Sunday, August 29, 2010

My Seven Pence on Traveling in London

London is a great city, full of history and heritage for people around the world, not just British citizens. As an American I was acutely aware of the connection between the United States and Britain while on the Bus Tour. As one of the tour guides said, turning to John and I, “Just think, all this could have been yours if you would have just paid your taxes.”

So, having spent 4 and a half fairly successful days in London, here are my observations to help make your trip just as enjoyable.

  1. London is surprisingly walk-able. What seems like a long way on the map might not take you that long to walk. At one point John and I walked from Buckingham Palace to Oxford Street and on to Edgware Street, which I was convinced would take us an hour or two, but only ended up taking about 30 minutes.

  2. The open top bus tours may seem touristy, but they’re worth it. The bus tour is the perfect first day adventure. If you only have a day or two in the city it orients you quite quickly and allows you to see many of the sites that you may not go out of your way to stop at, but are interesting to see nonetheless. If you are spending longer in London the tour will help you get your bearings, learn your map, and decide which sites are worth going back to, via the tube or a stroll. The tours also have great perks like discounted tickets and shorter entrance lines to attractions, and the Original Tour John and I went on also included a free River Cruise, which we didn’t end up taking because of time and the fact that we had already been on the river.

  3. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to see a lot of great things. Both the Tate Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery have free admission, and an afternoon stroll through Hyde Park or the Covent Garden Markets are a great way to experience the city without spending too much.

  4. The Tower of London is worth the entrance fee. This was by far my favorite site in London, and it will take at LEAST half a day to do it well. It is a bit expensive (14.5 pounds for a student, 17 for an adult) but you can explore the whole Tower complex, go on a tour with a Yeoman Warder, take an audio tour, AND see the Crown Jewels of England, which are very impressive all on their own. There is over 900 years of history at this site and I was sad to leave even after spending the bulk of our first day there.

  5. Explore the side streets. Bow Street is home to two beautiful churches, but it is only accessible on foot. This is just one of the many side streets worth checking out on a long city walk; the perfect balance to the tourist-y nature of a bus tour.

  6. If you are planning on using the Underground more than twice, buy a pay as you go Oyster Card. This morning John and I discovered that a trip to St. Pancreas with our Oyster cards was 1.80 pounds, without it the trip was 4 pounds. It also gives you discounted admission on River Cruises. It will pay for itself in no time.

  7. Pounds are a pain. Of course the United Kingdom wants to be different and use the pound instead of the euro. Go with it. Things will be cheaper in France.

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