This might be my most controversial post yet. And I wrote an entire post about how I think 99% of skincare is terrible. Us Londoners are a funny bunch: open, welcoming, but fiercely territorial, and weirdly divisive about a rather dull-coloured river. Ask a Londoner what tourist sites to go to, and they’ll probably rattle off the same few — but with a strikingly different opinion about what’s good (and not).
One notable thing about being an expat, though, is that unlike born-and-bred locals, you bridge the murky waters of being somewhere between visitor and local. Meaning, you’ve probably seen all the tourist sites (and then some), but you also tend to never go to them after the first year. Hello, me. It’s why I often think expats make the best tour guides — and why they start so many blogs!
Now, 8 years an expat in London, I feel confident giving visitors recommendations of what tourist sites to hit — and which ones to miss. Follow my list below, and you’ll leave London accomplished.
Worth the Hype
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,” said some famous dude and pretty much every Londoner ever to live in this magical city. However, for those of you visiting for only a short amount of time, the amount of ‘things to do’ can feel daunting. And that’s only if you’re planning on seeing the general ‘tourist sites’ — let alone what us locals get up to. To help you out, here’s my list of the tourist sites that you must visit on a first trip to London. They are that good.
— Westminster Abbey —
— The British Museum —
— The Tower of London —
— Victoria & Albert Museum —
— St. Paul’s Cathedral (Even Just the Outside!) —
— City of London Walk —
Not Worth the Hype: Instead, Do This
Because I still have literally NO idea why tourists go to Piccadilly circus.
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- Views from the National Portrait Gallery Restaurant
1| The London Eye… Instead, Do Anything Else
The London Eye was probably the biggest waste of money I’ve ever spent. And I once bought a little hot pink ‘cleansing tool’ that vibrated on your face for £100. I still repeatedly apologise to the friend who lovingly came to visit me in London, and I forced her to spend the gut-wrenching £25 to sit on an excruciatingly slow Ferris wheel with rather mediocre views. If for some reason you are very desperate for an expensive view of London, pay the same price to go to the top of the Shard for a superioer view.
2 | Climb to the Top of the Monument… Instead, Book Dinner at the National Portrait Gallery Restaurant
I’m almost reluctant to share this amazing nugget of London insider info with you, it’s that good. The Portrait Gallery is a beautiful gallery, yes, and one that I also think you should visit (see item below). But did you know the Portrait Gallery also has a restaurant on its top floor? With huge windows, this restaurant gives you the beautiful sunset views you’d be hoping to see at the top of the Monument. They offer a very reasonable pre-theatre dinner for £19.50/£23.50, and the food is delicious. It’s the place I always take out-of-towners to impress them for a lovely meal in London that won’t break the bank. Just make sure to request a table by the window. You’re welcome.
I’m almost reluctant to share this amazing nugget of London insider info with you, it’s that good. The Portrait Gallery is a beautiful gallery, yes, and one that I also think you should visit (see item below). But did you know the Portrait Gallery also has a restaurant on its top floor? With huge windows, this restaurant gives you the beautiful sunset views you’d be hoping to see at the top of the Monument. They offer a very reasonable pre-theatre dinner for £19.50/£23.50, and the food is delicious. It’s the place I always take out-of-towners to impress them for a lovely meal in London that won’t break the bank. Just make sure to request a table by the window. You’re welcome.
(A note on the poor Monument: while you should absolutely go see the monument, climbing is another story. The rather disappointing view seems so very mediocre after the treacherously slippery steep climb you take to get there. Don’t say I didn’t warn you).
3 | Covent Garden… Instead, Spot the Blue Plaques in Bloomsbury
This is assuming you’re going to Covent Garden for the culture rather than the shopping. If you want to shop, please do go to Covent Garden, as it’s a fab shopping area. But for culture? Well, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t move to London to gaze at an Italian style ‘piazza’ (is it even one? Who knows).
Bloomsbury, on the other hand, is rich in history and full of beautiful, quaint gardens that make London so charming. It’s famous for London’s literary history, so if that’s your thing (if it’s not, then you may not love this blog), then this is the area for you. Keep an eye out for the ‘Blue Plaques’ — where notable historic events or persons living in a property occurred. Here’s a handy tour to get you started.
4 | Harrods… Instead, Go to Liberty London
Fun Eire Pollard fact: my very first flat in London was a nine-month stint in a room across the street from Harrods. I sometimes still can’t believe this actually happened, rather than it being something I made up. So needless to say, Harrods actually holds a soft spot in my heart. However, objectively, I can say that as a store, it’s expensive, it’s dark, and it’s so full of tourists it makes you want to die.
Liberty near Oxford Street, on the other hand, is tucked away off the beaten track, a beautiful, timber-clad building more akin to a well-edited collection than a heaving department store. Item displays are more like art installations, and the brands on offer rival that of Harrods. Make sure to idly browse the iconic ‘Liberty Print’ silk scarves, as if you are a fancy, high-born ‘lady of leisure.’ Best day out.
5 | Piccadilly Circus… Instead, Walk Around St. Paul’s and Visit Postman’s Park
Important question: why do tourists flock to Piccadilly Circus? I remember in my first few days in London excitingly getting off the tube there, hoping to find… a circus. Much to my dismay, it was a busy roundabout with a statue in the middle. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realise ‘circus’ was just a fancy name for a roundabout/circle. Ever since then, I have avoided the area, perplexed as to why it’s always so busy, if it’s not an actual circus.
The area around St. Paul’s, on the other hand, has the similar old-time-London feel (with a bit of shopping, too). And if you search hard enough, you find the best ‘hidden London’ secret, which is Postman’s Park. This little churchyard contains the ‘Wall to Heroic Self-Sacrifice,’ a memorial that if it doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, you must actually be a robot. It’s the other place I always take people when they come to visit.
Other Swaps for London Tourist Sites
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Instead of shopping down Oxford Street, browse the beautiful independent shops along Marylebone High Street, tucked away just north of Oxford Street.
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Avoid the heaving crowds at the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum… instead, head to the V&A or the National Portrait Gallery (or both!). The exhibitions here are just as good — if not, better.
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Buckingham Palace is always crowded and isn’t all that ‘spectacular’ looking. Instead, why not head out to Windsor Castle for the day? You get the same history but in a big, beautiful castle.
Londoners: do you agree with my picks? Tourists: what London tourist sites have you hit, or miss? Would love to hear your thoughts!