London Things to Do

With Eurostar trains taking a mere 2 hours and 20 minutes from Paris to London, there’s no reason why you can’t be dining atop the Eiffel Tower one night and enjoying Afternoon Tea at the Ritz the next. In fact, it’s so easy to hop between the 2 capitals, that it’s even possible to take a day tour to London from Paris.

The world’s oldest underground train system, dating back to 1890, riding on the London Tube or the London Underground is an unmissable experience for visitors to the English capital. With 275 tube stations, you can get just about anywhere in London on the trains, but navigating the vast train network may seem like an insurmountable feat to newcomers. Here are a few tips to make sure your journey goes smoothly.

From watching the changing of the guards at the lavish Buckingham Palace to exploring the dungeons of the infamous Tower of London, there are plenty of things to do in London, but before you embark on a tour of the British capital, here are a few things NOT to do.

England’s longest river running all the way from the Cotswolds Hills in Gloucestershire through to the North Sea, the Thames has long been the lifeline of London running right through the heart of the city center and flanked by many of the city’s key attractions.

With warmer weather, more daylight hours and the sun finally reemerging from behind the clouds, spring is the perfect time for sightseeing in London.

One of England’s most iconic television series dating back to 1963, the BBC’s hugely popular science fiction series ‘Doctor Who’ features a fictional time traveler whose escapades are filmed on location in central London. The cult series, still running today with an alternate cast, celebrates its 50th anniversary in November 2013 and there’s no better time for fans to follow in the footsteps of the beloved eccentric.

With the Mayor of London instigating a cycling revolution in the British capital, London has worked hard to cement its reputation as a bike friendly city. A fun, eco-friendly and cheap way to get around the city, London offers a surprising array of bicycle routes even for those unaccustomed to urban cycling and a large number of the city’s sights are easily accessible by bike.

London’s most popular paid-for tourist attraction and one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the EDF Energy London Eye towers over the banks of the River Thames in London’s city center. At 135-meters high, the London Eye is one of the world’s tallest observation wheel, offering 360-degree panoramic views spanning up to 40km away on a clear day. The famous glass viewing pods each take up to 28 people but with almost 10,000 visitors taking to the skies each day, the queues can be overwhelming.

Along with the vintage red telephone boxes, black taxi-cabs and the red-suited Royal guards with their towering bearskin hats, the double decker bus, traditionally painted in fire-engine red, has become one of the most famous symbols of London. While the classic red versions are now more commonly found emblazoned across souvenir mugs and key rings than chugging along the streets (although there are still some in action), the double-decker bus is still one of the most popular methods of transport for Londoner’s to get from A to B.

With its magnificent dome presiding over London’s skyline, St Paul’s Cathedral is not only the seat of the bishop of London, but is one of the city’s most famous landmarks. One of the largest churches in Europe, dedicated to Paul the Apostle, the cathedral sits atop Ludgate hill, the highest point of the City of London financial district, and remains a major tourist attraction, not least for the spectacular views afforded from its tower.