Whether you have lived in London for 30 years or are a recent addition, there are some things everyone should have done, at least once. Tick each of these off to gain your true London stamp of being a local.
Tour of the Royal Opera House
A tour of the Royal Opera House should take you around the stunning auditorium and then behind the scenes. You can also grab a chance to see and enjoy the royal ballet in class. The Velvet, Gilt and Glamour tour takes you around the building’s beautiful architecture. You can also hear the stories of the opera singers who have frequently performed at this place.
So enjoy the Covent Garden heritage, which has been there for centuries.
Address: Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD Website: www.roh.org.uk Nearest tube station: Covent Garden
Sunday Roast at Hawksmoor
For steak, this is one of best restaurants in London. So who can you trust better than Hawksmoor with the Sunday roast? Started on the charcoal fire and finished in the oven, rump of longhorn beef is prepared and then served with roasted potatoes cooked in duck fat. You will also enjoy the Yorkshire puddings with bone marrow and the delicious onion gravy to go with it. Also has branches in Knightsbridge, Spitalfields, Seven Dials, Air Street and Guildhall.
Address: 11 Langley Street, London WC2H 9JG Tel: 0207 420 9390
Website: thehawksmoor.com Nearest tube station: Covent Garden
Comedy Nights at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Want to see upcoming talent showing its best? Be here for the comic Mondays held right here at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Shows start as early as 8pm, with complete shows of stand-up performances by talented artists. They seem to almost be on a mission to make you feel happy or smile like never before. Buy your drink and get started on the mission to the ultimate comedy. Finally, excellent value for the money!
Address: Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN Tel: 0208 534 0310
Website: www.stratfordeast.com Nearest tube station: Stratford
Tate to Tate Boat (including Museums)
You need a bit of time to do this properly. Take a boat that runs every 40 minutes to go from one Tate to the other.
The Tate Modern and the Tate Britain are connected through a boat service which takes you through the heart of London and you have lots to see on both sides of the banks. Take a map as there is no commentary on board.
The boat is the most painless journey from one Tate to the other. Both galleries have stunning lawns outside where you can enjoy the fresh air.
Website: www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-boat
Discover Books at the British Library
The British Library stocks copies of almost every publication produced in the UK and Ireland. With over 150 million items, they have been adding almost 3 million new items almost every year. Apart from exploring the exhibits in the famous John Ritblat gallery, you can also access the reading rooms after applying. You are sure to get the jewels here and that includes Beatles lyrics, Shakespeare’s first folio, drafts of the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible, Handel’s Messiah and the Lindisfarne Gospels. We are sure this is going to be the ultimate place for reading lovers or the typical bookworms.
Address: 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB Tel: 0330 333 1144
Website: www.bl.uk Nearest tube station: King’s Cross St. Pancras
Learn at the Science Museum
The most visited museum in London for lovers of science and technology, they have more than 15,000 objects on display. Major highlights are the Stephenson’s Rocket and Apollo 10 command capsule. You can participate in science debates and explore scientific principles here. Go into space with the Apollo space mission or fly with the Red Arrows. They have a bunch of themed activities to pick from and for a lot of them, a big achievement is to get down to the interactive launch exhibits or watch a film at the IMAX 3D Cinema.
Address: Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD Tel: 0333 241 4000
Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk Nearest tube station: South Kensington
Check out the Tower of London
The Tower of London should be counted among one of the finest historical attractions in London. It does witness exhausting crowds and is heavy duty on the stairs though. You are sure to be fascinated with the sight of Queen Victoria’s crown and the armour of the famous king Henry VIII. Spanning over 900 years of history, you get to see and know about the lives of the British monarchs, and learn all about the painful deaths of traitors. There is really such a lot to do and see here that you can be occupied for an entire day. Highly recommended because the tour is highly entertaining!
Make sure that the crown jewels is your first destination early in your visit. The other main attraction in the Tower is the royal armoury, where you get to see the swords, poleaxes, halberds, spiky maces and various other star tools. You can enjoy the exhibition referring to the 1680s and the redisplay of the Line of Kings. Children can find their slice of entertainment in the swordsmanship games, long bows and the coin-minting activities. Other appealing attractions of the tour are the garderobes (medieval toilets), which are not to be missed!
Address: London EC3N 4AB Tel: 0203 166 6000 Website: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london Nearest tube station: Tower Hill
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Known primarily for designing buildings, Sir John Soane also used to be busy collecting art, architectural ornamentation and furniture. He also smartly turned his house into a precious museum in the 19th century, to which he wanted students and amateurs to have access. Most of the appeal of the museum can be associated with the museum’s domestic setting, with walls opening smartly like cabinets and displaying his classy paintings.
Witness the domed ceilings in the breakfast room, the monument court, etc. Soane’s eccentricity and the imaginary monk ‘Padre Giovanni’ are among the star highlights. Recently in 2015, museum opened Soane’s private apartment and model room which was displayed to the public. If you are keen on getting a true picture of beautiful London’s past, make your way through the completely restored model rooms, bathroom, bedroom, oratory, morning room, passage and so on.
Address: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP Website: www.soane.org Nearest tube station: Holborn
Study Evolution at the British Museum
Spanning over 2 million years of the human history, the British Museum in London has a remarkable and huge collection. Founded in 1753, you get access to the world’s cultural treasures all under one roof and around the stunning Great Court, which is the soul of this museum in terms of architecture.
You get to see the typical world-famous artefacts and objects such as the Egyptian mummies, Parthenon sculptures, Rosetta Stone, etc. Not only its huge permanent collection but the museum also attracts over 6 million visitors every year to its special exhibitions, events and displays. All these have been designed to advance the understanding of the visitors of all the cultures and collections they represent.
Address: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG Website: www.britishmuseum.org Nearest tube station: Tottenham Court Road
Actually go on the London Eye
Located at the heart of this city, the London Eye rotates over the Thames and gives you a perfect 360 degree view of the capital. Set at a height of 135 metres, this is the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world, and is the epitome of perfectly designed and engineered world-famous attraction. It is not just a global icon, but also represents the capital as a modern symbol that holds 32 high-tech glass capsules. In the 30 minutes it takes to go round, you have travelled the entire city. There is also an interactive guide available in multiple languages. London never seemed so beautiful!
Address: London SE1 7PB Website: www.londoneye.com Nearest tube station: Westminster
Take a Selfie with Celebrities at Madame Tussauds
A perfect combination of glamour, beauty and history – Madame Tussauds in London holds over 300 stunning and real-looking wax figures. Get around and get clicked, these celebrities and top personalities will give you all the time in the world! You get to see the Queen, Miley Cyrus, Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Beckham and many more. Enjoy the rich history of London, ride in a taxi, know how the sculptures are at work behind the scenes. Portrayals of the Millennium Falcon and Jabba’s Throne Room are key other attractions.
Address: Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LR Tel: 0871 894 3000
Website: www.madametussauds.com/London Nearest tube station: Baker Street
Grab some mates and take a London bus tour
You can enjoy tours such as those covering the top landmarks in London, film tours and night tours. The beauty of this tour is that you do not just make your way through these attractions, but you can also enjoy lunch and shop around while aboard. If you are tired, just sit back, relax and enjoy the sight. Perfect on a day with lovely weather with people you want to spend quality time with! If it’s raining, forget it.
Locations: Hop on and off all over London Tel: 0208 877 1722 Website: www.theoriginaltour.com
Take a London Thames Cruise
It’s time to enjoy the sightseeing of the beautiful city from the River Thames on a peaceful and relaxing river cruise. Witness the most iconic landmarks and rich history away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You get to see Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament from the best angle. There are multiple river tours to help you see and enjoy this city from a different perspective. Superb dining experiences and themed cruises included in these tours don’t deserve a miss. If you want to beat the long and tiring queues, go for the pre-bookings.
Location: Cruises stop at five piers along the Thames Tel: 0207 740 0400 Website: www.citycruises.com
Tour Buckingham Palace
Counted among only the few remaining royal working places, Buckingham Palace must be visited. When you are here in the summer, you can take a tour of the most spectacular state rooms. These are magnificent and decorated with the greatest treasures from the unbelievable royal collections. Here you can see paintings of Canaletto, Rubens, Rembrandt, etc. They host special exhibitions as the mark of the summer opening. You can enjoy a memorable glimpse into the amazing royal life with the changing exhibitions every year. However, if you don’t go during the summer opening, you can always enjoy seeing the popular exterior of this beautiful palace. Don’t miss out the notable Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Address: London SW1A 1AA Website: www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace
Nearest tube station: Victoria
Explore the National Gallery
With more than 2,000 western Europe paintings right from the Middle Ages to the current time, there is lot to inspire visitors to the National Gallery. Inspiring art by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Turner, Gainsborough, Renoir and Van Gogh can be seen here. You can also explore how Eugène Delacroix influenced several generations of the artists, be a part of the special exhibition ‘Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art’ and do lots more. Free guided tours are available in multiple languages and you can also enjoy the free fun-filling activities designed specifically for children of varied ages.
Address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN Tel: 0207 747 2885 Website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Nearest tube station: Charing Cross
Explore Big-Ben
This iconic clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben should be counted among the top and most famous landmarks of London. Elizabeth Tower is commonly called Big Ben, but the name is actually given to the huge bell hanging inside the clock tower. The weight of this bell is almost 13 tons or 13,760 kg.
With the four clock faces illuminated in the night, it looks simply spectacular and gorgeous. When fire destroyed the Palace of Westminster in 1834, they decided the new construction of the building would include a tower and clock. Big Ben may refer to two historical figures – Sir Benjamin Hall or Benjamin Caunt. Take a tour of the Houses of Parliament, but remember Elizabeth Tower can only be accessed if you are a UK resident and are sponsored by an MP.
Address: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA Website: www.parliament.uk/bigben Nearest tube station: Westminster
Light a Candle at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Get awestruck by the amazing interior and famous exterior at the very popular St. Paul’s Cathedral. You can explore this iconic building with the help of touch screen multimedia guides to make way into the crypt. Here you will discover the memorials and tombs of the greatest heroes from the history of Great Britain such as the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Lord Nelson. You must also make your way through Oculus – an award-winning stunning film experience. Then make your way through the Golden Gallery, but only after you have covered the acoustics of Whispering Gallery. You get the most stunning and breathtaking panoramic views of London from the top of this cathedral, which dominates the skyline.
Address: St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD Tel: 0207 246 8350 Website: www.stpauls.co.uk Nearest tube station: St. Paul’s
Visit Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
This is the most faithful construction and working theatre which brings Shakespeare’s works to life and at its best. The open-air playhouse, designed way back in the 1599, has witnessed several plays of Shakespeare. If you are going to this theatre, get your tickets combined with the exhibition tour. The replica of the original Elizabethan theatre promises the perfect setting, particularly on a summer evening. This continues to be counted among the major theatres in London. Exhibitions and the open-air stage is the major highlight of this tour. What a treat to watch a Shakespearean play at the Globe!
Address: 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT Tel: 0207 902 1400 Website: www.shakespearesglobe.com Nearest tube station: Southwark
From royalty to the restaurants, from Shakespeare to the shopping, you can’t really get enough of this beautiful city, home to some of the biggest global attractions. Steeped in history, you must visit this city which blends the magic of the old world with the cutting-edge modernism of this age.
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