There are some travelers that return to the same destination year after year. There are others that will never visit the same location twice. I fall into neither of these categories. While I am usually looking to visit somewhere new, it is not unusual for me to return to somewhere I’ve been to before. Sometimes these trips are separated by decades, but sometimes I will return every few years. As mentioned before, London is my favorite city. I never get tired of exploring it and in addition visiting at least once a month when I lived in England, I’ve visited as a tourist at least six times.
For my most recent trip, London was my jumping off point to visit the Baltics. Despite the number of times I’ve been to London, I still found lots to do over four days.
Like most flights from North America to Europe, I flew overnight and arrived early morning. This meant it was critical for me to get out of the room and start moving in order to combat jet leg. This is not a problem in London. London is the perfect walking city. We spent the day outside walking 7 miles from Whitehall, to Westminster, crossed the Thames, had lunch along the water around Waterloo / Southwark, visited the Tate Museum, walked back across the Thames to visit St. Paul’s and back along the river to Whitehall. Later in the trip we took additional long walks that included walking by the Tower of London, across London Bridge, Hyde Park, Regent Park, The Mall and Buckingham Palace.
Pro Tip: It doesn’t have to be London, but when traveling to Europe, flights are often cheaper to a larger city like London, Paris, Dublin, or Amsterdam. Take the day as a buffer for travel delays and to combat jet lag by just walking!!
A tour of the British Library has been on my list for quite a while. I really enjoyed the tour and learned a ton about both the library and even more about the UK. The tour is well done, costs 10 pounds, and took a little over an hour. Reservations are required and can be done here.
Last time I was in London, I wanted to try to Sky Garden but it was booked. The Sky Garden is a public garden at the top of a sky scraper with awesome views of the city. Reservations are required and can be made three weeks in advance at Booking your visit – Sky Garden – London. However, you can also visit if you eat at one of the two affiliated restaurants. We ate Larch which was good (not fabulous) Italian cuisine.
Similar to other large cities, you can spend hours exploring a single neighborhood. If visiting NYC, Paris, Rome, Tokyo or London, I’d challenge you to pick one and just walk around for a bit. I’d never been to Notting Hill and spent a couple of hours walking through its shops and cafes regretting that I had already eaten.
Afternoon Tea at the Kensington Palace Orangery was fantastic! I am so glad I took a friend’s recommendation and tried it instead of going to a big hotel. The food was outstanding, and the venue was beautiful. Reservations are recommended.
No trip to London is complete without a show. London has unlimited opportunities … this trip we saw Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theater which I thought was exceptionally well done.
I’ve been to Greenwich before but it’s been well over a decade. It is a great day trip with lots to do and see. And this was the first time I took the Thames River Cruise. This was a great way to travel. I was able to book tickets the same day and enjoyed learning new tidbits about the city. Greenwich can be a half day or even a full day excursion if you want to also visit the Maritime Museum and the Kutty Sark. But on this trip, we only visited the Royal Observatory, and instead went to Museum of the Docklands which tries to fit over 500 years of complex history into three floors of exhibits. The museum does a great job of interweaving the history of the docks and East End, immigration / migration, slavery, shipping, and the current politics.
On the river cruise I learned about the Anchor (where Shakespeare used to eat) and the Mayflower (at the Mayflower’s original mooring point). We had a great rooftop meal and the Anchor and the Mayflower is on my list for next time.
Speaking of next time, I still have more to do. While I’ve walked through Burrough Market many times, I’ve never properly explored it, and I guess I need to return to spend more time in Notting Hill.
For other ideas on what to do in London, check out some of my earlier posts.
London – My Favorite City – Life Kinetic Travel Research
Tips for Re-Visiting a Favorite City (for me it’s London) – Life Kinetic Travel Research
Life Kinetic Travel Research 