If you want to spend more time in places that fall under your areas of interest,
If you like to try out the local cuisines of the places you travel to,
If you are the adventurous type,
If you wish to live the life of a local when you visit London,
This one’s for you!
This post is less of a travelogue and more of a guide for Indian travellers who dream of visiting London on their own.
I was fortunate enough to have visited the beautiful city of London, as a tourist, twice within a span of two years. Since I was part of planning both the trips from scratch, I believe that I have a fairly good idea about some of the touristy as well as offbeat attractions in the city by now.
Planning Prior to Visa Application
It would be ideal if you could start uptight planning at least 2 months ahead of your trip. First things first, you must book your accommodation in the city. I suggest that you book an Airbnb apartment by making the full payment in advance. When you do this, you need to make sure that the cancellation policy of the host is either “flexible” or “moderate”. You could book an entire apartment or a shared accommodation, depending on the number of people travelling. If you’re just travelling as a couple, a shared accommodation, with breakfast from the host, is a good choice; that’s what I call the real Airbnb experience.
Next, you can check Skyscanner and Google Flights to get the best deal on flights and go ahead with booking your air tickets. If your visa is rejected, you will get full reimbursement on the air tickets and on the Airbnb bookings (only for hosts with flexible/moderate cancellation policies).
UK Visa Application
Applying for the UK visa is a tedious process for the self-employed; you need to get your title deeds translated to English and attested, get your CA’s certificate for the assets you own, etc. This can be simplified by keeping a personal checklist, for example, of all the bank accounts that you need to get statements for. You could also submit a rough itinerary along with your documents. Here is an itinerary that I made up for my visa application—Fake Itinerary. Through a local travel agent or on your own, you can book an appointment with VFS Global, when your documents are ready. I sought the help of our travel agent Move On Leisure, only for ticketing and visa application.
After Getting UK Visa
As soon as you get your visas approved, you could buy your London Passes + Travel for 6 days online. You can opt for a mobile London Pass, and get your Oyster card (which comes with £40 credit) delivered in your home address. The ideal thing to do next is to download the London Pass app on your phone and link your London Pass to the app to get amazing pass-holder offers. You can use the discounts on theatre tickets and day trips. I have used two of the promotional codes: for a one-day coach trip to Oxford, Stratford, and Cotswolds villages by Anderson Tours and for London by Night bus tour by Golden Tours. Out of the 80 attractions that the London Pass offers free entry for, you could shortlist the ones you are most interested in, and mark them on a customized map on Google Maps (Google My Maps on Google Drive). The bubbles, on Google Maps, that are close enough to each other may be planned for the same day. I suggest that you spend a minimum of 1 week to 10 days in London alone; there’s so much to see and do. These are my detailed itineraries that can help you make an itinerary for yourself—Itinerary’15, Itinerary’17. The bus stops, bus numbers, bus timings, and tube timings were impeccably planned using Google Maps.
Advance Online Reservations
Some advance bookings that you could make online are these: London Eye tickets, Lord’s Cricket Ground tour, Buckingham Palace tour, Madame Tussauds tickets, any day trip or Airbnb experience, Warner Bros. Studio tour and Theatre tickets.
Mobile Apps
These are some mobile apps that could come in handy for planning and travelling in London:
– Airbnb
– The Weather Channel
– London Pass
– City Mapper
– London Offline City Map
– Live London Bus Tracker
– London Travel Guide
– Raise Tower Bridge
– Natural History Museum App
More Travel Tips
The London Pass booklet and London for the Indian Traveller by Lonely Planet provide a lot of important and interesting information. The remarkably efficient public transportation in London is certainly a huge advantage. You could also check Google Street Views of a few places that you plan to visit. This kind of planning will give you a good idea about the city even before you get there. Exploring a city on your own, without a tour guide walking in front of you asking you to hurry up, is sheer pleasure. You can eat when you are hungry, spend as much time as you want at all the attractions, and leave quickly from the ones that you find boring. You can commute in the city by the tube (Underground), the Overground, the DLR, and buses using the Oyster card, which can be topped up at any tube station. I recommend that you buy a GBP/multi-currency forex card from your bank because cards are accepted everywhere in London and you will not have to worry about carrying around the exact change.
SIM Card
As soon as you land in London, I strongly recommend that you buy a Lebara SIM card from the airport itself. Being an Asian service provider, Lebara’s call rates to India are cheap and it’s free for you to make calls between Lebara numbers in the UK.
Food
Some restaurant chains that I recommend in London are these: Pret A Manger (fast food chain store), Franco Manca (Italian chain store), Five Guys (American fast food chain store), Itsu (Japanese chain store), and Spaghetti House (Italian chain store).
You can always grab sandwiches and crisps from supermarket chain stores such as Marks & Spencer Simply Food, Tesco, or Sainsbury’s.
Veg food: McDonald’s now offers 2 veg burgers in their outlets in London. You will always find veg in Italian, Turkish, Lebanese and Bangladeshi restaurants.
The Must-Dos
These are my personal recommendations for your itinerary:
Tower of London
Although the “size” of the Kohinoor Diamonds may disappoint you a bit, this place is really nice. This one is for the fans of the Royal family. Free with London Pass
Tower Bridge Exhibition
This exhibition is very informative. The engineers in the family would like it a little more. The highlight of the exhibition is walking on a glass floor. Free with London Pass
Lifting of Tower Bridge
Lifting of the Tower Bridge is mostly just a matter of two minutes and you must not miss it at any cost. It’s truly an engineering marvel. You can get the best view from the footpath in front of the Tower of London. The timings for the lifting can be found on their website.
Boat Cruise on the River Thames
You could enjoy some British humour of the crew during this cruise. Although the River Thames looks ugly and so not worth writing poems on anymore, this cruise is a great experience. The Red Rover ticket gives you the luxury of hopping on and off the cruise for 24 hours. The cruise timings will have to be checked on City Cruises’ website. The best route, according to me, is the ride between Tower Millennium Pier and Westminster Pier. Red Rover ticket free with London Pass
Chelsea FC Stadium Tour
All the football fans, especially Chelsea fans, must visit this stadium. They show you even the dressing rooms as part of the conducted tour. You just need to make sure that you don’t go there on match days. I’m married to a huge Chelsea fan; those of who don’t appreciate the idea of Stamford Bridge can go for an Arsenal stadium tour. Free with London Pass
Royal Albert Hall
This hall is a magnificent piece of art. Only a handful of Indian musicians have had the opportunity to perform in this hall. Brilliant architecture, great conducted tour! Free with London Pass
London Bike Tour
To feel like a local, you should give this a try. If you are not a regular at the gym, you could opt out of the 3 hours’ conducted tour and instead go for a 1 hour ride on your own. The guy at the bicycle shop will suggest routes to you. Free with London Pass
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
A modern reconstruction keeping up with the tradition, this place is a must-visit for all the literature lovers. The conducted tour is very informative and nice. Free with London Pass
London by Night Bus Tour
During summer, this tour, conducted by Golden Tours, won’t really be in the dark. You will get to sit in an open-top bus. The tour guide gives you a lot of information about the main parts of the city that you cover as part of this tour. You could book this tour well in advance using the discount offered to the users of the London Pass app.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
All the cricket lovers must visit this place as, they say, Lord’s is the home of cricket. As part of the conducted tour at Lord’s, they take you to the museum, the stands, the dressing room, the media centre, and even show you the original Ashes cup. We were taken to the away team’s dressing room and I sat on Steve Waugh’s favourite seat, which was next to Sachin Tendulkar’s. My sister and I almost teared up, out of excitement. You’ll need to make an advance booking for the tour on their website.
Big Ben
It’s called the Elizabeth Tower; and Big Ben is the bell inside the tower, which you cannot see. You could just walk on the road and have a great picture of it. This is the symbol of London; your tour of London is incomplete if you don’t get to take a good look at this tower.
Palace of Westminster
While you stand opposite Westminster Abbey, you will get a good glance of these beautiful buildings.
Wimbledon
A must-do once in a lifetime! You should consider making your travel plans during the Wimbledon season, which is also the most ideal time to be in London, in terms of favourable weather conditions. You should reach the venue 3-4 hours in advance to buy the ground tickets.
Change of Guards
There will be thousands of people waiting to see this ceremony every time it takes place. You could get a good view of the parade initially from the gates of the Guards Museum and then near the gates of Buckingham Palace. The timings of the parade must be checked on their website.
Buckingham Palace
Unfortunately, you can’t have both Wimbledon and a tour inside the Buckingham Palace if your trip is short, because the palace opens to the public for its summer tours only by the month of August. For visiting the magnificent State Rooms, you must make an advanced booking on their website.
Crest of London Souvenir Shop
You will get to buy some pleasing souvenirs from this shop. For the good memories of your trip and for your family and friends back home, this shop can help; that’s mainly because you will get to buy goodies worth £5 for free with every London Pass valid on the day you shop.
Trafalgar Square
For the love of the game of Monopoly and for this famous address, you must visit this lively square in the middle of the city.
Leicester Square
This square is always packed with people. You will get to buy cheap theatre tickets here. With a lot of street shows going on, you would feel happy just by walking around.
M&M’s World
Quiet literally a world created by M&Ms, this is an extensive 3-storied shop that sells everything about M&Ms—M&Ms in dozens of different flavours, assorted flavours, M&M curios, M&M apparels, M&M toys, M&M stationery, and much more. It’s just crazy fun! You will get 15% off on all purchases made with a valid London Pass.
Piccadilly Circus
This square is just a few metres away from Leicester Square. If you are a fan of Monopoly, you should try walking from Leicester Square to Piccadilly Circus via Coventry Street. Yellow tick!
Queen’s House
One among the most popular tourist attractions in Greenwich, this is a beautiful, ancient structure that has much historical significance. Free entry and conducted tour
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Greenwich Mean Time! This observatory is for the science and geography lovers. You can take pictures of yourself standing on the prime meridian line. Free with London Pass
Coach Trip to Oxford, Stratford & Cotswolds Villages
This is a day trip conducted by Anderson Tours. They take you to Stratford upon Avon to show you Shakespeare’s birthplace; and to the church where he was baptised, his wedding was conducted, and his grave still lay. Then they drive you through the beautiful Cotswolds villages with just one stopover in the countryside. Next and the last stop is at The University of Oxford where you can pay and visit any of the 39 colleges. You would get sufficient time to visit only a couple of them in detail. You could use London Pass-holder discount for booking this tour.
The British Museum
This place is unbelievably huge. No matter what about History you like, it’s all in there. It seems humanly impossible to cover the whole place though. Free entry
Wimbledon Tour and Museum
As part of the conducted tour, you will get to see the Centre Court, the BBC studio and many other things that will keep you amazed. Free with London Pass
Borough Market
Being one of the oldest and largest markets, for fruits and vegetables, in the world, the lively London Borough Market, situated on the banks of the River Thames, is every foodie’s dream. You will be spoiled for choices in street food! You can also walk around in the vegetable and fish market for fun.
Emirates Air Line
Who wouldn’t like a short, sweet and cheap ropeway ride over the River Thames! You can use your Oyster card to pay for this ride.
Lion King at Lyceum Theatre
This theatre show is just absolutely mind-blowing. You must not miss this at any cost. You could buy cheap theatre tickets from Leicester Square or TKTS website or using London Pass-holder discounts.
Football Match
Watching an English Premier League or a Champions League match at one of the London club stadiums is a dream of every football lover. And the feeling cannot be expressed in words. It’s just unbelievable amount of fun and out of this world!
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Since the entry ticket costs £15, this is recommended only for hardcore Sherlock fans. 221B Baker Street is one of the most famous addresses in the world!
Westminster Abbey
Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge, got married in this beautiful cathedral. You can also find the burials of Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Rudyard Kipling, and that of several kings/queens and other famous personalities. Free with London Pass
Kensington Palace
If you love Princess Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and her story, you will really enjoy visiting this palace where she spent a lot of her time. Free with London Pass
Airbnb Experience
You could check for Airbnb experiences that are hosted in the city during your stay there and go for at least one of them.
Oxford/Regent Street Shopping
Your London trip would be incomplete if you don’t get a good share of shopping experience at Oxford Street. Clothes at H&M are much cheaper than what they sell in their outlets in India. Primark is a budget store that is crowded at all times. And Uniqlo is an absolute joy to shop at.
If you have have a tight schedule, these are some attractions, according to me, which you can afford to miss:
London Eye
If you have been on the Singapore Flyer, you may not do this. The ferris wheel completes a full rotation in half an hour’s time. It is not worth the money. Despite the fact that this ferris wheel is considered an eye-sore, seen amongst the beautiful ancient buildings along the River Thames, it is apparently the most revenue-generating attraction in London. You should buy tickets in advance on their website.
HMS Belfast
Unless you’re a hard-core History buff who loves every detail of the World War II, this ship may not be worth your time. Free with London Pass
Natural History Museum
It’s a little childish. Only teenagers, who are in love with science subjects, would thoroughly enjoy this place. The dinosaurs and whales that you see on their website are not as good-looking in real. This is apparently the most crowded museum in London. Free entry
National Maritime Museum
Unless you’re a mariner yourself, it is highly unlikely that you like this place. Free with London Pass
Madame Tassauds
It is too clichéd, nowadays, just to get yourselves photographed standing next to the wax structures of your favourite celebrities. It definitely is not cool enough anymore, and so not worth paying for.
London Zoo
If you’re not travelling with kids, this place is a fail. There is nothing all that great about this zoo. I would not recommend this zoo for adults without children. Free with London Pass
Platform 9 ¾, Kings Cross Station
If you’re a big Harry Potter fan, you must do the tour at Warner Bros. Studio, where tickets get sold out months in advance. At London King’s Cross, you will have to stand in a long queue to get yourselves photographed as trying to walk into Platform 9 and three quarters.
Why London?
This city is an exquisite blend of an amazing history, high-end technologies, the latest fashion, a brilliant public transportation system, and an English-speaking population. This is one capital city in Europe where you can be on your own, without getting lost. Being an Indian from India, I was astonished to see how organized such a huge city could get.
When the tube drivers went on a strike for two days, while I was holidaying with my family in the city, the government arranged alternate transportation by plying old double-decker buses for the commuters, for free. They distributed pamphlets about the means of alternate transportation two days prior to the strike.
Celebrities get their share of privacy in this beautiful city. The city offers cuisine from all over the world. Street food, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Indian, Turkish, Italian, Japanese, you name it—it’s all there.
Here’s what BBC has to say about London—The World’s Greatest City
Walk and Cheese 