What have been your favorite places to visit in London?
Any tips on navigating around the city and at certain spots would be appreciated.
From the videos that we’ve seen already, The Changing of the Guard appears to be as crowded as a Stones concert every day.
I have been to London many times and my daughter just got back from a trip there.
I suggest staying in the central part of the city (Holburn, Soho, Covent Garden area) and then you can walk to most sites. Those that are farther away can be easily travelled to via Tube or buses. Don’t discount the buses, they connect a lot of places and can be easier than the Tube (where you have to go down several flights to get to the train and then back up again.) Transit is simple to pay for, just tap a credit card. You are billed at the end of the day for all your trips (with a cap of about 13 pounds).
Although I have been to London several times, I never saw the changing of the guard or went inside the palace. You can get plenty of the royal feel by visiting outside these spots on off hours.
There are the must sees - Westminster Abbey, St Pauls (and you have to see the killer view from climbing to the top), and the Tower of London (do the beefeater tour). We like history so add to that, the Churchill Cabinet War rooms and the Imperial War Museum (outside the main city area).
For museums - the British Museum, the British Library, the transport museum (their gift shop is the best), and the National Gallery are the top ones to see. You must see a west end show - I highly recommend Les Mis (although be careful not to get a seat with an obstructed view).
Top food places are the various food halls - Marks & Spencer’s, Selfridges, and Harrods. You won’t believe the variety of prepared foods (from every ethnicity) which are very high quality. You can eat there or take out.
Let me know any specific questions you might have and I will be glad to help.
Need to add that the churches - Westminster and st pauls do not have tours on Sundays.
Also, you should pre-buy tickets for them and also the tower. These places can sell out for the day.
British msueum, library, and national gallery are free admission.
Some suggestions…
Changing of the guard you can go towards St James Park slightly up the road from Buckingham palace and see the guards parade out of their garrison.
This helps avoid the crowds and then it’s much easier to continue walking through the park over to the Whitehall section. Once there you can see Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben or Churchill War Rooms.
Along the way from here if you walk towards Trafalgar Square you will pass 10 Downing and another barracks…
You can visit the National Gallery then circle back along Piccadilly and walk and dine in Mayfair.
A second nice day is spent along the river walk. You can grab a meal at Borough Market (amazing place), visit the Tate Modern museum, and cross the Tower Bridge and visit Tower of London and St Paul’s.
The city is largely walkable if you can handle it. I am very familiar with the area (50+ trips) but we used google maps and it performed flawlessly. Hope this helps.
We did the Buckingham Palace tour and enjoyed it. I know it is only offered certain months of the year. We included the Royal Mews which is where they keep all of the carriages.
We saw the royal jewels at Tower of London. I am glad there was no wait for that because they were disappointing.
Harrods is great. We also went to the Postal Museum and rode the mail rail that was on an episode of the Amazing Race.
The National Portrait Gallery is a terrific way to learn more about English history. It’s free and adjoins the National Gallery. We enjoyed taking a boat ride on the Thames to Greenwich, where we visited the Royal Observatory. The museum is excellent, and it’s fun to straddle the Prime Meridian. How to take the boat to Greenwich | Thames river travel
London is one of our favorite cities. If you are going in the summer months, Buckingham Palace tours are worth doing. I wouldn’t spend the time or energy to try to see the changing of the guards.
Definitely agree with others that Tower of London is also a must do. Tower Bridge also offers tours that are very interesting if you are into engineering at all.
We like staying in the Kensington area of the city because we love being close to Hyde Park and the Japanese gardens at Holland Park. Also then very close to the V&A museum as well as Natural History Museum and some less well known museums like the Design museum and Leighton House which are often much less crowded than the British Museum*.
Nice thing about being in Kensington is also the tube system very efficient in that area. You’re on the Circle line which connects to tons and also gets you to lots of places directly.
Some hotels we’ve enjoyed in that area are:
The Bailey’s Hotel London (super close to the Gloucester street tube station which makes getting in from Heathrow super fast and convenient.
The Hux Hotel (across the street from Kensington Palace and Hyde Park)
Melia London Kensington - again very close to Gloucester Street tube
From Bailey’s and Melia, you are a very easy walk to Harrods if you have any interest in visiting, as well as the Knightsbridge area in general.
*British Museum offers before and after hour tours of certain exhibits. A before hours tour is worth the price (imo) as it gets you into the museum before the lines and crowds build and you are well within the building and will have 60-120 minutes even after the museum opens of low crowds in the parts of the museum you can access.
Wow, appreciate all the tips and guidance. So much to sort through.
I read up on the Tate Modern museum - that looks really cool.
You can definitely spend a day on the Tate side of the river - plenty to see there - the Shakespeare theater, etc. - but I would say not to do the Shard - not worth the money in my opinion.
If you are over by the Tate Museum, consider walking through Borough Market, which is really amazing. If you are flying through Heathrow, you could also easily visit Windsor Castle. We sometimes spend our last night in Windsor.
Kenwood museum near Hampstead Heath and then a pint at the Spaniards, the oldest pub in London!
Kenwood House, Leighton House, Sir John Soanes’ Museum and the Dulwich Picture Gallery are my favorite London gems.
@hoopsdad2000 If you go to Sir John Soanes, you should book a tour. The guide will explain the wonders of Soanes’ design and collection. It really enhanced our visit.
That’s very cool. We’ll def check this out.
If you are going to London in the summer, this is the most important map to know: which tube lines have air-conditioning.
Finding places to stay cool in London can be challenging!
Folks are making many great suggestions, so I’m going to throw out an unusual one:
If you’re feeling hot and overstimulated around Trafalgar Square (perhaps you’re at the incredible National Gallery—a must see), on the east side of the square is the calming and cool air of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church.
Going down the stairs under the church, you can select and make a wonderful brass rubbing from their vast selection of historical brass replicas, in the delightfully cool air. Adjacent to the brass rubbing tables is their “café in the crypt,” where you can have a bite to eat while working on your project.
In the crowds and heat of London summer it’s a lovely respite from both, and a unique activity that will give your feet a rest and center the mind 
Many great ideas. A couple of other things we did were to: 1) watch a bit of a session in the House of Lords and 2) enjoy high tea (we went to Fortnum & Mason but many great options).
My husband was just talking about this place when my daughter was in London last week. They have a cute cafe in the crypt to grab a snack
Here are two off the beaten track suggestions:
For an intimate art museum with an important collection, try the Courtauld Gallery near Covent Garden. If you’re an aviation or military afficiando, take the Northern Line to Hendon and visit the Royal Air Force Museum London.
Anyone here do the Harry Potter studios tour?
