I have been anxiously awaiting another visit to London and since there are so many things to do in London, I took to Wibki to help keep me organized before and during my trip.

I studied abroad in London for 14 weeks in 2009 and have been counting down the seconds until I could go back since then. Five years later, I found myself discussing places I wanted to visit while in Israel for 5 months, and my friend mentioned that she has never been to London and has always wanted to go. YES! JACKPOT! Our trip dates and details were ironed out by the end of the weekend.

As this past weekend rapidly approached, I realized that, while I have been anxiously awaiting another visit to London and would love nothing more than to play tour guide in one of my favorite cities, 5 years is a long time to be away, and a weekend is a very short trip. I spent a lot of time researching things to do in London and took to Wibki to get organized. I am hoping that my research and the use of my Wibki page will help make your next trip to London a little easier!

Booking Your Trip and Getting Around

The first step for any trip is to figure out how to get there and where to stay. My first stop is always Expedia to look for flights. Their flight+hotel function is a great way to save money. There are quite a few airports you can fly into, and each of them have public transportation available to get into the city. Heathrow is the easiest as there is an underground line right to the airport, but the trains from other airports are easy to use and the staff is friendly and willing to help you find which train you need.

I typically use Hostelworld when I am traveling with friends and have not had a single poor hostel experience. This trip, my friend and I stayed at The Horse and Stables Hostel just south of Big Ben and they were affordable, in a great location, and the staff was fantastic! I highly recommend checking them out if you are looking to stay in a hostel for your trip. If you want to check out staying in a private home, airbnb is worth checking out.

Once you arrive, the easiest ways to travel are by walking or by underground. There is also an extensive bus system and ample taxis. There are free pocket-sized underground maps in every station and the stations have very easy to follow maps and guides to help you find your train. Be sure to check out Transport for London’s website to plan your journey around the city or check for updates on the underground lines.

Attractions

There are so many things to do in London. Of course it is impossible to miss seeing some famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. Sports fans may enjoy touring Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium or Wimbledon.  Harry Potter fans will enjoy checking out Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station or the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. There are tons of markets for those who want to do a little outdoor shopping, along with the famous Harrods department store. You will find a few lists of not-to-miss attractions on my Wibki page, along with the websites for many of the attractions. Some of the attractions will require a day trip out of the city of London, like Hampton Court Palace, but are definitely worth it if you have the time.

My favorite thing to do in London is the Tower of London, an old palace where many people were imprisoned and executed. The crowned jewels are also kept here on display and tours are given by real royal guards called Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters. I have gone on 5 tours of the Tower of London and have yet to have a disappointing tour.

Another one of my favorite things to do in London is check out a show on the West End. London’s version of New York’s Broadway, they have many of the same shows and  are fantastic. This past trip I saw “Once”, but some of my all-time personal favorites are “Jersey Boys”, “Lion King”, and “Mama Mia”.

Museums

London is infamous for being an expensive city. However, there are a plethora of free things to do in London, such as museums to explore. Since our trip was so short, we only made it to the British Museum (history) and the National Gallery (art). As a student studying in London, my art class took me to an art museum every other week and I still didn’t get to see them all. Pick an art museum based on your location or the type of art you like to see, whether you like modern art, portraits, etc. On top of the art museums, there are history museums (my favorite is the Imperial War Museum), a science museum, a fashion museum, and many more. The websites and descriptions of some of the museums are on my Wibki page.

Restaurants

London is known for their traditional pub food such as fish and chips, meat pies, and bangers and mash. The pubs are generally a quick and easy place to eat as they are on every corner and you order your food up at the bar so you don’t have to wait to be noticed by a waitress at your table. I personally love all 3 of those foods, and occasionally seek out British pubs in the states for the sole purpose of getting those items.

However, London is an international city and there are so many other options to choose from. Grab great pizza at Pizza Express or Fire and Stone, noodles from Wagamama, or wander down Brick Lane searching for an Indian restaurant that stands out to you. Don’t forget to check out Ben’s Cookies, an amazing cookie chain with several locations around London (I brought 8 home and they were gone within 12 hours…woops!).

Bars

As I mentioned above, British pubs are a big deal in London (obviously). Stop in for a pint at any time during the day and you will be sure to find a few old men sitting at the bar well into their beer consumption for the day. Professionals stop by for pints on their way home and they are great places to catch live music or a soccer or rugby game.

If the pub scene is not your thing, there are plenty of clubs to check out in London. Two of our personal favorites as students were Zoo Bar and Roadhouse. We also frequented The World’s End in Camden, a large bar that attracts some interesting people, making for a great night of people watching. If you are unsure of where to go, check out the pub crawl my roommates and I had a great time on (the company also runs daily free walking tours of many European cities, including London, that I highly recommend).

Using Wibki

I added a few top-ten type lists of things to do in London to my London tab on my Wibki page. You can also find the websites for all of the sites I mentioned and a few more. Take my Wibki with you by setting my page as the home screen for your internet browser, or create your own Wibki for London or wherever you’re traveling. You don’t even need to download an app! This way, whenever you want to move onto your next destination in London, you have the websites at the touch of a finger in order to find out where to go, when to go, and how to get there. It will save you time from searching for each website since they are all already on the page. Wibki helped me so much with the planning of my trip and while I was on the trip, that I will never travel again without it!