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
- 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
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