Planning your trip to London? Check this out! LONDON: Top 10 Attractions and Things To Do from our trip last month. London, as the capital of England and the United Kingdom, has so many exciting attractions to see. However, the checklist can be very long depending on your schedule and interests, right? After returning to London for the second time in mid-February 2017, we finally managed to visit most of the iconic and historic places in London where some of them are free, but some are not. Here’s a list of Top 10 Attractions in London, a roundup of our favorite attractions that we think are worth a visit on your first trip to London. So, where do you start? You can explore London by doing a city walk when the weather is sunny and warm; I bet you’ll like what you see when you explore London by foot.
Starts here!
Top 10 Attractions in London:
1. If you like a walking tour, you can start from Trafalgar Square (formerly known as Charing Cross), one of the iconic landmark of London which is also the largest square in the City of Westminster, Central London. It’s home to Nelson’s Column which stands in the center with four lion statues guarding it, and many tourists come
here snapping pictures and posing by the fountains and lions, including us! Ha-ha.. 😀 This place has hosted many demonstrations, protests, festivals, events and even the annual pillow fight.
2. Walk the Thames Path on the South Bank and see some of the major London landmarks: from the Horseguards (#2), Houses of Parliament (#3), Westminster Abbey (#4), and the famous clock tower, Big Ben (#5).
From Trafalgar Square, we stumbled across The Household Cavalry Museum (some people call it as Horseguards; home of the mounted division of the Queen’s bodyguard). There are usually two mounted guards on duty at the entrance to the barracks between 10:00 and 16:00 with the warning signs that the horses may kick or bite, but we still posing next to the horses. Ha-ha.. We also got the chance to watch the changing of the guards ceremony, too. If you’re
interested in military history, you can get into the museum for £7 (adult ticket) / £5 (child ticket). Be there early, and allow about 1-3 hours to wander inside the museum, try on some of the costumes, and a chance to see the horses in the stable. Buy tickets online to the Horse Guards from this site!
Then, we move along to the Houses of Parliament and the iconic Big Ben tower! It’s not difficult to reach the Big Ben tower directly because several London bus routes pass through the tower. And if you go by train, you can choose your direction to the Westminster Tube station which located across the street. Alternatively, if you go there by bus, you can take a relaxing walk from Westminster Bridge to get a good view of the most famous icons of London, Big Ben tower, located at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London (England).
From there, we kept walking to England’s main religious building, Westminster Abbey, where many kings and famous people are buried here. We didn’t enter the building because the entrance ticket price is too expensive (£20 for the adult ticket and £17 for child ticket). However, we’re amazed by this church because of its Gothic architecture of the building! Buy tickets online to Westminster Abbey from this site!
6. We had a walk up to Buckingham Palace to capture the iconic Changing the Guard ceremony in front of it. Changing the Guard is one of the oldest and most recognizable ceremonies connected with Buckingham Palace. It’s a real piece of British history and is the Queen’s official residence in London. When the flag goes up, it means the Queen is in residence, and there are no tours. On our first visit to London on November 2016, we went there an hour before the ceremony begins, but the palace was overcrowded, and we barely couldn’t find a good spot to capture the ceremony! However, we got the opportunity to watch a beautiful parade with guards on horses and music bands coming out from the palace, and we finally get a good spot close to the gate! Remember that Changing the Guard ceremony doesn’t happen every day, so make sure to check the schedule from this site!
7. Get a 30-minute ride on Coca-Cola London Eye, to be able to enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree view of London, high above the River Thames at the height of 135 meters. Inside each glass capsule on this giant Ferris wheel, we can listen to interactive guide which is available in multiple languages, and zoom-in the touch screen maps to explore the capital’s iconic building and landmarks. Because London Eye is a very popular destination, I suggest going here first thing in the morning, because the queue can be even crazier in the afternoon. The capsule moves really slowly, but the view from above here was amazing!! Don’t forget to check out the 4D experience that is included in your ticket. Admission fee: £22.50 (adult) / £15.75 (children 3-15 years). Buy tickets online to Coca Cola London Eye from this site!
8. Go up to London’s Sky Garden located on the 36th floor of the Walkie Talkie Tower in Fenchurch Street for FREE, and enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree views of the skyline. I was so impressed with the public garden up there! The lush garden landscaping was so lovely, and it was an absolute pleasure to relax. With a laid back and friendly atmosphere, we ended up spending a few hours in there! ❤️ There are three different restaurants available at the Sky Garden, and we decided to have lunch at Darwin Brasserie that offers the best and romantic view of London while having lunch with my husband. Remember to book in advance to get FREE access to Sky Garden from this site. As for dine-in, you also need to make a reservation through their website, click here to read our full review of Darwin Brasserie – romantic lunch experience!
9. Take a closer look of the amazing Church Dome, one of the largest in the world, at the St. Paul’s Cathedral. Even if you want, you can climb the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and enjoy the spectacular views across London, but the entrance fee is too expensive. Admission fee: £18 (adult ticket) / £8 (children ticket). The dome looks fascinating from any angle, but because the ticket price is so high, and taking pictures are not allowed inside, we finally decided just to enjoy and visit the St. Paul’s Cathedral from the outside. Book your ticket from this site!
10. Last but not least, don’t forget to plan your visit to one of London’s famous bridges, Tower Bridge. It was just walking distance from the famous Borough Market, and the tower looks very photogenic. I heard there’s a glass floor looking down on the river, and modern exhibitions inside, but we didn’t pay to go inside or climb the towers. We just walked across the bridge and got a beautiful view to the east and west of the Thames River and the river side. Admission fee: £8 (adult ticket) / £3.50 (children ticket). If you want to go inside the tower and see the exhibition, you can book your ticket from this site!
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