Tips for a first trip to London!

Transportation in London

The best way to move around London is the subway called the "tube". You can use a contactless debit/credit cards or buy a "Oyster card" that you can top up.(there is 5 pound deposit to get a new card bur you can get it back if you give back the card).

Top views of London

- The Shard - reservation needed - London highest view. You may also want to book in one of the restaurants located in the tower

Location: London Bridge

- Sky Garden - free but on reservation only - bookings are only available 2 weeks before the visit but don't miss the date! https://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit

Location: In the centre of the City of London, Monument is the closest tube station, just a few minute’s walk away, and Tower Hill, Tower Gate, Aldgate, Bank and Mansion House are less than a 10-minute walk.

- Primrose Hill (see below in recommended walk - Camden area)

Location: Chalk Farm station

- Tate Modern terrace (see in Museum section)

Location: Blackfriars, Southwark

- Madison - Rooftop terrace in a Manhattan style restaurant. Bookings are recommended, you can have there dinner or drinks.

- Radio Rooftop Bar - Located in the 10th floor of ME London, you can enjoy views across the River Thames and London’s impressive skyline.

Location: St Paul

- Heron Tower - SushiSamba and Duck & Waffle are two restaurants on the high floors of the Heron Tower. They are all connected by staircase so you can easily visit both of them. Bookings are highly recommended esp. for Sushi Samba (Japanese-Brazilian fashionable restaurant). Duck&Waffle is open 24h/24 but you can also go there to enjoy a nice cocktail.

Location: Liverpool St, Aldgate

View from Heron Tower

Nice walks/areas to see (not specific order): 1. Walk along the Thames from St Katherine's Dock to St Paul Cathedral

Start the walk from St Katherine's dock (closest tube: Tower Bridge or Aldgate). Take the direction of Tower Bridge, have a look at Tower of London on your right before crossing the Tower Bridge. Then follow the walking path on the right along the river. When arriving close to London Bridge, you can have a break and enjoy a light snack in Borough market. After the break, continue the walk along the Thames passing the famous Shakespeare s theatre until the Tate Modern (see in free museum below). You may want to enjoy a nice view of London from the top of the balcony of the Tate Modern.  2. Walk from Westminster to Hyde Park (going through St James Park and Buckingham Palace) If booked in advance, you can visit the Parliament (very recommended!): https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/

During summer, if booked in advance you can visit Buckingham palace: https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5ZC_gKyC5AIVhbTtCh3ySgCOEAAYASAAEgINmPD_BwE

Start the walk from Westminster tube station and have a look at the UK Parliament and Big Ben! Then, head towards St James park (opposite direction of the river). Walk through the park until Buckingham Palace. If you are lucky, you can even see the Horse Guards Parade. Every morning the ceremony of Changing of the Guard takes place at Horse Guards Parade (11:00 Monday - Saturday, 10:00 Sunday). All details here: https://changing-guard.com/life-guard-schedule.html Continue on Constitution Hill street or through Green Park until Hyde Park Corner. Covering 350 acres, Hyde Park is London's largest open space and has been a destination for sightseers since 1635. One of the park's highlights is the Serpentine, an 18th-century man-made lake popular for boating and swimming. Hyde Park is also where you'll find Speakers' Corner, a traditional forum for free speech (and heckling).

3. Nothing Hill Porto Bello Market (Saturday morning) If you are a fan of the movie 'Nothing Hill', this is the place to go to! On Saturday morning (only), you can also go there to enjoy the world's largest antiques market! Closest tube: Nothing Hill, (Ladbroke Grove) 4. Camden Market and walk up to Primrose Hill (beautiful city view on the top of Regent's park) Start with the Camden lock market, grab some street food and then head towards Primrose Hill to get a magnificent view of London! Closest tube: Camden or Chalk Farm (close to Primrose hill) 5. Shoreditch & Bricklane market (on Sundays) Start with the Old Spitafield market (located close to Liverpool St station), then head towards Bricklane Street. There is a great food market (mainly) happening every Sunday. Come around lunch time and you can grab some street food! (from everywhere!) If you prefer, you can also stop in one of the Indian restaurants in Bricklane. A very typical trendy Sunday! Closest tube: Liverpool St, Old Street, Shoreditch HighStreet (Overground) Other iconic places to visit:

- London Eye - very busy and touristic. You absolutely need to book if you want to visit: https://www.londoneye.com/tickets-and-prices/  (this costs around ~30 pounds)   Location: Waterloo, Westminster

- St Paul Cathedral - The largest and most famous of London's many churches - and undoubtedly one of the most spectacular cathedral's in the world. The price of admission includes entry to the Cathedral floor, crypt and the three galleries in the dome. Buy in advance online to save up to £3 per person and gain fast-track entry. If you do not wish to visit the Dome, the cheapest way get into St Paul is to attend a mass.  

Location: St Paul tube, next to the financial City

- Harrod's - iconic department store located between Hyde park and Kensington/Belgravia area   Location: Knightsbridge tube station. South of Hyde park

- Royal Albert Hall - London's most iconic venue

Book a concert, a sport event (e.g. tennis), Le Cirque du Soleil (January) or BBC Proms (summer). You can also book a guided visit

Location: South Kensington, just south of Hyde Park

- One of the London football stadium. Watch one of the Premier League football game. The easiest tickets are probably for West Ham.

Free Museums: https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/museum/free-museums-in-london [Good option if bad weather]

- British Museum: Access to the permanent collection – including highlights such as the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures  

Closest tube: Russel Square 

- Natural History Museum [beautiful external and internal architecture] - the building worth a quick visit!  

Closest tube: South Kensington

- Science Museum  

Closest Tube: South Kensington

- V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum): hosts one of the greatest collections of art and design objects in the world (more than 2.3 million items)  

Closest Tube: South Kensington

Note that these three museums are located next to each other

- National Gallery: more than 2,000 paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century at the National Gallery. See works by Western European masters of painting such as Da Vinci, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Van Gogh.  

Closest tube: Charing Cross

- Tate Modern: modern and contemporary art. Find world-class paintings, photographs and performance art, embrace the stunning view of the river from the gallery’s cafe, and explore the newly-opened Blavatnik Building.  

Closest Tube: St Paul (but need a small walk to cross the bridge), Blackfriars, Southwark Shopping areas: - Oxford Street (very mainstream and all department stores) and Regent's Street - Covent Garden - Harrod's (see above) - Tube: Knightsbridge

- Primark - two stores in Oxford Street (one close to Marble Arch tube station and one close to Tottenham Court Road)

- If you are after large malls, go to Westfield White City (375 stores) and Stratford (via central line) Nice areas to go out:   - Picadilly/Leicester square > book a Music Hall! Go to Picadilly circus by night! You can also find a M&Ms and a Lego store next to Leicester square. China town (literally two streets) is also next door.  - Shoreditch/Old Street > this is a quirky, popular and fashionable area where you can find speak easy bars     Recommendations for nice cocktails: NightJar - speakeasy bar (you need to book in advance): https://barnightjar.com/  ; Callooh Callay bar (better to book): https://www.calloohcallaybar.com/    Lots of bars around Old Street/Commercial Street    Closest tube: Old Street/Shoreditch High Street (overground line)  - Soho (inc. gay area) > this is the most central area, plenty of bars and clubs    Closest tube: Picadilly Circus, Leicester Sq, Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road  - More speakeasy bars across London here: https://thenudge.com/london-bars/the-ultimate-london-hidden-bar-guide/

Restaurants: Plenty of great restaurants in London and very international! Indians in Bricklane, Italians, French, Spanish, Chinese (in China town), Korean, Japanese, There are not that many "pure" British dishes but you may want to try: Sunday Roast on Sundays only, a pie or a fish & chips in a pub, and a pint of beer! Booking are recommended esp. on Thursday-Saturday night. You can book here: https://www.opentable.co.uk/ There are a lot of nice restaurants in Charlotte Street if you are in the center (close to Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street Tube station). Enjoy and don't forget your umbrella!