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Visiting the UK capital is always going to be a treat, whether it’s your first visit there, or whether you are a regular who has their favourite museum wings or coffee spots that are tucked into some very lovely little neighbourhoods.
With its rich history, London can charm you all day with famous sights and then sweep you off your feet when the sun goes down, where you can have a very wild night with all sorts of dance-til-dawn choices for you.
Being such a popular destination, you will probably get just as much good advices from friends and family who have visit as from professional travel guides.
But the best thing to do is only have a loose plan when you arrive (other than your accommodations), because you’ll find plenty of detours that seem to demand your attention.
And that’s true in the evenings as well, because whether you want to hits the clubs or want to meet up with model escorts London ladies can certainly provide.
And you can believe it will give you some lovely memories.
In between snapping photos of Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, you will certainly find that the shopping options in London will drain you of your bank account very quickly, and it doesn’t necessarily require a trip to the world famous Harrod’s department store.
There’s a reason it is one of the world’s fashion hot spots, and the upscale shopping – particularly along Oxford Street and Knightsbridge – is second to none.
At the same time, there is also The King’s Road for antiques and more quirky items, and if you do want the traditional souvenirs (from Paddington Bear plush toys to a Sherlock Holmes pub sign), there is the massive Covent Garden Market, which is also a great place to get some delicious street food.
London’s massive size is actually quite easy to cross, and you have plenty of options available.
The famous red double-decker buses can be an excellent way of going from one point to the next if you aren’t too worried about the time, since chances are you’ll be stuck in some classic London traffic, but that gives you a good chance to take some snaps and take in the bustling scenery.
The other choice is much quicker, but the sights are just the sides of a tunnel.
The London Underground (or Tube, as it is affectionately known) zips quickly underneath the streets and the Thames river on eleven routes, and there is no better option as long as you are okay with being a bit crammed in their if you are taking it during rush hour.
And these are both very affordable options, as buying the Oyster travel card means you can load up on funds and then tap on when you enter the bus or the subway station.
Despite its size, it is very easy to settle into a London neighbourhood that you’re staying in and take lots of time to explore its nooks and crannies.
Knightsbridge and Notting Hill are famously posh areas that have impressive hotels, restaurants, and are close to Buckingham Palace and High Park respectively, whereas Brick Lane is a much more multicultural mix that offers a great combination of food options, pubs and record shops.
Kings Cross has been going through a re-emergence of sorts, and at last part of that has to be the railway station, where you can indeed find Platform 9 and 3/4, made famous from the Harry Potter books.
When it comes to museums once again London can offer two distinctly different choices.
If you want to indulge in history you are in luck, because the first and foremost the British Museum has one of the best collection of artifacts from all around the world.
And if it wasn’t for this one hogging all the attention, The Victoria and Albert Museum would be getting the same rave reviews.
As such, it has to settle with being the only place where you can find works by da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Picasso all under one roof.
If you want to get a bit odder, the Tate Modern is one of the most impressive modern art galleries in the world, and that’s in no small part due to its incredible building, since it is a former power plant right on the banks of the Thames.
All of the above museums are in relative close proximity to one another, only requiring to hop on a tube to travel around, but there are several landmarks on the outskirts of London that are worth travelling to.
Windsor Castle doesn’t get the attention that Buckingham Palace gets, but its grounds are much more impressive (and actually open to tourists on a regular basis).
It has been around since the late eleventh century, and is a frequent weekend getaway for Queen Elizabeth.
Conveniently just west of Heathrow airport and on a major rail line, and the station is a short walk from the castle.
Going the other direction is Greenwich, which is a lovely small town on the Thames that has plenty of history (and you can check out the Cutty Sark, the famous clipper ship) and lovely parks, but is best known for the Greenwich (or Prime) Meridian, which is zero degrees longitude.
It shows just how important London and the British Empire has been in general to world history, since they essentially made this spot the ‘beginning’ of global navigation.
Whether you are traveling to London by yourself, with your partner, or with your family, you can definitely find plenty of interesting attractions to keep you all excited the entire time, and it is definitely recommended if you have the travel bug.