The time has finally come to write part 2 of my London Travel Guide! This is long overdue, but I am excited to be able to write more about one of my favorite vacations. In my London Travel Guide (part 1), I generally discussed some information regarding planning your trip to London, as well as some important information I learned during my visit. In this post, I wanted to discuss some of the specific places I explored as a first-time tourist. Over the course of our six days, we saw, ate, and explored sooo many amazing areas. As previously discussed, London is HUGE, so, I will not be able to write about everything we did. Honestly, every corner you turn there is something to do or see, so when you do travel to London, you will not have a difficult time finding something to do. With that being said, I wanted to write about some of the more "touristy" places for first-time visitors.
1. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is definitely a location you must visit, especially if it is your first time in London. While the palace itself is beautiful to look at, the surrounding grounds are equally impressive. There is a park located next to the palace to stroll around, a pond, as well as various paths leading out into the city. As expected, this area is crowded at almost all times of the day. While visiting, you must witness the Changing of the Guard ceremony. It can be difficult to see the actual process if you are not close to the gate, but you will be able to see a bunch of guards march and play music out of the surrounding area and into the streets. While it is crowded on a regular basis, during this time, it becomes extremely crowded (to the point where it can be difficult to move). I recommend getting to the palace and securing a spot close to the gate at least an hour or two before the ceremony is scheduled to begin, which is around 10:45am.This ceremony does not take place every day (it depends on the time of the year/weather/other circumstances) so be sure to research when it will be occurring during your visit. Even though the crowds can be daunting, Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard ceremony are on top of my must-see list for first time London visitors!
2. Big Ben
This famous London landmark is a must see for all visitors. The surrounding area itself is beautifully lined with historic buildings, various bridges, and the Thames. There is a lot of action around this area, especially when you cross one of the many bridges and head into a boardwalk-like atmosphere, which is where the London Eye, street vendors, and other activities are located. Unfortunately, when we visited Big Ben in 2018, the landmark was under construction, so a majority of the famous building was covered-up with scaffolding. However, the area itself was still beautiful, and there was so much to see and do. Big Ben's five-year construction phase is scheduled to be finished by the year 2021. I will definitely be using Big Ben's construction as my excuse to visit London again one day!
3. Abbey Road
My dad's favorite band is The Beatles, so we definitely had to go visit Abbey Road. Although this was a little difficult to find at first, it was worth it. Essentially, you are walking through a regular, residential neighborhood for a good portion of the walk to the famous spot. We did not see many people along our walk, which made us feel as if we were going the wrong way. However, you will eventually come to a crosswalk that is surrounded by a bunch of people taking pictures, along with street cameras, and a recording studio. Abbey Road has street cameras pointed to the famous crosswalk so you are actually recoded a you cross. I thought that was pretty cool, especially since my parents were able to watch and record us crossing the famous path live. If you search "Abbey Road Cam"into your web-browser, you will be able to view the street at any time. There was also a gift shop in the recording studio, so you are able to purchase all of the Beatles merchandise and memorabilia that you need. Even though I am not a big fan of the band, this was still a cool experience.
4. Stop and Explore EVERYTHING
Like I said, there is something to do, see, explore, and eat everywhere you look in London. It would be impossible for me to write about everything we did, so if you travel to London, make sure you take the time to stop and explore everything you come across. Some of the other areas we came across and explored during our trip include Covent Garden, Borough Market, the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Theater (a reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre), Hyde Park, various gardens and palaces, and so much more. Six days in this city was definitely not enough time to explore everything London has to offer.
I hope this post provided you with more insight on what to do when you visit London. Be sure to check out my London Travel Guide (part 1) in addition to this post since I discuss even more activities over there, along with tips for planning your trip. Furthermore, I plan on writing one final post (part 3) about my trip to London. That post will discuss the day trip we took from the city to visit three famous locations, which was an amazing experience. Looking back on my trip makes me want to go to Europe again so badly...hopefully we are able to travel again soon!
Many more adventures to come,
Ashley
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