The 14 Best Things to Do in London (By a Travel Expert) 🇬🇧
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- The best things to do in London does not include Big Ben or Buckingham Palace ❌
London has much more to offer than traditional tourist attractions. In this video, I share 14 of the actual best things to do in London, whether you're a first-time visitor or a London connoisseur 🇬🇧
I used to run a travel agency where I customised trips to London, and even though I'm just a travel blogger nowadays, I still travel back to London all the time simply because I love the British capital 😍
I've put together a different take on a classic 'things to do in London' video and tried sharing a few hidden gems, personal favourites, and more unknown things that I hope a lot of tourists will enjoy.
Get more info about the river cruise and the other things I mention in the video here: destinationwel...
I've got a few other London videos here on the channel; check them all out in the London playlist: • LONDON
Check out my free London e-book, where I share all my top travel tips: destinationwel...
I hope you found this London travel guide informational - please consider leaving a like and subscribing to the channel 🙌
Check out my blog post for more ideas on things to do in London: destinationwellknown.com/things-to-do-london/
I’ve been to London many times, my favorite city in the world! I would argue that Saint Paul’s Cathedral can’t hold the candle to Westminster Abbey. Within Westminster Abbey, there are so many famous royalty buried in there as well as other famous folks that it adds an element of awe. After retiring, my wife & I flew to England for a month. There are so many day trips to fascinating places, including, but limited to Canterbury, Winchester, Oxford, Cambridge, bath, and the list goes on and on. London is fantastic! But surrounding towns are equally fantastic too. The whole country is amazing.
I've lived in London for almost 7 years and personally think the curry houses on Brick Lane have become a bit over touristy and the quality isn't what it used to be. If you're looking to experience a top notch curry house I'd recommend exploring the area around Tooting Broadway in South West London. It is a bit further out but I think it's worth it to see more of the real London. While you're there I'd also recommend checking out Tooting Market, lots of good food choices in a vibrant indoor market.
I would like to visit London one day can we be friends if you don't mind
Thanks going for the 1st time next week
@@Ant-ym3mw If you're looking for a curry house in particular I recommend Lahore Karahi
Leaving zone 1, Greenwich and Hampstead are well worth visiting. But in general London could be seen as a collection of ‘villages’. There’ll always be something going on, so check out the local council’s website.
While still in zone 1, somewhere like Clerkenwell, has good pubs, restaurants - it’s less touristy, but very vibrant. Also has some great history as an area of early Italian immigration (Terronis and St Peter’s Italian Catholic Church are some of what remains).
London has great parks and Squares, also cemeteries (Highgate, where Marx and lots of Luther historical figures are buried). Kew Botanical Gardens as well.
I think the Globe is a must, £5 for a standing ticket to see some Shakespeare.
There are some smaller museums and galleires, like Leighton House and the Wallace Collection. The Museum of the Order of St John or Charterhouse Square, both in Farringdon are super, also a nice Belgian pub around the corner (the dove).
Thanks a lot for sharing 🙌
One thing you can do is buy a daily transit pass and ride the whole length of a bus route for the sights along the way! For example, route 46 will take you from Paddington station to St. John's Wood, Hampstead, Kentish Town and Holborn Circus. (Along that route I spotted a statue of Sigmund Freud...)
Great advice for a second or third time visitor who has already seen the basics 👍🇬🇧
Thank you 🙌🇬🇧
Thanks for the video. We'll be back in London in August and I now have some new places to explore thanks to you!
Great timing 😎 thanks a lot, I hope you’ll enjoy them and London 🇬🇧
I've lived in London 40 years. The two things I always do with visitors is the Uber commuter boat (no dreadful commentary) from Embankment to Greenwich, up to the Royal Observatory, then get off at the Tate Modern on the way back and after a look round cross the river on the pedestrian bridge to St Pauls Cathedral (then I catch the Central line home to Ealing Broadway).
I agree with this bloke's recommendations but have an explore, there's so many fascinating nooks and crannies.
That sounds like an excellent day out in London 🙌
Can we be friends if you don't mind @@destinationwellknown
What about sleeping in Greenwich? It seems quiet and many things to do.
amazing out of the box thinking,thank you sir
Thank you!
Planning my second trip to London and your vlogs awesome!
Thank you, that’s awesome to hear 🙌🇬🇧
thanks a lot, one of the best videos I've seen about visiting London - I'm gonna visit in October, so this means a lot!
Thanks for your comment - have a great trip to London 👌
Great VLOG. Thank you for all the great information! My wife and I are heading to London in 2 days for our 25th anniversary!
Thanks! Have a nice time in London 🙌
What a great video. I can’t get enough of London-such a wonderful city. I’m definitely visiting some of these sites on my next trip there.
Thanks a lot - have a nice trip next time 🙌🇬🇧
@@destinationwellknown Thank you. I’ve been several times, and I can never get to all the sites I want to visit. Now you’ve added more to my list. Haha!
@@DicksonMaimouth Sorry 😀
Getting out of the central zone is a very good idea. Staying in London (just), Richmond, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court make for a nice day trip, all reachable by tube, train or bus. A little further out, If the weather's good, a trip to the seaside from London won't disappoint, with fast regular train services from Victoria and Charing Cross stations - Brighton's an hour away, Eastbourne and Hastings a little longer. All three are charming with nice beaches and plenty of history, with plenty to see and do. Similarly, towns like Canterbury, Oxford and Cambridge are tourist hotspots for sure, deservedly so, but there are also some real little gems like Rye, Lewes, Tunbridge Wells, and Chichester that are well worth a visit - all under 90 minutes from central London by regular train services.
I agree about the bad pubs in London, especially near the touristy places. When I visit the city, I research the places I’m going to visit, but invariably forget to check for decent pubs and restaurants nearby. I’m originally from the south coast, so I don’t think I’m particularly biased, but I think the pubs up north are superior in every way.
I’ll check out your recommendations though. Thank you. 😊
Yes, it can definitely be a bit hit-and-miss with pubs in London 🫣
I still think climbing the monument is one of the most under rated things to do in London and still gives a decent view of London.
Oooh yes! That could easily have made the video actually
Take the tube to Parsons Green, have something to drink at The White Horse (a special London pub) wander up the New King's Road, and take the number 11 bus from the first stop on the King's Rd to Liverpool Street.....you will see.....a) the shops on the King's Rd, b) much of Chelsea, c) Sloane Square, d) Victoria, e) Westminster Cathedral, e) Parliament Square, f) Westminster Abbey, g) the Palace of Westminster, h) Whitehall, i) Downing St, j) Trafalgar Square, k) the Strand, l) St. Paul's Cathedral, m) the City of London, n) the Bank of England, o) the Royal Exchange.....and so much more......
Great idea, thanks a lot for sharing 🙌
Amazing, would like to add this to my next itinerary . Thank you
Thanks 🙏
Thanks, this video is so amazing and I wish I could visit to London.
Thanks a lot - I hope you get to visit London one day 🙌
Woo Hoo. Let’s do this!
Yeehaw 😀
My soul , my life , my mind 💜💜💜
Love your video Chris! May I ask you a quick question--how did you film your fabulous video? Was it with a selfie stick or gopro? Thank you for your inspiration!
What a cool video. Love it. ❤
Thanks a lot 🙌
Great selection of things to do.
Thank you!
GREAT INFO.....THANKS
Thank you
I love there building structure
Same 🙌
Great video... Watching from Ghana
thank you!
Loved the video! I was wondering which Pub was the one with the cat? I would love to visit when I go.
Thanks a lot 🙏 It’s called The Sheephaven Bay and it’s pretty cool, definitely one of the more hidden pubs in London where you won’t find many other tourists 😎
Thank you 😊
As a Londoner born and bred, east London is the most fun and quirky, a lot more character than all the tourist crap. Also South Bank is fun for a day out.
Cheers
I love Thames Clippers 🚢
Me too 😍
I really want to see the London Eye but also want to visit Notting Hill
London Eye is pretty iconic, and I do recommend it for first-time visitors 🙌 Notting Hill and the Portobello Road Market could easily have made it into this video, but I didn't have any footage 🫣
Excellent
Maybe it’s best that most tourists gather around Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square./London Eye/Oxford Street /Harrods/Covent Garden so that we Londoners can enjoy other parts of the city free of mass tourism. 😊
6:27 At last, a decent no nonsense guide to what else to see in London.
I'd like to thank you for your outsider's insights, will recommend you to friends due for another visit and would highly recommend booking a slot for free in the fabulously uncluttered
Horizon 22.
What an experience!
We are but ants on the surface of the planet...
did you do a solo trip?
go to Bermondsey!
Deal
That's a pretty good video, lots of sound advice. But just remember that Borough is pronounced "burra"!
Thank you. You should hear my pronunciation of Marylebone, Southwark and Thames 🥰
@@destinationwellknown try Marleybun, Suthuk and Tems!
Hello. Are there places very close to each other? I know that Harry Potter studios are outside London. A greeting from Seville.
As a Londoner, I try to avoid Leicester Square as much as possible.
Same
Do the locals actually want tourists invading their spaces though?
New vewer here but did you learn english in liverpool? Im a scouser and you have the same accent as others that learn here.
Hahaha, no but I get that a lot. One of my best friends is Scouse so I think his accent has rubbed off
the suburbs is where its at
❤🙏🏼🪷👑
I think the *BEST* thing about visiting London is the train 🚆 home 🏡
(Says me living in east London 😅😂)
Interesting video
Hahaha, and here I am - absolutely buzzing when I'm on the train from the airport going into London 😎
Thanks!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Leadenhall is totally dead on the weekend btw.
step 1 visit london
step 2 get no stab
step 3 enjoy
I like wandering around at night. Should I bring a stab proof vest for my next trip to London?
No not needed
No vest required. The knife crime problem is greatly exaggerated. Most violence is gang related, so doesn't affect ordinary folk. I avoid dark alleyways at night, but I do that everywhere, not just in London.
You do not 'need to book a slot' to visit the British Museum.
Danish?
Yep
Thebest thing to do in London is leave
best thing in London is not to go there
Excellent 🥰
best thing to do is leave quickly as possible its a dump
Is all tourist traps. Where’s the real London bro?
Manila is far better and cleaner than London
Then don’t watch this and watch a Manila Site. Duh !
Londinistan get it right
thanks for sharing, it's helpful! could you pls have videos on how to watch Premium League in London for football fans?
Thank you! That's a good idea for a future video actually, thanks!
This guy is always having a beer in the coolest spots. I trust the recommendations wholeheartedly!
Hahaha cheers 😀🍻
As a Londoner really can't be bothered to go to Zone 1, tires me out. One good thing is the food though. If you want to see proper pubs try going to East London/isle of dogs you can meet old cockneys with lots of stories, don't know how true most of them are. It was actually a Danish mate who grew up here who introduced me to these places.
Zone 1 is the first thing you see when you arrive and it is truly spectacular. I moved to England a decade ago and I was in awe of London. I loved the history, buildings and the people!
I love castles so I travelled around a lot to see them...Wales is my favourite place in Britain even though I don't live there. Such a chilled out country! Lovely people, history and CASTLES! lol :)
@@AutoAlligator Totally get that about Wales. My mother is from NI and while everyone is nice there, of the four home nations people are definitely most chilled in Wales. I had a job interview in Cardiff and people were just so nice, was a bit sad to go back to London
Thx for an interesting video. Missed Greenwich .😭 Loved London. From South Africa.
@@AutoAlligator I've lived in Wales for 18 years. Its great but the problem is - its TOO chilled out, I want to go to London!!!
From Puerto Rico, my bucket list definitely is London. Thank you for the vid
I love how the Tube makes it so easy to get about. I've been to London a few times, and am going back in a few days. I'm going to check out some of these places. I want to go to the Pub where the cat was lol
It’s awesome! Haha it’s a super nice pub as well - it’s called The Sheephaven Bay. Close to Mornington Crescent and Camden Town tube stations 👍
Hey Kris, another great vlog. Really cool ideas that are not taking us into the tourist haunts and crowds. Really appreciate your content as always. Cheers, Puck.
Thanks a lot for your kind words! 🙌 🇬🇧
Great guide. You should also add some guides for South of the river. Brixton and its markets, West of London like Richmond (Ted Lasso lives there) and places like Southall, where you feel like you’re in India, for example.
Thank you! Those are great suggestions, thanks 🙌
@@destinationwellknown Chiswick, Kew & Richmond - A vlog of its own!!!
First time I've seen one of your vlogs and really enjoyed it so I've subscribed, good content and great commentary, said with a lot of affection for the subject , looking forward to seeing more ,cheers mate .
Thank you so much - that's fantastic to hear! More travel vids are coming right up 😎🤝
I’m going to visit London with my family in a few weeks and stay for 3 days. I’m so excited!🤭Thank u for this video😋
Have a wonderful trip 🇬🇧
I just watched this video on Tyler Rumple's site, and found it very enjoyable. I will however share this original one as he is very annoying! I was intrigued by your accent and see now that you are Danish, but why do you sound a bit like a Scouser? Did you live in Liverpool, or learn English from someone from there? Or is it a linguistical co incidence? Funnily in the past on a few occasions , I have heard people talking from a distance, whom I thought at first were British, but turned out to be Danish. This is strange as Danish is not as close to English as Dutch or German!
Thanks for your comment! Hahaha, I get this a lot, to be honest. I used to live in Edinburgh, actually, but my best mate, whom I met there, is a Scouser, so I guess his accent has influenced me quite a bit.
Good day from Papua New Guinea. I enjoyed watching your contents.
Thank you 🙏
proper video ill be sure to check out all those locations!
Thank you 🙌🇬🇧
Spent a couple of hours today at Borough Market. It's a maze and super crowded. Still.....a can't miss. Food from every corner of the world!
I have never been to London nor, given my limited resources and lack of influence, even envisage the possibility of ever visiting that lovely city. But, from what I have read and heard about the city, I am fascinated by fish and chips. Is it available everywhere in London ?
Boy you look like Channing Tatum
Hahaha thank you 😀🙌
No actual Londoners go to zone 1, except for work/food
My natural instinct is to avoid anywhere that is classed as 'cool'😮
Tyler Rumple sent me. Good video
Haha, thanks - I just checked out his video after seeing your comment; I loved it!
me too
Wow ❤❤❤
Thanks! Very helpful😊
Thanks 🙌
The Mitre in Lancaster Mews is a fantastic pub. The Swan close by is also a bit more lively and a little more touristy, as it's close to the park. But a good time at both!
Totally agree 👍
Thank goodness! I’ve been to London multiple times and don’t want a tourist itinerary.
Well that’s because you’ve been several times.
nice! how do you get the view of St. Paul's while riding up the escalator? (near end of video)
Its actually just "coming up" from a shopping centre so everybody can go there and use the escalator
Where is this pub at 2:58? I love that view with a pint very much. Looks very relaxing.
It's a pub called Founder's Arms. It's nothing special on the inside, but it's a nice place to sit outside on a sunny day 🙌
@@destinationwellknown and how about @2:48? The cat!! PS loved the video :)
There are a few old and interesting pubs around fleet street
Very true! Which one is your favourite?
London is very expensive for food, drink and accommodation and only a brief mention of it.
Amazing London.
Yeeeees 🙌
Hope one day my country modern as london... Beautiful clean, city of dream.. Greeting malaysia..
6:08 why is this "the norm" - this is ANIMAL CRUELTY and should not be tolerated
'The cool kids'.
The pretentious kids.
That look at 12s cracked me up.🤣
Terrific vlog! Quick question: do tourists buy tickets for those double decker tour buses ahead of time or can we just use a contactless payment to board the double decker? Thanks
Thank you! So, there are 2 different kinds of double-decker buses. You've got the "normal" red buses, which are part of the public transport network in London. They cost £1.75, and you just tap in with your phone, a contactless card or an Oyster Card. If you want to get on one of these buses and use it as a sightseeing tour I'd recommend getting either Route 24: Pimlico to Hampstead Heath, Route 11: Fulham to Liverpool Street or Route 9: Aldwych to Hammersmith - all of these pass by some of the main sights in London.
And then you've also got the sightseeing buses run by private companies and cater only to tourists. These can be booked ahead of time - just search for "sightseeing bus london" and they should show up.
Thank you!@destinationwellknown
Good video, some of my favourite places in London - St. Dunstans, Mercato Mayfair, Leadenhall, Borough Market (closed Mondays btw). Camden is insanely crowded on weekends, as is Brick Lane, both more manageable during the week.
Thanks! Yeah I would definitely visit Camden Market on a weekday if possible 🙌
" Get out of zone 1 " , then proceeds to tour zone 1 until Arry Potta land
Yeah.. a Londoner here, no one who lives here actually hangs out in central London, zone 1. It’s a pile of shite stay away.. East London is where it’s at, I am from West London and it hasn’t changed all my life and it won’t. East London used to be a tip, 20 years ago it was the place to go for live bands and drugs now it’s gentrified to fuck full of hipsters.. stay away from Shoreditch it’s shite and full of visitors.. go along Regents canal and just eat the food in East London is amazing, hands down the best and very progressive.. Camden is shite, Camden 20 years ago was out of this world makes me sad that gen Z won’t live that.. the perks of being a millennial.. just be careful loads of characters on the streets especially around EL.
best places to go in london are the mainline rail stations, there you can buy a ticket to the real England and away from all the rip off touristy prices and horrible locals.
So London is a slow burn you will not see in a lifetime. Is it me or did he miss the National Gallery. It's at Trafalgar Square and houses centuries of paintings from the monarchy up to real Warhol stuff free of charge. He left out the world class theatre and the west end in favor of the boat tour?? Another miss on this vid is the city of London, the financial hub and original Roman wall for a start. Loads of cool architecture and history in the "City" and top-notch business attire!
Great suggestions, thank you 🥰
@@destinationwellknown Thanks for being a good sport about my comments It's a great city that is bigger than any one of us. Another good point about London are the music venues and concerts. London Roundhouse is an excellent venue for a start, it's an old locomotive turntable modernized for music. It's in Camden as well. The old Hammersmith Odeon has decades of music history and is way cool. It is now called Eventim Apollo take care!
@@philtanner2083 I totally agree here! Been to quite a few gigs at the Roundhouse and recently saw Pulp at the Eventim Apollo - stunning, old-school venue 🙌 My favourite venue in London is probably Koko in Camden though.
I have pretty good London knowledge for an American I love it over there…
No1 best thing to do in London?
Leave
I was in london in june 2024 coming from the philippines.. its a beuriful city except that i saw first hand a robbery inside the shop in oxford circus in broad day light.. 2 black guys went inside the store and just took 2 bag worth over hundreds of pounds and then walk of like nothing happened.. unbelievable..
Hi friend - as a Londoner, sorry you had to see that. Hope it didn’t freak you out too much. However I would like to point out two things. 1. For a major world city, London really is very safe. 2. We do have some criminals, obviously, and they come from all ethnicities. No need to point out that the guys were black in my opinion.