A Guide To London - What Should You See?

London is one of my favourite cities in the world, London is famous for the queen, Big Ben and its amazing prices. But it's a double-edged sword, London is also famous for rude people, crowded streets and ridiculous prices. London is not for everyone, I completely understand that and that is why I would never live there.

What do I Like Most About London?

Before I get into my guide, I'd like to mention what I like most about London - the massive diversity, not just that there are so many cultures represented in the city, but also the fact that there is so much to see and do. This guide will cover the best and most iconic things to see in London, as I can't cover everything because there is so much to see and do in such a sprawling metropolis.

As for diversity, there are so many restaurants that have different cuisines from many countries all over the world and things that you can have in London that are scarce in Scotland. An example of this is that nearby to where Stockwell tube station there is a Brazilian supermarket, there you can buy cans and bottles of Guaraná at the fair price of 89p a can. Furthermore there are decent food places for some of my favourite foods such as banh mi and Korean food which is very easy to find in London.

What Should You See If You Visit London?

First and foremost the first thing you should set yourself to see in London is Big Ben in Westminster, one of the most iconic buildings in Europe. However, currently it is having maintenance done on it and that means you won't be able to get a good photo opportunity as it is covered in Scaffolding. However, it's not all bad as you can get a picture standing on Westminster Bridge with the view of the London Eye. 

As for the London Eye across the bridge, in my opinion it is worth the price of admission for just one time, I have been on the London Eye twice and the last time was in 2016. You can expect some really amazing views of the city, however, the price is around £33, so you should decide whether or not you want to pay go on a massive ferris wheel. 

A stone's throw away from the London Eye is Buckingham Palace, you can't go inside of the palace and it is heavily guarded, but if you're a fan of the Queen it's a must visit, but apart from that there's nothing special about going to Buckingham Palace.

The next place you should go to is Piccadilly Circus and the nearby Trafalgar Square. Piccadilly Circus is London's very own version of Times Square with digital screens and has a bit of a touristy vibe with souvenir shops and a few places to do shopping. Trafalgar Square is a great place to get pictures and is where Nelson's Column is located. A statue of in commemoration of Horatio Nelson whose fleet famously fought against Napoleon and died at the battle of Trafalgar. Great place to get a picture of not just the statue, but also of the lions surrounding the statue. Adjacent to the statue is of course the national gallery, but to be honest I have only been once, as it's not really my kind of thing.

If you're interested in museums, it's worth mentioning to visit my three favourite museums in London. Starting with the British Museum, great thing about this museum is that it's free and for that price it is definitely worth a visit if you're in London. The British museum is HUGE, you couldn't see everything on a single visit, there are articles from all over the world, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Greek Parthenon and the Rosetta Stone. 

My second favourite museum is the Natural History Museum, it is also free admission and you can just about go through the museum within about 1-2 hours. The building of the museum is very ornate, but inside you can see skeletons of countless different specimens and the history of the many creatures on earth. Nearby to this museum there are two other museums, however I haven't yet visited them.

If you're interested in military history, then this one should interest you, the Imperial War Museum is free to visit and it's a great museum about mostly British military history. It has history of both World Wars and also many conflicts that the UK has been involved in such as the Iraq War. There you can see a variety of relics such as warplanes, military weapons and tanks. 

Next I recommend a visit to Tower Hill, which is where the Tower of London lies, the Tower of London is brilliant but it has its problems. The price of admission is way too steep - for me, a student it was £23, but if you're an adult it's £30. If you're not willing to pay that price then I would say it's better to simply give it a miss, because it's extremely crowded and you will spend a lot of time waiting in a queue, especially if you want to see the Crown Jewels. However, if you do decide to burn 23 quid, the Tower of London has some great exhibits on the history of the castle, all about how people were executed and brutally tortured there. There's also exhibits about the royal family and the fusilier museum which is an exhibit on the history of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and the many campaigns they have fought over the years - definitely worth a visit if you go to the Tower of London. 

Right next to the Tower of London is the Tower Bridge, one of the most iconic bridges in Europe and is one of my favourite landmarks in London aesthetically, however I do not believe that it's worth a tenner to go up the tower of the bridge when you can walk across it for free and is a great place to get pictures. Nearby is HMS Belfast, a formal naval Warship and is now a museum about life in the navy during World War Two. It costs about £18 to go in, but I'd say it's worth it if you're interested in the history of World War Two, you can walk around the ship freely and can get great photo opportunities either in front of the guns or sitting on the captain's chair.

If you want to do shopping there are countless places to visit, most notably Oxford Circus which features a myriad of high street shops, my favourite one being Nike Town which has multiple floors, however, Oxford Circus is one of the most crowded places in London and it may test your patience, you should avoid the areas of Oxford Circus and around Tottenham Court Road tube stations. From my recent experiences, these places feel like Shanghai - especially in the evening.

What Should You Know Before Visiting London?

First of all, it is very important that you make use of the public transport in London, it's a big place and taking the tube will save you time, you can find out where you need to go through Google Maps and can simply pay for the tube using contactless. Avoid taking a black cab taxi as they are bound to rip you off, but if you need to get a taxi ride just use Uber.

London is also really expensive as you already may know, tickets for sightseeing experiences such as the London Eye are well over £20, not only that but taking the tube, going out for a meal or buying souvenirs will cost a tonne.

People in London can be very apathetic, they seem to always be in a hurry and will get super frustrated if tourists get in their way, on the other hand though, it is a very British thing to say "sorry" all of the time, if you bump into someone, then it is likely that they will apologize despite them not being at fault.

If you are arriving to London by air or need to catch a flight at one of the multiple airports, it is good to know how to get from whichever airport to the centre of London or vice versa. Heathrow is the easiest to get to and from the centre as it is merely a tube ride. However, if you're flights at Luton or Stansted, then you will have to get the train, Liverpool Street station has trains to Stansted and to get to and from Luton you can take the Thameslink train which takes about 40 minutes. Avoid getting the National Express bus to the airport unless you have already purchased a ticket online.

In conclusion, London is a great city to visit, it's one of the most international cities in the world, the museums are fascinating and there are countless things to see and places to eat.