This is certainly out of place, but I have been talking to a couple of old friends who are planning on visiting London next year, and this brought up some things I have been thinking of. (I'm also going to post this in my blog about my trip to the UK this past summer.)
First, I have been to London several times in the past 25 years, and love the city because it has everything--history, shopping, good dining, shows, and some unique places. Each time I have gone, I have discovered a few more interesting places, most of which are not on the usual tourist routes.
Most people, especially Americans, spend anywhere from 2 to 4 days in London. That gives them time to see the following:
- The Tower of London
- Tower Bridge
- Westminster Abbey
- Big Ben (This is a bell, but most people refer to the tower as Big Ben, and you can only see that from the outside.)
- Harrods
- The London Eye observation wheel
- Horse Guards (maybe)
If someone tries to sell you a ticket to see Buckingham Palace, know that it is only open a couple of months each year, so that ticket is going to be mostly your standing outside the gates and looking in. And the tower that holds Big Ben is NOT open to tourists, so you will only be looking at this from the windows of a bus or standing outside of it.
The list above is a legitimate list, but there are a lot of other things in London to see that are free or almost free and much more interesting. For example, here is my list of "must sees", many of which are free:
- Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, on Cromwell st. https://www.vam.ac.uk/south-kensington. Free. You can't do all of this museum in one day, so pick one area and visit it, then come back another day. My favorite is the jewel collection in the basement where you can view more diamonds and precious stones than you can imagine. Check out Queen Victoria's tiny crown here. There is also an extremely nice gift shop in this museum, and if you keep walking past it, and out the center doors, you will find a lovely little garden and a cafe.
- Natural History Museum, just west of the V&A. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/. Free. It is mostly your typical dinosaur museum, but the inside of this building has a unique and incredible architecture. Take the elevator to the second floor near the entrance, and look up at the ceiling where there are a couple hundred panels depicting living plants. Also, take a walk through the little garden on the way back to the V&A, and see if you can find the two small Wollemi pine trees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wollemia These trees have been around as long as the dinosaurs, but were thought to be extinct until several were found in an Australia canyon.
- Banqueting House - About $6. https://www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house/ If you are looking at the horse guards on Whitehall Street, just turn around and walk a hundred feet south and cross the street. This historical place seems unassuming from the outside, but it was originally part of Whitehall Palace which was enlarged by Henry VIII and destroyed by fire in 1698. Inside, there is a magnificent ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens. There are tables with mirrors on them and beanbags on the floor you can sit or lie on to view the ceiling more easily. Much more interesting than watching stupid tourists take selfies of themselves and the poor guard horses!!
- All Hallows by the Tower, The oldest church in London. Free. https://www.ahbtt.org.uk/. When you are done visiting the Tower of London, head for the Tower Tube entrance just north of the tower, and look left or west for a pointed church steeple. Ignore all the modern tall office buildings and imagine yourself in the oldest part of London when it was founded in 675 A.D. by the Abbey of Barking. (Look for bits of Roman City of London walls also.) This makes this church 300 years older than Westminster Abbey, and Roman ruins still exist in the church's crypt underneath the church, so make sure you go down the stairs to see this museum underneath. The inside of the outside walls of the church are blackened by bombing in WWII, but this church survived the Great Fire of London and a lot of other history. It is a working church, and was saved from the Great Fire by the diarist, Samuel Pepys, and Admiral Penn, the father of William Penn who founded Pennsylvania and was baptized in this church! Also, John Quincy Adams was married in this church in 1797! Pepys and Penn watched the fire from the tower and got permission to have Navy sailors blow up and tear down wooden buildings that were feeding the fire, thus helping to put it out. Note that this church and the one below are almost the only buildings surviving in this area of modern skyscrapers, certainly due to Samuel Pepys!
- St. Olave's Church, Seething Lane. Free. https://saintolave.com/ After leaving All Hallows, cross the street, and cut through the restaurant tables to find yourself on Seething Lane. If you have read The Diary of Samuel Pepys, you will recognize the name of this street. Pepys and his wife, Elizabeth, referred to this church as "Our Own Church, and attended services regularly, sitting in a dedicated Navy pew. Both Samuel and Elizabeth are buried in the church in the nave. (If you have not read this fascinating 11-year-long diary, you can follow it online at https://www.pepysdiary.com/.) One interesting posting from his diary tells us that he and his wife dug a hole in his rear yard and buried two of their most important possessions--their silver and a Parmesan cheese!
- Museum of London, Docklands, but soon to be Smithfield. Free. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/ Unfortunately, the old London Museum in the Barbicon area has been closed for the past two years. It's Docklands museum is currently open, but it contains only part of its collection of London history. The new museum is scheduled to open in late 2026 in Smithfield.
- British Museum, Free.
TO BE CONTINUED
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