In addition to the obvious touristy spots like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace described in my other blog post, there are lots of other things to do in London to keep yourself busy! You could have a picnic in Hyde Park, buy some new clothes on Regent Street, or go see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theater.
Take a stroll or have a picnic in one of the Royal Parks
There are currently eight total Royal Parks with four within central London - St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Regent's Park, and four outside central London - Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Greenwich Park. I have only been to the parks in central London and I can easily say they are all beautiful! If you are visiting Buckingham Palace you can easily enjoy St. James and Green Park as they are all next to each other. Green Park is very small but is perfect for a stroll on your way to wherever you may be going. Hyde Park has plenty of events so check out the schedule and see if there's one you're interested in! It is sure to be filled with people on a nice day. It also borders Kensington Gardens so you can easily check both out and hit two birds with one stone if you're going to Kensington Palace. If you want a beautiful view of the city I would go to Primrose Hill in Regent's Park.
Go shopping in the Abbey Road Store at Abbey Road Studios and see the real Abbey Road from the album cover!
If you are a massive Beatles fan like me then you have to do this! After getting some photos of the crosswalk the Beatles so famously walked across as seen on their album cover (and also watching tourists piss off a lot of drivers), you can snap a photo of the real studio though the fence (it's still being used), and then go to the small shop next to it which is filled with Beatles gear! You can find books, postcards, t-shirts, mugs, everything you can think of! I got a really cute t-shirt and spent a lot of time looking through all the books about Beatles history.
Go shopping on Regent Street and end up at Picadilly Circus
If you are like me and loooooove to shop then you can't miss Regent Street! This is the place to go for fashion. You can also find plenty of dining and various lifestyle shops as well. You can make your way through the stores and up the street to Picadilly Circus, a must see while in London. It looks like a mini Times Square, which a rather large light up screen with adds beaming down on you and tons of people crowding the streets.
Go see a show at the Palace Theatre, the Royal Opera House or the Theatre Royal Haymarket
If you want to make me happy then you will plan waaaay ahead and go see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre. When I was about 12 years old in London with my family, we saw the Phantom of the Opera in the Theatre Royal Haymarket and I loved it! II thought it was amazing. I still remember a lot of it today 12 years later, which shows how much it made an impact on me. For these I would definitely book ahead of time! For the more popular shows I am sure they sell out very quickly.
Take a trip to Leavesden to go to Warner Bros. Studios Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Ok if you are crazy Harry Potter nerd like I am then you literally cannot go to the UK without doing this tour. I was on the verge of tears about half the tour because it was like all my childhood dreams coming true. I thought the tour was super well done, you get to see all kinds of sets, costumes and props used in the actual movie and there's plenty of photo ops, from Kings Cross station to the Knight Bus. You can also get butterbeer! Super sweet but soooo good. Buy tickets in advance online for this! It is expensive but it is so worth it if you are a Harry Potter fan. You can get there from London by taking a train and then they have buses that take you directly to the studio from the train station. I honestly make might a whole post about Harry Potter tourism.
Travel outside of London to Stratford or the Cotswolds
If you have enough time, explore outside of London! Both Stratford and the Cotswolds are not far from London, both under a 2 and a half hour drive.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford is the birthplace of Shakespeare and is now home to the Royal Shakespeare Company and the theatre they perform in, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. I have been to Stratford twice, once with my family when I was younger and once in college with my Shakespeare class and I thoroughly enjoyed both of my visits. I saw plays (the thing to do in Stratford) both visits but obviously once I was older they made much more of an impact. I recall Macbeth scaring me when I saw it when I was 12 so maybe not the best idea then? Seeing the plays in college after reading and studying them was really an amazing experience and would highly recommend if you are a fan of any of the plays that are showing at the time you go.
The Cotswolds
This is where you should go if you want to experience the English countryside. It's full of historic villages and rolling green hills covered in sheep. I came here when I was 12 as well and I am surprised by how much I remember of it! It was absolutely beautiful and felt like you are in a storybook. It is incredibly charming and there are many places to explore here, I highly recommend staying here for more than a day if you can! It is a rather large area so there are lots of places to go.
I might end up writing separate posts for Stratford and the Cotswolds so stay tuned!
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