2/1/2018 1 Comment things to do in londonLondon is a vibrant, energetic, sophisticated and busy city. It is the perfect trip for a Europe first timer because the sites are familiar, it's English speaking and there are endless amounts of places to explore. I know that it is a city not known for its pristine weather, but I was lucky enough to get all sunny days when I went last summer. I have been to London twice and I cannot wait to go back this summer for a quick trip! Watch a play or musicalLes Miserables is my favorite musical and it was so wonderful to see it in London. It is a once in a lifetime experience to watch a play or musical at Queens Theater and I 100% recommend it. Other popular shows are Wicked, Matilda, The Lion King, Hamilton and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I would book way in advance and plan to attend the show near the end of your trip so the jet lag will not make you fall asleep and waste your money. ride on the "Hop on, Hop off" busesThese buses were one of our main modes of transportation around the city. Not only is it iconic, but it's super convenient! The buses came around often and were easy to locate the stops. We hardly waited more than 15-20 minutes and we rode through majority of London. You can put in earbuds and listen to the audio history tour as you pass by specific areas. I sat on the top level for some bomb picture ops, which I would not have been able to take if I was in an Uber or on the Tube. If you are booking your plane ticket to London for the first time, definitely use these buses as your way around the city to easily see the biggest sites of London. The deal we bought came with a Thames River boat tour and it was so cool! Thames riverThe river tour was super cool! We got to see all the famous sites in London such as Tower of London, Big Ben and the Eye. The boat takes you down the whole river and lets you drop off at Greenwich for a few hours at the end. This tour was included in the purchase of the hop on/off bus passes. The tour announcer/guide was entertaining and shared the expected historical background and some pop culture, like where the famous people live along the river. greenwichGreenwich was the cutest town! In the few hours that we had from the boat tour, we went to the market and got some tasty Indian food and vegan Argentinean churros. We window shopped all the cute stands in the market and then walked along the cobble stoned homes and past some local pubs. There is a big park and we wandered through it, to then climb the hill to see the best view of London. tower of londonTower of London was my favorite destination in London! This is something that I was not expecting to like, especially because we did not plan on going up and it was very spontaneous. This is one of the few things we paid for. Walking on the across the bridge is free, but going up to the towers and walking on the glass bridge you pay for. If you are scared of heights, I would not recommend it, but seeing the glass floor was super cool! I got the coolest Instagram pictures here. free MUSEUMSLondon has so many cool free museums! Normally I am not one to recommend museums, but London and Paris had the best ones ever! It is a great way to spend time when the weather is poor or when you need a free, family friendly activity. Some of the best ones are the Victoria and Albert, British Museum, Tate Modern and the National Gallery. I really enjoyed the V&A because it had an interactive (and huge!) theater section, a giant jewelry collection exhibit and fashion through the years. TRAFALGAR square + PICCADILLY circusTrafalgar square is London's prime city life spot for night and daytime. Its hustling and bustling and beautiful. Many compare it to Times Square. It is a short walk from the iconic Piccadilly Circus. We ate at a delicious Shake Shack and looked through the stores at Piccadilly. London parksWalking through the gorgeous parks in London is one of the best things to do! There are so many great ones like Hyde Park, Regent's park and Kensington Gardens. They are perfect for pictures, nice for picnics and seeing cute dogs! This is something you definitely cannot miss. It is like visiting New York and seeing Central Park! buckingham palaceHow can you come to London and not see the palace?! We were lucky enough to see the flag up, meaning that the queen was in. We also saw the end of the changing of the guard and we saw a royal mail delivery. It was worth it and I loved seeing the royal palace up close. Big ben + parliamentLastly, one of the greatest things to do is to walk around London's main tourist area and see the historical and famous sites like Parliament, Big Ben, the Eye and Westminster Abbey. Exploring this area leads right down to the river where you can see more of this magical city.
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June 2018
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