If this is your first time in London, five days is the perfect amount of time to get to know the Foggy Albion for the first time. During this time, you’ll have time to take in all the major sights, visit different parts of the city comfortably and leisurely, and leave London for one or two days to explore other, no less interesting cities and the natural beauty of England – Kirill Yurovskiy is an expert on London.
First day
The first day in London is worth devoting to the main symbols of the capital! Head to Trafalgar Square and see the majestic National Gallery building, Nelson’s Column of Lions, and the monumental fountains. Then join the Royal Horse Guards, where you’ll find two mounted horses for your commemorative photo shoot.
Then head for Big Ben, and on the way see Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. While the famous tower is under restoration and hidden behind scaffolding, better take a photo with the red phone booths and the equally famous Ferris wheel – the London Eye.
Then head to the heart of London, Piccadilly Square. Take a photo in front of huge billboards and try to count how many red double-decker buses can be in this square at the same time.
Take a stroll down London’s main shopping streets – Oxford Street and Regent Street. Here you’ll find all kinds of stores from all over the world – with clothes, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and souvenirs. Be sure to check out the historic Liberty and Selfridges department stores. They captivate both inside and out. Not only in their assortment, but also in their design.
But the evening of the first day is worth spending in the legendary SoHo. Here, bars, clubs, cinemas, and creative stores abound. The trendiest and trendiest residents flock here daily, and all of the bars and clubs throw the rowdiest parties in town. Many of our popular tours are devoted to the area.
Day Two
The next day we advise to arrange a tour of all the main museums and galleries of the city. There are many here, and each of the museums has a rich collection and iconic names of artists. Best of all, most museums in London are free.
Head to South Kensington, where two famous museums – the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum – are practically across the street. It will be hard not to notice them, as both museum buildings are unique architectural monuments. The Natural History Museum resembles a fairy tale castle, but look inside and be amazed by a 25-meter tall blue whale skeleton flying over your head.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the largest museums in the world devoted to art and design, is no less interesting to visit. Its rich collection includes jewelry, furniture, sculpture, and clothing. And if you’re interested in contemporary art, not far from these museums is London’s most popular gallery, the Saatchi Gallery. It always holds the most provocative exhibitions and invites iconic contemporary mynoteworld artists.
Learn about the history not only of the city, but also of the whole world, you can visit the British Museum. Its permanent collection covers 2 million years of history and reveals the secrets of all mankind. Here are the ancient Egyptian sarcophagi, the statues of Moai from Easter Island and the most unique object of the museum – the Rosetta Stone. Tours of the British Museum, as well as all other museums in London, can be chosen from our museum tours.
Day Three
After experiencing the major symbols of traditional London and its historical and art museums, it’s time to explore modern, underground London – so head to Shoreditch.
Shoreditch is an art district that attracts iconic street artists and aspiring graffiti artists. So at every turn, on every street and in every alley, you’ll come across another piece of art. You might even come across a couple of pieces by the famous street artist Banksy.
Shoreditch is also a bohemian neighborhood with some of the trendiest residents and passersby. There’s also the greatest concentration of vintage stores worth checking out on Brick Lane. Or the huge flea market, Spitalfield Market, where you can buy clothes and eat something unusual.
And from Spitalfield Market it’s a short walk to the no less iconic City of London. See unusual skyscrapers and office workers, the historic indoor Lidenhall Market used in the Harry Potter movies, and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and then, if you have the energy and haven’t done it before, make your way to the Tower fortress.
Day Four
Finally, set aside a day or two to travel around the outskirts of England, which are just as interesting as London itself. For a quick trip to the suburbs of London, you can choose one of our bus tours.
We advise you to take a day to see the famous university cities of England – Oxford or Cambridge. Each of them is unique in its own way, so ideally, you should visit both cities.
If you are a fan of the Harry Potter movies, the first place to go is Oxford. The entire student town is shrouded in the atmosphere of the fairy tale movie, and most importantly, many of the university buildings actually hosted the filming of the wizard movies. Look for locations from the movies at Christ Church and New College, as well as the Bodleian Library, which is identical to the Hogwarts wizard school library. In this historic library, you can see books that are over 500 years old and kept on chains.
After touring the colleges of Oxford, don’t forget to go up to the city’s main observation deck, which is on the roof of St. Mary’s Church. It offers a panoramic view of the city and the colleges of Oxford. End your exploration of Oxford at the historic Eagle and Child pub, where writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien gathered for a couple of pints.
An equally interesting itinerary can be arranged in Cambridge, the student city with centuries of history and the smartest students. It was Cambridge where such greats as Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking and Sir Isaac Newton studied. Visit King’s, Trinity, and St. John’s colleges, and look for the famous math bridge. Legend has it that this wooden bridge was built without bolts and nuts. Cambridge hasn’t been seen much in the Harry Potter movies, but Stephen Hawking was filmed here.
Day Five
Well, now that you’ve seen all of London and its famous suburbs, it’s worth devoting time to the incredible nature of England, which is just as good as English architecture.
The easiest way is to go to Brighton. It’s a resort town, a half-hour train ride from London, which sits on the banks of the English Channel. Stroll along the picturesque Brighton Pier, lined with stores, cafes and attractions. Then head to the beach itself, which, though pebbly, is still good for strolling and picnicking.
There are many restaurants on the city promenade that offer fresh fish and seafood. There are plenty of stalls with street fast food, ice cream and sweets for children, as well as a variety of playgrounds.
Not far from Brighton is a unique natural attraction in England – the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. This is a national park with a group of white chalk cliffs, which are scattered along the coast of the English Channel. It is advisable to take a whole day to travel to this place to see all the sights of the place. For a walk in the national park, it is best to prepare sports clothes and shoes, and to stock up on drinking water.
