Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary

Tripoto
20th Jun 2015

The Big Ben

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

The Tower Bridge from Thames River Cruise

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

London Eye

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Big Ben from London Eye

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Piccadilly Circus

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Street Performace at Leicester Square

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Out Of Order - Kingston Old Town

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Buckingham Palace

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Green Park - green as ever

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Ten Downing Street

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Trafalgar Square

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

China Town

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

Oxford Circus

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

The Customary Telephone Booth pic

Photo of Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary by Akriti Sinha

So, thanks to my work, I got yet another opportunity to explore a new city. And this time it was none other than the City of London! Even though working on weekdays, I managed to explore the city over the weekends and In this trip story I am listing out all the Central London highlights that one can check out over a span of two days.

Getting Around:

Tower Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. A must see when one is in London. Just take the Jubilee line to the Tower Bridge station. Spend some quiet time by Thames and of course click yourself with the Tower Bridge of London!Tip: Take a river cruise on Thames from Tower Bridge.Tower Bridge is way more beautiful when checked out at night when its all lit up

Photo of Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

You can get to the London Eye from the Tower Bridge by taking the Thames River Cruise. You have to experience London from the London Eye when in the city. Its the most touristy thing to do but still...has to be done. Its an item that has to be ticked off the "things to do" list in London! Tip: You can buy the London Eye ticket from the counter. You get a discounted price if you buy it online.

Photo of London Eye, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of London Eye, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

This place is the heart of Central London. With all the street shows happening and people walking around and the souvenirs shops - every tourist in London must experience this place. Tip: best time to visit this place is post midnight because that's when this places is alive with the people partying and the pub crawls happening.

Photo of Piccadilly Circus, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Green Park, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

Another very touristy spot. But still must be checked out in the tourist spirit! You can also come early and witness the change of guards. I chose to skip that.Tip: The Queen's Guard change happens at Buckingham Palace at 11:30 AM every morning. Wake up early to witness that.

Photo of Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Ten Downing Street, Downing Street, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

London = Big Ben! Do I need to say more here? You see the Big Ben and then you just want to keep looking at it and as you walk away, you will turn around and then look at it again! Tip: Try to stay back to hear the strikes of Big Ben.

Photo of Big Ben, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Big Ben, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of Big Ben, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

This place is at the heart of London. An open space that holds various events and activities. Just walk into Trafalgar Square and you will stumble upon some or the other event happening. When I went there, there was West End Live event happening which was quite entertaining.

Photo of Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

If you want to shop till you drop in London then this is the place to be.Tip: Plan for a full day trip if you want to do some actual shopping or else just an hour or two should be sufficient for checking out this place.

Photo of Oxford Street, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

If you want to experience the central London party scene and want to meet up with lots of new people then you can just sign up for one of the pre-planned pub crawls. You can find a lot of pub crawls options online. They generally charge somewhere around £20 and take you to some 5 pubs in Central London + Soho area and you get one free complementary shot (isn't all that strong). Tip: If you book these pub crawls online then you might end up getting discount upto £5 or you can just check the start time and meeting point for these crawls online and then just show up on time and pay. I chose option 2.

Photo of London Gone Wild Pub Crawl, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of London Gone Wild Pub Crawl, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of London Gone Wild Pub Crawl, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of London Gone Wild Pub Crawl, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha
Photo of London Gone Wild Pub Crawl, London, United Kingdom by Akriti Sinha

The best way to get around Central London is to just walk. The alternative to walking is the National Rail/ Underground and Buses. Taxis can burn a big hole in your pocket and is highly not recommended. It takes some time to figure out the National Railways and the Underground routes however the the below two apps/ website provide accurate information with respect to the route and the timings for trains/underground/buses:

  • Google Maps; or
  • https://tfl.gov.uk/

Another website that provides useful information with travel information, events and tickets is www.visitlondon.com.

Trip Itinerary:

Day 1: Tower Bridge, London Eye, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Soho, Liecester Square, Picadilly Circus, Pub Crawl

Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Ten Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, West End Show