12 Tourist Places In London, Which You Should Visit
London is the dream of many travelers and it is not for less! It is a city of contrasts and in a permanent state of boiling: when you travel to London, there will be shows, festivals, art exhibitions, millions of possibilities for shopping, green spaces and international cuisine. To all this are added the typical classic postcards of the city with its Big Ben, the Thames or Buckingham Palace.
Still living in that city would take months - if not years - to discover it whole, so today we propose an itinerary in 12 tourist places in London. This way you guarantee that you will see the most relevant of the city to absorb its entire atmosphere. Are you ready?
1-Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market
We begin this itinerary of the 12 tourist places in London through the neighborhood that Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, where they popularized in the movie “Notting Hill” and is today a must-see reference in the city.
This neighborhood has a special charm with its low colorful painted houses - like that of the protagonist of the film Notting Hill located at No. 280 of Westbourne Park Road - the small shops and even the bookstore where some scenes of the film were filmed. It's all so picturesque that it will leave you in love. On the weekends, the streets are filled with visitors to hunt for a bargain at the Portobello Road Market, which, although open every day, is on Saturdays and Sundays when it collapses.
2-Regent's Park & Camden Town
No doubt you should visit in London, the most casual, bohemian and at the same time multicultural face is Camden Town. It is the neighborhood where music and literature icons such as Amy Winehouse, George Orwell or Charles Dickens chose to live or where others began to give their first concerts such as Radiohead or Blur. It is an alternative area with several markets - the most famous is Stables Market - where you will find everything a bit, from clothes, ornaments and souvenirs to the best cuisine and all with that irreverent air that will catch you.
Very close to Camden Town, and to leave the tumult behind, you can stroll through the Regent's Park - near where the researcher Sherlock Holmes had his office that today you can visit - and the Regent channel where you can take a walk in a boat
3- London Beatles Walk Abbey Road Crossing
This route through the 12 tourist sites continues through the Regent’s Park area to take you to one of the most famous pedestrian crossings in the city, the country and the world. It is the street that the Beatles crossed and was portrayed on the cover of the album “Abbey Road”.
Although you are not very fan of this British group, it is a mandatory stop because of its relevance in the history of world music. Ah! And if you're going to cross Abbey Road… let your family and friends know so they can see you live! How? Yes, they have installed cameras that record 24 hours a day and broadcast live and can be viewed online. Click here to see people cross the famous street. You can visit the studios and even leave your signature on the wall of the Abbey Road studios.
4- London's Hyde Park
If you want to relax you must visit one of its best known parks in London: the Hyde Park. The truth is that if you look on the map you will see that it is a large green space consisting of several parks and gardens but that it can be - in a very generic way - divided into two: on one side of the lake “Serpentine” is the Hyde Park and the another the Kensington Gardens with the palace where the British royalty resides.
Hyde Park is immense, so you can visit the most significant enclaves such as the Speaker’s Corner and it’s funny because people are going to give their speeches on different topics. He became famous during World War II as it was the only place where, on a stool, one could speak ill of Churchill and his policies.
Another icon in the Hyde Park is the Lady Di memorial or you can also take a walk on the banks of the Serpentine and cross one of its bridges. Finally, we recommend that you visit Kensington Palace and its gardens to learn more about the life of the "blue blood". Get ready to walk in a space see royalty.
5- Buckingham Place:
[caption id="attachment_730" align="alignnone" width="640"]
Buckingham Place[/caption]Since you are in Hyde Park, this circuit through the 12 tourist places in London takes you directly to Buckingham Palace, residence of the Queen of England, where you can see the changing of the guard at 11.30am.
Not far away you can visit the Winston Churchill Bunker where he and his government cabinet sheltered from German bombing during World War II. A few meters from here you arrive at 10 Downing St. where the British Prime Minister resides.
The route continues a few steps from there, in the British Parliament (Palace of Westminster) and its clock that is the great icon of London: Big Ben. To end this “Royal Icons” circuit, a must-see is to the Westminster Abbey (Westminster Abbey) where the kings are crowned - and buried - since the beginning of the 11th century.
6-River Thames
One of the places to visit in London is the River Thames, but cross it over the Westminster Bridge and start touring what is known as the "Southbank". Start walking to your left and you will pass in front of the London Eye (back to the immense world from where you get good views of the city), the British Museum, the National Theater, the Tate Modern Gallery and the Shakespeare's Globe, a replica of the theater original dating from 1599 in which the English playwright and his company represented his works.
If you are hungry after the walk, you are in the right area. Not far from the Shakespeare’s Globe is the Bourough Market with a varied gastronomic offer and at relatively good prices. After the meal, take Bourough High Street towards the Thames and you will find the London Bridge. Continue along the riverbank until you reach, a bridge beyond, to the arch-famous Tower Bridge - another of the icons of the British capital. Cross it to access the other riverbank and visit the “Tower of London” there, which was a fortress, prison and even royal residence over the years.
7- Piccadilly Circus
The time has come to explore the most famous streets of London, with its neon lights, its shops, its street art and its imposing theaters. These tourist places in London, locals and travelers from all over the world congregate.
Let's start with Piccadilly Circus, a popular enclave surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants that is a classic in London. From there you can walk to the area known as the West End, where most of the capital's theaters are concentrated and not far away is Trafalgar Square with Nelson's column, fountains and lions in front of the National Gallery. If you continue walking a few more streets you will reach St. Paul's Cathedral and Covent Garden, a very lively neighborhood of Victorian buildings whose central square is always lively with street artists and an imposing flower market.
A “hidden” and very picturesque middle corner is Neal’s Yard, a curved street that leads to a colorful square with tiny bars and very nice restaurants… don't miss it!
8-Soho, London
One of the most visited places in London is the West End area. There is Soho is a must see where you will find the famous Carnaby Street or Old Compton Street full of alternative bars, restaurants and super original shops. Also, in the SOHO area is the ChinaTown. It is an ideal area to visit at night and have drinks.
9- Walk on Oxford Street
After crossing the London Soho you will reach the commercial heart of the city. It is one of the busiest streets in London. Perhaps it is due to the number of stores it holds per square meter. It has stores of major international brands, as well as restaurants and bars to rest after so many hours of shopping. It is a street that you must visit in London.
If you go through it you will go through the emblematic Bond Street - founded in 1700 and known for the opulence of its stores with exclusive and design brands and about 400 meters and you will reach one of the corners of the Hyde Park
10- Go To High gate Cemetery
. A cemetery as an essential visit? You will stay with your mouth open in this “open-air sculpture museum” that is a bit gloomy and chilling. The cemetery, dating from 1839, is divided into two blocks that can be visited - for each block you have to pay an entrance fee: the West and the East (west and east).
If you walk the many trails you can admire catacombs, mausoleums and Victorian neo-Gothic tombs with Egyptian influences. In this cemetery it is popular because many famous people such as Karl Marx, Lucian Freud, relatives of Charles Dickens are buried and even admire the curious piano-shaped tomb of musician Harry Thornton.
11-East end of London :
To know the new trends in London, you have to visit the area that has become fashionable: the East End. It is a multicultural area full of art with a lot of history.
Here you can visit the Whitechapel market and the Whitechapel Art Gallery - an area where “Jack the Ripper killed his victims” - or the Petticoat Lane flea market. Two of the most important enclaves of this East End are the Spitalfields Market, which is an old Victorian house converted into a market where you can find real jewels: from vintage clothing and antique furniture to souvenirs.
The other very fashionable enclave that you must visit is Brick Lane. It is a few streets where you will find many of the works of Banksy and other urban artists, there are many alternative stores, ethnic restaurants and trendy bars with live music. These places to visit in London, ideal to go with your friends and be surprised of the crazy life in this city.
12- The British Museum
No guide with the best to visit in London would be complete if we didn't talk about its thousands of museums. The vast majority are free and are located in the areas that we have mentioned throughout this guide with the places you must visit.
Some examples are: the British Museum, the Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, the National Gallery or the Natural History Museum.
How many days to be in London?
According to our guide of 12 tourist places in London it could be 3 days By London taxi. Thinking that you do not enter any museum, just walk the streets and see many of the sites “outside”, such as the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey, you can do it in 3 very intense days.
The itinerary would be as follows:
Day 1: points 1 to 4 included
Day 2: points 5 to 9 included (you must make some subway ride)
Day 3: points 10 to 12 included (you must make several subway journeys).
If you have at least one or two more days you can see everything more calmly and, in addition, you will have time to visit a museum ... all are very interesting and most are free!
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