We recently spent about 30 hours in London, and I think we walked about 25 miles in that time. It was a whirlwind and simultaneously overwhelming and wonderful.
London is not known for being an affordable city, so if you need to book a hotel, you’ll probably have to be a bit outside the city center. We tried to avoid using the London Underground, but that didn’t work out. Still, I’d recommend going on foot as much as you can. I promise there will be something amazing to see.
If you’re looking for a place to eat, use Yelp and filter for the lowest price setting. If you just step off the main road a bit, you’ll find something delightful and tasty.
Definitely the coolest thing we did while we were in London was a Jack the Ripper walking tour. Technically, it’s free, and it wouldn’t have been that difficult to wander off at the end without leaving a tip. Of course, since my husband has worked in the tourism industry, we know how much that infuriates a tour guide who’s put a lot of passion into their tour. And I loved our tour guide. I feel like a jerk for not remembering her name, but she was amazing and the tour was fascinating. Check it out if you’re in London.
My favorite thing about this city is the mash up of ancient, modern, and everything in between. There’s a high rise metal monstrosity right next to a pre-colonial building. Peek down a side street and you’ll see a Lewis Carroll pub. There’s a Gourmet Burger Kitchen literally next door to a prison museum. It’s crazy, and I love it.
London was very crowded, so stopping to take photos proved a bit tricky. I still managed to snap a few moderately interesting shots. It was all so awesome, though, that I mostly just desperately wanted to see it with my own eyes. I don’t think I could live here, but there’s so much I want to see and do in London, I know we’ll be back.