Take a stroll along the canals through Little Venice, with peaceful surroundings leading to lively…read moredining and entertainment as you wind toward Paddington. Enjoy the eclectic boats parked along the way; maybe the On Air sign will be lit on the radio boat. Be sure to visit Rembrandt Gardens at the canal fork, then decide if you"ll head left toward Regent's. Of course we'll return.

A wonderful part of the city near Paddington Station where you can walk along and around the canal…read morearea and just take in the scenery. It was nice and quiet in the morning, there were a few cafes close by in the area as well. While on the path keep an eye out for bike riders going by as they use the canal path too.

An iconic, famous, and crazy busy section of London. From…read morehere you can get just about anywhere. It's a great starting and landing point for tourists. It is a central area to get to places like Leicester Square, Chinatown, etc. Tons of giant, lighted, neon adverts adorn the area. It's like the London version of NYC's Times Square. It's exciting, frantic, busy, and a perfect spot for first-time visitors to London.

Tip: I recommend riding the tube to get here. Piccadilly Circus tube station is conveniently…read moreunderground and it's affordable. Piccadilly Circus was an area that I frequented a lot during my visit to London in December 2013. It is a touristy place. I liked it for a number of reasons. Piccadilly Circus tub station is under Piccadilly Circus. I took the underground to get to this touristy site. It was a cheap, efficient means to get to and from the area. The area feels like Times Square (New York), or Yonge and Dundas (Toronto) with brightly lit screens and signs. You then realize that Piccadilly Circus established illuminated, giant advertisements since the early 20th century. What's special about Piccadilly Circus is that it's a junction where Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street, and Glasshouse Street meet. Circus in the name doesn't mean seeing clowns and acrobats. Rather, it means a circle or roundabout. It makes sense when you see the statue of Anteros, which is also known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It gives you a good look at how the streets comprise this junction. Piccadilly Circus is close to these touristy spots: - M&M's World - Chinatown - Soho - Theatre district - Oxford Street (shopping) - Hop-on, hop-off stops Gone are these places that I enjoyed visiting: - Ripley's Believe It or Not - Angus Steak House I'm an M&M's fan, so I visited this place three times. I loved it so much! Shopping was great. You can find everything from phone accessories (I still travel with a USB cable with three different charging tips that I bought in London) to weed edibles. I liked the eclectic variety that was eye-opening at the time. I remember that there was a small winter fair at a park that I had visited nearby. I don't remember the name of the park or the fair. What I do remember is enjoying banoffee fudge for the first time. So good! It was fun being in this area. I'd love to go back and see how things have changed. If you've never been to Piccadilly Circus before, I recommend going at least once. (44)

I saw many recommendations for Sky Garden when doing research for my trip to London, and I can say…read morethat it's well deserved. You really can't beat a free observation deck. Though Sky Garden is free, you still need to book a timed reservation in advance...as in, right when they release the dates 3 weeks in advance. They will run out pretty quickly even if you wait a few days, especially if you're going during busy season. I saw that the reservation is good for one hour, but honestly, they didn't check when I went so they might not be strict on that depending on the crowd level. I went in about 20 minutes early because I wasn't doing anything. You'll check in and go through security. Then you'll get in an elevator to the top. My reservation was at 10:00am, so I got through the initial line and security quickly, but I imagine it would be a long wait later in the day. The view out is great, and there's a balcony so you can take pictures outside. I think the interior architecture was the highlight though along with the greenery. There's so much natural light that gets in the room. It would have been amazing to go during sunset, but that didn't fit in with my plans. Luckily, the view in the morning was good, and the sunny weather was on my side. They have a cafe and a restaurant there. Though overpriced, I still got a flat white to sip on while I took in the views. Overall, I spent about an hour at a slow pace. You definitely don't need that much time, so if you have the chance to visit, it's definitely worth it. Only issue was the line to go back down took longer than expected since people don't maximize elevator space.

Sky Garden ended up being such a fun experience while we were in London…read more We started at the restaurant on the 27th floor and ordered a bottle of champagne for my friend's birthday. They gave us a really nice birthday discount which was unexpected and appreciated. The service the whole time was fantastic and the views were honestly incredible. After that we went down to the 26th floor and stayed there for a while because the vibe was just really good. Live music, more amazing views, people hanging out and enjoying themselves... it felt very "London night out" in the best way. Touristy? Sure. Worth it? Absolutely. Definitely something I'd recommend making time for if you're visiting London.

Visiting the iconic Buckingham Palace was a must do on my trip to London. We planned our visit as…read morepart of a walking tour through St. James Park. We weren't alone. Hundreds of visitors were taking selfies in front of the massive gold and black gates. Everyone was hoping to get a glimpse of royalty that might pass through the massive black and gold gates. The palace from the Mall vantage point is a neoclassical addition that was completed in 1913. The famous balcony where I watched the Queen appear for decades is the central focal point. There is no charge for a walk by visit, but for a fee, you can tour parts of the inside.

Another thing to do on a first visit to London. Watching the changing of the guard is really cool…read more The audio guided tour is really helpful and educational as you're going through the state rooms, gallery, throne, and the incredible staircase. The cafe is outside (garden) and provides incredible views.

Fitzroy Square is the pearl in the crown of Adam,architect& this was his house. Now the film…read moremaker,Guy Ritchie,livesalmost next door. All houses on the south side of the squareare the only ones built

Great looking square. Makes me proud to be a Londoner. There are better squares though, hence just…read morethe 4 stars which was marginal. Couple of decent bars nearby and super easy to get to via overground or underground.

I loved this place. It was a church where now a lot of…read moreparties take on. We have on similar building in milan (il gattopardo) which looks exactly like the one. I have been there thanks to Gp's party. Wow, what a party! The food was amazing and the music was nice. Purple lights where nice and the cocktails pretty good. There were many stabds for every hotel associated but still the space was enough to walk around. The first floor was really nice even if i felt in love with the ground floor where you can admire the paintings on the walls. So pictoresque. I hope some of our suppliers will cemebrate something again there because i want the opportunity of going another time to one!

Wowzers. This place…read morereally blew me away when I walked it the door. One Marylebone has great bones! It's a great example of a old church conversion and has been transformed into an absolutely beautiful event space. The floors, the lighting, the stained glass, the very classy altar (is that what it's called?) -- everything here looks and feels special. The ground floor is definitely the most impressive, but there's an upstairs space as well. At the press event I attended yesterday they were serving food and drinks upstairs whilst displaying brands and products on the lower floor. The church-turned-elegant-venue is located a stone's throw away from Great Portland Street underground station and is really easy to reach.

Bit of maybe useless information but it is still thereif you are an ardent fan..maybe?…read more The ground floor and basement maisonette was leased to Ringo Starr from early 1965, though he was to live here for only a short time before marrying Maureen Cox and finding a proper house ('Sunny Heights' in Weybridge). Ringo chose to keep the lease and sublet the flat to friends. This was the flat where John Lennon and Yoko Ono first lived together, and at the time it was owned by Ringo Starr after he had moved out. McCartney wrote several Beatles songs here including Eleanor Rigby. It was the location of their nude Two Virgins album cover and also the scene of their October 1968 drugs bust.During their time living at the flat, John and Yoko shot the controversial nude cover photographs. Apple employee Tony Bramwell having set up the camera for them and rushing away before any clothes were shed. Jimi Hendrix also rented it for a short while afterwards but was evicted after painting all the walls black. After the police raid, the landlord sought an injunction against Starr, forbidding anyone but Starr or his family to live there, and for no music or instruments to be played. Starr appealed, and a compromise was reached; only Starr or a family member would live in the flat. Nonetheless, Starr never used the place again, and sold his lease during 1969.

This is a building on the main campus of the University College London. Take a look at this…read morepicture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/castrovalva/748293060/ During World War II it housed the British Ministry of Information, and the story is that it inspired his "Ministry of Truth" in 1984. The buildling is quite accesible from the tube- located just off Oxford Ave shopping area, and def. worth a picture or two.

We bought tickets a few days in advance and was able to get an 11am entry time. There was no line…read morewhen we got there, but had to snake through before entering. There was a guided tour starting right when we entered, but we did the audio tour on our own. I had also prepaid for a kids's book that we picked up at the gift shop. I wouldn't get it again if I had a redo. We also picked up our audio guides, which were included in the price of admission. This was great as it had a kids program and the guided map let us pick and choose what path we wanted to take. We chose to hit the highlights, which takes 90 minutes and we ended up being there for 2 hours. The line for the crown jewels wan't too bad and was the highlight of the visit. They also had live shows in the common area that the kids loved.

Beefeaters Tour. That's all…read more The crown jewels are beautiful to see, but my favorite part of the Tower of London was the free Beefeaters Tour. I recommend heading to the Tower of London right when they open because it gets busy, even on weekdays. I was not prepared for the amount of crowds I would encounter. At 9AM, we went straight to the Crown Jewels. No photos are allowed inside. After 10:30AM, there is already a line to enter. We went straight to the first Beefeaters Tour at 10AM. The tour is normally for a group of 50 people, but there was no one taking a headcount when we arrived and our group went over 50 people. The tour was informative and hilarious. I would recommend the Tower of London for the Beefeaters Tour alone.

I'm not going to try and add on anything else as most here have spelled it out. Big Ben is historic…read moreand no trip to London is complete without seeing it. I've had the opportunity to run the London Marathon a few times, as most recent as 2025, and running by Big Ben along the race course is a thrill, and makes for a terrific photo op. A great memory! It's iconic, period.

Big Ben is one of the most recognizable landmarks in London and one of those places that feels just…read moreas impressive in person as it does in photos. We walked up from Westminster Abbey and found the clock tower immediately dominating the skyline, its detailed Gothic architecture and unmistakable clock face standing out against the gray London sky. Even having seen it countless times in movies and travel guides, seeing it up close felt completely different. The architecture was what stood out to us most. There were so many intricate details on the tower that are easy to overlook from a distance, and walking around the area gave us different perspectives of both Big Ben and the surrounding Houses of Parliament. We took a moment to circle the area, noticing the carvings, the gilded accents, and the way the stone caught the light. The location along the River Thames also made it one of the best spots in the city for photos, especially from Westminster Bridge where we could capture the entire tower with the water stretching out behind it. We happened to be there while the clock chimed, and it added another layer to the experience. Hearing the famous bells in person made the landmark feel much more iconic, and it was easy to understand why it has become one of London's defining symbols. The area was lively, with people walking between Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and other nearby attractions, so there was plenty to see even though we were only stopping by for a short visit. One thing to keep in mind is that this is one of the busiest tourist areas in London. It was crowded throughout the day, especially during peak travel seasons, so arriving earlier in the morning or later in the evening made it easier to enjoy the views and take photos without as many people around. The tower was beautifully illuminated after dark as well, making it worth seeing both during the day and at night if your schedule allows. Overall, Big Ben is one of those landmarks that lives up to its reputation. The history, architecture, and atmosphere make it much more than just a famous clock tower, and it is an essential stop for anyone visiting London. Even if you only spend a few minutes here while exploring Westminster, it is an experience that is difficult to miss.