Shockingly, until this summer, I had never been to London to explore. I stayed over for one night and tried to fit as much as possible into my (incredibly wet) short stay.
Affiliate links - some links have been included for easier access to bookings I had made, by clicking these you are helping me (no extra cost for you).
Hotel - Ruby Lucy London
Location 4/5
Room - 5/5
My hotel was close to Waterloo station and easy enough to walk to the London Eye and neighbouring areas from. The rooms were huge and the bed was incredibly comfy.
My Top Sights to See:
London Eye
Tower Bridge
Natural History Museum
Word on the Water
St. Paul's Cathedral and Millenium Bridge
Parliament
Leadenhall Market
Peggy Porshen
Notting Hill
London Eye
This is definitely not me saying you must go up the London Eye but given the regular occurrence of rain, it does make for a fun photo opportunity with the moody sky background.
As visitors to London, some people may wish to take the London Eye to map out their route for the trip and to see the sights from above.
Queues are common here and do expect to wait in line should you be visiting to travel in the Eye.
Tower Bridge
For my visit to Tower Bridge, I was lucky in the sense that the rain cleared (briefly). Also it was pretty empty because I decided to head across to the Girl with a Dolphin Statue to take photos - from Tower Bridge Underground around 10 minutes walk onto the bridge before heading under and across to the left.
If you then stay below level to head back towards the Tower of London, you can catch these pieces of artwork created for the King's coronation by various primary schools.
Location of the statue - 1 St Katharine's Way, London E1W 1YL, United Kingdom
Natural History Museum
This is a place that you shouldn't be leaving London without seeing, the sheer amount of artefacts in this museum is amazing. Currently, they are showcasing a huge dinosaurs exhibit. You don't necessarily have to buy tickets in advance, just without you may need to stand and wait in line outside to be able to get inside.
Entry is free for everyone, members can skip the queue though.
Location - Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Word on the Water
This little bookshop is located over behind King's Cross Station. To be fair, its a barge which has been converted into a bookshop but uniquely enthralling.
Here you'll find classics mixed in with new novels.
The barge has a selection indoors, these are organised into categories just like a regular bookshop. Outside, you can see boxes stored on the boat hub, these have your classics inside.
Books prices are just regular (Waterstones) style prices.
Location - Regent's Canal Towpath, London N1C 4LW, United Kingdom
St. Paul's Cathedral
Photo Location - St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, United Kingdom
St. Paul's Cathedral is located at the top end of Millennium Bridge. The surrounding areas are really nice areas to take photos of the cathedral, I preferred this location, Festive Gardens, for my photos as it was quiet and offered a reflective image of the cathedral.
Parliament
Parliament looks best from across the River Thames. Here you can capture the whole of parliament without having to mess with camera angles.
Westminister Abbey has some pretty photo angles to capture as well, including:
From here, you can see the views like these below.
Leadenhall Market
Visiting Leadenhall gives off Harry Potter vibes!
During the week, this location is filled with off duty workers in London (businessman galore). The local workers clearly use this area as a place to relax and unwind.
Visitors can head here for dinner or a drink and enjoy the lively evening sights. Over the weekend, this area is much quieter.
Peggy Porschen
Walking around Notting Hill and SoHo builds up an appetite. A short walk away is Peggy Porschen, famed for its pink look and delicious cakes.
Prices are a little higher due to its popularity but still not too extreme.
I took a lemon drizzle cake away with me, in store I tried one of their raspberry cakes and a hot chocolate.
Location - 219 King's Rd, London SW3 5EJ, United Kingdom
Notting Hill
This area is known for its use in movies and TV. The streets are lined with colours and funky cafes, shops and houses.
Alice's is a little trinket shop which is home to almost everything.
Notting Hill is also the area I found the tastiest scones with flavoured jams and clotted cream. Definitely one to visit for everyone!
Location - Cheeky Scone
43 Pembridge Rd, London W11 3HG, United Kingdom
Comments