London Travel Guide | My Life Trips

London

Information

London is the capital and the most populous city of the United Kingdom. London is a leading global city in art, commerce, education, entertainment, and so on, and is the most visited city in the world, as measured by international arrivals. London has the largest concentration of higher education institutions in Europe and there is a wide range of people and cultures with over 300 languages spoken in the region. The estimated population in mid 2016 was 8,787,892, the largest number of any other city in the European Union. The urban area of London is the second most populated in the European Union after Paris, while London was the world’s most populous city from 1831 to 1925!

London is a huge city with countless attractions and things to see. Some of the world’s famous attractions are the London Tower, Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square . Many museums, galleries, libraries and more are hosted in London, and it’s really impossible to see them all in just one visit. We will try to recommend some of the most important sights you should not miss if you are here, although as we have said the list of what somebody can do here is never ends.

Sterling, also known as British Pound, is the United Kingdom’s official currency (GBP) and 10 British Pounds equals to 11,30 Euros. For the latest updated exchange rates visit the XE Currency Converter page.

What To See...

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is home to the British Monarchy and is close to St. James Park. Built in 1703 on behalf of Sheffield, Buckingham Duke, bought in 1761 by the King of England, George III. The palace have 602 rooms, of which 19 are ceremonial halls, 52 royal rooms and guest rooms, 188 staff rooms and 78 bathrooms. Queen Elizabeth II for herself has kept 12 rooms and so visitors have the opportunity to see most of the others.

Westminster Palace

This Gothic masterpiece is the headquarter of the British Government and here you will also find the famous Big Ben, which celebrated his 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, the day which big celebrations took place. Big Ben is one of the most famous symbols of both London and England, and perhaps the most photographed spot in London.

Tower Of London

The Royal Palace and Fortress of Her Majesty, most commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. A medieval castle in the heart of the city that reminds you of another era. The entrance costs 22 £ per person and includes a tour of all 6 different palaces within the castle.

Tower Bridge

The most famous and beautiful bridge in London! The Tower Bridge was built 120 years ago to facilitate road traffic while retaining access to the River Thames. Built with giant mobile streets which raised for the ships, considered to be a miracle of engineering and one of the most important sights of London, it is undoubtedly one of the most well known and immediately recognizable bridges around the world.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is one of London’s most central squares and one of the city’s attractions. The square is dominated by Nelson’s column, winner of the Battle of Trafalgar, surrounded by four lion statues. The square is also a place for public gatherings, celebrations, and a huge meeting point for thousands of people every day. The huge led screens giving color to this very beautiful square.

St. James Park

St. James’s Park is a 23 acre park in downtown London. St. James Park, which is bordered by Buckingham Palace, is perhaps the most famous park in London and certainly one of the most beautiful. Here you will find a huge lake, where through a beautiful path, where you will surely see the beautiful squirrels that are everywhere in the park, you will end up at the entrance of the Buckingham Palace.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is a huge park located in central London. It is the largest of the four parks and is also known for the concerts that take place here, mostly rock music, with bands such as Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and more!

Regent's Park

Regent’s Park is one of London’s most famous parks. It is located in northwest London, partly in the city of Westminster and partly in Camden Town. It includes the University of Regent’s and the London Zoo! In this park there are also many sports activities every day.

St Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral is the metropolitan church of London and is a masterpiece of the great English architect Sir Christopher Wren. It is an exquisite and unique building, and here took place the funerals of Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill and Princess Diana, as well as her marriage to prince Charles.

Oxford Street

Oxford Street is the busiest shopping street in Europe, with about half a million daily visitors and about 300 shops!

Camden Town

Camden Town is an area that hosts mainly street markets and music venues. Here you will find several people with completely different cultures that at first may scare you a bit. Camden Town’s shopping and the beautiful Regent’s canal for a quiet walk is a must if you are in London.

Notting Hill

Notting Hill is a wealthy area in western London, located north of Kensington within the Royal Kensington & Chelsea City Hall and partly in the City of Westminster. Notting Hill is known to be a cosmopolitan neighborhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and the Portobello shopping street. Notting Hill is also known for its luxury shops and restaurants, particularly around Westbourne Grove and Clarendon Cross.

Greenwich Observatory

The Royal Observatory of Greenwich is located on a hill in Greenwich Park. It has played an important role in the history of astronomy and navigation and is better known as the location of the central meridian and thus gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time. Beyond the very interesting museum that you find here you can admire a stunning view of the city of London!

Highgate Cemetery

Can a cemetery be an attraction? When we talk about a cemetery like Highgate then, of course! Apart from the fact that some great personalities have been buried in this cemetery, such as Carl Marx, George Michael and many others, the cemetery is straight from a movie! Through its green paths, you can browse and take some stunning photos of the tombs with the statues, as well as some graves that have been neglected and are really scary! To get here, use the metro and get off at ‘Archway’ station where you’ll need a 15 minute walk.

Nearby Excursions

London is really a huge city and almost impossible for someone to see it in a few days. We think that you will not have time for a short trip out of city because what you have to do and see here is so much that you will probably need to come over again and again to see them all. There are several nearby excursions such as the Highgate Cemetery and the Greenwich Observatory that are out of the city center and require plenty of time to get there. If you use the London Underground, you will be able to see many suburbs of London as the choices are endless. If you want to spend more time and much more money then a very good option is the city of Bath, which is relatively far, about 1:30 by train. Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in England and surely if you visit it, you will not regret it!

What To Eat

In London you can find some of the most famous restaurants, especially for lovers of ‘gourmet’ cuisine. Because we do not belong in this category, if you expect to find out details about them then you are on the wrong page :-P. England in general and London specifically, has one of the most indifferent food of all the places we have traveled! Boring foods, in strange combinations that did not like us at all. The famous Fish & Chips was one of the exceptions without being impressive though. There are many restaurants and pubs that serve this recipe, which is basically fried fish (usually cod) with fried potatoes.

Ben’s Cookies, the store that we first mentioned on our trip to Edinburgh is here and you have to visit it if you want to change a little bit after the indifferent Fish & Chips! Here you can taste a huge variety of delicious fluffy biscuits in incredible combinations such as chocolate peanut butter, coconut, cinnamon etc, whichever you try is a real experience!

How to move

As you will understand from what we said above, it’s impossible to move in London just on foot even if you want to see some of the main attractions. Using the London Underground is almost inevitable and is probably the best solution for you to move quickly and safely in the city. London Underground, or “The Tube” is a railroad network in that serves most of Greater London and parts of London Essex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. The original metro section is the oldest in the history of urban railways, as it began operating on January 10, 1863, and was also the world’s first electromechanical metro since 1890.

Today, the metro has a network with a total length of 402 km (despite its name, only 45% of which are underground) and 270 stations. It is the fourth largest metro in the world, behind Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing, carrying a total of 1,107 billion passengers every year. Some of London’s most important metro stations are Victoria, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, St. Louis, St. James Park, Pimlico, Hyde Park, Notting Hill and many others. The best solution is to buy a weekly travel card that you can buy from various stations, as one way tickets will definitely cost you much more if you are planning to use the metro to move around the city.

Where to stay

Accommodation in London is very expensive and the worst of all things, is that it is very common to offer very low level services at high prices. It is not unlikely to pay for a double room 100-120 £ per night to have a shared bathroom and a shabby looking little room. In the city center there are many bed and breakfasts that at first sight seem huge deals but then end up as a real tragedy. Search very carefully, and prefer a hotel near a metro station, which is most likely because the metro is actually everywhere. You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com