London has so much to offer that Samuel Johnson once said “Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
I visited London in August during the summer when the weather was pleasant. I loved the grandeur of the architecture and I also was impressed by the number of luscious green parks in London. There are countless things to do in London. In this blog post I will share some things to do in London.
Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London home and it is the official London residence and the administrative headquarters of the Monarch since 1837. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, its own Police Station, Post Office, swimming pool and cinema. When the Queen is at home, you will see her royal flag (called the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.
Big Ben is the nickname given to the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. It is a popular landmark in London.
Each rotation takes about 30 minutes and you can enjoy fantastic views. There are also interactive tablets offering information about the landmarks in different languages. The London Eye is also a great place to view the New Year's Eve fireworks display.
This is a great place to go shopping in London. An interesting fact about this market is that is used to be like a horse hospital. During the Victorian times, when horses were injured pulling barges down the canals they would come to this place for treatment. Now it is a huge market and shopping area. There are still statues of horses around the market.
The British Museum contains a wide collection of art and artifacts from around the world and it is free to all visitors. I especially enjoyed seeing the Egyptian Funeral Archaeology.
This is a famous church and sixteen royal weddings have taken place here. Many famous people are buried there. Many monarchs have been crowned in the Abbey, except for Edward V and Edward VIII who were never crowned.
6. Visit the Tower of London
You can see the Queen's crown jewels here. The crown jewels is the most popular attraction so be prepared to wait in long queues. You can also see exhibits like the Royal Quarters and a torture chamber as well as weapons and historical armour. There are live historical re-enactments by actors in costumes. You can also go on a tour with a Yeoman Warder (popularly known by the nickname ‘beef eater’) and these guides are very knowledgeable and entertaining. Their nickname 'beef eater' comes from their position in the Royal Bodyguard, which allowed them to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king's table.
7. Go shopping at Borough market
Borough market is a fantastic market that sells food from around the world.
8. Visit Hyde Park
Hyde park is one of the royal parks in London and it is a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy some leisure activities from a casual game of frisbee to boating activities.
9. Visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
This is a replica of original Elizabethan theatre and Shakespeare plays are held in the open air. You can also see an exhibition of Shakespeare's life and work and go on a tour of the theatre.
10. Visit London Tower Bridge
This famous suspension bridge that carries commuters across the river Thames. When I think about London Bridge I always think of the traditonal English nursery rhyme "London Bridge is falling down." This is probably because I often had to teach this song when I taught in Japan. The origins of the nursery rhyme differs depending on who you ask. Some believe it's about a Viking attack. The most likely version is that there have been many different London Bridges built on the same site over the past 2,000 years, which were knocked down and the nursery rhyme alludes to this. A new London Bridge was built and opened in 1973, and this bridge still stands today.
11. Visit the London Dungeon
This is a high tech, haunted house type of attraction where costumed actors act out macarbre stories.
12. Visit Trafalgar Square
This is a public square in central London with a fountain and the Nelson statue. It is a central meeting place in London and a nice spot to do some people watching.
13. Visit Madame Tussauds
This is a wonderful wax museum that has extremely life like wax models of famous people. It's fun to take a picture with a wax model of your favourite celebrity.
14. Go shopping in Harrods
This is a luxury department store that sells designer brand clothing and accessories.
15. Visit the Palace of Westminster
This is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords which are the two houses of the Parliament of the UK. You can go on guided tours on Saturdays and in the summer.
London is a fantastic city and I hope to go back in the future and do some more exploring there!
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