Things to do in London

I will be going to London later this year. In preparation for that, I decided to compile a list of my favourite things to do in my home country’s capital city…

Churches

Westminster Abbey
Personally, I wasn’t that impressed with the Abbey – it’s a bit of a mausoleum. However, i’d thoroughly recommend going to Evensong at 5pm. It’s free and the choir are superb.

Westminster Cathedral
This is the Catholic Cathedral. Saturday night Vigil Mass is great. Sunday morning is a zoo, full of tourists

St. Paul’s Cathedral
Architecturally gorgeous. The surrounding streets have cool names, like Pater Noster Square and Ave Maria Lane since historically these were the areas where jewelers made rosaries.

St. Martin-in-the-fields
There are lots of candle-lit concerts here and the music is top-notch

Very London

Hyde Park
This is our version of Central Park. It’s a lovely place for a stroll.

Speaker’s Corner
At the corner of Hyde Park, especially on Sundays, there is an active debate scene. Go argue with Christians, atheists, Muslims and Marxists!

Camden Market
Biggest hippy fest you’ll ever see

Notting Hill Market
Stay on the look-out for Hugh Grant

The Tower of London
Lots of swords and armour to look at and the Norman Chapel in the white tower is probably one of my favourite chapels of all time. The Yeoman of the Guard do great tours.

Tower Hill
Near to the Tower of London is Tower Hill. I used to walk through here every day when I was in London and it’s the site of the execution of both St Thomas More and St. John Fisher. It’s also the meeting point for many of the “Ripper” tours.

London Eye
A great way to see a lot of London

The Tate Modern
Some of the dumbest “art” I’ve ever seen. Good for a laugh

Brick Lane Curry
Several blocks of some of the best curry London has to offer. Since there are so many restaurants, the competition is fierce, with lots of touts about, offering you free beer and their firstborn’s hand in marriage if you come and visit their uncle’s restaurant.

Sky Garden
I’ve never been myself, but my friends say it’s good.

Culture

National Gallery
I’ve been around the world and seen a lot of galleries and this is still one of the best. Plus, you get to play with the stone lions outside 🙂

British Museum
A little sparse in places, but still cool, particularly since they have the Rosetta Stone.

Imperial War Museum
My favourite school trip

Natural History Museum
My earliest childhood memory of London. Remember, the diplodocus in the main hall is a fake!

Science Museum
A lot of fun, even if you’re a grown-up

West End Shows
There are loads of great shows, including Wicked, Jersey Boys, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.

Shakespeare’s Globe
Watch Romeo and Juliet done the way it was intended

Victoria & Albert Museum
The V&A is rather how I imagine the Royal Family’s garage – full of weird, old junk that hasn’t been used in years. It’s still rather cool and I hear their Friday Late events are great.

Randomness

South Bank
Lots of great restaurants, music and an open-air bookstore

Chinatown
Always a good place to hang-out and people-watch. My favourite place to do this was the Jen Cafe near the Pagoda.

Covent Guarden
A great place to see street performers

Cecil Court
All the book stores!

Those are my suggestions. Please tell me in the comments, what did I miss?

26-Jan-16 UPDATE: There’s a great new map of the underground which gives the walking distance times between stations.