London is expensive, hope you're ready to spend money. Some tips;
Flight
If you are flying from the east and landing at Heathrow, get a window seat on the right hand side of the plane. The flight path follows the city East to West and if it's a clear day you can see literally every single major landmark the city has to offer before touching down.
Views
- Go up the
Tate Modern Switch House. It's free and it's one of the best views in the whole city. The Tate Modern itself is a cool place and you can combine this with a walk along the Southbank. Don't miss this.
- Go up
St Paul's Cathedral. You can combine this with a tour of the church. It's an interesting tour but the star is the climb to the top and the view from there is a 360 view of the city. IMO it's the best view of the city because you are right in the middle and looking out and up at things rather than down. (The Shard is good...but if you had to do one, St Paul's every time)
- If you want a quieter day go to
Primrose Hill. Nice park and area to stroll around in and there's a great view of the entire skyline from there.
Things to Do
- Museums are free to get in to, so take advantage of this. Our Empire means we stole a lot of shit from all over the world and it's all free to see. The British Museum is the obv. one, but do some research. The V+A, Natural History Museum and various art galleries all have great collections and it's worth looking into them and planning what you wan't to see. I would suggest
The Hunterian as an alternative one worth going to. As well as Museums we also have some great exhibition spaces like the Barbican, Southbank Centre and Wellcome Trust which often have some interesting exhibits.
- The Parks are always good to walk through and they cut through the city, so make sure you do this. My personal favourite is
St James' Park which you can easily combine with a day checking out the Royal Palaces and Parliament.
- Like any big city plenty of markets to check out, personally I like
Borough Market as a place to drop by and graze on the various food stalls but there are a dozen or so pretty good ones to pick from.
- Walk over Waterloo Bridge.
Shopping
- Stay clear of Oxford Street, unless you want to go to Selfridges, it's pretty horrible otherwise with very few interesting stores. Regent's Street which is adjacent is much nicer (and pricier) and Carnaby Street which is just next to it are more interesting.
- Check out
Dover Street Market, you probably won't buy anything there but it's half store half art space.
- Soho and Covent Garden are generally where you'll find more interesting shops. Burlington Arcade is also cool and very 'British'.
Food
- Don't go to Tayabbs like everyone will tell you to. Dishoom is much better (but there is often a long queue).
Talli Joe's on Shaftesbury Avenue is actually better, cheaper and easier to get in to than both, IMO. If you want a fancier Michelin starred type Indian meal,
Gymkhana is the place.
-
Exmouth Coffee Company is the place to drop in to when you go by Brick Lane
- Book a breakfast at
The Duck and Waffle, it's a good breakfast with a great view of London. Book quickly, it's usually very busy.
Day Trips
- Think most people do Oxford and it's easy to do. I like
Bath personally.
- If you're doing Paris, as has been said, do more than a day. I think a week in London is enough to get a sense of it, you'll always want to stay longer. Paris for 2/3 days is a great idea. Not a fucking chance it's better than London but it's still a great city
Going on a bit now, so I'll stop! London is a great city. Walk as much as possible, like any city it's the best way to discover it. And check out websites that tell you what's on at the time you're visiting (Londonist is a good one). As well as the standard sights and sounds there's always random stuff on and passing through London and that's probably the best thing about it.
