London, by far, is one of my favorite cities on the planet. Bursting with energy, culture, and cute British accents, I just could not get enough of the capital city of England and I found myself experiencing a new adventure each and every day.
Check out this guide for some suggestions on how to spend one week in London.
The British Museum
British Museum, London
The British Museum is lovely, wonderful, magnificent, and spectacular (yes, every single one of those adjectives).
After visiting a number of museums across Europe, the British Museum was definitely one of my favorite museums to visit. The British Museum has permanent exhibitions that include artifacts from Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Asia. One of the best things about the museum (other than it being open daily) is that it is FREE! Yes, your pockets will thank you.
Location: Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Tower Bridge
Jumping in front of the Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge is an interesting bridge that crosses the River Thames. It is probably most recognized around the world as being the bridge that held the Olympic rings when the Olympics was hosted in London in 2012. The bridge is free to walk across, take a bus across, take pictures of, and jump in front of, but there is a charge to climb to the top and view the exhibition.
Location: Crosses the River Thames near the Tower of London to the north, and City Hall to the south.
Tate Modern
Francis Picabia, Otaiti at the Tate Modern
Located in the ultra-hip South Bank area, the Tate Modern is one of the most visited modern art museums in the world. The exhibits are constantly changing, but there are some mainstays at the museum that are sure to excite the eye and challenge the senses. The Tate Modern is also free (with the exception of the special exhibitions).
Location: Bankside, London SE1 9TG, United Kingdom
Platform 9 3/4
Platform 9 3/4, Kings Cross
Harry Potter fans rejoice! Platform 9 3/4 does exist, and you can find it at King’s Cross (just make sure you end up in London, and not New York like this little Harry Potter did).
Personally, I know almost nothing of Harry Potter, yet it was fun to experience traveling to Platform 9 3/4. The line at the platform moves fairly quickly and it is free experience. Make sure you bring your own camera to capture the moment of passing through the wall onto the magic platform!
Location: Kings Cross Station, Euston Road, London N1 9AL
Hangout in South Bank
Skate park in South Bank
South Bank is such an interesting and cool place to hang out. Whether you like to eat, people watch, or just have fun, South Bank has something for everyone! I especially liked watching the kids skate at the skate park (pictured above), people watching, and eating at Wahaca’s Mexican Street Kitchen.
Getting There: (Bus) RV1 towards Waterloo/ South Bank (Tube) Blackfriars, Southwark, Embankment, Westminster
Pub Crawl
The beginning of the Camden Pub Crawl
I went on a pub crawl with some people I met on my walking tour and we had an AMAZING night. We chose to go on the Camden Pub Crawl, which we found on the Undiscovered London map. The CPC also happened to have very high reviews, which is another reason we chose to go on, and we got a really good amount of drinks for the price we paid!
Other Things To Do in London:
There are so many other things to do in London and it is impossible to name them all, but here are a few more things that I did on my trip. Check them out!
- Visit Korea Town (and eat Dak Galbi too!)
- Take a walking tour and meet some people
- Check out street art in Shoreditch
I lived here for 2 years and didn’t get a chance to do all of these 🙁 Loving the scarf on the platform photo. Oh you forgot the ever famous photo of the Abbey Road crossing!
There was so much more that I did that I did not include, I was thinking of doing a Part 2. Living in NY it is the same for me, people who visit for a short time always do way more than I do! 😀 Thanks for Abbey Road! I actually did not go there this trip, but the next trip I will make a point of visiting it! 😀
Haha, I used to work as a bar crawl guide in London. Fun but intense job. You should add Borough Market to this list, best place to go for foodies!
Thanks for the suggestion Milly!
This has me itching to go back to London. I think I should have a rule that every time I go to Europe, I have to step foot in London for at least a week 🙂 The other cities can wait.
I love London so much, I had to resist stopping there this year on my return, but if I am back in Europe next year it will be high on my list to visit again 😀
Camden is one of my favorite areas in London to hang out. It’s a very alternative culture, but lots of live music and interesting people watching. I’ve been on quite a few pub crawls through there.
Hi Nick! I found Camden to be a lot of fun 🙂 I can’t wait to return!
I’ve yet to make my first trip to London. I know… hard to believe, right? I’m kind of dying to go, though. I’m a big fan of free museums, too!
Oh London is wonderful and you cannot beat free 😀
Our last London visit was just 48 hours. So many pubs, so little time.
Mindi that is very true! It looks like a visit is in order 🙂
LOVE London! I was there for 2.5 weeks last summer and was based near Wimbledon (oddly enough, the finals were happening while I was there), so I spent a lot of time in South London. The waterfront there is really lovely, lots of parks around, and some of the roads are great for biking. Also, Tower Bridge is a favorite for sure! Then again, most any bridge calls my name ;D
You’re so lucky to have had 2.5 weeks! I wish I could have spent more time there 🙂 I love bridges, I think I walked across almost every one of them!
UK no doubt one of the most attractive place to visit. Great country with rich culture & London of course is one of the most beautify part of the country.