What I Did In London, England.

Today we are kicking off the travel section of my blog with a very late series of posts about my European Magic Contiki Tour.  I thought that instead of blogging about everything in depth, I'd give you my highlights for each city, complete with links and photos.  Each post will come with recommendations for sightseeing, accommodations, and food.  I'll also tell you what to avoid, if necessary!

Walking down Bedford Way.

To get you started, here's a link to the trip: https://bit.ly/2HnnHRX
And here's a link to my blogpost talking about my Contiki experience: https://lazygirlsdiy.blogspot.com/2018/08/my-contiki-experience-what-i-wish-i.html

Now, let's get into it!

Time Spent: 48 hours

Sightseeing

The Original [Bus] Tour - https://www.theoriginaltour.com/

Cost: $

The Original Tour is a hop-on, hop-off Double Decker bus tour that takes you through the city of London.  It stops at all of the major touristy places - the British Museum, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace ... and so much more.  Included with your Original Tour ticket are a variety of walking tours (the Jack the Ripper one is on my to-do list!), and a history lesson as you drive through the city.  You can purchase passes for 24 to 72 hours starting at £ 32.00.

Pro Tip: Buy tickets online ahead of time for discounts, and download the app for bus tracking and other great features.

We started our tour early in the morning, and had the bus all to ourselves!

The British Museum - https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Cost: FREE

I cannot truly convey the wonder that is the British Museum through words.  If you enjoy history and a carefully curated collection of items, then this is the place for you.  Home to the Rosetta Stone, King George's library, and stunning architecture, this museum is a must see.  Admission is free, there is a cafeteria on site, and hours worth of exhibits for you to explore.

Pro Tip: Plan your trip for the beginning of the day, as soon as the museum opens.  You'll experience shorter lines, less crowds, and more time to explore the museum.  Don't plan anything else for the day - you'll have more than plenty to do here!

Exterior

The absolutely stunning interior

King George's Library

The Greek Exhibit

The Tower of London - https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/

Cost: $

I didn't know a single thing about the Tower of London before visiting, but I'm glad that I went.  The Tower of London is a beautiful historic castle just off of the River Thames.  It is home to the Crown Jewels of past monarchs, the Royal Menagerie, and a whole bunch of other stuff we didn't even get to explore.  Like the British Museum, this can easily be an all day affair, so plan ahead and don't rush!

Pro Tip: Book tickets (£22.70 per adult) through online or the Original Tour guides for fast entry (no lines!) and potentially discounted pricing.

Home of the Crown Jewels

A moat ...

Walking Tours

Cost: Free - $

Included with our Contiki was a walking tour of London.  You can also receive a walking tour as part of your Original Tour bus ticket, or download a free walking tour app (here's a list of a few).  I enjoyed the interactive nature of having a real live guide show us around, and tell us stories about each location.  It's a great way to learn about London from a local, and put a little time and money back into the local economy.  

Pro Tip: Carry a few dollars on you to tip the guide, if you found the tour to be exceptional!

Additional Sightseeing Recommendations

Unfortunately our short time in London did not allow us to see everything we wanted to.  Here's a list of my bucket list items that I'll be doing when I return to London!

Covent Garden - https://www.coventgarden.london/

Cost: Free to walk

Our quick stroll through Covent Garden did not do this beautiful shopping centre justice.  Next time I'll be exploring Covent Garden in depth, and shopping at one or two of the luxury stores!

King's Cross Station - https://www.kingscross.co.uk/harry-potters-platform-9-34

Cost: $

Home to platform 9 3/4, King's Cross station is a must see for any Harry Potter Fan.

St. Paul's Cathedral - https://www.stpauls.co.uk/

Cost: Free

Stunning architecture and religious history is on display at St. Paul's Cathedral from Monday to Saturday.  Pro Tip: Make sure your arms, legs, and midriff are all covered as a sign of respect.

Space Invaders - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invader_(artist)

Cost: Free

Check out the Wikipedia link to learn more about French urban artist Invader, who's graffiti can be seen all over the world, including London and Paris!

Food

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I quite enjoyed the food in London.  I'm quite a picky eater, but I'd come back to these places any time!

The Square Pig - http://www.squarepigholborn.com/

The Square Pig is a lovely little pub a short walk away from the British Museum and Russell Square Garden.  The atmosphere what I can only describe as classy-eclectic-hipster, which should say more about my ability to use adjectives than anything else. Though I didn't anticipate the food to be anything spectacular, I quite enjoyed the Flat Iron Fire Chicken.  The Fish and Chips also looked lovely, though I'm not a seafood fan.  I can see why this pub earned its 4 star rating on Trip Advisor!

The menu, and fresh flowers at every table!

Bottom: Flat Iron Fire Chicken
Top: Fish & Chips

Amarcord Italian Restaurant - http://amarcordmuseum.co.uk/

Cost: $

This affordable little Italian restaurant was surprisingly good.  I can't speak for its authenticity, but I can say that it's some of the best pizza I've ever had.  Simple in its decor and menu options, this little restaurant was a welcome find.  We enjoyed a filling meal of stone baked pizza and salad, and then waddled off to our hotels for drinks.

The menu (see link for full menu)

Fresh garden salad

Top: Margherita Pizza
Bottom: Amarcord Pizza

Tesco - https://www.tesco.com/

Cost: $

Am I a bit silly for putting a grocery store on this list?  Maybe.  But the convenience of having Tesco so close to our hotel was a blessing.  We saved so much money on food by picking up fresh fruit and snacks at the store, and carrying them with us throughout the trip.  We only ate out twice in London, thanks to this budget friendly option.

Accommodations

Royal National Hotel London- https://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/royal-national

The Imperial Hotel - https://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/imperial (my preferred one out of the two)

I'm grouping these hotels together because I have the same feedback to share about both.  Also they belong to the same parent company, so they are really quite similar.

I wish I had better things to say about our hotels, I really do.  We booked all hotels through the Contiki site, including our extra night's stay at the Royal National.  Let me whiz through the pro's:

• Location.  These hotels are in close proximity to the Tube, Russell Square, the British Museum, and a load of pubs and restaurants
• Restaurant/bar located inside each one
• The Imperial also has a little casino located on the premises, if you're into gambling
• Friendly and helpful staff
• A nice view of London by night and day:

London by night from the Imperial

London by day from the Imperial

Now, the con's:

• The rooms were small, as are all European hotels.  But in addition these rooms were decorated like a university dorm - bland and dark. 
• I personally found the beds to be uncomfortable, with the mattress sagging in the middle.
• For the price we paid (£126 at the Royal National), these hotels were not worth it.  If you can, book an Air BnB or even another hotel for the night.  Try Expedia or Hotels.com for good deals.

I don't want to bash these hotels, but I do want to advise you to shop around before settling on either one of these.  While you can't control what you book through the Contiki tour, if you're going to London solo, I would think twice about booking a night here.  But if you're not picky, and are just looking for a place to sleep, these hotels might be a good choice!

And with that ends my recommendations for London.  If you have questions, comments, or recommendations of your own, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.  And stay tuned for next time, where I share my recommendations for Amsterdam!

Yours in travel,

Jayy