10 Great Things to do in London

0 Comments

A City of Pomp and Circumstance, Niceties and History

I love London. I love it so much it is tied with Paris for my favorite cities. If I could spend a year living in London, I may never come back. Sure it's expensive, but the people are so nice and it is filled with history. I'm sure I'll make multiple trips to this wonderful city during my stay in France. And here is what I think the top then things are in London. But how do I make a list of only ten?

10. National Portrait Gallery: I loved seeing all the portraits of royals or important British people. No pictures are allowed but I may have sneaked a few of Elizabeth I. Who knows, maybe baby George will get his soon too.

9. Imperial War Museum: this museum chronicles many of Britain's wars with artifacts. Yay artifacts! And its Holocaust exhibit is very well done with quite a few details.

8. Hyde Park: actually all the parks in the area are great to check out. After work on warm days the locals are found hanging out on the lawns and chatting. What a great way to socialize by taking in the beauty of nature. If you want a break from the business or the city but can't get away, these parks are great!

Westminster Abbey

7. Westminster Abbey: Yes Will and Kate got married here, so already it seems pretty cool. But inside it has so many homages to past kings that it has a good amount of history to capture your time. And it's absolutely beautiful.

6. Buckingham Palace: While you can't actually visit much of it, it is still pretty to look at, especially during the changing of the guard. If you want to see pomp and circumstance, go see the changing of the guard. Make sure that you get there early because everyone else wants to see this daily ritual and try to catch a glimpse of the queen, which isn't too hard to do.

5. Tower of London: This was like a history major's Disneyland. It was interactive but educational. For me that's fun. It talks about people kept in the tower and of course the prized collection, the Tower Jewels. The tower is worth it just to see the jewels of the Queen. And don't forget the famous Tower Bridge right next door.

4. Big Ben: This may be what everyone thinks of when they think of London. That and phone booths. And they have good reason to because it is so beautiful. The style of architecture is classic but impressive.

Buckingham Palace

3. Parliament: The only way into Parliament is with a tour guide. But the tours are so informative and interactive, it is worth the price. You get to see how it actually works while learning about the history of the building. Take the time to see this!

2. Churchill War Rooms: These rooms are located underground, where he did his work during WWII. They tell you about his life and what he did for England during the war. It shows what life looked like for those working in the bunker and goes into detail about what led Churchill to become such and influential person in history. OK maybe I'm a little biased because I wrote my senior thesis on Churchill, Roosevelt, and De Gaulle.

1. British Museum: The British Museum has so much history in one museum, from a variety of different periods within history. There's something for everyone!

Buy the London Pass. While it may seem expensive upfront, it is a great deal if you're going to see all the major museums. Not everything is included, but the major ones are and it saves you a lot of money and time spent in line.