Now that I’m moving to London, I figured it’d be a good idea to revamp my London Bucketlist with all your suggestions. I am still looking for more things to add so feel free to comment below. You can also check out my New York City Bucketlist if that’s more your style!
Here’s the List:
SEE/DO/TOUR:
Piccadilly Circus
London Eye
Tower Bridge
Walk Along the South Bank
Big Ben
Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross
West End Show
See the Inside of Buckingham Palace
Sky Garden
Sherlock Holmes Museum
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Greenwich
Primrose Hill
Tower of London
Churchill War Rooms
Shakespeare’s Globe
Double Decker Bus Tour
River Cruise
Regent Park / Queen Mary’s Rose Garden
Kensington Palace & Gardens
Natural History Museum
Winter Wonderland
Skating at Somerset House
DAY TRIPS:
Bath
Brighton
Cambridge
Hampton Court Palace
Harry Potter WB Studio
Oxford
Windsor Castle
SHOP:
Borough Market
Harrods
Regent Street
Oxford Street
Covent Garden
Liberty of London
Carnaby Street
Portobello Market
Burberry Flagship Store
Camden Markets
FOOD/DRINK:
Bottomless Brunch
Shop for Tea at Fortnum and Mason
Afternoon Tea at The Orangery
Mr. Fogg’s Gin Parlour
The Shard
Madison Rooftop Bar
Sketch London
LONDON LIFE EXPERIENCES:
Move/Live There
Christmas
Get a Proper Post Grad Job
I highly recommend high tea at Fortnum and Mason. Its quite expensive but the experience is worth it. Plus the queen has tea there so in my opinion it’s worth it.
Also if you make it to London for Christmas the Hyde Park Christmas Market is a must see.
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Perfect! Thanks so much
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Sherlock Holmes Museum!!! I’ve never been to London myself but I’ve heard that it’s really nice! :)
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Cool! I’ll look into it :) thanks
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Great list! I would definitely recommend the Regent Park / Queens Rose Garden
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Thank you! I’ll add those :)
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What about a play at The Globe?? That is an amazing experience, even if you’re not a “play” person. I love London, so this post is awesome!!
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How did I forget to add that?! I’m obsessed with Shakespeare :) thanks!
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😍👌
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Hmm, don’t do the Shard (too expensive, and if the weather is bad you won’t see much) and instead visit Tower Bridge instead. You can walk across a walkway high above the river, and they have recently installed a section of glass flooring. If you go at the right time, you can see the bridge being lifted – from above. How cool is that? :D
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Good idea! I’ve crossed the Tower Bridge by bus but walking it definitely sounds better :) and thanks for the note on the Shard – I’ll change it to “be treated to a meal and/or drinks” lol
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I have done High Tea at F&M and also Afternoon Tea at The RItz (we had to book 6 months in advance though for the Ritz!)! F&M is great as you can choose to have a hot dish instead of finger sandwiches and the tea selection is amazing.
For The 39 Steps, we got last minute tickets for £10, an hour before the performance. It’s a small theater and we still got good seats. It’s not a very long production so I am glad I didn’t fork out a lot of money on it.
I’d recommend seeing a play at Regent’s Park Open Air Theater in the summer (I went two weeks ago for my birthday and it was fantastic). Have you done the British Museum/Natural History Museum, V&A.. etc.? Fascinating and even better, they’re free :)
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6 months in advance?? That’s crazy. And good to know you can get such a good price for last minute tickets! I’ll look into the regent park theatre and museums :) Thanks for the tips Robyn!
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I know! And we didn’t even get the exact date we wanted that far in advance…
Yess, you can get cheap last minute tickets for West End productions, but not necessarily the most popular ones (Phantom, Lion King, Les Mis etc.) as they sell out.
Glad to help :)
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Great list Samantha! London is such an upbeat and cool city there’s never short of things to do.
I’d also highly recommend exploring Camden Town (must for any first-time visitors), Carnaby Street (for food and shopping), Soho (popular gay area but filled with great restaurants), and Shoreditch (the uber trendy side).
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I rented an airbnb with friends in Camden last time I went, such a cool area :) I really want to go to Carnaby street, thanks for the reminder! I’ve been to Soho, super fun and have yet to visit Shoreditch. There really is no shortage of things to do! Thanks Shelyn :)
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Great list! I’m spending Christmas in London this year, pretty excited for the Christmas markets. I have to say the number one thing on my London list is to make it to the borough market! I always seem to have bad timing.
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So lucky!! I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see the borough market this time around and it’ll probably be even better around Christmas :)
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Great list. What about the British Museum?
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Oddly I’m not super big on museums but that’s a really popular one, so I’ll give it a shot! :) thanks
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It’s a really awesome museum. The only drawback is that it’s free and therefore half of London is there with you.
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Nice that it’s free! I guess I could look up the times of day that it’s less busy
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I’d highly recommend seeing The Lion King or Billy Elliot as your West End show. I went to see them earlier this year and thought they were amazing!
Glad you have been to Borough Market. I love that place! I am currently living and working in London (before I leave to head to Oz in Decemeber) and I think I will try and do some of the things on this list that I haven’t done yet.
My parents are coming to visit in October and I’ve told them we are going to go and see the Crown Jewels. I saw them when I was v
younger but can’t really remember it. What did you think?
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Hope the list helps you make the most of your last couple of months! I saw the Crown Jewels back when I was 15, and from what I remember I wasn’t in complete awe. I’m sure it’s still worth seeing though!!
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I love Kensington Palace- I was finally able to go to Afternoon Tea there, absolutely lovely! I would also wholeheartedly recommend Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Westminster is busy but has so much history while St. Paul’s is incredibly peaceful but awe inspiring!
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I’d do Camden too definitely! It’s my favourite place in London.
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Proms at the Royal Albert Hall!
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I like your style! Cool! Bye. Kamila
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Those are nice ideas! I moved to London some months ago and there is so much to see! I recommend “Roka Aldwych”, “Sticks n Sushi” and “The London Cocktail Club”. If you’re there around Christmas, the “Winter Wonderland” is quite nice to visit :)
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Thank you so much for the tips!
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London is also one of my favorites! Your list is great, here are few additions:
The Tate Modern, St. Pauls cathedral whispering gallery and gold gallery up top, Pay a bit extra for the verger led tour of Westminster Abbey it’s so worth it, Walk across the Tower Bridge up top, Covent Garden, Tour Buckingham Palace in the winter when it’s limited to 30 people per tour, if you like shopping check out Selfridges Denim dept., The London Eye – but buy your tickets in advance…
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Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to add those :)
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Hi I am not sure if this has been mentioned but you might look into going up the Sky Garden. It is free, you just need to reserve in advance and the views over London are wonderful. Also you can go up into the bar area of Duck and Waffle for a drink and views if you don’t go for a meal. You might want to check out my recent post on London as we went to some fun historic pubs, like The Old Cheshire Cheese. Another option is do a day trip to Windsor Castle. So many options and so much to do in and around London you can’t go wrong no matter where you wander.
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Thank you so much :) I’ll be sure to check it out!
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The Sky Garden at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street cheaper than the Shard because… it’s FREE! You need to book in advance & will need photo ID (passport will be fine). Then try The Gherkin. You’ll pass Spitalfields Markets if you walk from The Gherkin to Brick Lane. That should fill up a morning or afternoon for you. Some links to my posts on some of these suggestions:
https://thefujifreak.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/architecture-20-fenchurch-street-london/
https://thefujifreak.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/brick-lane-london-e1/
https://thefujifreak.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/return-to-brick-lane/
Good luck on your travels…
Tony
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I’ll check it out! Thank you :)
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My pleasure, Samantha…
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We moved to London a bit over a year ago, amazing city to live in! definitely intern over here if the opportunity ever comes up. Here’s a couple of my picks to add:
– Maltby markets: near Borough, not as big but a lot cooler, I reckon.
– Gordons wine bar: hard to get a table, but worth the effort to have a wine in a piece of living history
– Emirates cable car: alternative to the London Eye. Way cheaper with similar views, and the Eye is always way too busy to be fun.
– Skygarden: see it has been mentioned, but book a ticket when they come out a couple months in advance (free, just need the time slot) to make it up for sunset.
– Vincent Rooms: excellent for a little bit of dining luxury on a budget – this is a training programme which spits out some of the best chefs in Europe. They do amazing meals and impeccable service, but for bargain prices.
– Camden markets.
– watch a movie in a fun place: one of the many rooftop bars in deck chairs over summer, or on a beanbag in an abandoned tube station. Book as soon as you have your travel dates though, they sell out quick.
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Thank you for all these tips! I’m going to be visiting London for 12 hours next month (sadly a short trip but at least it’s something!) and we are trying to book the sky garden but I’ve never heard of the cable car. I’ll look into that too! Will try to check out more markets as well :)
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Liberty of London is my favourite shop in the city! Definitely not to be missed. Out of most people’s budget but just nice to browse round and has a lovely tea room inside!
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On your next trip you should definitely visit Greenwich! It’s beautiful and the view of the city from there is stunning! :)
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As a Canadian studying abroad in the UK, I can’t get enough of these posts! I’ll definitely be giving all of your articles a read before deciding where to travel. As for London, I’d recommend checking out The Mae Deli or Who Loves You for yummy and healthy eats :)
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Thank you, I’m so glad to hear! And I will make note to check out those spots :)
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No Tower Bridge?! It’s iconic!
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It’s there! :)
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Perhaps you ll be around for this year’s lumiere fest as well!
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The British Library (near Euston station) also has some good exhibits on, and loads of interesting stuff is kept their, if you’re into history and literature 😛
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Love this list :) Hampstead Heath is a really nice area of London to wander round too, it’s almost like its own little town in the suburbs of north London!
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Try the Underground Film Club http://www.undergroundfilmclub.com/ and watch a film in a disused tube station.
Cahoots Bar – A 1940’s bar in Soho in the disused Kingly Court Underground. It’s like being transported back in time. https://cahoots-london.com/
I love the V&A Museum, Hyde Park, Portobello Road Market just to name a few. If I think of any more, I’ll let you know.
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Salted beef bagel from Beigel Bake 😁 Sunday upmarket and brick lane area also has some pretty great food stalls/vintage shopping on Sunday’s! Hope you have the best time in London!
Xx
Vivien
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Awesome list! Consider getting hot cocoa in the Corinthia Hotel lobby and if you’re not into that the cocktails are pretty great too! It’s incredibly beautiful!
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Sounds lovely! Thanks
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Brick Lane Market & the Columbia Road Flower Market on Sundays are a definite must! :)
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Thanks for the tip :)
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Great list! Good luck with completing them all!
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Thanks!
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My favourite thing about London is there’s always something new to do every time I visit. Temporary exhibitions at the Wellcome Collection next to Euston station are perfect if you’ve just got a couple of hours in London changing trains. They’re generally on some aspect of medical history – gruesome interesting.
I would add the V&A and the British Museum – even if you’re not big into museums the buildings are lovely, and they’re free so it doesn’t matter if you can only manage half an hour before museum burnout (been there!). The courtyard cafe in the V&A is a nice oasis for a cup of tea too.
For a free skyline view you could try the OXO tower. It looks like you have to go to the restaurant when you get to the top, but if you want to just look at the view they’ll just show you to the balcony. It’s not the highest, but still nice.
Hope London life lives up to your expectations!
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Wow thank you so much for all the tips! And I agree, there’s always something new which makes it so exciting. It’s impossible to see it all!
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Wow so many places…. Wish I could see them all :)
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So many! And that list barely scratches the surface
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Ha… That is called wanderlust 😀😉
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Ohhhhh how I miss London! I Lived there for 5 years and all of these suggestions sound fab! The Blues Kitchen was my local :)
My favourite weird museum was the Hunterian Museum and my favourite place to eat was Kingsland Road in Hackney, the Vietnamese restaurants there are sooo cheap and delicious. Oh enjoy!!
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Greenwich is one of my favourite spots but already on your list. Bonfire Night (5th of Nov) at Alexandra Palace or Primrose Hill is something that I’d recommend if you don’t have plans, seeing London lit up with fireworks is special.
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I would highly suggest adding Jellied Eels from a proper East End pie and mash place to the food list. You won’t really be able to say you’ve been here until you do. This one is sublime and there’s a street market just outside: https://drunkenbunny.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/g-kelly-eels-and-pies-bow-london/ or if you don’t want to leave the city centre that far there’s a really good fishmonger that does these in the Borough Market (where you can easily gain a lot of weight): https://drunkenbunny.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/jellied-eels-at-from-boat-to-borough-market-london/
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Check out Highate and Muswell Hill too if you have the chance. I used to live between them and Highgate Village is one of the most beautiful areas in London. Other firm favourites are: Greenwich, Honor Oak Park for One Tree Hill, Crystal Palace and Brixton Market for some real London vibes
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Thanks so much!!
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This is a great list! I have so much left to do..going to use this as a point of reference. I am just too lazy to compile one of my own :)
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Thanks! I’m going to create some other lists for more off the beaten track and unique experiences too :)
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