What To Do In London - The Mini Guide

What To Do In London - So you have a ticket to London, now what? London is a city that basically has it all, but for many it’s often hard to know where to begin.

It has great shopping, beautiful architecture, awesome nightlife, parks, markets and lots of things to look at!

A weekend in London will be packed with stuff to do – here is my all inclusive holidays guide to a great weekend trip to London:

Getting Around:

Many of the places of interest are concentrated in one area so you can walk between them, however, the public transport is quite good and by using the subway you save a lot of time.

A day pass is a good idea to get, it costs 6£ and is valid from 9.30 am and lasts all the day until 4.30 am the next morning – you can use the pass both on subways as well as buses.

Things to do:

Parks And Speakers Chair

London is full of beautiful parks to hang out in on a nice day or stroll along the green alleys, so take some time to slow down the pace in the parks between shopping.

St James park and Hyde park are two big parks located right in town which are both very nice.

In Hyde park they have something called ”speakers chair” every Sunday, where  people stand on a stage and talk about whatever they want in a microphone for whoever wants to listen.

If you have the guts, you’re welcome to get up there yourself!

St James park is a beautiful park to check out after or before a visit to the Buckingham palace.

Changing of the Guard

The changing of the guard at Buckingham palace at 11.30 every morning is a big tourist attraction. Don’t hold any high expectations on the actual ”show”, especially not in bad weather (which isn’t too rare here), but it’s worth a look just to experience the crazy crowds.

London Eye

The London eye actually gives a great view over London, and it’s especially beautiful at night. But even the area itself is worth a tour, there is a pretty cool area full of Graffiti art right nearby.

The best view of Big Ben is from the Westminister bridge going between the London eye and Big Ben, and who doesn’t want that iconic photo shot?

Shopping

Oxford street is the place for shopping. There is something for everyone here, and for most budgets.

But for an actual experience, head to Harrods. Perhaps buy something really small as a souvenir from this place, or just window shop around this historic, exclusive shopping complex.

Markets

London has HEAPS of markets; Small, big, famous and unknown. Camden market is one of the more popular ones, and it’s a fun place to buy things from local unknown designers.

Covent garden also has a market, and after some shopping you’re likely to see some awesome street performers on the square.

This is the square where famous street performers do their acts.

Nightlife

For a beer at a cosy pub with good atmosphere and intimacy, The Cittie of York on High Holbourn is a good choice. The pub has a very traditional design, and you sit in little wooden booths.

For the cheapest beer in town, Ye Olde Cheesire pub on Fleet street is the place to go. The pub is the oldest in London, and they brew their own beer out of town.

For a real club experience, Cafe  1001 is a cafe and DJ bar on a side street in Brick Lane which we got a tip about from a local guy. Many tourists don’t know about the place, but it’s a huge hits among the people living in London.

Where And What To Eat:

It’s almost more “typical” to eat international food than the traditional British food in London.

Cuisine from all corners of the world can be found here, so make the most of it!

Restaurants that are located a bit out of the central areas are of course a lot cheaper. The smaller streets around Kings Cross have some good deals, but chances are that you will be in the center for lunch.

There are a lot of  ”all you can eat” buffets spread around the city center in London, especially Chinese cuisine, but also a lot of Indian restaurants.

For good Mexican food, Chilango is a great Mexican eatery located at five different places across the city. We ate at the one in chancery lane 6, and the burritos and nachos were awesome.

Where To Sleep:

We recommend Clink 78 hostel, a hostel right next to Kings Cross. It’s located in a nice area with a village feel to it, with small streets and cozy cafes and pubs.

The staff at the hostel are very helpful and informative, and more than happy to share their local tips and favorite spots around the city. Ask them anything and they will know, if not they will check it up for you.

You get a big breakfast buffet included in the stay, and they also have a pub downstairs which is very popular with the guests. If you want to cook your own food there is a big kitchen there as well.

A pretty cool detail about the hostel is that it’s actually a restored 200 year old Courthouse with a few authentic prison cells. and a courtroom used as an internet room.

Get out: Take the scenic train to Wales, and experience the Welsh culture only a few hours away. And since London is, well, London, cheap flights leave the airport every minute!

(photo credits: Trodel - _dChris)