My London Favourites

When people come for trips to London, I am often asked what I recommend.  The trouble is, there is just SO much to do and sometimes it’s hard to pick your favourites.

So, when Camila of Adventitious Violet asked for tips for what to do and see in London, I thought it would be a great challenge to narrow down all my favourites to just one in each category, eeek.  So, here we go, my London favourites…

Gallery – Royal Geographical Society.

Photography exhibitions are my favourite and I try to see as many as I can, which is easy to do in London as there are lots on offer.  Last year I discovered that The Royal Geographical Society have an exhibition space on Exhibition Road, South Kensington.  Travel + photography = heaven!  The exhibitions are free and change frequently.  The space is often quiet as it’s not that well known so has a peaceful feeling to it.  See what’s on here.

Museum – The Natural History Museum.

This is difficult!  We are so lucky to have so many different museums in London and the majority of the permanent exhibitions are free!  I’ve picked the National History Museum because I spent so many days there as a child and got to see so many different and wonderful exhibitions, but it’s equally as entertaining for adults too!  This is one of the busiest museums in London so try to get there earlier in the day to avoid the queues.  They are also currently showing an amazing photography exhibition featuring the best wildlife photography of 2014.  This exhibition isn’t free but is well worth a visit.  They also have an ice-skating rink during the winter.

View – The View From The Shard

For me, there is no contest.  I’ve mentioned the View From The Shard a few times on the blog because it is just so wonderful; it’s the highest view point in London. This however, does come at a hefty cost but I think the cost is worth it for a special occasion.

Cafe – Robot 1745

I’m not a coffee drinker so I judge cafes by how good the hot chocolate is (anyone else?!)  And, this is one amazing hot chocolate!  I recently discovered this wonderful cafe and it is perfect for an after work warm-up as it’s really cosy with dimmed lighting – perfect!

Restaurant – Sagar

Indian food is my absolute favourite.  I blogged about the delicious Indian food I tasted in India.  But, you could easily believe you are in India when you taste the delicious, and very affordable, food at Sagar.  They have three branches across London.

Shopping Area – Covent Garden

I find shopping outside so much better than inside huge, sprawling shopping centres, especially in somewhere as great as Covent Garden.  You have the choice of the market, smaller independent shops and your favourite chain shops.  Whats more, you can stop at so many of the cafes, restaurants and bars if you are feeling thirsty!  There are also many performers lining the streets.  Covent Garden is especially wonderful during Christmas when they put up the biggest Christmas tree you’ve ever seen!

Market – Brick Lane Sunday Up Market

Not only is Brick Lane on a Sunday my favourite market, it’s also one of my favourite places to go in London.  The market features loads and loads of food stalls from all over the world, from Cuban to Tibetan to Ethiopian.  The Ethiopian stalls are my favourite!  The quality of the food is amazingly fresh and a loaded up plate will cost you around £5-£6, what a bargain!  After filling up on food you can wander the clothes and accessories stalls inside the market before heading to the the stalls outside too.  The perfect Sunday.  Also, check out Spitalfields Market which is walking distance from Brick Lane.

Park – Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park offers so much; an amazing view of London, a wilderness deer park, a cafe and of course the Greenwich Mean Time Meridian line.  There are many parts to the park which you often won’t find if you stay on the wide main paths.  So many places for the perfect summer picnic or a brisk winter walk.  After exploring the park you can head to Greenwich Market, which is equally as wonderful.

Tourist Sight

There are so many tourists sights in London, and by that I mean the places where you have to quickly run around and get a photo outside, even if you aren’t particularly interested in the building.  My favourite is Tower Bridge, which is often mistakenly called London Bridge (Fergie also included clips of Tower Bridge in her song about London Bridge… just to add to the confusion!)  I love seeing the beautiful bridge stretch across the river and if you’re lucky enough to see it open, then you’re in for a treat.

What are your London favourites?

Happy Weekend! 🙂

Marcella xx