awesome and other London, United Kingdom Things to Do Tips

I visited Buckingham Palace on the same day as the London marathon, this meant that a lot of the main roads were closed off to cars, letting pedestrians wander around freely. I got my picture taken with a policeman and guard in one of the gates at the Palace. The architecture of the building is stunning, unfortunately I missed the changing of the guards - another thing to add to my 'next time' list.

The second photo with this tip is a photo of the roundabout right in front of Buckingham Palace, and it is of Queen Victoria. It is very beautful, and would also be a good place to watch the changing of the guards if you didn't want to be squashed up against the fence with the crowds (in summer at least).

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Address: The Mall, SW1
Directions: Green Park tube
Website: www.tourist-information-uk.com/buckingham-palace.htm

I highly recommend going on one of the 'Original London Walks'. I went on the 'Jack the Ripper' walk and it was brilliant. Our guide was Steve and he was both informative and entertaining. Through the tour you walk to the places of 3 of the murders (as this is within walking distance of two hours, to go to the others would stretch the tour to about 4 hours), and places where it was believed Jack the Ripper frequented (like the Ten Bells pub). Theories of who Jack the Ripper was is explored in this tour. The tour is done just after sunset.

The next time I'm back in London I hope to go on more of these walks -it was excellent!

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Phone: +44 (020) 7624 3978
Address: Depends on the walk you select, see website.
Website: http://www.walks.com/

When I was in London I went to a matinee performance of The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre - it was absolutely brilliant! Even if The Lion King isn't your kind of thing (it's not just for kids though!) I definitely recommend going to see some kind of theatre production when you are in London, it was one of the highlights of my trip!

For more information on theatre in London see the website below.

http://www.visitlondon.com/whats_on/browse/the

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Website: www.thelionking.co.uk

Okay, so technically it's just a roundabout (or was a roundabout), but it's still cool, it is an icon, a landmark. The statue of Eros was smaller than I thought, but it definitely drew people in, can you feel the love? :)

Piccadilly is in the middle of a great shopping area, and you are not too far away from Carnaby Street or Oxford Street either.

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Address: Piccadilly Circus, SW1
Directions: Piccadilly Circus tube

Trafalgar Square, one of London's many icons. In the centre of the square stands Lord Nelson's Column (Lord Nelson was an Admiral of the British Navy, the column is as tall as the highest mast on the ship he commanded, the H.M.S Victory: 185 feet high). There are fountains and it is a popular place for tourists and locals alike (although there are mainly tourists here in the summer).

At the time when I was at Trafalgar Square (the first time) the 2004 Athens Olympics were on - so they had numerous mini-Olympic sporting events set up around the square.

When I was here in August 2007 there were some book stalls set up in the square, nice to have a bit of a look through.

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Address: Trafalgar Square, WC2
Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes
Website: http://www.travellondon.com/templates/attractions/gallery_trafalgar.html

The first time I came here in 2004 I stuck mainly to the Bayswater Rd side of Hyde Park (as this was near my accomodation), but was surprised at the huge number of people spending time and relaxing at Hyde Park - awesome. I definitely recommend a leisurely stroll or having a picnic here, especially after a long day of sight-seeing (or even a short one!). Also try to visit the Italian fountains and their surroundings - a particularly beautiful area of the park (recently seen in the movie 'Wimbledon' and 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason').

Update: In 2005 I explored more of this park, it is so big it is hard to see it all. But I walked along the Serpentine River, past the statue of Peter Pan, fed some squirrels, walked around the Albert memorial (for photos of that monument see my travelogue), and saw many other monuments - one of which I was staring at for so long that when a flock of pelicans (or some large bird) went overhead, they scared me half to death! This is a great place to chill at the end of a long day, walk or jog along a track, play a game of football in a field, or just sit against a tree and read a book. I really recommend it.

Although just a note: try to buy drinks (water) before coming to Hyde Park as the stands around the park will charge you twice the normal price!

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Address: Park Lane, Bayswater Road, Knightsbridge
Directions: Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Lancaster Gate tubes
Website: http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/hyde.htm

On a warm summer's day I found myself at St. James park - this was exactly how I pictured parks in London to be. Heaps of striped deck chairs, people chilling out and having fun, London icons like Big Ben and the London Eye viewed close by. Also there was a band playing in one of the bandstands. Great place to relax!

Also, when I returned there in 2005, I sat in one of the deck chairs, and found out you have to pay to sit in them - GBP1.50 for 2 hours. You are given a ticket with the time on it to let you know what time to give up your seat. I say pay the GBP1.50, it is relaxing to sit there. Read a book, listen to you IPod/discman, eat your lunch, whatever you want to do, just chill.

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Directions: St James's Park tube, near Buckingham Palace

London's greatest icon, a real time-piece (sorry, lame, I know!). It is an impressive and beautiful building (clock tower). Try and view it from all angles; from across the other side of the Thames, right beneath it or from Parliament Sq.

One thing I didn't know about Big Ben was how beautiful its chime is, people who live and work around this area are probably used to hearing it every hour on the hour (and may think nothing of it), but it is still beautiful nonetheless.

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Address: Parliament Square, SW1
Directions: Westminster tube
Website: http://www.parliament.uk

Due to the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day and there were a lot of people going in, I did not actually see inside Westminster (also known as the 'House of Kings') but just walked around the outside admiring the architecture. It is a beautiful gothic building.

It was founded over a thousand years ago as a Benedictine monastery. Since then it has been rebuilt twice, once by Edward the Confessor and later by Henry III (in the 13th Century where it gets it's Gothic style from).

Since 1066, when William the Conqueror ruled, coronations for royalty have been held here. It has also been used for many royal weddings and funerals.

UPDATE: Unfortunately when I visited here again in August 2007, there was some kind of service on at the time and so my friends and I could not go in. Maybe next time I'm in London I will get to go inside :).

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Phone: 0 20 7654 4900
Address: Deans Yard, SW1
Directions: St James's Park tube
Website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org

Situated beside the Thames is London's (and the United Kingdom's) Houses of Parliament. It is an important building in British history since the first parliament sat in Westminster in 1240. It has been through fires, the 'Great Fire of London' in 1666 and another in 1834. It was bombed during World War II, the chamber of the House of Commons was destroyed. Yet the building is continually restored and stands strong as ever (possibly a metaphor for the British people?)

If you would like to take a tour of the Houses of Parliament see the website below for more information.

Also on the website you can find out more about the History of Parliament and of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

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Address: Parliament Square, SW1
Directions: Westminster tube
Website: http://www.parliament.uk