Welcome to London! Images of Big Ben, Tower Bridge and double decker busses are a few things that are brought to mind when you think of this city. Amongst those images are ten reasons to visit London if you ever find yourself here. Actually there are more then ten reasons but thought you might want to find some of your own reasons when you visit this city yourself.
1. National Gallery
I am not one of those people who live for museums or any type of art when I travel. Or so I thought. The National Gallery changed all of that for me; now it is one of the things I love to do when I travel and that is walking through the art galleries.
It was impressive being able to sit in front of a painting and see all the intricate details that went into painting the work of art that you see on the wall. Or walking from one to the next and knowing that each painting will not mirror any of the other paintings but you might be able to tell you painted them because many of the artists I found have a distinct signature in their paintings.
Mrskirstyholl / Pixabay
2. St. Paul’s Cathedral
Can you imagine walking through the cathedral where Prince Charles married Lady Diana? I couldn’t either; it was surreal to be there knowing this is where they recited their vows. While there, I stayed for one of the 30 minute services. As I was sitting there, I looked around and noticed they had cherubs all around and if you looked straight up at the ceiling you will notice the angels painted on it.
One thing to remember when visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral is that you are not allowed to take photos inside the building unless you receive consent from the press office.
Unsplash / Pixabay
3. Westminster Abbey
I never realized how many memorial stones were in Westminster Abbey before visiting there. Did you know there is a memorial stone inside the west entrance to the abbey for Sir Winston Churchill? Or that Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I are buried here. I didn’t know any of this until I stepped foot inside the Abbey.
jensjunge / Pixabay
4. Buckingham Palace
Did you know you can visit the palace’s state rooms when they are open to the public in August and September? I didn’t know that until after I had visited London. If I had known then I would have worked out a way to see the inside of parts of the palace. Not all was lost since I have seen the Changing of the Guard. But you will want to check out the schedule on when this occurs when you visit the city. Here is the site for more information on this. After clicking on the link then you will want to check out the FAQ for the Changing of the Guard.
MD_Janiska / Pixabay
5. Tower Bridge
I have seen many different bridges during my travels but by far my most favorite bridge is Tower Bridge. For any of you movie buffs out there; did you know that a scene from ‘The Mummy Returns’ was filmed on Tower Bridge? I only wish I would have walked across the bridge the last time I was in London.
6. Tower of London
One fascinating thing about the Tower of London is that you need to step onto a conveyer belt in order to see the Crown Jewels. Not sure how I thought I would be able to see the jewels when I was there but conveyer belt wasn’t what came to mind when I thought about it.
While there, you should also check out the White Tower, Medieval Palace and catch a tour given by one of the Yeoman Warders.
7. River Thames
Stevebidmead / Pixabay
8. The London Dungeon
This is a great place to check out if you want to learn more about some of the horrors that London experienced; Jack the Ripper and the great fire of London. You can even take a boat ride through the dungeon in the dark.
9. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum
It was cool walking through the museum and seeing these life-size figures that make you feel you are standing next to the actual person the figure resembles. Don’t take my word for it; check out this photo I had someone take of me with Samuel L. Jackson and Nicholas Cage.
10. Hyde Park
No visit is complete without walking through Hyde Park and seeing Peter Pan’s statue and the Italian Fountains. The park was as huge as I thought it would be so make sure you give yourself enough time to walk through as much of it as you can.
Stevebidmead / Pixabay
I would love to hear your thoughts on London if you’ve ever visited this city or if you ever decide to plan a trip here.
I just spent five days in London and we went to see all the places on your list. My favorites were the Tower Bridge and Big Ben of course. At night with all the lights the city is gorgeous.
I would go back just to see Tower Bridge again except this time I would see about walking across it.
As I live in and love London, I love this post too. My favourite thing to do is to take a look at the Houses of Parliament, then cross Westminster Bridge and walk down the South Bank, all the way to Borough Market. I also love taking the boat to Greenwich. You should do that next time as it’s stunning!
That is one of the things I do remember was crossing the bridge heading to the Houses of Parliament though I didn’t stay on the bridge long enough to look out over it. I wish I had done that now but I will definitely have to do that when I go back. Thanks for the tip, Sarah.
London is amazing, I absolutely love this city and I am counting down for my visit in February! Loved this post!
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It is one of my favorite cities but it has been years since I was there.