Fast Facts

Read my London post to see exactly what I did!

Where to Stay:

• Gallery Hyde Park – Cheaper option, good experience.
• SoHostel – A little more pricey, but definitely a great hostel! Perfect location!

Places to see in London:

• Hyde Park – Similar to NYC’s Central Park. I suggest renting a bike and riding through the park
• Italian Gardens – Within Hyde Park
• Marble Arch – Right outside of Hyde Park
• Buckingham Palace – Obviously a must
• Platform 9 3/4  – At Kings Cross Station for all you Harry Potter fans
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter – Again, a MUST for any Harry Potter fans
• Red Phone Booths – Literally everywhere. Did you even go to London if you didn’t take a pic in one?
• The Gherkin – Great view from the top floor
• British Museum – Definitely check it out
• Natural History Museum – If you are in town during one of their “Lates” night events,  you can have drinks while exploring the museum
• Imperial War Museum – This a little bit farther out, but definitely worth a trip if you have the time

I suggest Free Tours by Foot. I did the London All-in-One Tour with Sinead O’Leary. The Tour began outside Green Park Underground Station at the Diana Fountain in Green Park. It was about 6 hours total (with a short break for lunch) and covered about 5 miles total. The tour included many of the places I already wanted to see:

Morning:

• Buckingham Palace
• Changing of the Guard
• The Houses of Parliament
• Big Ben
• Westminster Abbey
• 10 Downing St.
• Churchill War Rooms
• Trafalgar Square
• St. James’s Palace
• London Underground
• Temple Church

Afternoon:

• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• The Tower of London
• The Bank of England
• HMS Belfast
• London Bridge (not to be confused with the Tower Bridge)
• Tate Modern
• Millennium Bridge
• Tower Bridge
• London Eye
• London Monument
• River Thames

London Neighborhood Breakdown:

• Hackney – Good for going out at night
• Shoreditch – This is your hipster/college student area
• Chelsea – More expensive, but would be fun to walk around during the day (just be prepared to spend more money)
• Soho – Again, fun during the day. Good place to eat/shop/walk around
• Piccadilly Circus- Fun for a night out at the clubs and bars. Covers can add up, you will see people on the street selling covers for (£10-15)

Bars:

• Ye Old Cheshire Cheese – (Fleet Street) This bar was super fun to visit. This pub holds a lot of history and is famous for being the stomping grounds of notable writers and poets like Mark Twain.
• SUSHISAMBA – (Bishopsgate location) this rooftop bar has my favorite view in London. The bar is very high end (expensive), so dress fancy (no jeans, sneakers, etc.).
• Aqua Shard – (tallest building in London). This bar has a great view, but I enjoyed the atmosphere at  SUSHISAMBA more. Similar to SUSHISAMBA, this bar is high end (expensive).
• The Albert – Quintessential British pub, full of locals. Definitely worth a visit.
• Queen of Hoxton – (Shoreditch) such a fun club/bar. The rooftop bar is a great place during the day, and the club at night is super fun.
• The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town – This speakeasy pub inside of the Breakfast Club. It is small but super cool.
  • To get inside: Enter the Breakfast Club and tell the host “I’m Here to see the Mayor.” They will walk you to a refrigerator, and open it to a staircase that leads to the bar downstairs.

Clubs:

• Fabric –  Deep House club (typically a £30 cover)
• Ministry of Sound – Deep House club (typically a £30 cover)
• Egg – Super fun! Egg has four different rooms that play different types of techno music.
• Cargo – Plays more popular/mainstream music. Can be expensive cover, unless you go on Friday before 10:00PM

If You Have Time to Leave London:

• Brighton – (Day trip) about an hour away from London. Brighton has beaches and is a real seaside English city
  • A Day Trip to Brighton
  • Awesome Things to do in Brighton
• Oxford – Definitely a cool city to go to. A little bit of a drive, but worth a day trip
  • Oxford University and City Walking Tour 
  • Punting – A must in Oxford (Cheaper during the week)
• Salcombe – Resort town. Super picturesque
• Cornwall – Beautiful seaside, but definitely far away