Last week I raved about our love of London, England as a travel destination. There is so much to see and do that we have found even after numerous trips we cannot wait for our next.
I promised to discuss our top five things to do but after a week of thinking about it I have decided it is impossible to narrow it down to just five specific sites. I will talk in generalities instead, which may indeed be a cop out. In no particular order, here are our top 5 “things to do” in London.
- Visit a Museum
There are a number of different museums to visit in London, each with its own unique personality. These are usually free of charge, asking only a good will donation, which means they are accessible no matter what your budget. The ones that you do pay for can be arranged in advance. We have, over time, seen all of the ones I am about the mention, and often more than once. Depending on the time you have available during your visit pick one or two that are of special interest to you, and plan at least a half day at each one, including travel time. If you plan to visit any time soon please be sure to check for times and availability around covid measures.
My favourite is the Victoria and Albert Museum (https://www.vam.ac.uk/), the leading museum of art, design and performance. You can also visit The National History Museum (https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit.html) and the Science Museum (https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/home), both of which are excellent for families.
If you are more into history and archeology then you have to spend time at The British Museum (https://www.britishmuseum.org/). Be sure to stop by the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Frieze. For more recent history check out The Imperial War Museum (https://www.iwm.org.uk/) to view the British involvement in conflict over time. Combine this with an underground tour of the Churchill War Rooms (https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms) for insight into the man himself and the role the plans hatched in the bunker played in the last days of World War II.
Please note these are only a selection of the bigger museums in London. There are a multitude of other smaller or niche museums that can be discovered through a quick google search or from a good guide book.
- Visit a Palace
Classified as a historical palace, The Tower of London (https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/#gs.vu2g1b) is a must see while in London. Be sure to arrange a Beefeater Tour for the best in historical facts, personal perspective and a lot of fun. You should also stop by Buckingham Palace to view the changing of the guards, or Kensington Palace for more on the royals. Depending on where the royals are during the season determines if and how much of the interior of these palaces can be visited. Check their websites for more information.
Visit an Art Gallery
Even if art is not your thing a stop at the National Gallery (https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/) is time well spent. See both the well known and lesser known works from the Italian Renaissance, Dutch Masters, Impressionists and Post Impressionists and the best of British artists. Then walk next door for some time in the National Portrait Gallery ( https://www.npg.org.uk/) For a further exploration of art styles check out the Tate Britain ( https://artuk.org/visit/venues/tate-britain-2043) which focuses on British and traditional art and the Tate Modern for a wonderfully quirky tour of modern art (https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern). There are also smaller, well known collections such as the Wallace Collection (https://www.wallacecollection.org/) as well as a number of lesser known but just as worthy places to visit.
- Visit a Cathedral
Both St. Paul’s Cathedral (https://www.stpauls.co.uk/) and Westminster Abbey (https://www.westminster-abbey.org/) are worth visiting. We could argue all day about which one is better; there are even websites dedicated to that debate. I would suggest you go to both and decide for yourself. What I can tell you is St. Paul’s is free to visit and offers excellent guided tours, also free. Westminster Abbey has a charge, and I would recommend buying tickets online before you go, and offers a recorded tour. (It’s Jeremy Iron’s voice so one of the best recordings I have heard.) I remember St. Paul’s from the wedding of Charles and Diana wherein those younger may envision the wedding of Will and Kate at Westminster. We are also in the habit of visiting smaller neighbourhood places of worship if they are open to the public to see the development of the art and architecture.
Visit the West End
Like Broadway in New York, the West End offers numerous theaters offering the latest in comedy, drama and musicals (https://officiallondontheatre.com/tkts/). You can purchase tickets in advance of your visit to ensure the night and time you want (but you will pay premium prices), or you can join the line of locals and tourists alike trying to get last minute tickets at the TKTS Booth in Leicester Square. We have done both. We have also just walked into a theatre box office before the play and taken whatever seats were available. Either way you will be sure to see the best of live theatre. Check out which subway lines run between your theatre and your hotel to plan in advance your way home, or hail one of the iconic black taxis close by.
In between your visit to whichever sites you choose, stop for a pint at a pub, take the long way through one of the beautiful parks, or slide into a shop to pick up a few souvenirs. And don’t worry if you cannot fit it all into one trip. You will return. I guarantee it!