First stop...London!
What could I say about London? Maybe that even if I never thought of it as a must see, I would gladly go back any day. There are many attractions in London, it all depends on what you're interested in. What you shouldn't miss is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, the parks, Trafalgar Square, The Monument.... and if I don't stop soon, I'll probably list almost all the attractions.
What you should know about the Guard Changing Ceremony at Buckingham Palace
is that it starts at 11:30am daily ( during summer ) and every other day ( during winter ). The Horse Guard Changing Ceremony takes place at Horse Guards each week day at 11:00am and at 10:00am on Sundays. You can find more details about the schedule of the ceremonies here and here .
Maybe the only thing that I didn't like in London is that noone respects driving rules. Everybody drives on the oppositte side and it happens so often that it's not an exception anymore!
What you should know about the Guard Changing Ceremony at Buckingham Palace
is that it starts at 11:30am daily ( during summer ) and every other day ( during winter ). The Horse Guard Changing Ceremony takes place at Horse Guards each week day at 11:00am and at 10:00am on Sundays. You can find more details about the schedule of the ceremonies here and here .Maybe the only thing that I didn't like in London is that noone respects driving rules. Everybody drives on the oppositte side and it happens so often that it's not an exception anymore!
I'm kidding, of course. But, as you can see in the picture, tourists are reminded where to look. A method to use is to tell yourself "Look Right" everytime you want to cross a street. It has its flaws though as if it could be a one way street and the cars might actually come from the left.
In the end, I guess the best way to cross the street is to look both ways when you start crossing, but also when you get at half way. You will get neck pains at some point, but it's worth it!
Museums
Museums are usually open till 4:30pm - 6:00pm, so you should check their schedules before making any plans.
The good thing with London museums is that for some there is no entry fee. The others compensate though.
The good thing with London museums is that for some there is no entry fee. The others compensate though.
For example, at Madame Tussauds', the fee is 28 GBP for an adult and 24 GBP for a child, while at the Science Museum you can get in for free. On the other hand, you should check out the websites of the museums that you want to visit because they have all kinds of offers : 3 in 1, 2 in 1, discounts for groups and also for buying tickets online. So if you want to travel to London, you should make up a list with everything you want to visit and then check the internet because you might find discounted offers if you group some of them. Be careful not to put too many on your list. You might not have enough time to visit them all. At least that's what happened to me.
Useful info if you go by car
If you want to drive through London, even though I wouldn't recommand it, you must know that in the central part there is a so called "Congestion Zone". If you cross it, you will have to pay a daily tax of 10 GBP if you pay before or after the journey on the day of travel or 12 GBP if you choose to pay by the midnight of the following charging day.
In Londra you can use the bus, the train, the metro ( called the Tube ) and even the tram ( in Croydon ).
If you plan on using any of the above, I would recommand you getting an Oyster card ( which you can have for a 3 GBP deposit that you will get back when you return the card ). You can put on it pay as you go credit and it's cheaper than paying cash for each journey. If you stay in London for a few days, you can consider putting a 7 day Travelcard on your Oyster, depending on which zones you travel to .
One thing to keep in mind is that you have to touch the yellow card reader with your Oyster before you start your journey and, if you travel by Tube or by train, also at the end of the journey so that you won't get overcharged. If you are at a station where there are no gates or the gates are already open, you still need to touch out.
Parks
Parks in London are beautiful and it would be a shame not to enjoy lunch on the grass along with other tourists and the Londoners who are on their lunch break. And since you're eating, don't be taken by surprise by the squirells and get a peanut or two for them as well. I recommand you to visit the following parks :
Free entrance museums - there is an admission fee only for some exibitions or events
Other attractions
Last but not least, I would remind football fans that London is where many famous English clubs are located, so maybe you are interested in visiting some of them and their stadiums. I will mention only a few :
View London on a larger map
That's all for now on London. I have tried to point out some of the most important things about it, but I might come up with a follow-up.
Parks
Parks in London are beautiful and it would be a shame not to enjoy lunch on the grass along with other tourists and the Londoners who are on their lunch break. And since you're eating, don't be taken by surprise by the squirells and get a peanut or two for them as well. I recommand you to visit the following parks :
- Hyde Park
- The Regent's Park
- Kensington Gardens, where you can also find Albert Memorial and Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
- Greenwich Park
- St. James' Park
- Green Park, with the Wellington Arch
Free entrance museums - there is an admission fee only for some exibitions or events
- British Museum
- Tate Britain - British art since 1500
- Tate Modern - modern and contemporary international art
- Bank of England Museum
- Science Museum
- Natural History Museum
- National Maritime Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum - art and design
- Imperial War Museum
- Royal Air Force Museum
- Museum of London
Other attractions
- Big Ben
- The Cenotaph
- Downing Street - the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Westminster Abbey - traditional place of coronation and burial site for British monarchs
- Palace of Westminster – the Parliament of the United Kingdom
- London Eye - where you can see London from above
- Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column
- National Gallery - houses more than 2300 paintings ; situated in Trafalgar Square
- Picadilly Circus with its famous video wall
- Oxford Street - commercial street
- The Monument - the Monument to the Great Fire of London; 61m tall, 311 steps; you can climb to the top of it
- St.Paul's Cathedral
- The City - financial center of London
- Tower of London - houses the Crown Jewels
- Tower Bridge - the famous bridge
- HMS Belfast - the biggest Royal Navy light cruiser in WWII
- the Gherkin - the gherkin shaped building
- Kensington Palace
- Royal College of Music
- Harrods - the famous high-end department store
- The Planetarium and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich
- The Cutty Sark - clipper ship from the nineteenth century
- Saatchi Gallery
- Royal Albert Hall - arts venue opened in 1871
- Cabinet War Rooms - housed the British command center during WWII
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Madame Tussauds - wax museum
- Sherlock Holmes Museum
- Wembley Stadium
- Wimbledon - the venue for the only Grand Slam tennis event held on grass
Last but not least, I would remind football fans that London is where many famous English clubs are located, so maybe you are interested in visiting some of them and their stadiums. I will mention only a few :
- Arsenal
- Brentford
- Charlton Athletic
- Chelsea
- Crystal Palace
- Fulham
- Milwall
- Queens Park Rangers
- Tottenham Hotspur
- West Ham United
View London on a larger map
That's all for now on London. I have tried to point out some of the most important things about it, but I might come up with a follow-up.
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