I recently took my first trip to London with my husband, here are some do’s and don’ts from our experiences.
We spent 9 days in London and about 14 hours in Paris, there is definitely a point on Paris below, this was a good amount of time and while we did a lot we did not do all of the ‘top rated’ activities. One piece of advice that I’m sure we’re experienced on previous trips to large cities or may have read about, be prepared to walk! Even if you take the tube, bus, or taxi, you’re going to talk.
Must Do!
Take the Tube! And use an Oyster Pass
Not only is the tube a great way to get around London and it’s outskirts, it was kind of fun to see the different cars and stops. And if you’re going to take the tube more than a couple of times, the best thing to do is to get an Oyster Pass which allows you to ride unlimitedly for 7 days.
But watch out, it is only applicable for a certain number of zones. We took the train to Windsor Castle and needed to buy a separate ticket on the way back because the stop did not accept Oyster Cards. Also, do to Rail Union disputes there were a couple of days were certain trains did not operate, most of these were not in London proper, but could affect your travel to other places.
Windsor Castle
Don’t skip Windsor Castle! The train ride is a bit outside of London, but worth it. It is beautiful, has all the history (especially if you watched the Crown), great views, and you pass through a cute shopping area if you take the train.
Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tours
We were able to see the city without walking everywhere. After several days of taking the Tube and walking, it was nice to pull pretty close to a location and not have to talk up a ton of stairs from the underground. There were also great view from the second story of a double decker bus. But be prepared most of the busses are open air and they do not cover them when it is cold, blazing hot, or rains.
Tower of London
While it is not much of a large tower that we think of today, it is a pretty fun fort and it has great views of the Thames! During the time we visited they had the Crown Jewels display for the Queen’s Juliblee. No matter when you go there are always fun exbits and such great history. Fun fact: some of the Queen’s guards even live in the Tower of London and you can talk to them.
Tower Bridge
When you get to the Tower of London you’re right there, might as well! Not only does it have awesome arcititure, it’s a working Draw Bridge! How may times can you say you’ve seen that?! There are time on the Tower Bridge website that list when it it will rise. The tour of Tower Bridge included a tour of the engine room, history behind the bridge itself, and a nice view from the top of the bridge. I was surprised to hear that many people get London Bridge mixed up with Tower Bridge, but apparently it’s a thing because of the grandness of Tower Bridge.
Visit Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
Big Ben and the Parliament Building can be seen from multiple angles, my favorite was from the Thames River or just the other side of the Thames, great photo opportunity. And right next door/across the street is Westminster Abbey. I had no idea so many people were buried in the floor of Westminster Abbey. And if you go at the right time you can catch a service and hear the amazing Organ.
Buckingham Castle/Changing of the Guard
Buckingham Palace is Beautiful! Unfortunately we went to London shortly after the Queen’s passing so our tour of Buckingham was cancelled due to all activities that took place thereafter, but they usually offer tours from the Spring to Early Fall. We did get to see the changing of the Guard, which was so fun and I can’t recommend this more. Be sure to get there early to find the perfect spot (but I’m honestly not sure there was one). There are so many moving parts and people soldiers coming from all angles, it’s hard to find the perfect spot. My recommendation is to stand in the middle where the fountain is because this way you can see most things, but not everything.
Hyde Park
It is a beautiful park with so many flowers, ducks, and even swans. If you make it to the pond around sunset it makes for a fabulous view. But aware there are many bike and scooters around the park, but they are not allowed in the park. We learned that the hard way!
Oxford
Yes, with a Caveat. My Husband loves C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien and I enjoy Harry Potter, so we each wanted to see a few things in Oxford. But there is so much more, beautiful chapels, amazing landscaping, and eye catching architecture. There are three way you can get to Oxford – Train, Bus, Rental Car. Neither of us had driven on the other side of the road, so we elected not to do this. Bus seemed like it would take a bit longer than the train, so we took the train. It was nice, not too crowded, and was only about a 15 minute walk from the center of Oxford’s campus.
Notting Hill
I LOVE this movie, so was not going to miss seeing the travel look shop! But the street itself was crowded and the travel book shop is very much a tourist attraction. The redeeming factor were the cute shops, street food vendors, and antiques. If you don’t love them movie, maybe try one of the other market, but if you love it like me, it was worth it!
Harry Potter World
I mean who doesn’t love Harry Potter!? Well I know there are a few of you out there, my husband is one of them, but me on the other hand I’m so here for it. This place was so much fun, like reliving all the movies at once. Be prepare for souvenirs to be thrust upon you at every point and it is a bit outside the city of London. But other than that, I highly recommend if you even kinda like the movies.
Take it or Leave
The following places I would recommend if you have time, but they would not be my priority
The London Pass
The London Pass by Go City was super convenience not to have to buy all the tickets separately and pay for them in advance. It allows to buy a consecutive day pass (you must use it in the consecutive days) and has pretty much all the “main” tourist attractions in London. Some places require you to sign up for the pass in advance, but for the most part you just walk up and so the pass and walk in. The only downside is that if we would have paid for the attractions separate from the pass we would have saved money. But the convenience aspect was worth in my opinion.
Tour down the Thames River
We took an Uber Boat tour as part of the London Pass and The Shard tickets. Had it not been included in the Shard ticket or the fact that we were tired after multiple days of touristy things and just wanted something relaxing I probably would not have done it. But it was a nice slow pace hour and you get to hear some history and see farther down the river without having to walk
London Taxi Ride
One of the things on my list was to take a London Taxi, it was expensive and simply a card ride. Nice to check it off my list, but I would save my money unless you’re looking for the Novelty and convenience aspect.
The Shard
Such a great view! We spent an hour here, mostly day drinking and sitting around because I wanted to get the most out of our money. This was included in the London Pass as well, but you need to book ahead, so we booked it the day before.
British Museum
We only made it to the British Museum near closing time, but from what I saw it was not quite interesting
Bletchley Park
This visit was for my husband who is a Computer Science nerd. I learned a lot of interesting things, but it was quite a bit outside of the City (a little over an hour train ride). I would recommend you if like the movie Imitation Game, otherwise, it’s probably not worth it.
Paris for a Day
Paris for a day for awesome and very tiring, which is why it is in the take it or leave it section. I think it was worth it to check it off my list, but I still want to go back and see more. We we only in Paris for about 14 hours, which included the Louvre, Arc De Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and a lot of walking/subway rides. We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris under the english channel which was so fun and great to see a bit of the French countryside. But be aware the Eurostar does have delays and issues, we waited
We only saw one of the 4 major winds of the Louvre, the most important one which the Mona Lisa of course, but people are not kidding when they say you can spend multiple days there, especially if you enjoy art.
I was not prepared for the amount of steps up to the Arc De Triomphe, but the view was worth it.
The Eiffel Tower, was great, so much history and amazing views. A definite must do, but be prepared, even the “skip the line” tours have a long line. We waited about 1 hour with those, not so cheap tickets, but we did get to go up all the levels, which I highly recommend if you’re going to go, you might as well see everything there is to see.
If you’re looking for more fun things, watch-outs and food recommendations, take a looking at the following blogs.
