I mean, the place inspired one of the best rom coms of the 90s so you better believe it's cute,…read morequaint and romantic! Explore the neighborhood of Notting Hill and you'll see streets filled with iconic, colorful houses. But not all the houses are colorful. In some parts of the neighborhood, there are gorgeous white buildings with beautiful architecture! A google search will give you some of the best streets to walk through or even a path to explore from top to bottom! There are a variety of little shops and a regular farmers market (although it's not must on days other than Saturday). Overall, it's a fun visit if you'd like to step away from the busy city and see some cute sights, but I wouldn't put it on the list as an absolute must visit.

Notting Hill is a neighborhood in West London that is known for shopping, and the movie 'Notting…read moreHill'. A lot of the filming for this famous film with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant was done in Notting Hill. This is a fun place to explore, shop and dine

Leicester Square is a public space in the West End of London…read more It's the central point of the theatre district. Some would consider this to be the epitome of the entertainment district. This is the area where movie premieres are held. Tons of restaurants, theaters, and shops. There's a trail of statues of famous folks in the film realm. Paddington Bear is my favorite. The square is close to the Underground. You can walk here from Piccadilly Circus making it a 2fer for tourists wanting to take everything in. Covent Garden is also close by.

When thinking about things to do in Leicester Square, entertainment is top of the list. Two major…read moreLondon art galleries are also within a stone's throw of Leicester Square and Soho. And with Carnaby, Oxford, and Regent Streets - as well as many more in the Soho area - the shopping scene is second to none It has long been London's home of film for many years with the first cinema opening in 1930. here, you can follow a free movie-themed statue trail, watch the street performers, shop at flagship stores, and dine out in nearby Chinatown. Leicester Square is famous for cinemas, as red carpet London premieres take place here. There are several big-name theatres to choose from - Cineworld, Odeon, and Vue. Don't expect any cheap tickets in this location, though! the best part (IMO) was those 10 statuses including the Harry Potter one, but don't forget to check out Swiss Glockenspiel, The TKTS Booth, Street Performers, and other ongoing activities. Statue list: 1) Wonder Woman statue 2) Batman statue 3) Harry Potter statue 4) Paddington Bear statue: we missed this as it was taken out for maintenance :( 5) Mary Poppins statue 6) Mr. Bean statue: it was also taken out for maintenance. 7) The statue of Gene Kelly from 'Singing in the Rain 8) Charlie Chaplin statue 9) Bugs Bunny statue 10) Laurel and Hardy statue: The statue of Laurel and Hardy in Leicester Square is rarely seen by tourists as it is placed on the roof of the TKTS building. TKTS London is at the heart of Leicester Square and is a non-profit ticket booth. Discounted and last-minute tickets are often available here. So you could catch a matinee or evening show in the West End, even if you hadn't planned. Just down from Leicester Square on St Martin's Place is the National Portrait Gallery. Leicester Square is in the center of London's West End and is always a busy place for people visiting London. The square is filled with street performers, bars, clubs, casinos, and restaurants as well as plenty of cultural things to do Today, Leicester Square is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, world-class cinemas, and thriving theatre scene.

This was under renovation when I was there for training, but the area is very busy and a center of…read moreactivity. It's an identifiable location to gather or catch the Tube. It's historic, but unfortunately I couldn't see much!

Oysters were delicious. I had raw oysters & my companion had the Bienevelle oysters. The bartender…read morewas gracious & entertaining. Great ambience. Welcoming staff. Quickly served. Will def

Pay $100 to have to fight to see out of a window. You are better off going to the hotel near by and…read moregetting a drink. Better view and cheaper Also line of 6 people to use the restroom, my nose unexpectedly started bleeding so I had to use a sink and it was a total nightmare

This is a must, and I would recommend to go just before sunset and plan on spending 1-1/2 hours up…read morethere to have the spectacular view over the city not only in one particular light but both, daylight and night illumination. And since there is a bar and café up there as well, one can easily spend that time in awe and without suffering famine... PS: easily reachable with public transportation. On-line reservation...

So historical and a huge part of London history. If you are a big fan of history and big shiny…read morebeautiful gems this is where you'll find the Crown Jewels stored and on display. If you take a tour here, self guided available, it's a must see. A few years back when I was in town for the London Marathon it was around the time of Charles' inauguration to King and they removed the jewels to have them prepared for the ceremony - BOOOOOO!!! If here you'll find plenty of details about it's history, artifacts, displays, and prominent figures associated with the Tower. You can easily spend hours here exploring the buildings, rooms, and grounds.

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.

The first time my daughter and I visited London and we went to Kensington Palace, we got lost when…read moreleaving and ended up on a private street. The street required entry by a guard and we have no idea how we ended up there. The palace is absolutely beautiful and still functions as housing for the royals. We were able to add a memento for Princess Di at the White Garden which still acts as a memorial to her this day.

Our visit to Kensington Palace was unplanned and full of surprises. We were doing a walking tour…read moreand noticed that there were very few visitors and so we easily bought tickets and got right in (after a robust security search). From the outside, the Palace looks institutional to me. The building was built (actually a remodeled farmhouse) in the late 1600's by King William and Queen Mary. A formal garden surrounds the west entrance. I imagine that the garden is quite spectacular in the Spring. The tour includes visits to three "Chambers" with audio tour phones that were easy to use. The audio tour is excellent with lots of interesting information. The staff is friendly and offers talks on interesting aspects of the palace. The oldest chamber visit was that of Queen Mary II (wife of King William III). The Queen's Gallery was most interesting with a fabulous harpsichord that was being played by a member of staff during our visit. The gallery overlooks the lovely gardens. The room is filled with antique pottery and portraits of the Queen. She died in her nearby bedroom chamber at the age of 32 with the King by her side. The Chamber of George II and Queen Caroline is quite opulent. We heard a short and fascinating lecture on a unique wind monitoring device that is still operational today. Family portraits and Renaissance art fill the walls. The third chamber on the tour is that of Queen Victoria where she lived as a child. Some of her childhood toys and books are displayed. Visitors are encourage to play with recreations of toys and dress up clothes. The room of her birth is the final stop of the tour. A gift shop and cafe are available. It would be fun to have tea in the cafe and imagine dining with royalty. I was hoping to run into a few royals, but I didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would recommend. There were few visitors while we were there, which was nice. Plan at least 2 hours (mostly walking) for the tour. GET the audio headsets (they are included with admission). Expect stairs. A restroom is available for visitors.

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.

We were exited about visiting the palace. The checkpoint and entrance is rather quick when you have…read morethe ticket online. The security is tight. The visit includes 14 rooms in the palace. We like the audio guide is included. We also like the opportunity to take the picture with the royal preset picture. What we don't like which the Royal collection and trust can improve are below. 1. No picture allow in the palace is kind of step back to ruin the interest of the visitors. Second the exit is a ten minute walks to the entrance if you decide to go back to front. Third the garden on the general admission is kind of let down. There are no flowers at all. Even the king bees hive cannot be seen because is block from view. Fourth the ice cream parlor blocks the possibility view to the palace from a distance view. I think the visit compare to many attractions in the London is not the best. Not sure to recommend this visit.

Shopping, restaurants and family fun at Battersea Power Station…read more As an architect, I was blown away by the architecture and the sheer size of this mixed-use master planning. We visited in the week between Christmas and New Years: shopping mall, restaurants, ice skating and carnival games. While the ice skating rink was packed and took a little while to get skating, it was still a great time. There's a chimney lift experience we missed, maybe next time.

There's a new energy at this converted power station…read more In the past Battersea Power Station supplied a fifth of London's electricity. In 1975 Battersea A was decommissioned and Battersea B shut down three years later. Today, Battersea is an entertainment district that includes high end shops like Abercrombie Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski. Rolex and others. It also have several restaurants, coffee shops, juice bars, dessert spots, a brewery, a theater, a ping pong experience called Bounce as well as a play area for kid. It reminds me of the indoor American malls but much more updated. The inside is very spacious, and fun to walk around in. If you are with a multi-age group there is something for everyone. Some of my favorites were the brewery, Nando's restaurant, the Lego store and the Marks and Spencer Food Hall. I also thought it was cool that they had apartments for rent and sale right next door. If I lived in London, I would want to live in the Battersea Power Station area. This area has it all, and as a tourist it is always fun to visit because there is so much to do, and there are events going on all the time.