Travelogue
London was the first place in abroad that I stepped on. It was the 1st option in my mind for traveling and improving my English, like everyone else. Let’s get to know London closely, which is one of the global cultural capitals and hosts lots of people from all over the world.
Known as the biggest city of UK, London is one of the most major capitals in the world. The city has became a considerable meeting point via increasing its value in cultural, financial, tourism, health, art, education and nearly any subject you can think of. In London, you can simply come across many people from every country and every continent.
Discovering London is never too hard, which sets up on River Thames with the most famous signs of the city, Westminster Palace & Big Ben on the north bank and London Eye on the south. You can easily reach to your destination with the perfect transportation network.
- It is pretty normal that thinking of the underground metro lines designed in layers, is complicated at first, but while coming and going, you will realize that you are getting used to it.
- With plenty of double decker red buses, one of the iconic symbols of London, you can enjoy the city tour while you are transporting.
- Via modern high-speed trains you can arrive to nearby cities at a minimum journey time.
- Besides when it comes to trains, I have to tell you about the amazing Eurostar, a wonderful experience in underwater which leads you to Paris, Amsterdam and many major cities.
- Besides all of this, please don’t forget that walking is the best way to enjoy London.
For me, London is not just a city with its long skyscrapers and famous buildings, but also the tremendous parks with acres of lands. Some of the major royal parks in London which are Hyde Park, Green Park, Regent’s Park and Kensington Gardens are literally competing to each other when it comes to lands and greneeries they have. Richmond Park is the largest though, a lovely deer park which is very significant for wildlife conservation. In all these parks of London, you will enjoy your isolation from the metropol by sitting under the big trees and on the fresh grass, cycling, reading books at the sides of lakes where swans swim, even just watching the surroundings and enjoying nature.
London, the cultural capital of the world, deserve its title more than enough. You will reach the pinnacle of culture here, with the theaters which homes to the majestic premieres of many famous Hollywood films and lots of cultural activities with famous long red carpets, popular opera and ballet houses including Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall, valuable museums and art galleries like British Museum, National Gallery and Tate Britain. Also the concerts in O2 Arena and Wembley Arena in the country of lots of famous artists such as The Beatles / Led Zeppelin / The Rolling Stones / Coldplay / Amy Winehouse, will keep you vibrant, where are the heart of the music.
London is among the world’s best list, when it comes to education. The city ranked 1st in Europe with its high quality universities & colleges and it is generally the first chosen city by the international students. Imperial College London, King’s College of London and University College London are the most known ones.
Oxford Street is the heart of shopping in London. You can find everything from the most popular fashion brands to cutting-edge products in the longest street of the UK. Also Harrods in Knightsbridge area contains a lot of shops and definitely recommended for shopping lovers. Additionally it has a lovely food court that offers a wide range of flavors around the world.
As final words, even though its cloudy and rainy weather is not charming, I couldn’t agree more with Samuel Johnson, who has a well straight quote about the city:
When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.
Categories
Local Guide
LONDON FOR 3-4 DAYS STAY
PALACE OF WESTMINSTER & BIG BEN: Palace of Westminster & Big Ben which directly come to mind when London is mentioned and appeared in travel magazines, magnets, plenty of adds and literally everything about the city, are the most important icons in London and generally the first stop in travelers’ list. Located in the north bank of River Thames with its elegant architecture, Palace of Westminster is the Parliament Building of London. Just right next to it, Big Ben tower clock with a beautiful neo-Gothic style design, is as famous as the Palace of Westminster.
LONDON EYE: Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel and the most known sign of London after Palace of Westminster & Big Ben duo, London Eye is one of the most crowded tourist attractions in the city. Thanks to the stunning city views it offers and being close with Palace of Westminster, London Eye easily attracts every tourist.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE: Home of the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace is the headquarters of the UK monarchy.
TOWER BRIDGE: Usually confused with London Bridge, has its name due to the proximity of the Tower of London, Tower Bridge is a two-story collapsible bridge. The bridge is the most popular structures of London with its charming blue-white colors.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL: St Paul’s is an Anglican cathedral which built from Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London at 1666. The impressive dome of the cathedral, was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding took place at 111 m-high St. Paul’s Cathedral, which has the seat of the Bishop of London.
THE NATIONAL GALLERY: Having one of the most biggest art collections including Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Virgin and Child and Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the National Gallery is waiting for its visitors with free entrance in Trafalgar Square, based on the motto of “art for everyone.”
HYDE PARK & KENSINGTON GARDENS: Neighbouring Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park is he largest royal park in the central. Divided by The Serpentine and The Long Water, Hyde Park is the most known park in the world after New York’s Central Park, with green acres of land. At the end of the park, you will step into the Kensington Gardens without realizing it and face with Kensington Palace, the home of the British Royal Family.
PICCADILLY CIRCUS: Piccadilly Circus intersection has had the famous neon sign buildings for many years and it was built to connect Regent’s Park with Piccadilly. Literally we can say to Piccadilly Circus as the Times Square of the USA. It is the top preferable meeting points in central London with its vibrant neighborhood. The Antheros statue of Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in the middle of the junction, is mistakenly known as Eros in public.
COVENT GARDEN: Known as a fruit & vegetable market in the past but now Covent Garden is one of the most alive tourist attractions in the city with its ideal place of mixing the shopping, food and entertainment. Especially on weekends it gets very crowded with lots of street artists who make you have a good time. In here while enjoying your meal, at the same time you will pass out by the sound of pleasant music.
TOWER OF LONDON: Having a place in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, locating the north side of Thames River and nearby of Tower Bridge, Tower of London is a historical castle in the city center. Although the main purpose of the castle is keeping the criminals and traitors and executing them, Tower of London also used for many reasons like treasury & armory building, zoo etc.
CAMDEN TOWN: For me, here is the most creative and cultural place in London. With famous artistic graffiti on the buildings, painted objects, the music comes out from iconic pubs and its unique atmosphere, Camden Town is alive at any time of the day! It is the most preferable shopping places of London including Stables Market and Camden Lock Market, Camden Town is waiting for you with its books, 2nd hand goods, clothes, antiques and much more.
TRAFALGAR SQAURE: The square is one of the most frequented locations in London with has The National Gallery in the north, Nelson’s Column in the middle and four lion statues guarding it. Before visiting the museum you can chill out by the ornamental pool, have some snack and watch people running in opposite directions while enjoying your coffee.
LEICESTER SQUARE: It is quite normal that you encounter with Hollywood stars on the long red carpets at movie premieres in pedestrianized Leicester Square.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Located at the west of Palace of Westminster, London’s sublime church Westminster Abbey is known for its coronation ceremonies and burials. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married here. Many important figures from the royal Families was lie here with Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking.
KING’S CROSS ST. PANCRAS STATION: The most occupied station in the whole London. If you are planning to visit city by underground, then you will eventually meet King’s Cross St. Pancras, which has 6 lines. This station has been a haunt for people who change lines, get off and want to look inside. Once you realize the beauty of the elegant interior, you might not stop yourself for a ride. See the statue of John Betjeman’s, one of the important Victorian architects. Don’t forget to take a photo at Harry Potter’s famous Platform 9¾.
IF YOU HAVE AT LEAST 1 WEEK:
IN LONDON:
Containing millions of valuable items, lots of museums and libraries waiting for you in London. If you have one week, there are other places both in and outside the city that you can spend the whole day.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: The museum makes a gorgeous start with a huge Diplodocus skeleton named Dippy, welcomes you via instantly taking your attention just after entering. You'll also be stunned when you see the gigantic Blue Whale skeleton, which can be mistakenly known as a dinosaur. Natural History Museum is literally a cultural treasure with millions of pieces from a wide range of collections such as zoology, botany and entomology.
BRITISH MUSEUM: You will need an entire day if you fully want to experience this amazing museum which has more than 8 million works and 4 km space in total. In British Museum a lot of items come together from around the world. The most important ones are; The Rosetta Stone, The Sutton-Hoo ship burial, Grayson Perry’s The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, Mummy of Katebet, Crouching Venus, Parthenon Sculptures, Bust of Ramesses the Great, The Ife Head.
BRITISH LIBRARY: UK’s national treasure, The British Library is one of the major libraries in the world with approximately 200 million works.
HOLLAND PARK: It is a romantic green park located in Kensington. More smaller than the other parks in London, Holland Park has a little Japanese garden named Kyoto Garden. Definitely the right choice for everyone who seek a peaceful day without the crazy crowds.
ROYAL OBSERVATORY: In 1675, the observatory was built by King Charles II in Greenwich to have the locations and movements of stars, is thought to be the 0 point with dividing the world into east and west via the Prime Meridian.
RICHMOND PARK: As the largest park in London with an area of 955 hectares, Richmond Park is an important national nature reserve, offering breathtaking sceneries from wildlife. Also known as a natural deer park, a full day should be spent here.
OUTSIDE LONDON:
The lucky ones who have more than 2 weeks, can make time for a day trip or a few nights stay visiting the cities and important sites such as Oxford, Brighton, Cambridge, Surrey, The New Forest, Bath, Hertford, Eastbourne, Stonehenge which can be easily reached from London.
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Ned Maeshahi
June 22, 2021 at 3:06 pm.what a nice article, that made me interested in to scouting London. Keep writing on, Have a nice luck.
giz.k
June 22, 2021 at 5:50 pmReally appreciate, glad you like it! Thanks for reading 😊