7 best activities in London
London and I have a very special connection due to my one-year stay as an Au Pair (quite a long time ago though). London is modern and traditional at the same time. It is full of life and once this city has me, I never want to leave it again. Even though almost 9 million people live in London, it is one of the most comfortable and livable places I know.
Here you find my top 7 activites to do in London:
1. See the traditional sights
Well, this is a no-brainer and I admit that I am usually not the greatest fan of tourist stuff and classic sightseeing. But London is different. The main sights are more or less in walking distance and one building is more fascinating than the other:
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral
London Eye
London Eye
Big Ben
Big Ben
Big Ben
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
2. Chill in a park
One of the things I love most about London is the countless amount of parks. They are great, calm places to relax and take a deep breath from the city’s urban vibe. For example in the following:
St. James’s park
Primrose hill
Primrose hill
Regent’s park
3. Visit a museum
My friends and family will laugh on this one, because I am not really into museums^^. But only few cities offer that much variety and choice of museums as London. Many museums do not charge any entry fees. Besides, museums are always a good option on rainy days. During my last London stay I visited for instance the Tate Modern.
4. Go to a pub
England is famous for it’s pub culture and you find pubs at literally every corner in London. Don’t miss a fun pub quiz or just take a rest from your sightseeing by enjoying a cold beer or cider. I can recommend all of the visited pubs on my last trip:
Chandos Pub
Landor Pub
Anchor Bankside
Paternoster Young Pub
The Landor pub is also the Landor theatre: watch out for some secret shows playing at Landor theatre – a small stage on the first floor of the pub.
5. Hang around a market
Markets are perfect low-budget spots as you can spend hours simply by wandering around, watching streets artists and inspire yourself with the most diverse arts and goods for every taste. Camden Market and Covent Garden belong to the most famous markets.
Borough Market
Borough Market
Borough Market
Borough Market
Camden Market
Camden Market
Camden Market
Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Gabriel’s Wharf
Spitalfields Market
If you want to see some markets a little off the buzz I recommend the Borough (food) market as well as the Spitalfields market.
6. Eat out
London’s cuisine might be underestimated, but the city truly strikes you with a sheer endless choice of international restaurants. I am sure one could fill a whole blog solely with London restaurant tips.
Here are my top 2 places of my last London trip (thanks to the friends and London newbies I visited^^)in May 2016:
Byron Burger: a burger restaurant chain with American diner style. Burgers are of high quality and available in various traditional and extraordinary versions. Pretty large serves at fair prices.
The Lighterman: has the best BREAKFAST I ever had in London. The lighterman is located just next to the Regent’s channel and close to King’s Cross station. The offer reaches from classic English full breakfast to fresh fruit juices and super food meals. The Regent’s channel invites for a walk after a filling breakfast and leads you directly to the Camden market.
7. Visit a show
Once you experienced a musical in London you will hardly want to see it elsewhere anymore. London is filled with theatres and consequently the choice of plays is overwhelming. If you are flexible regarding which show you want to see, go to a general ticket counter (eg. on Leicester Square) and ask for last minute tickets to any available musical. You might be lucky to get a bargain at 20-40 pounds.
If you want to save even more money you MUST go to a secret, minor arts show. The greatest highlight of my last London trip was the visit of such unknown, secret mini musical – „Develish“:
I was lucky that a local friend had access to the show information and very cheap tickets. Before your London trip I’d advise you to do a little research online to find such off-record musicals, that take place in very hidden rooms (like on top of the above mentioned Landor Pub / Landor Theatre)
The list of acitivities is certainly not complete. There is still so much more to do like shopping, going out or watching a football game.
Have you been to London yet? What was you most favourite activity? Looking forward to any additions, thoughts or questions in the comments section.
Go the extra Mile… To the Landor Pub!! Beside the great Musical Show, all the actors grab a beer afterwards and it’s a very local and friendly atmosphere!