ENGLAND – London
JUMP TO – kensington gardens / hyde park – buckingham palace – st. james’s park – trafalgar square – national gallery – westminster abbey – big ben & the house of parliament – london eye – tate modern – millennium bridge – st. paul’s – tower of london – tower bridge – abbey road studios – notting hill – sherlock holmes museum – high rises – sports & entertainment venues – cars & taxis
DAY TRIPS – windsor castle – cliffs of dover
kensington gardens / hyde park
In the Kensington Gardens, there’s this 900 year old tree stump inhabited by tiny little elves called the Elfin Oak. It’s by the pirate ship. Seriously.
You can take a paddle boat down the Serpentine in Hyde Park. (underground: Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Queensway or Knightsbridge)
buckingham palace
You know, where the Queen lives. From 11:30am-noon, you can watch the Changing of the Guard parade. Get there early for a good spot.
At night, it’s quieter, and you can see the postman deliver the Queen’s mail. (underground: St. James’s Park or Green Park)
st. james’s park
The park across from Buckingham Palace with a picturesque park bench. (underground: St. James’s Park)
trafalgar square
A busy public square with a column and big lion statues next to the Charing Cross roundabout and Admiralty Arch. (underground: Charing Cross)
national gallery
A major art gallery that’s free! That’s unheard of, right? There’s really no excuse not to go unless you completely hate art. You can see van Gogh’s Sunflowers, paintings by Michelangelo, Rembrandt… In Trafalgar Square. (underground: Charing Cross)
westminster abbey
It’s where the Queen becomes the Queen. They’ve been doing coronation ceremonies here since 1066. (underground: Westminster)
big ben & the house of parliament
The unmistakable clock tower as well as Parliament’s Palace of Westminster, which includes the House of Commons and House of Lords. (underground: Westminster)
london eye
The giant Ferris wheel along the river Thames. Fair warning, on the rare sunny day in London, it can get pretty warm enclosed in a slow moving glass pill capsule. Buy tickets ahead to save some time/£. (underground: Waterloo)
tate modern
Famous modern art gallery on the banks of the river. (underground: Southwark)
millennium bridge
Opened in 2000, it’s a pedestrian bridge that links the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe with St. Paul’s. And the one that gets destroyed in the beginning of Harry Potter 6. (underground: Blackfriars)
st. paul’s
London’s main cathedral that luckily survived the bombings during WWII. (underground: St. Paul’s)
tower of london
It’s the home of the Crown Jewels and also where they used to torture people…
One of the Beefeaters, the guards of the Tower of London, guides us through. He’s pretty entertaining. (underground: Tower Hill)
tower bridge
You can tour the middle of the bridge for a panoramic view of London over the Thames. (underground: Tower Hill)
abbey road studios
The Beatles’ recording studio!
Bring a sharpie to sign the white wall outside the studio before posing for the album cover crosswalk pic (remember the third person should go barefoot like Paul…).
For the ultimate Beatles experience, you can check out the Beatles themed coffee shop by the tube station. (underground: St. John’s Wood)
notting hill
Peruse through the Portobello Market in this colorful area of London. (underground: Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove)
sherlock holmes museum
For Sherlock Holmes fans… Also, the walls of the Baker Street tube station are decorated with ceramic tiles with Holmes’ profile. (underground: Baker Street)
high rises
London has funny nicknames for their high rises. One is synonymous with a pickle…
The Shard by Renzo Piano (left)
32 London Bridge Street (underground: London Bridge)
The Gherkin by Norman Foster (right)
30 St Mary Axe (underground: Liverpool Street or Aldgate)
sports & entertainment venues
All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
The tennis courts where they host the Wimbledon. (underground: Wimbledon – FYI, it’s a mile walk from the station)
Wembley Stadium
Catch a football (soccer) match in this 90,000 seat stadium. (underground: Wembley Park)
The O2
Concerts and sporting events are held under this white dome with its crown of yellow support towers (originally called the Millennium Dome). (underground: North Greenwich)
Globe Theater
If you’re a Shakespeare fan, you already know this was Shakespeare’s theater. The original circular theater built in 1599 was destroyed in a fire in 1613. The one you see today is a reconstruction built in 1997, which puts on events and plays like Romeo & Juliet. (underground: Southwark or London Bridge)
West End
It’s the main entertainment district in London, with some of the busiest tube stations. It’s basically the area around Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Shaftesbury Ave. By the way, Piccadilly Circus is not the elephant standing on a rubber ball kind of circus – like I may or may not have originally thought – it’s London’s Times Square.
Stand along the red carpet of a movie premiere at the Odeon or a attend a musical at the Lyric Theatre. You actually get assigned seats at the Odeon and an usher escorts you. (underground: Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square)
cars and taxis
Day Trips
windsor castle
The royal residence outside of London. Take the train to Windsor & Eton Central or Windsor & Eton Riverside.
cliffs of dover
To really see the white cliffs, unobstructed from the Dover Ferry Wharf, follow the 2 mile hike from the station, or take a taxi to the Visitor Center. To get to Dover from London, take the train to Dover Priory.
Explore more of London
or take the chunnel to Paris
