1. Twining's
For all of you tea lovers out there, Twining's is the place for you to visit! This is the original Twining's store, and they have dozens upon dozens of teas for you to check out. Keep in mind, Twining's is in an older building and therefore, the shop is very long but not very wide. They have different teas you can test at their tea bar, and then a section of the store where you can make your own tea box filled with the teabags you picked out. They also have a wide variety of loose leaf tea too, as well as some free recipes you can take home and try for yourself. Finally, one of my favorite other favorite things, is that they have portions of the store that show the historical background of Twining's, which is kind of neat.
2. The Grazing Goat
Clearly from it's amazing name, you obviously have to check this place out. The Grazing Goat is a pub about a mile or so from Hyde Park. You can eat a delicious English Breakfast there, or try their awesome fish 'n chips. Or, if you're looking for a place to stay, you can stay in the hotel rooms above The Grazing Goat pub. It's the most clean, orderly and fancy pub I have ever seen it, and I loved all the hotel rooms. The bathroom was super nice, and the room had this modern but woodsy theme.
3. Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is just one of those places you just have to visit. It's gorgeous, especially when the weather is nice. There are all of these massive statues and let me tell you, it's quite the place to people watch as well. I remember what my friend Julie and I did, was grab some drinks and read our books while sitting next to the fountain. It was very relaxing. There isn't a ton of things to see at Trafalgar, but it is a good place to check out and relax.
3. Piccadilly Circus
For all you Sherlock fans, this is definitely a place you need to visit. Who wouldn't want to stand in the spot that plays such a huge role in Sherlock?! If Sherlock isn't really your thing, don't worry. Piccadilly is a great place to get some shopping done. There are tons of shops to visit, and you'll be able to get whatever you need for souvenirs or goodies. Keep in mind that when you do go visit Piccadilly Circus, think about New York. Piccadilly is so busy you can hardly get by without bumping into someone. If you aren't a big fan of large crowds, I wouldn't recommend visiting here. But, if you don't mind some hustle and bustle, it's definitely a fun visit. This isn't my picture, but it's a good representation.
4 & 5. The Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) and the London Eye
First, let's get some things straight. Big Ben actually refers to the bell within the Elizabeth Tower, not the actual Tower itself. So when you do go visit London and you need some help locating the Tower, make sure you ask the locals where the Elizabeth Tower is, not where Big Ben is, or else you will most likely be made fun of. But, the Tower is a wonderful place to visit. It's stunning and pretty and makes for some great pictures. You can go up into the Tower, but my friend and I didn't, because we didn't want to pay a bunch of money for it. You can also see the London Eye almost anywhere you stand in London. Keep in mind it's about three times bigger than the ferris wheel in downtown Seattle, so it's quite massive. If you aren't a fan of heights or spending a lot of money, then I wouldn't recommend visiting the London Eye. But if you want a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the majority of London and don't mind spending a bit of your money, then go for it.
6 & 7. Westminster Abbey and Church
Westminster is a wonderful place to visit. First of all, it's drop dead gorgeous. Plus, who wouldn't want to see the church where Princess Kate was married at? We all love fairytales, and therefore, this is the place for all of us who are princesses at heart.
8. House of Parliament
If you're stopping off to visit the Elizabeth Tower, then you'll be looking at the House of Parliament as well. The House of Parliament is practically attached to the Elizabeth Tower so you can't really have one without the other. We liked visiting this place because it was just a stunning, ancient building with so much history. Not only that, but there are beautiful parks surrounding it where you can just stop off and have a cappuccino and enjoy the view. If you look back at my picture of the Elizabeth Tower, you'll be able to see the House of Parliament off to the right.
9. The Thames
The Thames is very easy to get to because, well, it's just a really large river. It's breathtaking on a sunny day, and much more massive than I had originally imagined. There isn't really a lot to do at the Thames, but you can take boat rides and it's easy to stop by and see before you hit up your other destinations in London.
10. Churchill's Bunkers
I loved London, but one of my favorite places that I went to, was Churchill's Bunkers. It's the underground bunkers where Churchill and his men helped fight in World War II. Everything was left just as it was on the day the war finally ended, not a thing out of place. And it's like as soon as you enter the bunkers, you're transported back in time. There's so much history down there, and I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew about Churchill and all the work he and his employees did. You do have to pay for this activity, but it's not super expensive and it's totally worth it. You can easily spend two or three hours down there, because it is pretty big an there are a lot of activities you can do.
11. The Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge you absolutely must visit. It's gorgeous, huge, and, you can easily walk across it. Plus, you can see the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London, so you can't really have one without the other. If you want, it's fun and easy to stop by the Tower of London and then walk across the London Bridge. There are great places to stop and take pictures on the bridge as well. You can go inside the bridge and I believe high up into it, but you do have to pay for it, so we didn't bother doing that.
12. The Tower of London
Since we're already visiting the Tower Bridge, obviously we have to stop off and visit the Tower of London as well. The Tower is particularly gorgeous in spring and summer, when all the flowers are in bloom, but we went in the fall, which was still very pretty. It's just incredible to be standing where there's so much history. Plus there's some really old ruins you can check out right by the Tower as well.
13. Saint Paul's Cathedral
I have always loved how old churches have looked, so naturally I had to check out Saint Paul's Cathedral. It's just so beautiful, and much bigger than I had originally thought it was. We didn't go inside because it costs about eighteen euros, and we weren't dying to get inside. We did step through the doors and kind of take a peek, but we weren't willing to spend a ton of money because we had other things we wanted to spend our money on.
14 & 15. Shakespeare's Globe and Swan
Shakespeare's Globe is a fun place to visit if you're a huge fan of Shakespeare. I loved visiting the place where Shakespeare had his plays performed - plays that I had grown up reading. Unfortunately we weren't able to physically go inside the Globe, but we were able to do something else fun while we were there. Right beside the Globe is the Swan London Bar and Restaurant, but, you can also have afternoon tea there! We had a great time enjoying our afternoon tea and looking out over London and the Millennium Bridge while rain hit the windows. The food and desserts were excellent, the tea fantastic, and the company even better. I would totally recommend checking out Swan for some afternoon tea. It's not super expensive and the food was top notch.
16. The Millennium Bridge (or as I referred to it, the "Harry Potter Bridge")
I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, like, to the extreme. I just really love Harry Potter; I have my own wand, multiple versions of the book series, all of the movies, my own Gryffindor sweater, scarf, and my own Hedwig, and that's not even making a dint in all of the Harry Potter stuff I own. So naturally when I saw the Millennium Bridge, I freaked out like a total fangirl because that is the bridge the Death Eaters destroyed in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. If you're a Harry Potter geek and you're already at the Swan or Shakespeare's Globe, then you're right by the Millennium Bridge, so you totally need to stop by and check it out/walk across it. It's a really cool structure and, well, Harry Potter. Does it get any cooler?
17. The British Museum
The British Museum is a must see if you're going to London. First of all, it's free, so why wouldn't you want to go?! Second of all, it's where "Night at the Museum" was filmed. Third, it's gigantic and there's a lot of really cool things to see. The museum is so big, we spent probably three or four hours there and hardly made a dent in it. So when you do go, keep in mind it is a lot to see, and it might be a little overwhelming at first, but just mosey around. Also, invest into a map. They cost a few euros but they aren't terribly expensive, and it's well worth it in case you want to visit certain areas of the museum. They also have a really expansive gift shop, so you can get some really neat souvenirs there. I particularly liked the Egypt section, but trust me when I say they have like, every area of the globe covered here.
18. Buckingham Palace
This is just a must-visit while you're in London. It's freaking Buckingham Palace! And, I think we are all a little obsessed over seeing the Royal Guards, aren't we? The Palace is beautiful, the guards just like in the movies and books, and it was just such a stunning sight to behold. There are a lot of people usually hanging around Buckingham Palace, and a lot of tourists, so watch your head and make sure you don't get smacked in the face with some silly person's selfie stick. You can go and tour Buckingham Palace but it is a little spendy and it only happens on certain days and certain hours.
19. Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre
After running around London like crazy people, sometimes it's just nice to sit down and enjoy a show. I have always been a huge fan of the Lion King, and if you are too, then you must see the Lion King production at the Lyceum Theatre. It's a beautiful show, and the costumes are unbelievable. There's a lot of interaction with the crowd and they have some hilarious one liners throughout the show. I recommend getting good seats and splurging a little so you can sit on the floor, right in front of the stage. Try to get an aisle seat too, because in the beginning of the production people in costumes walk down the aisles and up towards the stage. Plus, there's a bar there, and they have happy hour, so...might as well, right?
20. The Sherlock Museum
If you are a big fan of Sherlock Holmes like I am, then you must visit the Sherlock Museum! It's the neatest little house. You do have to pay to get inside, but I recommend doing it. It's a fun experience, and they have all these fun facts littered about the house, and you can see what their living would've been like during that time, if Sherlock really had been real. If you don't want to spend the money, then you can go into the museum gift shop. It's not quite the same, but there is a lot of fun stuff there and you can get some neat souvenirs.
21, 22 & 23. John Lennon's House, Abbey Road, and The Beatles Shop
I lumped all three of these things together because they all kind of fit in the same category. For all of you music lovers and Beatles fans, London is a great place for you to visit. You can find Abbey Road and take a picture of you and all your friends walking across (just like the Beatles did). Or, you can go on a little adventure and find the house that John Lennon used to live in - how cool is that?! And if you're still over at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, there's the Beatles Shop right next to it, so you can stop by there and get some cool gifts as well.
24. Platform 9 3/4
We already established earlier in this post that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, so when we went to King's Cross to catch the EuroStar to go to Paris, naturally we had to stop by Platform 9 3/4. If you are a Harry Potter geek, then you must check out Platform 9 3/4. You can get your picture taken so it looks like you're entering onto the platform, and you can choose your house color scarf as well! There's also a gift shop, so you can buy whatever Harry Potter themed goodies you want. You can also purchase your official picture inside the gift shop as well, if you don't just want the cellphone one you snapped earlier (I got the official picture; it comes in a cool frame; how could I not?!).
Those are my twenty-four places to visit while in London! There are a bunch of other places to visit too, like Kensington Palace (we went there too, but the fences were all blocked off so we couldn't see much of anything), the Doctor Who shops, and much more. But these were just the places I visited and fell in love with. So when you decide to go to London, keep these places in mind as some fun ideas. Stay tuned - my next blog will be dealing with places to visit in Paris!
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