Spending four months in a city close to London, I've gotten quite familiar with the city. I finally understand the underground maps, I know I've got to plan everything beforehand and not to trust too much on Google Maps.
London is an amazing place, honestly. I don't think you can say 'I've been to London once, so I don't have to go there anymore.' Genuinely, it's a large place, not something you can see in 4 days. You can go to London over and over again and still discover new places, something I think is amazing.
London is divided districts. There are about twenty-five districts, and in my four months of being there, and some other small trips I did to London, I've seen about ten of these districts. So you can imagine how big of a city it is. Some districts are obviously much more interesting and enjoyable than others, and, another important detail, more central than others.
South Bank
One of the districts that you'll most definitely visit when you're in London is South Bank. It's close to the Big Ben and House of Parliament and in the district itself, you'll find the London Eye, the National Theatre, and the British Film Institute. Taking the underground to Westminster, you step out to see the Big Ben and House of Parliament, walk over the Westminster Bridge to see the London Eye and to get a view of the Thames. The standard tourist attractions, but not necessarily the most fun you can have in South Bank. If you walk past the long line of people waiting in front of the London Eye, you’ll find nice shops and restaurants, and, if you’re lucky, a cute little market as well. Walk a bit further and behind the National Theatre, you’ll find a nice little food market. In South Bank, you can just have an easy, relaxing stroll past the Thames and get an incredible view of London as well. Keep on walking and you’ll see Waterloo Bridge all the way to the London Bridge and Tower Bridge. And if you made it that far anyway, bring a visit to Borough Market to fill your tummy after the walk you made.
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an interesting district, one you should, in my opinion, definitely visit.
There’s a lot to see in Nottingham and a lot of culture to be found. It has cute little streets with coloured houses and lovely doors. Walk down a bit further and you’ll find cute markets all over the streets. Notting Hill is full of vintage, antiques, musical culture and diversity. The Portobello Road Market is a must see as well, if you’re into vintage and antiques.
Leicester Square / Convent Garden
Piccadilly Circus, who hasn’t heard of it? Big screen flashing with commercials, traffic all around and a fountain in the middle. A place you will most definitely visit when you’re in London. In Leicester Square, you can also visit Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, which doesn’t have an admission fee so it’s definitely worth a visit (I mean it’d also be worth it when there was but free is always good isn’t it?). Regent’s Street also starts on Piccadilly Circus which is a beautiful shopping street and goes through Oxford Street which is another great shopping street. My favourite part about Leicester Square is just the atmosphere. It’s buzzing, has a nice vibe and it’s lively. Yes, there’s a lot of tourists, but it doesn’t matter because people are there to have fun and you can feel it. China Town is also in Leicester Square and oh my, they have some tasty food.
From Leicester Square, you easily walk to Covent Garden, which is worth a visit as well. It’s one of the main shopping and entertainment districts of London, and it’s fun! First of all, I’ve visited a musical in Covent Garden, Aladdin, and it was amazing! So much more than I expected, definitely something you should do if you have the time and money! In convent Garden, you’ll find beautiful luxury stores and it’s an amazing area to just walk around.
Camden
Camden is what I would describe a young, alternative area. It’s buzzing with people and stores that sell alternative clothes. Tattoo shops all around, and diverse people on the streets. Camden holds the Camden Town Markets, something you must visit when you’re in London. The Markets are hidden away and fun to walk through, where you can buy clothes, accessories, interior bits and fun gadgets. And it all ends in a great food market where you’ll just want to try everything.
Greenwich
I saved last for best. Greenwich must be my favourite district out of all. Probably because this district kind of surprised me.
There’s a lot of interesting things to find in Greenwich, which means you can easily spend all day in this district. It has small markets around the (fun) shopping streets and Greenwich Market. This is an indoor & outdoor market with anything from handcraft items, to clothes, to interior bits to food. And the food market there is great. Around the market, you’ll find some interesting shops as well so look out for those. In Greenwich, there’s also a lot of beautiful old colleges that are lovely to see, and behind those, you’ll find Greenwich Park - a large park that’s super lovely to have a stroll in, and it will bring you to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. And if you’ve visited that you’re treated by an amazing view over London City. The vibe in Greenwich is very different from other parts in London. I’d say it’s a lot calmer, not as touristy even though some parts are still very much packed with tourists. It’s definitely worth a visit if you have the time.
As I said before, there’s a lot more to see than just these districts and if you’re going to London for a couple of days I would definitely recommend planning ahead what you want to see. Some of these districts you’ll have seen in about 2 hours, but in others, you’ll want to spend some more time. Everything is so easily accessible with all the underground and trains so you can easily travel from one district to another.
I hope this post was at least a little bit helpful, I at least had a lot of fun writing it!
Comments
Post a Comment