London was another stop on our Europe trip last summer. I fell in love with this charming, old city! I love all the history and character. We were lucky to be graced with amazing weather while we were visiting which allowed us to run around all over the city. London is a great city for tourists because the major landmarks are all in a good walking distance from each other. Anything that’s not walkable from the city center is easy to get to by bus or subway. We used both transportation systems and figured them out quickly! I definitely reccomend buying an oyster card when you get there which will allow you access to both. In this post I am sharing some of our favorite London attractions!

Abbey Road

Abbey Road is of course the location where the Beatles shot the album cover of the popular “Abbey Road” album. Rocio and I grew up listening to the Beatles so we had to make a trip out to this spot for our own Abbey Road moment! We took a fairly short bus ride to the location from our hostel in Notting Hill. If you do make the trip to Abbey Road, please be careful! This is a busy road with speeding cars that aren’t very happy with the tourists blocking the road for photos.

Tip: Head out early to avoid the crowds that make it almost impossible to get a shot!

Notting Hill

Notting Hill is the epitome of charming! We loved exploring this neighborhood full of quaint, colorful houses. I wanted to move right in! Some of our favorite streets were St. Luke’s Mews and Lancaster Rd. If you have time check out Kynance Mews, Dove Mews, and Chalcot Square.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the London residence of the royal family. The palace and the grounds are absolutely stunning! The beautiful gardens were in bloom when we visited in August. It’s a great place to walk around in and explore or sit down for a picnic! We made it in time to see the beginning of the changing of the guards but had to leave early for our Harry Potter Walking Tour. We came back at golden hour to take photos of the palace. It was stunning!

Tip: The changing of the guards starts at 10:45. The crowds were absolutely CRAZY! To get a good viewing spot, get there early!

The London Eye

The London eye is a giant ferris wheel that sits on the bank of the River Thames. We chose to photograph it and admired it from across the river but you can actually go on the ferris wheel for some amazing views of London! You can book tickets here.

Tower Bridge

Stunning Tower Bridge is possibly the most iconic bridge in London. You can buy tickets to see the Tower Bridge exhibition with glass floor walkways and panoramic views of London. We walked across the bridge to take in the beautiful sights snapping photos along the way. You can buy tickets for the exhibition here.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a world-famous gothic church and the traditional site for coronations. It’s one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and an important part of British History. You can tour the interiors of the Abbey for a small fee.

Big Ben/Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (otherwise known as Big Ben) are some of London’s most iconic landmarks. Big Ben is actually the nick name given to the large clock on the Elizabeth Tower. It was under construction when we visited but we still managed to snap some great shots from the Westminster Bridge!

Millenium Bridge

The Millenium Bridge is a steel suspension footbridge for pedestrians to cross the River Thames. You may recognize it as the bridge the death eaters destroy in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! This bridge has been filmed for several other movies as well like Bridget Jones.

Kensington Palace/Hyde Park

Kensington Palace is a royal residence in the royal boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. It’s the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The palace is surrounded by the beautiful Kensington Gardens. We also explored the lovely Hyde Park which is connected to the gardens.

Tip: The Peter Pan statue is located almost in the center of Hyde Park.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral is a magnificent Anglican church that sits on the highest point of London, Ludgate Hill. The Millenium Bridge starts in front of Tate Modern and takes you all the way across the River Thames to the cathedral. The bridge makes for some awesome views of the Cathedral.

Tip: There are viewing platforms inside the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral with panoramic views of the city. It’s quite the climb but worth it for the stunning views! You can book tickets for the dome here.

Tower of London

The Tower of London, London’s Castle, was historically a fortress, palace, and infamous prison. It’s now home to famous British treasures like the Crown Jewels! The tower is located on the North Bank of the River Thames between Tower Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Tip: Buying your tickets online is the cheapest and most convenient way to see the Tower. You can buy your tickets here.

Portobello Market, Borough Market, and Camden Market

London has so many cool markets to explore! We made it to these three markets and loved them. Portobello Road is located in Notting Hill. It’s world famous for it’s antique market held on Saturdays. When the market is not being held, you can shop from the colorful store fronts. Borough Market is London’s most renowned food market located right next to London Bridge. We had a tough time deciding what to eat but we finally settled on some delicious curry from one of the vendors! Camden Market with over 1000 vendors selling clothing, music, art, and food can easily be reached by subway. The store fronts are super funky and unique!

Red Telephone Boxes

You can’t visit London and not pose for a photo with one of their infamous red telephone boxes! You can find them all over the city.

Tate Modern

The Tate Modern is a modern and contemporary art gallery located on the south bank of the River Thames. We took the elevator all the way to the top for amazing views of the city! The best part is that admission is free, so definitely take advantage of this and explore the museum.

More Places

The British Museum

Entrance to this beautiful museum is free!

The Churchill Arms

This historic pub was builtin 1750. It’s known as “the pub with all the flowers” because of all the beautiful flowers that cover the exterior.

Harry Potter Walking Tour

We had a ton of fun on this tour that we booked through Viator. We got to see a lot of places that were used for scenes in the movie and play some fun Harry Potter trivia.

London is so amazing and there is so much to do there, even more than what I covered. If you are planning a trip to London, I hope you will find this post to be useful! Also check out my London Travel Diary for another peak at our trip!

XOXO