London Things to Do

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.

You could spend weeks exploring London’s myriad of tourist attractions, but with so many sights just a short bus or train ride away, there’s no excuse to only stay in the city. Whether you want to hit the beach or explore England’s historic towns, here are some of the best day trips to take from London.

The mania of 2012′s Olympic games may have died down, but there’s still plenty of reasons to visit London in 2013. Here’s our top picks of the capital’s best attractions.

1. Best Museum

The Crawleys are back in prim and proper style this January, as Britain’s favorite period drama, Downton Abbey, finally hits US screens for its third season, and it seems America just can’t get enough of Edwardian-era England. So get your top hats and teacups at the ready, because visitors to London can now add Downton Abbey tours to their itineraries.

The dramatic site of the 2012 London Olympics, Olympic Park has been taking a break since the close of the games but plans are well under way to transform the space into the ‘Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’. Set to become East London’s biggest public park, equipped with event stages, children’s playgrounds and 35km of walkways and cycle routes, the idyllic parklands will be back on the tourist itinerary in July 2013, as the North Park reopens its gates. The remainder of the 560-acre (230-hectare) park, including hockey and tennis facilities, The South Plaza and stadium, the aquatic center and the Orbit, will be open by Easter of 2014.

Winning over a legion of new fans as the host of the London 2012 Olympics sailing events, Weymouth and Portland are among England‘s most attractive seaside resorts, drawing thousands to their shores each year.

Weymouth, with its sandy beaches and rugged coastal cliffs is the perfect antidote to London’s urban sprawl, earning itself a stellar reputation among outdoor adventurers. Rock-climbing, paragliding, hiking and cycling are all popular ways to soak up the scenic surroundings, and the resort has fast made a name for itself as a water sports hot-spot, with kite surfing, water skiing and wind surfing all on offer.

30km South of London nestled in the vibrant student hub of Surrey, Box Hill is one of South England‘s most popular lookout points, famed for its sweeping panoramas. A popular picnic spot since Victorian times, Box Hill cemented its tourist itinerary status when it hosted the cycling portion of the 2012 London Olympics.

If you’re looking to get away from the mass of people coming to London for the Olympics, here are a few options.

Beaches:

1) Southend-on-Sea, Essex

This is a lovely seven-mile stretch of beaches not far from London, with the pick being Shoeburyness East Beach because of its windsurfing area, grassy headland and long sand beach. Southend has the world’s longest leisure pier, The Southend Pier. The train from Liverpool Street Station to Southend takes about an hour.

On April 15, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank–claiming more than 1,503 lives. It was the world’s largest ship and it was said to be unsinkable, but it sank, shocking everyone and becoming the most famous shipwreck in history. This year–the 100th anniversary of the tragedy– there are exhibitions and memorials happening in many places. In London these include:

She was recently seen catching an underground Tube train across London. A fan took the opportunity to snap a photo of herself with Rihanna strap-hanging and then immediately sent it to a city newspaper. At least, I think it was Rihanna. Might it possibly have been her waxwork recently unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s London?

In early October 2011, as the real Rihanna hit town for her concert tour, Madame Tussaud’s finally satisfied all those thousands of celebrity spotters who queue outside and around the corner: they unveiled Rihanna in a sexy full length black gown, split up one side to the waist, hand on hip, hair magnificently curly and red. I think we all recognize that gown, that stance. Since she scandalized the nation with her sexy performance on the 2010 UK X-Factor, causing complaints to flood in to the television watchdog in the UK, everyone has wanted to see Rihanna, meet her, be her. Well, at least now we can all be photographed with her.