I had the good fortune to spend 4 days in London this week. John was teaching an executive education class there and I decided to join him (free hotel room). While he worked each day I explored parts of London I don't usually get to see.
Friends often ask me what I might suggest they see when visiting London. My answer is always that it depends. For first time visitors I tell them to take a tour of the city from one of the "Hop on, Hop off" bus tours. The bus passes are good for 24 or 48 hours and you can cover a lot of ground in that time. London is such a big city and while the underground Tube can take you anywhere, when you are underground, you don't get to see the city. The tour bus gives you a great above-the-ground tour of London past all the top tourists sights that first time visitors shouldn't miss and gives one a change to stop at any of the locations and spend time visiting what they like in greater depth. The usual stops include: The Tower of London; Shakespeare's Globe; Westminster; Buckingham Palace; The museums at Trafalgar Square; Covent Garden; The City of London; St. Paul's Cathedral, etc. They are all worth seeing.
If you have time, to these sights I would add my additional favorites: Evensong services at either St. Paul's or Westminster Abbey; A tour of Westminster visiting either the House of Lords or House of Commons; a tour of the Churchill War Rooms; The British Museum and the British Library; The Turner Painting at the Tate Gallery; The south bank walk from the Tower Bridge to Westminster with a stop for nibbles at Borough Market; and, of course, a West End Show and a walk around Covent Gardens.
Another question I often get is whether a visit through Buckingham Palace worth it? Answer: Absolutely. It is both stunningly beautiful and fascinating in it's function as a working palace that formally entertains up to 68,000 people each year (and that does not include tourist viewing the state rooms in late summer when they are open) The Palace is only open to tourists from the end of July through the end of September. The rest of the year it is a private home.
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace
A walk around Green Park is always lovely and full of all kinds of delightful surprises such a finding the Queen's personal Robe maker and tailor...
...and delightful arcades filled with lovely stores and amazing bakeries.
Another favorite place of mine is the Borough Market in Southwark -- it is such a foodie paradise. While you are there, be sure to pop into the Southwark Cathedral.
If you are looking for an off-the-beaten path experience of London, take a guided walk around Little Venice and Mada Vale. A walk along the Regent Canal Tow Path is also lovely and there is a boat that takes you along the canal, from Little Venice through Regent Park (and the London Zoo) to Camden Town.
See: http://londonwaterbus.co.uk/
In any neighborhood in London you'll find blue plaques that tell you all kinds of interesting things about certain historical buildings. This week I found the place where Alan Turing was born near the Warwick Tube station. It is now an upscale hotel.
I finally saw the musical Matilda and was blown away with how cleverly creative the staging, story, and acting is. It's was amazing.
So was Beautiful, the Carol King Musical. Such amazing talent! No wonder it is sold out most evenings.
I explored some new-to-me neighborhoods this week. This is a part of the old wall that surrounded the city of London. It's at the Barbican complex next to the Museum of London and the Barbican performing arts center. I had no idea that there was this huge residential area built after WWII that is essentially a self contained community.
http://www.barbican.org.uk/about-barbican/discover-the-city
I visiting the Museum of London and learned a lot about the history of London. It is well worth a visit.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/
I also visited the Foundling Museum and the Charles Dickens Museum, both located in Bloomsbury which is lovely residential area in central London, between Euston Road and Holborn. It was developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries hence the tube stop there is Russell Square.
http://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/
You never know what you will see on the streets of London!
http://www.dickensmuseum.com/
London's Covent Garden piazza has a flock of statues of 120 decorated Shaun the Sheep on display for the last time before being auctioned for charity on 8 October. Each 5ft-tall sheep has been designed by a celebrity or artist and are based on the character from the Wallace and Gromit animation series.
There is also a stunning public art installation by the French artist Charles Pétillon. 100,000 giant white balloons lit with changing light fill the grand interior of the 19th Century Market Building. It is jaw dropping beautiful! There is always something interesting to see at Covent Garden.
http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/and-away-covent-garden%E2%80%99s-new-art-installation
My all time favorite thing to do in London is walk. Whether I'm exploring residential areas like Bloomsbury or Little Venice, or along the banks of the Thames, I always find interesting sites and delightful surprises. I've never been disappointed when I've joined a guided walk in London. It's a great way to learn about this amazing city.
Skating Park at Southwark Bank
