What to see in London in 10 days

London, a cosmopolitan and traditional city, has become one of the most visited cities in the world. There are many reasons to visit London: a wide range of culture with some of the most important museums in the world, markets and street markets for all tastes, spectacular parks and gardens, historical monuments, a wide range of leisure activities... In this guide of what to see in London in 10 days we will make a tour of the city trying to make the most of the time.

Day 1 : GERONA - LONDON

We took a Ryanair flight that left us at Luton Airport near London and there we took the Ryanair bus to Victoria Station where we were close to the hotel. As it was quite late, we went straight to rest, going over the things to see in London in 10 days.
If you arrive at Gatwick Airport you can take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station, and from there the underground to the station closest to your hotel.

Day 2 : LONDON ( Buckingham Palace, Palace Gardens, Green Park, St. James Park, Picadilly Circus, Westminster Cathedral, Victoria Street...)

We started the day walking to Buckingham Palace, it is the official residence of the British monarch in London, where Queen Elizabeth II lives, you can visit a part and the palace gardens but we wanted to see the changing of the guard which was at 11:30, near there are several beautiful parks where to walk the Green Park or St. James Park, for us the St. James Park is the best park in London, its forest, its lakes, it is full of squirrels that come to you to eat your hand, it is opposite Buckingham Palace.

St. James Park

When there was half an hour left for the changeover we went there but it was already full of people and you didn't have much time to see it well, but I was expecting something more, it takes place in the courtyard of the palace and you have to see it through the gates and from far away. Then we walked through the Green Park and went to the Piccadilly Circus area, where there are many shopping streets until we reached the square famous for its large video screens and neon advertising signs.

Piccadilly Circus

We had lunch in the Oxford Street area, the main shopping street in the centre of the capital.
In the afternoon we went to Westminster where we visited the Westminster Cathedral which is the main temple of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. We walked around the neighbourhood where we found the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the Abbey... places to see in London, but that we would visit on other days and along Victoria Street to our hotel.
A good option if it's your first time in London, you don't speak English or you want to know more about its history, is to book a tour of London with a guide in English and with tickets to save you the queues at the most touristy places or this other guided tour of the must-see London.

Book your hotel here: Victor Hotel

Day 3 : LONDON ( Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Thames Cruise, London Aquarium... )

Today we return to the Westminster area to visit its famous Westminster Abbey which is a gothic church the size of a cathedral.
To save money in London you can book the London Pass which allows you entry to 60 of London's top attractions, saving you money and time by not having to queue. Depending on how long you are in the city you can book a 1, 2, 3 or 6 day pass and you can also add transport.
Another good option is to book the London Explorer Pass, which allows you entry to 3, 5 or 7 of the city's main attractions, skipping the queues and saving up to 40%. It is a card that offers great flexibility as you can choose the tickets you want from the 20 attractions available, right up to the last minute.
It is the traditional place for the coronations and burials of English monarchs and other personalities such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. There was a long queue to get in, but it was worth it. Nearby you can also see the outside of the Houses of Parliament and going towards the Thames you can see Big Ben which is the name given to the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest of the bells inside the Tower and part of the Great Westminster Clock.

Parliament and Big Ben

When we finished and before lunch we went on the London Eye, which is one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world, to get on it after a long queue, you get on a large fully covered cabins and give a ride that can last about 20 or 30 minutes, the wheel from afar seems to be stopped but it is so slow moving that has, from there you have a magnificent view of the Thames, Big Ben and all of London.
You can book your visit to the London Eye here and avoid the long queues.

London Eye

Afterwards we went for lunch and in the afternoon we took a cruise on the Thames, if it wasn't for the cold it was great, and to finish the day we went to the Aquarium, another of the places to see in London, which is also near the London Eye and has a great variety of marine fauna.

Day 4 : LONDON (Madame Tussaud's Museum, Regent's Park, London Zoo, Candem Market...)

In the morning we decided to go to Madam Tussaud's Museum, it is the most famous wax museum, there you will find all kind of personalities, to highlight the exit where there are Hollywood actors some of them nailed to the original like Samuel L. Jackson, the British royalty, sportsmen, even Hitler is there, then there is like a tunnel of terror with characters of the horror movies or famous murderers.

Madame Tussauds

From there we went to Regent's Park, another of the royal parks of London, very nice for walks with a large lake, we went up to the London Zoo, one of the disappointments of the trip, apart from seeing the Komodo dragons the zoos of Barcelona or Madrid are a thousand times better, there we ate a fish and chips, which is one of the most typical dishes there that is made of fried battered fish with potato strips.
In the afternoon we went to Candem market, one of the many markets to see in London, aimed at young people and especially those who keep the gothic style as fashion, to buy second hand clothes of all kinds and the weirdest things you can imagine. It is a good experience and a good place to find souvenirs, especially on Sundays when there is more atmosphere and more shops.

Candem Market

Travel insurance for the UK

To travel to the UK, there is nothing better than having a good travel insurance.
We always travel insured with Mondowith whom we take an insurance fully adapted to the needs that we are going to have on the trip.
By taking out your insurance with Mondo herejust for being a Viajeros Callejeros reader, you get a 5% discount.

Day 5 : LONDON - WINDSOR - LONDON

This day we went to Windsor to visit the famous Windsor Castle. We took a bus from Victoria Station and in one hour we arrived at Windsor. The castle can only be visited in part as Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends there.
Another good option to visit it is to book a bus tour with an English speaking guide.

Windsor Castle

The highlight of the castle is the Queen Mary's Doll's House, in 1992 it was the victim of a huge fire, which destroyed several rooms and you can still see the effect in some of the rooms, also highlight the chapel of St. George is one of the masterpieces of English Gothic architecture. The castle is immense. We had lunch in the village of Windsor and in the afternoon we returned to London.

Day 6 : WHAT TO SEE IN LONDON (Tower of London, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tate Modern,...)

In the morning we visit the Tower of London, another of the many places to see in London. It is a fortress dating back to 1066 and is a formidable complex consisting of the fortress, a palace, dungeons, chapels and several museums, now in addition to the buildings you can see the British Crown Jewels, a collection of royal armour and remains of the Roman wall.

Tower of London

Nearby is Tower Bridge which is a drawbridge across the River Thames, completed in 1894, and is the most famous bridge in the city. London Bridge was the only bridge across the River Thames at that time. We took many pictures of the bridge with its two gothic towers, and we crossed it to get to the other side.

Tower Bridge

There on the bank we visited the HMS Belfast, a Royal Navy battle cruiser that participated and sank several German ships in the Second World War. You can book an advance ticket here.
Nearby is the SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL which is a beautiful church situated behind Borough Market and is the oldest church in the city. On this bank we can also visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a reproduction of the theatre where the first performances of Shakespeare's plays took place. It is a building that stands out for its white façade. They give you a guided tour inside the theatre.
To end the day we went to the Tate Modern which is the most important modern art gallery in the United Kingdom, for us too modern.

Day 7 : LONDON (Big Bus, Soho, Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square, Nothing Hill,...)

Today we take the Big Bus, a tourist bus that allows you several routes around London, as we wanted to visit Notting Hill and it was quite far away, we took advantage of the bus to make several stops in the places we wanted to see, to get to this neighbourhood, one of the most visited. Where the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant movie was filmed and its famous carnival in August, in its streets there are countless clothes shops of all kinds, jewellers, florists, souvenir shops, art galleries, restaurants, pubs, discotheques, etc.
A good option to get to know the history and not miss anything in the neighbourhood is to book this free tour of Notting Hill with a guide in English.
We took the bus and went to Soho, a multicultural neighbourhood where there is a great atmosphere especially at night. Nearby there is Chinatown, and also Oxford Street and Charing Cross, shopping streets.
In the evening we went to Trafalgar Square, a place to see in London, a square that was built to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar in which the British army defeated the French and Spanish armies. The Nelson's Column stands out in the centre of the square and is surrounded by fountains.
A good option to see the city by night is to book this tour of the most beautiful places in London by night.

Day 8 : LONDON (British Museum, St Paul's Cathedral,...)

In the morning we went to the British Museum, one of the most important antiquities museums in the world. Its Ancient Egypt section is the most important on the planet after the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles from the Greek Parthenon, etc... The museum is huge and it takes you all morning to see only the most important works, especially the museum shop which has fantastic replicas at a good price. Here we bought some very nice Chinese ivory figurines.
It is interesting to get to know better all the masterpieces, monuments and sculptures, book a guided tour of the museum or this free tour of the British Museum for free.
In the afternoon we visit St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the few buildings in the area that survived the Second World War and was the scene of events such as the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The cathedral is also notable for its dome, the largest in the world after St Peter's Basilica. You can get a closer look at its frescoes by climbing 530 steps, then step out of the dome and enjoy a good panoramic view of the city.

St Paul's Cathedral

Day 9 : LONDON (Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace and gardens, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Harrod's,...)

In the morning we went to Hyde Park which is one of the most beautiful parks and is divided in two by the Serpentine Lake. Within the park there are several sites of interest: Speakers' Corner near the former site of the Tyburn gallows, and Rotten Row, which is the northern boundary of the Crystal Palace site, Hyde Park Corner, the Princess of Wales Memorial, the Holocaust Memorial, etc... Touching the park are Kensington Gardens and the palace which was the official residence of Princess Diana.
Then we went to visit the Royal Albert Hall, the Theatre of Arts and Sciences in London, there have performed the best singers and groups in history, noted for its great dome, to visit inside you have to go with an English-speaking guide, they show you some of the rooms, what is most striking is when they let you into the boxes, and you see how big it is, at that time a group was rehearsing and the acoustics are formidable.
In the afternoon we went to visit two museums, the Science Museum and the History Museum, both of them stand out because of the buildings they are in, the one we liked the most is the Natural History Museum where the dinosaur skeletons room is the most outstanding.

Natural History Museum

In the evening we went to Harrod's the commercial centre of Al-Fayed, where everything is very expensive, in the floor below there is a monument in memory of his son Dodi and Diana. The decoration of the interior is worth the visit, if you want to take something as a souvenir there is a floor with souvenirs where the prices are not so exaggerated.