Hi All ,
I will be heading to London in July.Would love to know how best to view the sights and explore the city.
Also is it beneficial booking something like the London Pass from Australia?
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks
Sightseeing in London
tevee1 on 22/05/2019 - 20:00
Comments
Devonshire Tea with Henry and Meghan.
get an ing or citibank debit card for transportation.
Citibank doesn't have international fees, very good idea!
I got asked by London immigration what sights I was going to see and I hadn't done any research. Luckily the queen and big ben live there so I said I was going to try and meet them and they let me enter as a tourist.
LOL what. Were they going to deny you entry otherwise?? lmao
Just don’t tell them you wanted to see the 123 metre spire at Salisbury cathedral.
Public transport is pretty good. We enjoyed going to the museums, the Tower of London, etc.
JUST GO TO THE M&M Museum.
not big ben
not the london eye
not the houses of parliament
not the tower of london
not buckingham palace
not the changing of the guard
not the london undergroundMy experience with London 3 years ago taught me NOT to use the hop-on, hop-off buses, inner city traffic was freakin crazy and bus took ages to get to the next stop, we got off and got there faster on foot. Tube is freakin amazing for getting around.
I second that, about the tube being amazing for getting about. Get yourself an oyster card and use it for your travel around the city; there's a daily limit on charges after which you can travel free for the rest of the day (assuming this is still correct!). If you have an android phone you can download an app for the underground, which will show you which line you want for any particular destination. I would imagine there'd be an Apple version too.
I used citymapper on iOS for our recent trip & it was great!
I seem to remember that you no longer need an Oyster card. Just use a credit card (the same one for your trips) and it calculates the fares as per an Oyster.
That's good to know. It's been two years since I last went, I imagine there'd be changes.
Hampton Court Palace, British Museum and Kew Gardens, maybe a shameless picture in Trafalgar Square. Tube, walking and bus are fine.
When I went in 2010 with the family we stayed in the Youth Hostel opposite the British Library / St Pancras Station.
We either caught the tube or walked.
What to see depends on your interests but the V&A and the British Museun are both great.
Second both those and add natural history museum for the building as well as all the cool Skeltons
Google skygarden walkie talkie. It's a public garden on top of one of the tall buildings in the city. Highly recommended! You must book free tickets about 1-3 weeks in advancr, the website will tell you when they release tickets.
Borough Market is lovely. As is Greenwich markets.
My favourite area is around Sloane Sq and High Stree Kensington, so worth poping over there for a walk and a coffee.
There's tones of free walking tours in London too.
Definitely try and get to the Cotswolds if you want to see some beautiful villages. Book a hire car and spend a couple nights out there. It's only 2 hours from central london.
York is also worth a couple nights if you're able to get reasonable train tickets (book advance saver tickets now, waiting for the day for any national rail tickets will cost you a fortune)
Source: an Aussie that lived in London for the past 3 years, just returned a couple weeks back :) crazily enough I'm missing London more that my partner who is a born and raised Londoner!
Rooftop bars :)
I agree with TheIndian Way about the roofttop bars. TImeOut created a nice list of them, just pick the one closest to where you are staying.
I've lived in London from February to June, and, well, each month had its perks. So I would say that places to visit and experiences also depend on the season. As soon as it gets warmer, try out paddling along the Thames, it's one of the best angles to see the city. Once you see main attractions in the downtown, I would totally recommend spending some at the Greenwich Observatory with one of the shows and museum. You can grab some snacks and have a picnic in the nearby park. Btw, London has so many beautiful park! Richmond is among my favorites. I have recently come across a nicely structured guide on seasonal experiences in London, maybe you'll find it useful too.
If you have an extra day, make sure to visit Oxford or Cambridge, the history and atmosphere of these amazing academic institutions is simply astonishing.If you buy a travel card (tube,bus,rail) from a National Railway Station (not underground) you get 2 for 1 admission to many tourist attractions. I reckon the 2 for 1 discount payed for the travel cards. Public transportation in London was fantastic. We were there in April this year, my favourite thing was The Tower of London, make sure you take the tour with a Beefeater.
If you don't want to get a guide book and browse online to make your own itinerary then yes, London Pass and use the included touristy hop-on hop-off Bus Tour will be the way to go. (Or pay separately for just the things you want to see/do instead of the £75 a day pass cost).