Arch's Travel Blog: London

After leaving Oxford, we drove into London (a slightly terrifying experience) and dropped off the rental car.We then checked into the Parkwood at Marble Arch Hotel. Our luck had returned and it was a great hotel (that was kind of a B&B), although there's no elevator, so keep that in mind if you are on one of the upper level floors.

View from St. Paul's Cathedral of the Thames

Some tips for traveling around London

Public transportation is the best way around London. Whether it's the bus, tube, or tram, I'd recommend getting an Oyster card or a Travel Card.
If you have a smartphone, check overseas rates so you can use Google Maps to get around. It's so much easier to use the app to find route times for public transportation than paper maps.
We found Verizon too expensive to activate overseas, so we rented a WiFi hotspot from Tep Wireless. This way you can bring your smartphone and turn off cellular data but still use Google Maps to find route times. It worked great! They'll drop the hotspot device off to you at your hotel too.
It's worth checking out The London Pass if you're going to stay a few days. Many attractions are discounted or allow you to skip waiting in long lines. Check out their website for a list of the attractions and deals, and make sure you'll go to enough on the list to make it worth it before purchasing, as the pass isn't cheap!

Things to see and do

Where to start? We spent only three days in London, so we barely scratched the surface. Here are our Top Ten highlights though!

#10 - London Bridge/River Cruise

Largely intact and very underwhelming

London Bridge is just a bridge, much less exciting than the one often confused for London Bridge: the Tower Bridge (next to the Tower of London). Either way, you should definitely take a trip on the Thames and see the sights along the river. Check out Thames River Cruises for information.

Always thought this was London Bridge... turns out it's actually Tower Bridge. All spruced up for the 2012 Olympics!

# 9 - The Globe

The Globe replica... it's not the original, but it's pretty close!

The Globe Theatre is not just a place to see a show, it's also a museum. It's worth checking out, even if you don't have time for a show.

#8 - Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is visited by over a million people each year and is the burial place of many famous Brits, including Shakespeare, Dickens, and Darwin. No trip is complete without a visit here.

#7 - The House of Commons (and Big Ben)

House of Commons and Big Ben

If you're a nerd like me, you have to go watch a debate in the House of Commons. Check out their website for information on how to visit. If you want to see the PM's Question Time you'll have to do a bit more planning.

#6 - Churchill War Museum

(No introduction needed)

The Churchill War Museum is worth a visit. This is the statue of Churchill across from Parliament, not outside the museum, but it's not a long walk to the War Rooms in Whitehall. It's also a stop that's paid for with the London Pass. Here, you can see the actual underground bunkers Churchill and his staff stayed in during the Blitz of London and throughout WWII. Very interesting history here about the war and Churchill himself, perhaps Britain's most famous politician ever.

#5 - The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a great place to see some of the Queen's Guards

The Tower of London is the home to the Crown Jewels. There, you will find many of the Queen's Guards, and you can even get a tour from the Beefeaters (and find out why they're called "Beefeaters"). The tours are great, and you will hear about all of the palace intrigue and the history of the Towers, which dates back to Roman times.

#4 - St. Paul's Cathedral

View from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. It's worth the climb!

St. Paul's Cathedral is a great stop, not only for the history, but also for the view. One of the confusing things about London is that it's actually a number of cities. Westminster Abbey is right next to Parliament, but it's technically in Westminster. St. Paul's is actually the Cathedral for the City of London. There's so much history to see here, and you can do a self-guided audio tour to hear about the history of the Cathedral. You should also definitely climb to the top of the Cathedral for the view over London, but bring your walking shoes! You can also grab a great (and reasonably-priced) lunch in the basement cafe. Don't forget to check out the crypt while you're down there!

#3 - Buckingham Palace

Amanda at Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is actually open to tourists. Having finally realized that her real power is in her ability to attract millions of tourists to the UK each year, the Queen has been letting people walk through the palace for years now (for a "small" fee). Parliament appreciates the subsidy. Make sure they're open to tourists when you go, as they're only open for a couple months in the summer.

#2 - The Royal Parks

Careful, the chairs in St. James Park are rented out by the hour, and sitting in one is considered contractually binding.

We spent a lot of time just walking through parks, which are plenty big enough to stroll around in, but not so big that you feel lost. St. James Park is right next to Buckingham Palace. You can take a stroll, but be careful where you sit! We preferred Hyde Park, which was just a 30-second walk from our hotel and has a nice grill and outside eating area.

# 1 - The Narrow

View from The Narrow, the Gordon Ramsay restaurant where we ate

Last, but certainly not least, don't forget to go to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant! OK, this might not be on everyone's list, but as a huge Gordon fan I had to go to one of his restaurants while we were there. Some of the others were a bit pricey, but The Narrow was pretty reasonable (and delicious) and a nice casual eating experience. It's also right on the Thames, so you'll have a great view too. London obviously has no shortage of places to eat, so you're sure to find a great dining experience. One thing we wanted to do that we never got around to scheduling was afternoon tea, so if you find a good place leave it in the comments below!

We did more in London, but this is a snapshot of some of our favorite highlights. One thing we did while we were there, though, was take a day trip outside the city to see some famous sights. It's not worth a separate post, but we'd recommend the Stone Henge, Bath, and Salisbury tour by Evan Evans Bus Tours. Below are some pictures from our all-day excursion! Hope you enjoy your trip to the UK!