July through September when it opens to the public. An adult ticket to tour the state rooms cost 26.50 Pounds or $34 USD.
- The Changing of the Guards ceremony happens at Buckingham Palace at 11:00 AM lasting for about 45 minutes as the current guards transfer responsibilities to the new guards.
- if you are planning to catch the ceremony make sure to get there early!
When we visited The Mall road leading up to Buckingham Palace was closed and full of people walking. There is Green Park and St James Park that are both nearby and really nice parks! You could easily spend a few hours in this area.
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2. Walk through St James’s Park
St James’s Park is a really nice park right next to Buckingham Palace. In the fall it was beautiful with all kinds of red and yellow leaves. In the park is St James’s Park Lake that you can walk around. On the Blue Bridge crossing the lake you can spot the half portion of the London Eye in the distance. It’s a really good spot to take a picture as the only other thing behind you is the lake!
- You can walk through St James Park from Buckingham Palace to Parliament Square where you can find Big Ben and the Thames River.
We stopped and found a bench in St. James Park to have a picnic lunch. We packed peanut butter sandwiches and threw them in our daypack so save some money! We saw so many other people doing the same thing even in November!
3. Try Fish & Chips
While in England we knew we had to try fish and chips before leaving! We aren’t big fish people but anything fried is most likely delicious so we gave it a try. It’s a classic dish that you can find so many places throughout London.
We had it at Alice House Queen’s Park near our Airbnb. The restaurant was so packed we got lucky and got the only empty spot we could find! There were so many people eating, drinking beer and playing games. It was a little pricey but that is to be expected in London.
Travel Truth: Also in Queen’s Park is Mr Fish which is more of a fast casual restaurant. You can get fish and chips to take away for cheaper prices than if you sit in the restaurant area. This is a good option if you want to do it without spending as much.
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4. Wander around Westminster
Wander around Westminster looking at all the impressive buildings. You are bound to spot some traditional London black cabs and red double decker buses. We couldn’t believe that the seats in the cabs are facing each other because it’s just so different from the cabs we know in the US.
Walk to see St James’s Palace which is a very beautiful building and from there you can walk down Marlborough Road to The Mall that leads to Buckingham Palace.
5. See the Scaffolding Covering Big Ben (at least until 2021)
From St James Park you can easily walk to Parliament Square to see the scaffolding covering Big Ben until about 2021. If you were lucky to see it a few years ago before the scaffolding went up in 2017 you are fortunate! Even with its current state you can still get a feel for the size of the building as well as the height of the tower.
The clock at the top of Big Ben is not covered though so you can at least see that on the side. Or of course you can just plan a visit to return and see it again sans scaffolding!
Travel Truth: If you are looking for one of the iconic red telephone booths there are quite a few around Big Ben to get your classic London picture!
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6. Cross the Thames River to spot the London Eye
The London Eye is a large observation wheel that sits on the Thames River. It gives you panoramic views looking over London. It’s a closed pod-like compartment so you are completely inside if you’re visiting during cold or rainy weather. A standard adult ticket to ride the London Eye costs 27 Pounds or $35 USD.
- Or you can stand on the bridge and just take pictures of it like we did. Although the views are incredible, tickets are pricey for our budget so we decided to skip it.
7. Walk along the Southbank
The Southbank refers to the south edge of the River Thames. We walked from the London Eye to the Tower Bridge along the Southbank and really enjoyed the walk! It is quite far as it’s just over 2 miles to walk along the water.
- It took us about 50 minutes to walk from the London Eye to the Tower Bridge while walking leisurely and stopping to take pictures every now and then.
We passed so many cool markets and things happening along the way! We walked through stalls and stalls of food venders selling all different kinds of food. Then further down we walked through a market with shops, restaurants and so many places to sit and enjoy. In warmer weather I’m sure this would be such a nice spot to sit for a while.
- In most areas the pathway is wide and easy to walk. It does get thin in some sections where there are restaurants and therefore gets more crowded.
- Just make sure to stay along the water the whole time. We made the mistake of going in a little and then had trouble finding our way back to the water.
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8. See the Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge is one of the most detailed and stately looking bridges we have ever seen! The tower bridge leads across the river to the Tower of London. Tickets to the Tower Bridge cost 9.80 Pounds or $13 USD.
We found a really good photo spot with both the bridge and the Tower of London in the background along the Queen’s Walk near the Strada Riverside.
We would recommend going to see it in the daytime to see how detailed and beautiful it actually is. But then make sure to also see it when it’s lit up at night. It shines really bright and is worth seeing at both times of day!
9. Drink Tea & Eat Scones
It sounds very stereotypical but after walking around for a few hours in the cold we jumped into a café to warm up with some English breakfast tea. We each got a small tea kettle full of tea which ended up being like 3 cups each!
- We went to London Grind near the bridge but around 4:30 PM it was becoming more of a place to grab a drink than a café to get a cup of tea. We would recommend it if you’re going earlier in the day or if you’re looking for a cocktail instead of a coffee or tea.
We also had scones pretty much every day we were in England and Ireland and become obsessed. It sounds silly but we loved the ones from Tesco, the grocery chain. They come in a package of 4 and are really good! We couldn’t find them our last day and we were both so sad. They’re really good and so cheap!
10. Explore Queens Park in northwest London
Queens Park is a neighborhood in northwest London and where we stayed while in the city. We really liked it because it had so much going on but still felt quieter and less busy than downtown London. Plus you can easily take the Underground from wherever you’re staying to explore another part of this city!
- If you’re going to be in London for a few days or will need to take a few train rides consider getting the Oyster card. It’s a reusable card for public transportation throughout London. You choose however much money you want to put on it plus an additional 10 Pounds (for the card itself). Then when you’re done using it you can get a refund of the remaining balance.
