The problem with writing about popular destinations is everyone already has. I tend to stay away from writing about more main stream places that I visit unless there is something new I feel like I can contribute. What can you really bring to a destination like London when there are endless posts, articles, reels, carousels and more about one of the most popular travel destinations on Earth?
You probably cant.
But, I love London. I constantly go back to London. Not purposefully, it has been my most visited destination outside the US. London was one of my most written about destinations in the beginning as well. As I was pouring through my old articles I really couldn’t believe what passed as a travel blog back then. I have taken it all down. Decided to revamp my England writings.
Over the decades of visiting London I have had different historical obsessions. It may have started with Harry Potter, then Henry VIII only to divulge into Jack the Ripper and now Winston Churchill. Instead of telling you the MUST SEES I am just going to give you a list of my favorite things to do in London. I don’t need to tell you to go look at Big Ben or the Parliment. I am certain you will get there on your own.
London reminds me of home. The city has a similar feel to New York City. It is crowded with tourists who don’t know where they are going and locals who have to be somewhere. The food scene is getting it’s recognition and there is a rich bar scene. It is too expensive for its own good but it still feels worth it. There is an energy to London that pulls you in. London feels modern but it is also very old.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London has been one of my biggest recommendations ever since I went on my very first visit. Mostly because it is one of the oldest things in the city but also because it is just so cool! It is a fortress, a castle and a museum. Artifacts in the Tower’s collection range from the crown jewels to King Henry VIII’s armor. Who doesn’t love a king who wants a divorce and is so hell bent on getting what he wants that he murders his own wives and creates his own church? What an absolutely insane historical figure. You can’t write better fiction than the reality that is King Henry VIII.
The church on the grounds of The Tower of London is where his second wife Anne Boleyn rests. Reading an amazing historical fiction series by Phillipa Mcgregory about Henry VIII’s wives hooked me on his reign.
The tower served as a menagerie for a long time. Apparently, it was popular for royalty to give live gifts to each other. So the tower ended up with tons of exotic animals. From monkeys to polar bears the tower had animals roaming all over. They would even let people in to look at them. Since no one in England had any idea what these animals were capable of they would let them roam free. Often causing fatalities. A monkey killed a young boy, prompting them to decide that restraining the animals would be wiser.
If you can get a tour with one of the Beefeaters that’s the way to do it. Your ticket includes the tours, and they run every 45 minutes. Admission runs about 50USD for an adult.
Tally Ho Bike Rides
If you know me I love walking tours but I love changing it up every now and then. I did a bike tour with Tally Ho! And it was such a fun way to see the city. I had already been to London several times but it honestly made the city feel different.
Besides seeing the must see tourist sites (Does anyone need to tell you to see Big Ben?) we headed down some unknown places as well. There are loads of small streets that fill the areas around the sites. We ventured down one street that had escaped all the bombing from WWII. On the outside of the buildings it indicated the basements were bomb shelters. These fading signs were from the late 1930’s and were still legible. These are the cool things you cant find on your own and the slices of history I live for.
Adorably each bike is named. I was Dame Judi Dench. Pashley manufactures all their bikes in England as well. I did the Landmark Tour but they have several to choose from.
The East End – Alternative Tour
Many people recognize this area of London for its graffiti art and markets. After your done with the major points of interest, get out of central London and go where the hipsters are. Take a Graffiti tour and see some of Banksy’s work. Go to Spitalfields Market for shopping and food. Head to Brick Lane.
Brick Lane is great not just for art but for food! Especially Indian food.
Fun Fact: Brick Lane has more Indian restaurants per square foot than any other place in the world aside from India itself. Coffee shops for days, book stores and an entire area dedicated to food trucks. It is, in my humble opinion, perfect. I love the hipster vibe. I know its trendy but I like all of those things.
This area of London is great for a different feel then maybe what you expect about the city. Spitalfields is a cool flea market that sells antiques, clothing, art, and more. If you like meandering this is a great place to do it.
Secret Food tours
England’s food earns little praise from people. In fact most people wouldn’t even put cuisine on a list of reasons why to go to England. They would be wrong. London has a great food scene. As any big city but also because of it’s pub culture and its humble beginnings. What is wrong with fish and chips? Or bangers and mash? Or a nice pasty? Absolutely nothing. I love eating all of these things. Food doesn’t have to be elevated to be good or enjoyed.
Not to say London doesn’t have elevated dining because it obviously and absolutely does. But it also isn’t the point.
On my last visit, I joined Secret Food Tours, and the name comes from ending each tour with a secret food item. Very cute. Besides for having a meeting place so confusing that I almost didn’t find it I loved the experience. I chose the Borough Market tour.
Food halls or markets were so novel once upon a time but now they are sadly over priced and often the food is subpar. Borough Market is still cool though. It still has a very “London” feel. It is under the bridge and has some really old stalls making it worth the stop. Honestly if you just go get Fish and Chips at Fish! Its worth the experience. But there are loads of delicious stalls. And ones with great causes.
Noteworthy is the coffee cart Change Please which is a non profit cart working to help employee the unhoused. It has a training program and then employees them. All profits go to pay the workers and run the program. Pretty amazing. Not part of the tour but worth spending your money on.
My guide was sublime and I would gladly take other Secret Food Tours, they have them all over the world!
You can find secret food tours here.
Churchill war rooms
I love WWII history. I recently read “The Vile and The Splendid” By Erik Larson. As France falls, the narrative highlights Winston Churchill while England takes on the duty to defend Europe alone. The US has yet to join the war and England is doing it’s best. Churchill is a remarkably interesting political and historical figure. This time period is also fascinating as it could have went a completely different way. It took the US so long to join England could have failed. Churchill was a relentless leader and I don’t know if anyone else could have led England to victory at the time.
Anyway, I digress. You can still visit his war rooms. They are located directly under office buildings next to Westminster Abby and Big Ben. They left it exactly as it was on the last day of the war. It is almost eery. As if everyone just vanished, down to the cup of tea left out. The papers left on desks and in typewriters. Now everything is preserved behind glass. The bomb shelter that doubled as the war headquarters now houses a museum dedicated to the prime minister. Dozens of people lived underground to keep the war effort going while the city was under heavy bombing day in and out. It is amazing that they kept it intact. Really incredible bit of history to go see. I highly recommend visiting it, especially if you are interested in WWII.
A little pricey at 45 USD for an adult but money well spent in my opinion. You can find the details
My favorite day trips from London
For Good Measure I am going to throw in some day trips you can take from London that I enjoyed.
Brighton
I love a beach town. My whole life I have lived by the ocean both in Florida and in New York. I don’t care if its kitschy or touristy. I love a boardwalk and a beach. Brighton is an English, seaside town.
Brighton Pier has existed since the turn of the century. Once a place of grandeur it now looks of faded beauty. You can see why it would have had such a huge draw in the early 20th century. When it was brand new, it was also novel. There was nothing else like it around. Carnival games, almost a full amusement park on the pier and fish and chip shops line the street.
However my favorite part of Brighton was definitely Brighton Palace. It is by far the most unique palace I have ever been to and it completely stands out in this town. From the outside it looks like a Mogul Indian Palace. With its high rounded columns it is reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, on a smaller scale of course. Once I read about it I made it a point to visit Brighton.
It was built in the late 1800’s by King George IV. Son to crazy King George III, it is no wonder he was such a weird guy. He built the palace so he would have a place to party and retreat to since he had little interest in politics. He loved women, parties and food. He would throw dinner parties that would last until the wee hours of the morning serving 12 course dinners. Honestly sounds like my kind of guy.
George traveled extensively, too. He particularly loved India and South East Asian destinations and built this place to mirror that. The interior is completely inspired by these trips. From pagoda-shaped entrances to bamboo railings there is nothing this place lacks in excess. We were not allowed to take any pictures while inside and it was the first time I ever wanted to break that rule so bad.
The price of an adult ticket is about 29 USD. Opening times change depending on the season so check the website ahead before you travel.
Brighton is also a great place to wander. Many of the residential streets like Blaker and Kemp have rows of colorful houses to admire and are great for pictures. The town is also known for its many great coffee shops. A great way to spend a relaxing afternoon or morning.
You could easily spend a weekend in Brighton, especially in the warmer months to take advantage of the beach. I did go when it was much cooler and a lot of the pier was shut down for the season. Brighton is only a one hour train ride from London.
Liverpool
There are many options to get you to Liverpool from London in a day. The train can be just over 2 hours. If you are a Beatles fan, it is a must. If you are not there are still plenty of things worth seeing in the city.
As always, I recommend taking a walking tour to get a great overview of the city. Especially if you are only coming in for the day then you can get the highlights and double back if there is anything you know you want to explore farther.
I did the Sandeman’s one when I went but it seems to be suspended. Guruwalks and Freetour offer options as well. They will cover everything from the history of the slave trade, WWII, to the Beatles. You can also take Beatles specific tours, more on that lately.
international sal
After the tour I strolled down Albert Dock. Albert Dock is lovely to stroll down, and you can check out all the Lamb Bananas that line the waterway. Yes, that is right I said Lamb Bananas. Apparently, Liverpool is a lead exporter of Bananas and wool. The combination is interesting to say the least. It was a commissioned art project by the city.
Along the dock is The International Slavery Museum. The museum doesn’t just cover the journey of the enslaved people but also goes into the diaspora of Caribbean dishes, the curation of racist objects and it has rotating art exhibits. Right now it is closed for a major waterfront renovation project but if you are planning a trip to Liverpool check when it will be reopened right now there is no date.
The Beatles
Most people probably visit Liverpool because of The Beatles. Is this a fact I made up? Maybe, but it sounds plausible.
Museum
There are walking tours specific to The Beatles if you want to indulge your love of the band further but the museum is a great experience. The multi-floor attraction takes you on the full journey of the band from when they met to their explosion. It ends with a touching tribute to John Lennon. There are plans to open an even greater Beatles attraction in 2028. It is said that it will “rival Graceland”. Guess I have a reason to venture back to Liverpool soon.
You can also have a drink at the famous Cavern Club although it is just a replica, the original burned down. It was rebuilt for obvious reasons.
Cotswalds
Depending on which towns you want to visit the Cotswalds are about 1.5-2.5 hours away from London. You can take a train to some of the towns but if you want to visit multiple towns it is better to rent a car or take a day tour which I did. I got to visit two towns and also Oxford.
The Cotswalds are the countryside of London and many celebrities have homes there. They are green rolling hills, stone cottages, and tiny bakeries everywhere. This is a scenery trip. Truly for strolling, photography and enjoying local food and baked goods. It is a lovely way to spend a day or a weekend if you have the time.
I truly enjoyed Burton-on-the-Water. This is a slightly larger town than some of the others. With museums to visit, decent number of restaurants and shops to pop into. The town is truly picturesque.
