London, located in the United Kingdom, is a popular tourist destination for a good reason. It has a great public transportation system and is home to many famous tourist attractions and historical landmarks. I live in the United States and I have visited London twice in the past five years for vacation, one of which was my first time ever visiting the United Kingdom. For those who are native English speakers, the primarily language spoken in London is English, making it very easy to navigate around the city and converse with the locals.
TRANSPORTATION / LONDON UNDERGROUND
One of the things I loved most about London was their impressive public transportation system. Public transportation was my only means of travel during both of my visits, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. London’s train and subway system is so vast and all-encompassing that you can get to most places in the city just by riding the tube, also known as the London Underground. A train typically arrives every few minutes, with arrivals and departures being more frequent during rush hour. Stops include popular destinations like Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, Green Park, King’s Cross, and London Bridge, as well as many others.
I picked up a London Underground map in one of the tube stations and used it throughout my entire trip. Using the Underground, I was able to get to all of the tourist attractions I wanted to visit in London within a reasonable walking distance. For destinations outside London, I was able to ride the Underground to a train station, where I was able to transfer to a train that would take me where I wanted to go. I was easily able to travel to and from Heathrow Airport, Salisbury, Bath, Cambridge, and Windsor by using London’s train system.
POPULAR LONDON TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Between my two trips, I was able to cover nearly all of London’s most popular tourist attractions. Here are some of the tourist attractions I visited that made an impression on me, for better or for worse. Remember that these reviews are based on my personal opinion, and that these sights may have a much different impression on you than it did on me.
MUST SEE:
1. Westminster Abbey: If you like architecture, Westminster Abbey is a must-see sight. The Abbey is open during certain hours 6 days a week so visitors can also see the inside of the historical 700-year old building. Unfortunately, my timing was off during both trips so I still have yet to see the inside of this beautiful building. While you’re at Westminster Abbey, look up and admire Big Ben, which is the giant clock tower connected to the Palace of Westminster .
2. Tower of London: Learn about historical events in London’s history and look at artifacts and replicas from those decades. Exhibits include displays of over 500 years of royal armory, the famous crown jewels, a tower where executions took place, resident ravens, and more.
3. Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace is the official royal residence. Watch the Changing of the Guards, which takes around 40 minutes to complete from start to finish. You can also see various rooms inside the Palace itself, such as the State Rooms and The Queen’s Gallery. There is also a special display right now featuring The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, shoes, earrings, and tiara worn on her wedding day.
4. Tower Bridge: For around 6 Euros, you can walk along the top of Tower Bridge and look out into the city. At night, Tower Bridge lights up beautifully, making a bold statement on the London skyline and waterfront.
5. British Museum: If you enjoy looking at art and historical artifacts, you will enjoy a visit to the British Museum. The British Museum is free for visitors and houses a big collection of galleries ranging from Ancient Greece to Asia to the Middle East, in addition to an array of constantly changing exhibitions. This is a nice, free tourist attraction for those who enjoy art.
IF YOU HAVE TIME:
1. Madame Tussands: If you’ve never been to Madame Tussands and you’re a fan of pop culture, a visit to this wax museum may interest you. The museum houses a constantly changing display of realistic wax figures that visitors can pose with and take pictures with. Wax figures currently on display include sports stars like David Beckham, movie characters like Captain Jack Sparrow, the Royal Family, World Leaders like Barack Obama, Pop Stars like Lady Gaga, and Hollywood Stars like Angelina Jolie and George Clooney. I thought this was a fun and worthwhile tourist attraction, but we had a few spare hours in our day.
NOT WORTH YOUR TIME:
1. London Eye: For the entrance price of 30 Euros, you can spend 30 minutes on the giant Ferris Wheel known as the London Eye. The view at the top is great, but I didn’t think it was worth the 30 Euros, the 30 minutes of my time on the Ferris Wheel, and the hour I had to wait in line to get on the London Eye. I skipped this my first visit to London, but was pressured into going on it during my second visit. I thought it was a big tourist trap, and my friend felt the same way. My advice would be to visit the London Eye at night and admire it from the ground. Colorful lights shine on the London Eye at night and change every few minutes, which makes it a beautiful sight and great for night photography.
2. London Bridge: I visited the London Bridge more out of curiosity than anything else. As a kid, I always sang the “London Bridge is Falling Down” song, so I wanted to see what the real London Bridge looked like. My advice? Don’t bother – it’s not worth your time! Without ever having seen a picture of London Bridge, I was skeptical that we were at the right bridge because it looked so plain and ordinary. If it wasn’t for a small sign on the bridge that said “London Bridge,” I wouldn’t have been convinced. This was a disappointing tourist attraction.
3. Double Decker Bus Tours: Again, this was one tourist attraction that I skipped during my first visit because I thought it was a tourist trap. I gave in during my second trip and decided to see what it was all about. The tour I went on cost around 50 Euros and it went around the city to all of the major tourist attractions. However, it was VERY slow because it stopped at each location for 15-20 minutes loading and unloading people. I would much rather have paid for an all-day London Underground pass and rode the tube to all of the attractions I wanted to visit. Not only would it have been much cheaper, it would also have been much, MUCH faster. One thing you would miss out on is the experience of riding in a double decker bus, but I didn’t think that was anything special either.
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
I thoroughly enjoyed both of my trips to London. I think it is a beautiful city rich in architecture and historical details. It is also very easy to navigate around the city and explore all of the tourist attractions and sights using the London Underground tube system. London is also very central in terms of location, so day trips to nearby cities are also an option if you want to visit other famous attractions in the United Kingdom, such as Stonehenge.
If you haven’t visited London before, I would recommend it as a great destination in the United Kingdom to visit. However, I wouldn’t spend more than a few days in London itself. I would add a few days onto the trip to visit the surrounding cities, which are also very rich in architecture, culture, and history.