There are honestly so many things to do in London. I was there for six days and there are still so many things I didn’t get to do. But here are somethings I did do that I recommend seeing (that weren’t a part of my Harry Potter, Royal London, or football game posts).
Downing Street
Ok … I’m a bit biased. My last name is Downing, so this a place where we had wanted to go for a long time. For those of you who don’t know, it’s also the place where the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom lives. David Cameron, the prime minister, currently resides at 10 Downing Street. Unfortunately, you can’t actually see his house up front and directly unless you are part of the government, a police officer, or a member of the media, it’s still a must-see sight. The street is closed down by gates and is protected at all times by the Metropolitan Police. They even had to work on Christmas! It’s not something that you will spend more than ten minutes looking at, but it’s still a great place to be able to check off your list.
It’s located near the Horseguard Palace and Trafalgar Square, so it’s not an out of the way place to get to.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is located right in the heart of the city. It honors the win over the French in the Battle of Trafalgar with a giant pillar of Admiral Horatio Nelson in the front of the square. At the base of the pillar are giant lions! Behind the square is the National Gallery, which is filled with art pieces from all over the world. If we had had an extra day in London, I would have loved to go there, but unfortunately it was closed the 24-26, so we were never unable to make time to go see it.
Trafalgar Square is located near Leicester Square and the Charing Cross station is the closed Underground station to it. You can see Westminster and the London Eye from some view points, too!
Madame Tussaud’s
First things first, if you plan on going to Madame Tussaud’s, BUY YOUR TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME. We didn’t (it was the only thing we didn’t buy tickets to beforehand), and we waited in line for an hour just to buy tickets. Fortunately, they had a guy in there playing games with a computer screen like “Name the Celebrity Baby”, “Guess the Celebrity Body Part”, and “What Movie is this Line From?”.
Also, be prepared for the copious amounts of people. That’s part of the reason the lines are so long. They will hold the line if there are a certain number of people inside already so it’s not completely packed and you get a chance to take a picture with your favorite celebrity.
There are so many celebrities in there! They have Hollywood actors, Hollywood characters, Bollywood actors, singers, the Royal Family, murderers, athletes … there are a lot! (Also, if you go in winter, check your jackets and scarves because my mom had to carry around our jackets the entire time while we took pictures.) There was even a Marvel and Star Wars experience at the end.
I really liked the mini-ride they have in there. You load into London taxis and get a view of London throughout the years. It’s a nice respite from constantly walking and it’s something different, reminiscent of Disney rides. Only two people per taxi, though!
I definitely recommend going to Madam Tussaud’s because it is a unique experience. It is a bit pricey at £33 per person. Make sure to take loads of pictures! But don’t be the annoying person taking selfies with every single famous person!
British Museum
Oh my goodness. The British Museum is insane! The best part about the British Museum is that is free to enter! But wow! It’s HUGE! It is filled with artifacts from seemingly every civilization that has walked the earth. This was our last tourist stop in London, so we were absolutely exhausted and didn’t enjoy it as much as if we had a longer time to browse.
Basically, I looked up “Is three hours enough time in the British Museum?” Other people had already asked that question, and the responses, “Three hours? More like three days!” It has artifacts from Roman Britain, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Assyrians, indigenous America … I could continue to list the civilizations, but it would take up the entire page!
The thing I wanted to go to the museum the most for, though, was the Rosetta Stone. Yes, the Rosetta is a real artifact and not just a program to help you learn a new language! Unfortunately, lots of people were crowding around it (as expected, I guess), so I didn’t get to admire it as much as I would have liked. As a lover of languages, I think it’s absolutely fascinating how this stone helped to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics because people knew Greek!
For us, two hours was enough before we were cultured out and physically exhausted. Like the people said, you would need days to fully appreciate everything in the museum. It is located in the Bloomsbury borough of London, so it’s a little isolated, but fortunately it was located near a fish and chips shop that was recommend to me by British people!
Rock and Sole Plaice is a fish and chips restaraunt, but it’s not just any restaurant … it’s the first place to do fish and chips! For this reason, it is a bit pricey (about double what you would normally pay), but it is cool to be able to say you ate where the first fish and chips were made.
London Eye
The London Eye. For the past 15 years, it has become an internationally recognized symbol in the London skyline. My heart stopped when my dad referred to it as “the Ferris wheel”, although it is not actually a Ferris wheel, but an observation wheel. We went to the London Eye as part of our tour on Christmas Eve, but tickets are readily available most of the time.
The lines may seem long, but it moves very quickly. About twenty people are shuttled into a capsule at a time. The wheel moves slowly, so it doesn’t feel like you are even moving anywhere. The entire journey around the wheel takes about twenty minutes, and it is very worth it. We went at sundown, which in my opinion, is the best time. The sun isn’t shining too brightly and it’s not pitch dark so you can’t see anything. The London Eye gave me amazing overhead shots of London, and I could see for miles. You can even see Wembley Stadium wayyyy off in the distance.
The London Eye is located near Westminster along the River Thames. Trust me, you can not miss it! It was all lit up in red for Christmas when I was there, which made for some great shots. The London Eye is usually open from 10 AM until 8 or 9 PM everyday and is only closed for some holidays and occasionally for maintenance.
Note: Dear future husband, if you are reading this, I expect to be proposed to in a private capsule around the London Eye. 🙂
Like I said before, there are so many things in London that I didn’t get to do. I’m sure there are things that are awesome that I don’t even know exist in London. I look forward to going back sometime soon (it will not be another twelve years before I return!). If you have any ideas for experiences I must have, let me know!
BONUS: TARDIS!!!!
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