London is a city which needs no introduction. Going to London for the first time can be overwhelming, however we here with few useful guidelines, tips and itinerary to help you out. Keep this as a base and feel free to add and remove places of interest as per what works for you. We try to keep this post as updated as possible, but please do check timings and entry fee where applicable around the time you travel to get the most up-to-date information.
How to get around London?
London has an excellent public transport circuit. Ditch the cabs, taxis and Uber!! This city has a lot to offer and you don’t want to be stuck in traffic. Contact-less cards is your best friend here. If you do not have access to one, you can get yourself an Oyster Card for £5 plus top up at any underground station in the ticket vending machine. You will be required to swipe twice for the underground train (while entering and exiting) and once when you travel by bus.
Currency:
United Kingdom uses pounds or GBP (Great Britain Pounds). You can get cash from ATM, which will get you a good exchange rate. Never exchange it from the airport. If you need to for something like taxis or bus to get to the city, exchange for whatever is needed. You can use you card in most of the places, but we suggest keeping some cash on hand.
Itinerary:
London has a lot to offer in terms of “things to do”. We have put together an itinerary which we followed. Most of the places have an entrance fee so some can be skipped! Please do remember to book tickets online wherever possible. The downside is that you have to book a time slot, for which you have to get there on time. But the upside is no standing in queue! Oh and sometimes, the online tickets are slightly less. We have added a note in the bottom of the places of interest where you can check the tickets online.
Day 1:
-Marble Arch
Marble Arch is a 19th century white marble-faced triumphal arch. It was designed to be a grand celebration of British victories in the Napoleonic Wars and act as a gateway to the expanding Buckingham Palace. However, the arch that was built isn’t as grand as architect John Nash originally planned. Today, it sits in the corner of Hyde Park and is where a lot of protests and rallies take place.
Cost: Free
-Hyde Park
Hyde Park is a Grade I listed major park in Central London. It is the largest of the four royal parks. Once the hunting ground for Henry VIII, it is now has something for everyone. You can enjoy swimming, boating, cycling and skating. There are pitches for team games, tennis courts, tracks for horse riding and a spectacular children’s playground.The Park has two lakeside restaurants which are licensed and serve everything from a three-course meal to a quick cup of coffee. It is simply a lush green park where you can spend your time.
Cost: Free
-Diana Memorial
Diana Memorial is a unique memorial to the Princess of Wales. It is a loop of finely sculptured granite. Water enters at the highest point and flows in two directions, meeting at the lowest point, from which it is recycled. The Memorial also symbolises Diana’s quality and openness. There are three bridges where you can cross the water and go right to the heart of the fountain.
Cost: Free
-Serpentine Galleries
The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens. Each summer, the Serpentine commissions an architect who has not previously built in the UK to design a temporary Pavilion for the lawn in front of the Gallery. Head to their website to see what’s on.
Cost: Free with a suggested donation
-Royal Albert Hall and Memorial
Royal Albert Hall is a Victorian concert hall and is United Kingdom’s most treasured and distinctive buildings. The Albert Memorial, directly north of the Royal Albert Hall was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861.
Cost: Free
-Kensington Palace and Gardens
Kensington Palace is a royal residence inside Hyde Park and is the official royal residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. The Gardens and the lake surround the palace and are free to visit.
Cost: £19.50 / adult; open all year round
Day 2:
-The Royal Mews
The Royal Mews is home to the royal collection of historic coaches and carriages and is considered to be one of the finest working stables in existence. It is responsible for all the road travel for The Queen and members of the royal family. It has on display, coaches, cars and horses which are used frequently including the Gold State Coach, which has been used at every coronation since that of George IV in 1821 and the Diamond Jubilee State Coach.
Cost: £13 / adult; buy tickets online
-Buckingham Palace and changing of Guard ceremony
Buckingham Palace is the London residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. The palace is the center of state occasions and royal hospitality. You can visit the Royal Palace, but it is only open to the public a couple of months a year between July and October. Go online and pre book the tickets and time slot. There is a high possibility that you will not get the ticket on the spot as they sell out much in advance.
Cost: £25 / adult; open during certains months in the year; buy tickets online
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is the ceremony where The Queen’s Guard hands over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace to the New Guard. It is a 45mins event which happens at 11am on selective days which can be found here: https://changing-guard.com/dates-buckingham-palace.html. Do try to get there early to get a good spot to see the event, there will be A LOT of people.
Cost: Free
-Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey was initially built by Henry III in 1245 and it is one of the most important Gothic buildings of England. In addition to serving as a site for royal coronations and burials, Westminster Abbey has famously been the location for 17 royal weddings, including the 2011 marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. If you don’t want to enter the building, you can always admire the architecture marvel from outside as well.
Cost: £21 / adult when bought online or free entry for all attending mass or private prayer
-Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster
Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben along with the Palace of Westminster, are London’s most iconic landmarks. Big Ben is actually the name given to the bell inside the clock tower which weighs more than 13 tons/13,760 kgs. There are various tours which take you inside the Big Ben, however they are currently suspended due to refurbishment. They are scheduled to resume in 2021.
Cost: Free
-10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom and the official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK. The building is almost 300 years old and contains about 100 rooms. For most of its history, Number 10 was accessible to the public. However during Thatcher’s premiership, terrorist threats led to the implementation of a second level of security. Guarded gates were added at both ends of the street and visitors entry was restricted.
Cost: Free
-London Eye
The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. 25 visitors fit in one capsule and the duration of a complete rotation is about 30 mins. Please also note that it can take anywhere from 20 mins to 1 hour for the queue itself. The wheel itself moves very slowly and you can get some impressive views of the city from the top.
Cost: £27 / adult
Day 3:
-British Museum
The British Museum, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. It has the largest and the most comprehensive works in history. From time to time, they have special exhibits, information regarding that can be found online in their website. You can spend anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day here.
Cost: Free
-Windsor Castle
Just a train ride away (Oyster Card to the rescue!), on the outskirts of the city lies Windsor, where you can visit the famous Windsor Castle. It is a royal residence in the county of Berkshire. It is the largest and oldest occupied Castle in the world and it’s where Her Majesty The Queen chooses to spend most of her private weekends. They give you a free audio guide which helps you navigate through the Castle. Go online and book a slot for the ticket, this will prevent you wasting time standing in the line for the same.
Cost: £23.50 per adult; buy tickets online
Day 4:
-Shakespeare’s Globe
Your trip to London is incomplete without a bit of literature!! Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. If old English and literature excites you, this is your chance to visit the theater and watch a play. Replicas and free interpretations of the Globe have been built around the world.
Cost: £17 / adult for the guided tour or the play.
-Borough Market
A century old Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall and a must visit for a foodie. Think of your weekly farmer’s market and multiply it by 50! It has a HUGE range of food to offer, both produce and a collection of unlimited restaurants and cafes.
Cost: Free to enter
-London Bridge
London Bridge is a symbol of London and is used all over the world.It is the site of the oldest crossing of the River Thames on record. However this bride can easily be confused with its neighbour, the Tower Bridge of London.
-Tower Bridge of London
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. It is currently a world heritage site. Try to time your visit when the bridge opens to allow a vessel to pass by. The bridge opens and closes approximately 3 times per day. Ships and passing vessels can give a 24hour notice hence, do check the schedule 24hours before you plan to visit. If not, you can always walk across the bride and take some stunning photos.
Cost: Free for the bridge; £10 / adult for the tower bridge experience which will take you up the tower and across the glass bottom bridge on the top.
-Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle which you can visit. The ticket includes The Crown Jewels, all public areas of the Tower of London including the White Tower, Bloody Tower and battlements, the iconic Yeoman Warder tours and children’s activities and trails. And yes, for all those familiar with the Kohinoor Diamond, it is kept here!
Cost: £25 / adult
-Boat tour across London
If you do have some time left and would love to hear about the history of the city and River Thames, head out for a boat tour which goes from the Tower of London to the London Eye and back (or vice versa). There are a couple of stops in between, you can get off or continue for the round trip. This is a good opportunity to relax and sit down with a pint of Beer! If you have taken a round trip, you can take a break by getting of at any bank and get back on the boat later.
Cost: £10 one way ticket and £16 round trip ticket.
Day 5:
London has so much more to offer than the places mentioned above! If you are here for 5 days or more, we would suggest you to pick places which interest you the most and go ahead with visiting them. If you are a museum and architecture fan, there are so many amazing museums the city has to offer. If you are a fan of cricket, Lord’s stadium should definitely be on your list and Wimbledon, if tennis interest’s you.
To just break it down simply, we have a list of other attractions and you may choose as you please:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Lord’s Stadium
- The Shard
- The Sky Garden
- London Zoo
Bonus: Harry Potter Day!!
If Harry Potter is the reason you have visited London (no judgements!!), then you must consider these:
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part I and II playing at The Palace Theater. Go online to check the show timings. You can watch them back to back to aim for 2 days.
- Harry Potter walking tour across London which covers a lot of places the movies were shot.
- Platform 93/4 photo at King’s Cross
- Warner Brother studio tour
Staying in England for more than 5 days and would like to explore more? We will be writing a article on hidden gems in England soon..
Have fun and stay safe guys! Let us know how your trip to London was..
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