Once you are in London, you will be overwhelmed with the variety of things to do. In this post, I have highlighted some of the top things that you can consider.
Be a Tourist
If you are visiting London for the first time and not a frequent traveller, then you must want to “tick off” the most iconic places in London. Here is the list of top 10 “must see” attractions with details.
- Buckingham Palace and Change of Guards
- Tower Bridge
- House of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Palace
- St Paul’s Cathredral
- Tower of London
- London Eye
- Sky Garden
- Emirates Cable Car O2
- View from The Shard
- Harrods
- Madam Tussauds
Stand on Meridian Line or Prime Meridian at Greenwich
The meridian line in Greenwich represents the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0′ 0″). The line runs across the courtyard of the Royal Observatory and is the dividing point between the eastern and western hemispheres. Read our Royal Observatory Greenwich guide to see more details. Also, see where else you can see Meridian Line in London.
River Cruise on Thames
You can enjoy cruise at Thames river. People also use scheduled boats for daily commute and there are tourist boats as well. Read the Thames River Cruise guide to check which options are better to use.
Ride on Santander Bikes
Santander Cycles is self-service cycle hire scheme which has 13000+ cycles available for hire for short time. You can pick from one docking station and leave at any docking station. Every days more than 73000+ cycle hires are made. See more details as to how you can hire and use these bikes for short trips within London city centre.
Enjoy a Musical Show
Going for Musicals and Theatres is one of the “must” things to do as part of London Nightlife. The longest running show is “Mousetrap” that is running for last 65 years. One of the most popular one is “The Lion King”. See full guide to Best Theatre Shows and Musicals in London.
Afternoon Tea
One of the British tradition is going for an Afternoon tea. There are 100s of venues from luxury 5-star hotels to traditional tearooms and quirky places, to suit every occasion and pocket. See some of the best places to have Afternoon Tea in London.
The Slide at ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Stratford Park
ArcelorMittal Orbit is the UK’s largest scuplture (114.5 ft) and observation tower. It has got the world longest slide that is 178m long with 12 twists. See full guide on Obrbit to get details around opening times, ticket and deals.
Pub Crawl
Pub crawling is very popular in London. You can do pub crawling with your friends or this gives you opportunity to make new friends. As a visitor, you can go with a group for pub crawling. See guide on Pub crawling.
Visit free museums
You can see world-class art and exhibits without spending any money. Discover London’s free museums and galleries – History museum which is famous for its Dinosaur skeleton (now replaced with Blue whale), V&A museum, Tate Modern etc. See full guide of Best museums in London that you should consider visiting.
Shopping at London
London is full of shopping areas and shopping street with high end luxury stores to street shopping, large shopping centres to boutique shops. See the Shopping guide to the best shopping options in London
Night Tour of London
You can see the city light up in the night. You can visit the touristic places when it is bit dark or there are many tours who operate night tours. See full details of night tours.
Try Street Food at Market Stalls
Street food is very popular in London. There are markets with regular food stalls that are mainly used as lunch options by office goers. As a visitor to London, you should must try at least one of the street market stall. See full guide of street food market and venues to choose which one is near to your base.
Curry at Brick Lane
If you enjoy Indian/ Bangladeshi cuisine, you must visit Brick Lane street. The street is full of small “curry” restaurants. You can always negotiate a discount of 20-30% on menu price. See the guide to Brick Lane restaurants.
Take a Selfie with London Street Performer
When you are in London, you can find amazing street performers. There are places like South Bank (Near London Eye) or Trafalgar Square where you can see performers in costumes and “living statues”. As this is what they do for living, you should spare a pound or two to take a selfie with them.