Postcards and Paperbacks: London As a Tourist: Tips, Tricks, and What I Would Do Differently

After seven weeks away from home, much of it spent traveling solo, I was ready for some company--especially of the James variety. We have done a fair amount of traveling during our time together but London was always a "dream" destination for us. When I left for England at the end of July, the exact length and time of James' visit was still up in the air. All we knew for sure was that we had to be in Munich for Oktoberfest by October 2nd. But I was beyond thrilled when James actually managed to get three weeks off from work and immediately began plotting everything down to the last detail.

I'll admit, I found the prospect of writing a post about our London visit rather overwhelming. One does not just write about "London." It can't be done. No overview will do it justice. Similarly, this was the issue I ran into when plotting James' visit--my familiarity was also my downfall. In short, I wanted James to know London the way I know London--impossible in only 9 days.

When I was a teenager I'd go down to NYC to visit with my uncle who would then take me on what he lovingly referred to as 'death marches' through the city. I can remember one October day when we literally walked from Brooklyn up to Soho. For a suburban kid from Connecticut, this was an unimaginable amount of walking. For him, it was just a Saturday. I was reminded of this during one of our marathon days where we visited the Tower, took a Thames river cruise, walked through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace, and then ended the evening with a literary-themed pub walk.

Of course, I really have no one but myself to blame. When I asked James what he wanted to to before he came he shrugged. "I dunno, go to pubs and see castles?" Somehow this translated into visiting the above mentioned places along with Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Hampstead Heath, Regent's Park, Trafalgar Square, Parliament and Big Ben, Oxford Street, Baker Street, Soho, Hampstead, Shoreditch, Brick Lane, St. Paul's, Westminister Abbey, the British museum, the John Soanes museum, Portobello Road market, Borough market, Spitalfields market, Camden Lock market, Brick Lane's Sunday Up market, Stonehenge, and Salisbury cathedral, along with lots of walking in many, many neighborhoods.

And don't worry, we visited plenty pubs too. I'm pretty sure that was James' favorite part. I'd list all of them here, but then you might think I have a drinking problem. I will say though that the best one we visited was the first one I took him to: The Churchill Arms in Notting Hill. I went there a few times during my first stay in London and it was exactly as I remembered, right down to the tasty Thai restaurant in the back.

During our time in London, I was consumed with showing James everything I wanted him to see while also feeling exhausted and stressed by my own non-stop itinerary. Now, over a month later, I'm really glad we forged ahead but it's also worth noting that some of the best things we did were decided on a whim and new for both of us--climbing to the Golden Gallery at St. Paul's, visiting Churchill's War Rooms, and conducting a thorough investigation into which Brick Lane bagel place was best (the Beigel Shop got my vote, but James liked Beigel Bake's salami stuffed beigel).

It should also be noted that even with 9 full days and a packed schedule we still didn't manage to do everything we wanted: Hampton Court, Oxford, seeing a West End show, a concert at St Martin-in-the-fields. Perhaps that can wait for our next, more relaxed visit.

And even though I stated earlier that no overview of London can do it justice, I do have a few suggestions if you plan on visiting the greatest city in the world...

Rent An Apartment
I had originally wanted to rent an apartment on Airbnb but in a moment of frugality-driven confusion I decided to lowball Priceline. I got a slightly cheaper hotel room in central London about a ten minute walk from Hyde Park. The location was great, but I still think an apartment further out would have been a better choice. London has excellent public transportation so even if you're staying in zone 2 as long as you're near a tube stop it's fast and easy to get to the city's most popular sites. Furthermore, any money I saved was immediately offset by the money I wasted by not having access to a kitchen. Now, no one wants to spend their precious vacation time cooking up meals but because eating out is just so expensive British grocery stores offer lots of surprisingly tasty 'ready meals' or takeaways. The quality is much higher than the American standard for heat and serve meals. You can have a nice dinner for two for around ten GBP--whereas the same meal in a pub or restaurant could cost twice that. I really regret that we couldn't take advantage of that during our trip. Similarly...

Eat Cheap
After accommodation, our biggest expense was food. London is an expensive city to eat out in even for Londoners who don't have the added problem of a weak exchange rate. After a few heady days spending 30 GBP just on dinner alone, James and I started eating meals in the park. We both became partial to the Co-op's lunch deal of a sandwich, bag of chips, and a drink for 5 GBP. Given that the weather was nice, this was perfectly fine, but I was still kicking myself over how much money we initially wasted for the rest of the trip. London street food is also plentiful and cheap. Markets like Borough and Brick Lane attract a variety of particularly tasty and original food vendors, making it easy to have a great meal for about 5 GBP. You can also conduct your own bagel taste test at Beigel Bake and the Beigel Shop for some of London's cheapest and most filling eats.

Get a Travelcard
Public transportation in London may be horribly expensive, but it is also the most efficient I've ever encountered (I'm looking at you, nonsensical Boston T). We each bought a 7 day travelcard and made every pence count. Skip the overpriced bus tours and hop on the No. 73. This bus will take you past a number of the city's most famous sites and is included in the travelcard.

Consider the London Pass
I balked at this because it meant cramming sites like St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey into one day, but if you're only in London for a short time or on a tight budget, the London Pass is probably your best bet. With proper planning and some fast walking it's certainly possible to see two or three of London's greatest attractions in a day, especially if you throw in a Thames River cruise--as must do, if you ask me.

Double Your Budget
Whatever it is you think you'll spend, I gaurantee you will spend much more. Even though the exchange rate is better than it was during my last visit in 2006, London is still shockingly expensive. However, the city is incredibly tourist-friendly--more so than any other place I visited--and makes an effort to cater to visitors from all over the world. I didn't realize how good it was until we left. Paris may have been cheaper, but there are very few signs directing people to even the most famous sites--and you can bet they won't be in English.

Take Advantage of Free London
Despite some steep price tags, there are still plenty of free things to do. Here are some of my top picks:

--Visit one of the many free museums the city has to offer. My favorites include the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, and the John Soanes Museum.

--Walk along the Thames and get some great photos of London's top landmarks.