I have admittedly put off visiting the UK for years now because of how overwhelming it seems. There is so much to do and see… how can a trip of any length possibly accomplish a fraction of what there is to do and see? When the opportunity to visit London for the first time presented itself, I decided the best and only way to do it is to tackle the UK not only country by country, but even in city by city.
For my brief time in London, I was able to knock off a bunch of stuff off my London bucket list and now the idea of exploring the UK is less daunting than it was before. Here is everything I did in London, what I’d change, and what I’m planning on doing my next trip across the pond.
My main goal for London for my first time was to visit friends I had made while traveling and to celebrate the New Year. Going in with that mindset that everything else I could see and do was a bonus took a lot of the pressure off of me. Where does one even start in one of the most famous cities in the world?
Table of Contents
Walking Tour of London
I was lucky enough to have some amazing friends in London give me a free version of a walking tour, hitting up all the iconic sites of the city. I highly recommend either booking a walking tour or just wondering about for a bit to get the lay of the land. Most of the tourist sites like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc. are actually fairly close to each other. Other places of interest like London Tower, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Tower Bridge are a short tube ride away too. Dedicate an afternoon to exploring the streets of London and you won’t be disappointed with all the cool buildings and sites you’ll run into.
Cost: Free
Time Needed: An Entire Afternoon
Big Ben
I was obsessed with Big Ben during my stay. I constantly found myself walking past it both day and night. Now that it has undergone extensive restorations these past few years, it’s truly breathtaking site. And what trip to London would be complete without a photo in front of iconic London clock tower? It gets very crowded around Big Ben, so I wouldn’t spend too much time loitering around the area.
Cost: Free
Time Needed: 10-20 minutes
Westminster Abbey
Most of us Americans are familiar with Westminster Abbey being the site where coronations and royal weddings are held, but did you know this 755 year old abbey is also the burial site of countless monarchs and aristocrats (3,330 to be exact) as well? If there was one thing I wanted to do in London, it was to visit Westminster Abbey.
You have to book tickets online in advance since it frequently sells out as it is one of the most popular tourist sites in London. I spent two hours there exploring with my complimentary audio guide and admiring all the famous tombs, including that of Queen Elizabeth I. I could have easily spent longer, but I booked the last time slot of the day, unfortunately. If you are a history nerd, like myself, you will be ecstatic with how much there is to see here.
Cost: $37
Time Needed: 2-3 hours
The Tower of London
This is where I learned you need to buy tickets in advance for most things in London, especially during the holidays. The Tower of London was my other must-see while in London. I took the tube for half an hour to the Tower of London before it evened opened to find out they were sold out for the day. Kicking myself in the butt for not booking tickets online, I quickly grabbed one of the last entry tickets for the following day’s first time slot.
It’s crucial that you try to go first thing when it opens since the Tower of London is home to not only to over 900 years of history, but the crown jewels as well. Lines to see the crown jewels on display start forming immediately and wait times can be up to an hour. London Tower tries to speed things along by banning photography of the crown jewels and having moving platforms for some of their exhibits, but it still gets packed quickly. Make a bee line to see the crown jewels before anything else.
The rest of your time at the Tower of London can be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace. You can see where kings once resided, where royal exotic pets like lions and monkeys where kept, and where prisoners like Anne Boleyn and Walter Raleigh were imprisoned. As you explore the towers, you’ll come across countless etchings in the stone walls from prisoners leaving their mark, most over 500 years old!
There are massive rooms where you can see amour and weapons on display as well as the original “toilets”. You’ll encounter some feathery fellows there too—the ravens. The legend goes, “if the ravens ever leave the tower, the kingdom will fall.” These guardians of the tower have their wings clipped so they can’t fly away, but be careful around them since they can still peck!
Once again, I underestimated how much time it would take to fully enjoy all the rich history this place has to offer. I spent two and a half hours and still missed an entire building and rushed through so much. This is easily a half day activity. Plus they have one of the best gift shops with unique and high quality souvenirs. I bought a coffee mug with every monarch ever on it that I now adore.
I wouldn’t do this the same day as Westminster Abbey though, since it would be a lot of information to absorb in one day.
Cost: $43
Time Needed: 3-5 Hours
Buckingham Palace
What’s a trip to London without paying a visit to one of the most famous palaces in the world? You may be surprised to find out that Buckingham Palace is more the administrative headquarters of the monarchy rather than the main residence of the King. The British monarchs prefer to enjoy their time in their other residences like Windsor. This doesn’t take away from the impressiveness of Buckingham Palace though.
In the winter, Buckingham Palace doesn’t have its usual tours. Instead, they have a special tour on certain days that costs $125. As much as I would have loved to tour Buckingham, I decided to save it for another time during the summer (between mid-July and the end of September) where tours are more affordably priced at $38. It was incredible to behold from outside though and I enjoyed walking around both Buckingham Palace and St James Park right next to it.
Cost: Free to see from outside
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Afternoon Tea
While this isn’t a physical attraction, it should be on your London bucket list. Despite the price tag, with most restaurants offering the afternoon tea experience for between $45 and $125, it’s worth every penny to fulfill that childhood tea party fantasy.
Need I mention this is yet another thing in London you should book in advance? Most places require reservations and coming by a same day reservation around the holidays was next to impossible. Luckily, I found a late time slot at The Drawing Rooms for a “Science Afternoon Tea”. Located in The Ampersand Hotel near the Natural History Museum, this science afternoon tea was a blast.
Clearly targeted towards children, I as a full grown woman loved this adorable twist on traditional afternoon tea. They brought out all the wow factor elements from a cascade of dry ice fog to making flavored fizzy lemonade in beakers to digging through chocolate for dinosaur bones. This was on top of the usual array of finger sandwiches, scones, and deserts, as well as of course the tea. At $80 it was expensive, but I left stuffed to the gills and thoroughly entertained. Wherever you decide on having afternoon tea, you will not be disappointed by experiencing one of the most British traditions.
Cost: Varies
Time Needed: 1.5-2 hours
The Globe Theatre
For all thespians across the globe (I just had too!), this place is like Mecca. Built in 1599, the Globe Theatre is where all of William Shakespeare’s timeless plays were performed. The Globe Theatre we see today is actually a reconstruction just 750 feet from the original site. Despite being a reconstruction, it’s very impressive none the less.
There are numerous tours as well as modern day plays held at the Globe Theatre. I, unfortunately, only got to see it from the outside as all tickets for the tour that day were sold out. I cannot stress enough the importance of purchasing tickets to all major attractions in London in advance, especially during busy seasons like Christmas time.
There is also an incredible restaurant and bar linked to the theatre called, The Swan, that you should definitely check out as well! It’s an impressive place with one of the best espresso martinis I’ve ever had.
Cost: Varies depending on the tour or play
Time Needed: Varies depending on the tour or play
Camden Town
Camden Town is my favorite neighborhood in all of London. If I lived in London, I would choose to live here. The eclectic, punk neighborhood has some of the best food and shopping. I jokingly refer to Camden as the “Brooklyn of London”. The shops here have eye-catching store fronts with ferris wheels and dragons growing out of the building, adding to the funhouse esthetic of the neighborhood.
I spent an afternoon here walking around, eating with friends, drinking at a pub and doing the bulk of my shopping here. I could have easily spent all day here though. There is no shortage of entertainment in Camden.
Above I mentioned I wouldn’t do Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London in one day since it would be an overload of historical information. Camden is perfect to pair in a single day with either of the historical sites for a nice balance of activities!
Cost: Free to see
Time Needed: At least half a day
St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral was not on my original to-do list while in London, but ended up being a very pleasant surprise. As it is a great deal newer that Westminster and the site of far fewer royal weddings, I didn’t think it was worth my time. That is, until I saw it.
My friends and I were walking around one early evening and decided to enter St Paul’s Cathedral during one of their masses to see how it looked inside. The minute I stepped into the cathedral, it immediately reminded me of the Vatican. The sheer size and grandeur inside took my breath away. Entering during mass and hearing the choir sing gave me goose bumps. Take the time to visit St Paul’s Cathedral and you won’t be disappointed.
Cost: Free
Time Needed: At least half an hour
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is not as old as most of London, at just over a hundred and twenty years old, but it’s still an undeniable part of London’s skyline that’s worth visiting. You can visit Tower Bridge right after doing the Tower of London, but I recommend strolling along the Thames from the Globe Theatre to Tower Bridge. There is a pedestrian path where you can cross over the bridge. For the best photos though, you’ll have to wake up early before the crowds since both the bridge and all view points of the bridge in the surrounding areas tend to get crowded.
Cost: Free
Time Needed: At least half an hour
Harrod’s
This may not be on everyone’s London bucket list, but as a woman who loves to shop, I had to make the pilgrimage to one of the most famous department stores in the world. Harrod’s is a spectacular department store sprawled out over 8 floors. It’s like an entire city of luxury under one roof. Although the majority of the items sold there were unfortunately out of my price range, it was nice to explore the decadent building. I did find myself buying a few souvenirs in their basement level gift section which has an array of mugs, toys, teas, stationary, chocolates, and other great gifts with the Harrod’s branding.
Cost: Depends on what you buy, free to visit
Time Needed: 1-2 hours
Day Trip Outside of London
There are so many lovely towns just outside of London that are perfect for daytrips! Even though you may be short on time, I highly recommend venturing outside of the city for one of the days to get a feel of British life outside of the capital.
I did the Avebury Stones which is one of the largest stone circles in the world (less famous that Stonehenge, but unlike Stonehenge, you can actually go right up to and touch the stones in Avebury). There are many other options for daytrips like Oxford, Bath, Surry, Cotswold, and more. Doing a daytrip will not only balance out the hustle and bustle of city life in London, but also give you a taste of what to see next time you’re in the UK.
Cost: Varies, usually $99 and up
Time: 8-12 hours
