By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer
London has been on my list for quite some time as a travel destination. I briefly visited London as a child during a 24-hour layover, but that only gave me a small sample of what this historic and truly international city has to offer. Thus, I decided to catch a cheap flight out for a long weekend.
View of Big Ben and the London Eye
As always, a few disclaimers before I dive into it. Firstly, London is another expensive one. It certainly isn’t as bad as Switzerland, but given the exchange rate between pounds and USD (roughly 1.3 USD to one pound) it's worth mentioning that things will be a little bit pricier than you might be expecting. Additionally, many of the most popular tourist attractions are quite expensive compared to other locations in Europe, but more about that later.
Also, invest in a rain jacket before you go; the weather is miserable (no offense to the Brits) and with strong winds common in the city, an umbrella won’t cut it. In fact, if you take an umbrella, chances are you’ll leave without it, because the wind will have torn it to shreds and left you soaked in the rain. Learn from my mistakes.
Iconic Buildings
Tower Bridge London
Some of the most common sight-seeing designations in London are the iconic buildings, such as the Buckingham Palace. London is a fascinating city from an architectural standpoint because they have incredibly well-maintained historical buildings, such as Tower Bridge, alongside some of the most iconic contemporary buildings, like the Shard. These buildings are absolutely worth seeing from the outside. If you tube to central London, most of them are within a walking distance of each other. There are plenty of companies that can offer you a more in-depth background on these buildings through a walking tour, and it is even possible to visit the interior of most of these buildings. But, as I mentioned earlier, this is where a trip to London can start to get incredibly expensive. Given that I had been traveling Europe for about seven months at this point, I decided to pass on the in-depth tours of these buildings, because I don’t love the way my bank account is looking and also because most of these buildings have quite an industrial feel that I am not particularly enthralled by.
The one exception to this, however, is the Royal Opera House. As a theater buff, I was hoping to be able to catch a show here, but unfortunately I came at a poor time when the operas were sold out and they were in between ballets. So, I decided to do the next best thing, and bought a ticket for the behind-the-scenes tour of the Opera House. As someone who has done theater before, this tour was worth every penny (or pence.) You get an in-depth view of the costume shops, ballet studios, and, if you're lucky, certain rehearsal sessions of the Royal Opera Company. It is a rather technical and information heavy tour, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are particularly interested in the performing arts and its history. However, even if you don’t end up opting for a tour, several areas of the Royal Opera House are open to the public without a ticket, so it may be worth it to just do a brief visit of the public exhibitions.
Museums
Great Britain is one of the best places to visit in Europe in terms of museums. Of course, there is a lot to unpack in terms of colonization and the ethics of some of the artifacts stored in British museums. However, that doesn’t mean that you should cross these museums off your list. The majority of museums in London are completely free to visit, though you might need to make a reservation to be sure you can make it in without wasting half your day in a line, and there is plenty to explore beyond the certain controversial exhibits London hosts.
The main entrance of the British Museum
Let’s start off with the biggest (and also at times the most controversial) museum in the UK, the British Museum. It is an interesting experience to say the least because very little of what is exhibited is actually British. In fact, I would say that the most British thing about this museum is the swathes of uniformed British school children who descend upon each exhibit in groups for field trips every day of the week. Of course, there are some remarkable things to see, including statues from the Pantheon, the Rosetta Stone, and various jewelry hoards from around the British Isles. However, it is one of the most touristy museums available to visit in London, and you have to determine for yourself if it is worth it.
The Cast Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum
The next museum I visited was the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, located west of the British Museum. This museum was definitely more to my liking than the British Museum. It had a wide array of exhibits, but was less overwhelmed by sightseers and field trip bound children. The coolest part of this museum, in my opinion, was the Cast Courts.
The Cast Courts opened in 1873 and are a section of the museum dedicated not to original works of sculpture, but copies. At its conception, it acted similar to the internet: bringing together different monumental pieces of art work to be viewed all in one place. Even now, it serves as a way to view some incredible works from around the world, without having to travel the world (or steal from it). The V&A Museum also has some interesting collections surrounding more daily life, including object art and British fashion.
The World's First Steam Locomotive Engine at the Science Museum
The final museum I visited was the Science Museum. This is definitely a family museum, and a more local stop than touristy. The Science Museum was my favorite of this trip, as it appealed to my two truest loves: trains and old stuff. This museum exhibits the world’s oldest train steam engine, as well as several other models and examples of old steam technology. They also have a highly impressive space section featuring to-scale models of history-making space technology, including Apollo 11 and the Hubble Space Telescope. If you chose to visit this museum during the weekend, chances are you’ll be sharing your visit with a number of local families, but it won’t be anywhere near as overwhelming as the British Museum.
Theater
Aside from the British Museum and Big Ben, one of the things that London is best known for is theater. Again, as a theater nerd, the London West End was another one of the big drives for me to go on this trip. With 39 theaters all playing different shows, you are sure to find something to appeal to any interest. They play everything from cult classics, such as Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera (which I had the pleasure of seeing at Her Majesty’s Theater) to modern favorites, like Hamilton (appreciate the irony of this one) and Frozen, to new releases like The Great British Bake Off Musical. Yes, you heard me right, they created a musical based on everyone’s favorite comfort cooking show. I saw a Sunday matinee performance and needless to say it was a blast. It certainly wasn’t a game changer for musical theater, but it is a fun rom-com type show with catchy tunes and easy gags that is a pleasure to watch.
If you are interested in catching any shows while you are in London, be sure to look into rush tickets. Each theater does them differently, but in essence, they are tickets sold either in singles or in pairs the day of the show, usually starting at 10 am local time, at a massive discount. This is how I got my tickets to The Great British Bake Off Musical, and I ended up paying a quarter of the price for tickets about five rows from the stage. As a general starting point, I would recommend looking at the app called TodayTix. There you can see a wide array of theaters offering discounted and rush tickets for all your favorite shows.
Another spot I visited in terms of theater was Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, in south eastern London. The theater itself is not the original, although you can visit a lovely sign in front of an apartment complex marking where the original used to be. However, the current Globe is a replica of where Shakespeare’s shows first played, including the open roof, standing pit, and bench seating. Unfortunately, I don’t have a great opinion of the theater itself. It is cool to see how theater was done 400 years ago, but I would much rather watch a show from modern theater seating than from a wooden bench.
Set of The Tempest in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
That being said, don’t pass up the opportunity to see a Shakespeare play at this theater. I caught a matinee performance of The Tempest and needless to say it would have made old William himself proud. Of course, if you do not like Shakespeare, don’t bother. Seeing a Shakespeare play performed in the Globe isn’t going to make you like it anymore if you already hated seeing it in a modern theater. However, for all the Shakespeare nerds out there, give it a go! Prepare yourself for sitting (or standing) in an exposed theater for a long period of time, but rest assured, the company will ensure you see a beautiful show.
Food
Finally, let’s talk food. The UK is the butt of many jokes about food, particularly in regards to seasoning. And while it’s true that you aren’t going to find any out of this world spice combinations in traditional British food (though be sure to stop at a curry restaurant), that doesn’t mean there’s nothing that Britain has to offer in the culinary world.
The first activity I would recommend for foodies is finding a place to have a traditional afternoon tea. Introduced in the 19th century by British nobility to stave off hunger pangs between the noon and evening meals, afternoon tea has become a hallmark of British culture. To discover these scrumptious snacks, I ended up at Tea and Tattle, a small tea room in the basement of a bookstore just opposite the British Museum. A traditional afternoon tea can be quite pricey (I paid 24 pounds for afternoon tea for One) but don’t let that deter you. It is certainly worth the experience, and actually not a bad value for the price. At Tea and Tattle, afternoon tea includes five different finger sandwiches (with vegetarian and allergen friendly option available), a scone with clotted cream and two types of jam, and two different desserts (I got a lemon drizzle cake and a carrot cake) accompanying a pot of tea of your choosing. The food was delicious, and a nice way to wrap up a morning at the British Museum, though be sure to call ahead for a free reservation if you are interested.
The other place I cannot recommend enough is the Borough Market. Located in the east portion of central London, this food market is sure to have something to appeal to any tastes, from traditional English to contemporary bakes to delicious street food. Be sure to come prepared with both cash and card, as certain stands might only accept one or the other and be ready to face some pretty impressive crowds, especially in the afternoon. In this case, Borough Market is a popular stop not because it is touristy but because it is amazing. I got to try some amazing traditional hand pies, as well as some other British bakes and a delicious honeycomb salted caramel donut. If you are looking for a place to grab a more informal lunch, the Borough Market is the place to go!
Overall, London is full of iconic tourist sites, but don’t pass up the other, more local opportunities this city has to offer!
Timeless or Touristy?
Iconic Buildings? Worth seeing from the outside, but I can’t speak to touring them.
British Museum? Touristy with some cool collections and swathes of British school children.
Victoria and Albert Museum? Timeless with a surprisingly wide array of collections.
Science Museum? Timeless fun for the whole family (and also lots of train stuff!)
West End Musicals? Amazing shows in a timeless location.
The Globe Theatre? The theater itself is touristy, but seeing Shakespeare is timeless.
Afternoon tea? Timeless and tasty.
The Borough Market? Timeless for everyone’s tastes.