If you haven’t heard from me in a while, it’s because I was not around. I have spent more time in Europe than San Francisco in the past few months going on a working vacation first which was then followed by a work trip. Now that I am currently back in the States for a few weeks, I thought of catching up on the blog.
Recently, I got to spend a month in London for work. I have never traveled for work before (unless you count the commute from San Francisco to San Jose, which btw can take longer than a flight from San Francisco to L.A.) so I had no idea what to expect. I was just pretty happy that I was going to one of my favorites cities, London, unlike middle of nowhere places where all my consultant friends usually end up going. Traveling for work has its own ups and downs: It’s good that you can collect all those miles and points, stay at fancy hotels and expense those Michelin star (quite a few in my case) meals back to the company but then the downside being that there is no time to sightsee since you are in office pretty much the whole day (or in my case, some long nights too). Since I was there for almost 4 weeks, I promised myself that I will enjoy the weekends exploring the city or the country.
Since this was my 6thtime to London, there was not much on my list of things to do or see. I got to spend 8 days in London back in 2011 when I spent a summer semester at Oxford during which I did most of the touristy stuff in London. After that, I had a day or an overnight layover in London during my travel between India and the US few times so I used them to knock off whatever was remaining on list. Back in 2011, I also saw Oxford, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. This time, I was very keen on seeing more of the Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales. So in the future posts, you can expect me to cover the cities I visited in these 3 countries. For now, let me present all the good stuff that London has to offer that I got to experience both as a tourist and a wannabe Londoner.
How long to stay
Okay, London is a really huge city and has so much to offer that can be very overwhelming if it’s your first time there. It’s very much like New York City where you can’t manage to see or do everything in just one trip. Of course, it’s much older than New York so it has a lot of history to it. I would say to really see everything that counts as attractions or monuments, you would need at least 10-14 days in London. But no one has that much time to spend in a city in one go, so you should prioritize on what you want to see during your first trip. And with the Brexit in place, flight prices to the UK have dropped significantly so, if you desire, you can just hop over the pond for a long weekend too.
Getting there and getting around
London, in fact, is one of the most well-connected city in the world. London’s Heathrow airport provides you non-stop connectivity to even the remotest corners of the globe. If you are flying from abroad, it is very likely that you will fly into London’s Heathrow airport or Gatwick airport. There is also a smaller London City airport closer to the city of London. I have only flown in and out of Heathrow so can talk about my experience there (Oh, if you are ever flying to London from the United States, make sure to sit on the right side of the place and get a window seat as it is very likely that your plane will go over the city giving you a good aerial view of London before landing at Heathrow).
I have flown both British airways and Virgin Atlantic to London. British airways flies out of a relatively new and swanky Terminal 5 and Virgin files out of Terminal 3 at Heathrow airport. If you are flying Virgin Atlantic in Upper class or have an elite frequent flier status, make sure to arrive early and visit their lounge – Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. It is hands down my favorite airport lounge. And upon arrival, you can grab breakfast and shower at their Revivals lounge too. For those wanting to do some last minute retail therapy, lucky for you, there is Harrods and Fortnum & Mason at the airport. The airport is connected to the city both via the Tube (the world famous metro system – aka Public transportation goals) and Heathrow Express. Heathrow Express gets you to London Paddington station from Heathrow in 15 mins but costs much more than the Tube. Unless your hotel is within walking distance of Paddington station, I would recommend taking the Tube since it’s cheaper and gets you anywhere in London in comparable time than Heathrow Express and a Tube connection. If you do decide to take Heathrow express, please try to buy your tickets as early as possible online to save some money as last day tickers are very expensive. For those taking the tube, please buy a day pass (Zone 1-6).
If you are coming in from Scotland, Wales or France, Netherlands and Belgium, chances are you are taking the train to London. The international trains arrive at St. Pancras Station while the British trains arrive at Kings Cross. Both are very centrally located and are connected to Tube stations.
London is a public transit lover’s paradise. The tube will literally get you anywhere you want to go and usually in faster time than a car. If you are planning to be in Zone 1 London (which is where all the attractions are), please don’t bother getting a car. Instead, depending on how long you are planning to stay, get a day or weekly pass for Zone 1-2. You don’t need the Zone 1-6 pass since there is nothing for tourists in outer Zones except the Harry Potter world. Unlike New York City, London is a not a 24-hour city. It does come to a stop after midnight until the early hours of the morning. If you are out and about post-midnight till the wee hours of morning, you won’t have much luck with the Tube since not all lines run 24 hours. You will be happy to know that Uber still operates in London and is cheap compared to those black cabs (which in my opinion are very iconic – But, I would get a photo of or with them but not use it for my ride since they are a big rip off). I also took the bus a couple of times and realized that walking + train is always a faster option. Besides, London is very walkable city and you really get to appreciate the amazing architecture when you are walking down the streets.
Where to stay
This is the trickiest question to answer. There is no getting away from the fact that accommodations costs can be ridiculously high in London. Unless you are burning points on hotels, I would recommend going for Airbnb since you can find something affordable in there. Or better, if you have friends or families, you can crash at their place and take them out for a nice meal. Personally, I have stayed a couple of times with my high school friend and once in a basic 3-star hotel which costed me 100 pounds per night. This time when I was traveling for work, I stayed at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane in Mayfair. In terms of area or neighborhood, I would highly recommend staying anywhere in Zone 1 since it’s very well connected. You can literally take the Tube to get anywhere you want. Unless you are really low on budget, staying outside of Zone 1 wouldn’t make sense. In the past, I have stayed near Paddington once and then for this trip I stayed in Mayfair (the fanciest neighborhood in the city).
What to buy
When you ask this question, people would say “Burberry” or “Tom Ford”. Yes, those are quintessentially British things. Unless you are planning to spend some serious $$$$, there are some other more affordable things I would recommend buying in London. For example, buy Cadbury chocolates – I know you probably get Cadbury chocolates back in your home country but the Cadbury in UK tastes way much better than ones I get here in the US. Another favorite thing to buy is tea, jams/spreads and biscuits. Britons love their tea and have gathered pretty diverse range of tea from all over the world to satisfy every taste and budget. I would recommend buying things from Fortnum and Mason (They are the Royal grocers … And you can pretend to be the Queen or another member of the Royal family ;)) or from Marks & Spencer food, Tesco or Sainsbury.
In case you want to buy some clothes, you can always go to Oxford Street or Regent Street (if you have the big fat wallet). Even if window shopping, I highly recommend visiting the iconic London stores – Harrods and Selfridges (and make sure to check out their window displays). Harrods is one store that has almost anything and everything you would want to buy. Unlike Selfridges that houses brands from all the world, Harrods has all the brands as well as their own stuff. I really enjoyed visiting Harrods and enjoying some delicious treats from their food hall.
What to see or do
If you are planning to visit a lot of attractions, please consider getting a London pass. It will save you so much money and you won’t have to deal with queuing up at attractions’ ticket booth to buy tickets. Another thing to keep in mind is that almost all museums are free to visit in the city. This can be a great thing for those traveling as a family or those on a shoestring budget. Since almost all the attractions are present in Zone 1, I have tried to club them based on the neighborhood so that you don’t have to go back and forth in the tube. Most of the attractions/landmark/point of interest/sights in London need no introduction so I will skip those details and instead give you my perspective on them as well as any tricks on saving money:
Palace of Westminster/ Parliament House
This along with Big Ben has become the symbol of the city. It is indeed the second prettiest parliament house I have ever seen (right after the one in Budapest which is based on this one). If you are short on time, just look at it from outside and get the best view of it by crossing the Westminster bridge and looking at it from the other side of Thames. If you have some time and are visiting it on a day (usually Saturdays) where they have guided tours, I would highly recommend going for the tour. You get to see the house of Commons and Lords from inside. Unfortunately, they don’t let you take photos inside so I can’t share with you the finer details of this palace.
Big Ben
The iconic clock tower and one of the most popular replica that tourists buy as souvenir in London. It is currently undergoing renovation so you can’t see it properly or go for a tour. However, in the future If you are interested, you can go visit the tower from inside and see the finer workings of the clock.
Westminster Abby
Not just known for being massive in size, Westminster Abby holds a very important place in London’s history too. This was also the site for many coronations and royal weddings of kings and queens. It is definitely worth visiting from inside. Keep in mind that it is still a living working church so part of it may be closed to public during the day of your visit. Please check online on their website to see what is going on there before you buy the tickets.
Westminster Bridge
One of my favorite bridges in London. Walk down the bridge after seeing Big Ben and Parliament House to get to London eye and the Southbank area.
London Eye
In my opinion, this is the most overrated tourist attraction in London. The lines are always too long and the ride itself takes an hour. I would always recommend buying tickers online in advance (you get some discount too) so you can just hop on and enjoy the view of the city without wasting any time.
Buckingham Palace
If you happen to be in London in the Summer and it is one of those 10 weeks that the palace is open to public, please buy the tickets online and go visit it. It is one of my favorite palaces in the whole country. When you get to visit inside, it’s only then you realize how huge the palace is. Unfortunately, if you are visiting outside of those 10-weeks period, you can only see it from outside. If that’s the time period you are in London for, I would recommend going for the Changing of Guards ceremony.
Marble Arch
Pretty impressive to look at and worth a photo stop.
Piccadilly Street
One of the most iconic streets in London that runs from Hyde Park to Piccadilly Circus. I walked along on it many late nights while coming back from dinners to my hotel. While walking on this street, not only will you see a lot of iconic London landmarks and hotels but some of the best architecture that the city has to offer.
Piccadilly Circus with the Statue of Anteros
It’s like New York’s Time Square. One of the major circles in the city, it is all covered with bright neon displays. There is a statue of Anteros at the center. It is always lively here no matter what time of the day you visit.
Regent Street
One of the most popular streets for shopping right after Oxford Street. It is just very pretty for an evening stroll. You can stare at all the high end shops that you wish you can drop your money at.
Kensington Palace
Not as impressive as the Buckingham palace, Kensington palace and the gardens make for a good visit if you want to check out a royal palace in the city of London. It is currently hosting a special exhibit on Diana’s life and fashion choices which I really enjoyed. If you do plan to visit this, I would recommend buying tickets online well in advance.
Hyde Park
The lungs of London. It’s a huge park where you can go for a morning run or an evening walk. There is Serpentine lake in the center where you can feed the ducks and swans. There are some exhibits in the park which are usually free for public. Also, you can enjoy a picnic here when the weather is pleasant. Lastly, if you are in London during the winter holidays, this is the site of Winter Wonderland. I believe it’s a must see if you are spending Christmas season in London.
Green Park
Much smaller park compared to Hyde park but it is still worth visiting. You can just walk by when trying to get to Buckingham palace from Piccadilly.
10 Downing Street
The official residence of the Prime Minister of UK. It’s a decent photo stop if you are passing by the area.
Madame Tussads
The OG and the biggest of the Madame Tussads wax museum. If you haven’t been to one, you should consider visiting it and make sure you buy your tickets well in advance.
Trafalgar Square
I want to say it is the center of London. The main square of the city for historical reasons, it’s quite a place for people watching and houses 2 major museums of the city. There is also Nelson’s column at the center of the square. Definitely worth a photo stop.
National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery
If you are near Trafalgar square you cannot miss these 2 museums. The best part – they are free to visit. My favorite was the National Portrait Gallery as it has some interesting portraits of British personalities that I hadn’t seen before.
Victoria & Albert Museum
One of the biggest museum in London housing art and architecture from all over the world. Again, it doesn’t cost anything to visit so you can spend as much or as less time you want.
Natural history museum
I think I was in love with the building more than the exhibits in the museum. It’s more of a palace than a museum. The interiors look like something that was part of a Harry Potter movie. They have the skeleton of a blue whale hanging from the roof in the central area.
British Museum
To be completely honest with you, I didn’t spend enough time seeing this museum in one go. Since this was near my office, I use to come here for lunch break and see part of it every couple of days. It’s like visiting Louvre where you can’t see it all in one go.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
The iconic cathedral of London. It’s one of the prettiest cathedral I have been to. You can go for a service or just get a tour of it from inside. Be sure to check their opening hours on their website since it’s not open to tourists all the time.
Millennium Bridge
The most modern of all the bridges over Thames river in the city. You get the best view of St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge from here. You can cross it to get to Globe Theatre.
Globe Theatre
This theatre has been re-done to resemble the original theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed. If you can get a ticket (they have really cheap options too unlike the West end plays), I would definitely recommend going for a play one evening while in London.
London Bridge
Often confused with the Tower bridge, it is my least favorite of all the bridges in London. However, this is a great bridge to get a photo of Tower Bridge.
The Shard
The iconic Pyramid shaped building taking over London’s skyline. They do have an observation deck at the top for you to get an aerial view of east London. However, if you want to save money, I would recommend going to one of their restaurant for a drink instead. It will be cheaper and you will still get the same view as you would from the observation deck. I went to Aqua shard and paid an overpriced drink for the views. If you are going for a meal, you would need reservations. The bar is on a first come first served basis.
Tower Bridge
People usually mean Tower bridge when they refer to London Bridge. The only way to experience it properly, in my opinion, is by walking over it. You can get a good photo of it from both banks of river Thames. There is a museum on the higher level and also has an engine room which tells you how the bridge opens and closes to let the ships come through. If you are short on time, you can skip the museum and the exhibit in the North Tower.
The Monument
Dedicated to the big fire of London, this Monument is the cheapest place that you can climb up to get a good aerial view of the city.
Tower of London
One of my favorite attractions in the city. It was very hard to buy tickets at the venue to go inside the tower the first few times so I bought tickets online to visit it later. Although called a Tower, it is more of a fortress. The crown jewels are on display here along with amour and other interesting historical artifacts.
O2 Arena
Sure, you would only go there if you had a show/performance to watch but I would recommend just making a trip to see this iconic arena from outside if you are in the area.
Greenwich
If you are a geography nerd like me, you cannot go to London and not see the Prime Meridian. It was pretty cool to see the physical sign at the Greenwich observatory and get a photo with it. Apart from the royal observatory, there is a cathedral, painted chapel (it is exactly a chapel with every wall painted with a story) and a Maritime museum. This can be quite far to get to compared to all the other attractions but it is worth the detour.
Harry Potter World at Warner Brother Studios
If you grew up reading and watching every Harry Potter book and movie just like me, this is your heaven. The movies were primarily shot in the UK and Warner Brother Studios did a good job of keeping a lot of original set for display in this studio. Although, it is quite far to get to from central London, it was really worth the long ride on Tube. Also, be sure to buy the tickets online well in advance since it is not possible to buy tickets at the venue. They also have complimentary shuttle for pickup from the closest tube station.
What to eat
London’s food game is on point. In fact, I would personally rate it better than New York and San Francisco (except for the Chinese food). From Michelin star restaurants to cheap eats, London has it all. I will dedicate my next blog post to cover what I consider traditional British food that you must try here in London and other nice places that I got to eat during my 4 weeks of stay that I am sure you will love too.
In the end, I have to say that London is one of my favorite cities in the world. I can visit it again and again and never get bored of it. They say, if you are bored of London, you are bored of Life since London has everything that life has to offer. I couldn’t agree anymore.
What are your favorite things to see or do in London? How did you manage to save money while traveling to this expensive city?
Food and Travel Matters 