Collected by Caitlin Perkins
Portobello Rd, London, UK
Portobello Road is a colorful stretch of shops and stalls selling bric-a-brac and antiques. Part trendy neighborhood, part flea market. On Saturdays, thousands of people flock there for bargains. I recommend going on a weekday. You can have the...
Having lived in London for many years and adoring markets, I can safely say I've spent time at many. Spitalfields used to be my favorite a few years ago, but with all the gentrification in the area, I feel it's lost its charm. Yes, Portobello is a...
Big Ben Clock Tower
Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, UK
Everyone knows that London is famous for its red telephone booths and the Big Ben clock tower. And, nearly everyone who visits takes home a picture of one or the other. It can be challenging to find a booth free of tourists hanging all over it, or...
Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, London WC2N 5DN, UK
Trafalgar Square dominates the landscape at Charring Cross. It was made to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. At the centre is Nelson's column, which includes a statue of Horatio Nelson, the vice admiral who commanded the British Fleet at...
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, UK
William and Kate's wedding brought a 21st-century focus to this 700-year-old abbey, which is built on the same spot as a Benedictine monastery enlarged by Edward the Confessor in the 1040s. The site of every coronation since 1066, it boasts...
St Katharine's & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB, UK
Visitors to this turreted riverside castle enter a thousand years of history filled with cultural significance (but go early to avoid lines to see the crown jewels). Tudor fans can view the spot where Anne Boleyn was beheaded and the kinds of...
Photo by Olya Krueger / age fotostock
South Bank, London SE1 7PB, UK
The giant ferris wheel on the south bank of the Thames is made up of 32 futuristic glass capsules - all of which are sealed, air-conditioned and big enough to house 25 guests. Riding the attraction is effectively being stuck in a bubble, albeit...
Cranbourn St, Charing Cross, London WC2H 0AP, UK
If the theater prices are a little steep for your budget, or you're just wanting to catch a last-minute show, the half-price ticket booth on Leicester Square is a must. As a local, I've used it often to get discounted tickets to shows. Although...
Brick Lane Coffee
157 Brick Ln, Shoreditch, London E1 6SB, UK
Take a walk in one of London's most diverse and interesting neighborhoods. Find excellent Bengladeshi and Bengali food, wander into uber-cool vintage shops, and hit up the Brick Lane market. There's a bit of a creepy vibe, too, as it's where Jack...
Tower Bridge, United Kingdom
This is a landmark that is so familiar, so often seen, that to visit it -- even for the first time -- feels almost ordinary. You know the Tower Bridge. You've seen it in storybooks and on movie screens. You get it. Right? Nope. Because even if it...
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Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK
On its own, the architecture of the Natural History Museum is enough of a reason to walk through its doors one afternoon. The stunning archways and staircases create a grand backdrop to equally impressive exhibits, and you could spend countless...
Oxford St
Oxford St, London, UK
The West End can sometimes be a crummy place to do any actual shopping—the crowds are overwhelming and so too, on occasion, are the shops themselves. But that does not dim the joy of standing in front of the artfully arranged windows of the big...
Camden High St
Camden High St, London NW1, UK
The retail area in Camden is known for an incredible mix of styles, with hard-core leather stores next to sneaker stores next to tourist t-shirts stands. The storefronts along Camden High Street have some fun eye-catching decorations too. The area...
29 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 5DH, UK
While everyone and their mother (and aunt and grandmother) are on the waiting list to have afternoon tea at Brown's or Claridge's some time next April, head to Soho for the no-longer-a-secret-but-still-unknown tea room inside the Coach &...
Photo by age fotostock
8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL, UK
Over the past two centuries, the covered market at Borough, not far from London Bridge, has become one of the country's most famous foodie spots. From Wednesday to Saturday each week hundreds of traders gather to sell homemade breads,...
St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, UK
There has been a church on this site in the City of London for 1400 years and the current St. Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of London. Designed by famed architect Sir Christopher Wren in the grand English Baroque style, it...
Photo by Grant Rooney / age fotostock
Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, UK
Checking out the famously preserved mummies at the world's oldest public museum is on many London wish lists, but there's much more to the British Museum than ancient Egypt. Other must-sees include the Elgin Marbles and the African...
Hampstead Heath is a legend: 800 acres of wide-open space dotted with ponds, woods, walking tracks, and the odd stately home. North Londoners take pride in this place, where you will find dog walkers, picnickers, Saturday soccer players, and hardy...
What was once a private hunting ground for Henry VIII is now a favorite destination for London locals and visitors alike. One of the eight Royal Parks, Hyde simultaneously serves as a natural oasis and civic hub. A day on the green has endless...
Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square, Hackney, London, UK
London's East End. Shoreditch, Hoxton, Redchurch, Brick Lane, and Arnold Circus are just a few spots where you'll find some of the world's coolest people. What really strikes me is how beautifully diverse it is (and, yes, suits and facial hair are...
London W1J 9HP, UK
Piccadilly Circus is the busiest area of the busy city of London. So much so that the phrase "it's like a Piccadilly circus" has made this place synonymous with the hustle bustle that it is an eternal witness to. Find this attraction in 5 days in...