London Attractions and Tourist

Attractions in London

You can probably visit London several times a year throughout your life without taking in all the attractions and sights. There is so much to choose from that we should be very careful to say that the attractions below are by far the biggest in London, but sooner or later this should be on the list of what you should have brought with you from this huge metropolis.

Big Ben

Big Ben displayed his neo-Gothic splendor in public for the first time in 1859 and was at that time the heaviest bell of his kind in the entire world. Big Ben was originally called Great Bell and is the name of the biggest bell in the Westminster Palace in London.

The bell tower (which is not Big Ben, because it is the clock itself) is a whopping 96.4 meters high and the actual clockwork of Big Ben is one of the most precise ones. You can safely set your watch for Big Ben. The address is Westminster, London SW1A 0AA.

The National Gallery

This is a traditional and large museum with art from the year 1200 to modern times. The National Gallery Museum has nearly 2,500 paintings and is located at Trafalgar Square.
Opening hours: Monday-Thursday and Sunday: 1000-1800, Wednesday: 1000-2100

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square, Embankment, Charing Cross.
Address: Trafalgar Square WC2N 5DN

The Natural History Museum

Here you will find everything you need for information on natural history. This is a fantasy museum and the dinosaur exhibit is known worldwide. There is free entrance. The Natural History Museum is located on Cromwell Road. Opening hours: Monday-Saturday: 1000-1750, Sunday: 1100-1750. Here is the website of The Natural History Museum.

Nearest Subway Stop: South Kensington
Address: Cromwell Road SW75BD

Madame Tussaud’s wax cabinet

Here you will find lifelike copies of heads of state, rock stars, criminals, movie heroes and much more. Madame Tussaud’s wax cabinet is an experience for both small and large. You can buy tickets at Reiseplaneten. Then you let go of the queue.

Nearest Subway Stop: Baker Street. Address: Marylebone Road

London Eye

See London from above. London Eye is the world’s largest Ferris wheel, taller than Big Ben. The Eye can take more than 15,000 passengers in one day. The price is approx. NOK 200 for adults and half for children. Steer away on weekends unless you are improved on spending three blocks in line for a 20 minute tour.

The London Eye is close to the Thames, near the Lambeth area, not far from Big Ben, which is on the other side of the river.

Nearest Subway Stop: Victoria

London Zoo

You will find lions, monkeys, giraffes, spiders, snakes and many other animals at the London Zoo. The zoo is located right by Regent’s park and is open all days except for Christmas Eve. In the spring and summer the opening hours are at. 1000 to 1730. In the fall and winter, the London Zoo closes a little earlier.

Nearest Subway Stop: Camden Town (Northern Line)
Address: Outer Circle, Regent’s Park

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Wonderful St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in the period 1675-1710. The cathedral attracts crowds of visitors every single day and is one of the most important symbols of London and England. Please note that it actually costs around 120 NOK for adults to visit this god-house, 40 for children.

Nearest Subway Stop: St.Pauls (Central line)

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is England’s national gallery for international, contemporary art, ie 20th century art. In the museum, all directions within this art are represented, as well as masterpieces from Picasso and Matisse. The museum is considered one of the world’s best with surrealist art.
Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday: 1000–1800, Friday – Saturday: 1000–2200

Address: Power Station, 25 Sumner Street, Bankside
Nearest Subway Stop: Blackfriars / Southwark

Tower Bridge

This is one of the world’s most talked about and most beautiful bridges. The Bridge Tower Bridge is from 1894. Experience the amazing view at the top of the bridge, where special windows allow you to take great views “inside”. Tower Bridge is located east of central London.

Website of Tower Bridge
Nearest Subway Station: Tower Hill

The Tower of London

This fortress has had tremendous significance in British royal history, and for centuries has been the world’s center of power. Here in the Tower of London , the crown jewels are kept and it is all guarded by the famous Beefeaters. Entrance tickets cost around 170 kroner.

Website of The Tower of London
Address: Tower of London, Tower Hill, EC3N 4AB. Nearest Subway Stop: Tower Hill

Buckingham Palace

The castle was built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and is now the residence of the English royal family. NB! The castle is open to the public two months a year – August and September. Buckingham Palace is one of the world’s most famous buildings.

Nearest tube station: St. James Park, Westminster and Green Park Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is an architectural masterpiece from the 1300s to the 1600s. However, the coronation of new kings and queens has taken place in this area from as early as 1066.

Nearest Subway Stop: Westminster

British Museum

The museum often has amazing exhibitions spanning all cultures of the earth from its earliest history to the present day. The British Museum has many different activities in the form of interactive exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations and children’s clubs. Opening hours: Saturday – Wednesday 1000-1730, Thursday – Friday 1000-2030. Free admission.

Address: Great Russell Street. Nearest Subway Stop: Goodge Street / Tottenham Court Road.

Tourist in London

London is a huge city and contains so much that it can be experienced in endless ways. If this is your first visit to London, we recommend starting with a guided bus tour. There are several bus companies that travel between the most famous attractions and you can get on and off as you please.

Day 1 in London

London Attractions 2

Take a trip to Hyde Park. Hyde Park is located in the Bayswater district, not far from Paddington, which is a communications hub. Hyde Park is a large and old park from the 17th century. The park is also used by riders. Here, more or less successful artists sell their works, and at the end of the park lies Speakers Corner, perhaps the West’s most famous symbol of freedom of expression?

Shopping is a must when in London. From Hyde Park, follow Oxford Street, where many Norwegians do away with shopping. In the middle of Oxford Street crosses Regent Street. Here the shops are even nicer and more exclusive than in Oxford Street. You have now reached the Soho district. Here you will find many cozy restaurants and enjoy your lunch here. Then walk down Regent Street until you reach Piccadilly Circus, a famous landmark and meeting place. Actually, it is a space where five major streets meet, and where multinational companies have their big illuminated advertising signs. Here you will also find the statue which is popularly called Eros.

If you walk a short distance from Piccadilly Circus, you will reach Trafalgar Square. The place is in honor of Admiral Nelson and his victory over the Spanish-French fleet at Trafalgar in Spain. Nelson is perhaps the greatest hero in England, and in addition to being named after him, he is also honored with a large monument. On the square you will also find other beautiful statues. The place is also known for its many pigeons.

From Trafalgar Square you can glimpse Buckingham Palace and you can either take the trip there or follow the Whitehall Street down towards Westminister Abbey. On the way down to Westminister you pass Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister lives. You can also take Big Ben closer to your eyesight. Parliament is close by. Big Ben is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, and the bell tower is widely known. The tower weighs more than 13 tons, and the clock installation alone weighs more than 5 tons.

You should also take the time to visit one of the many markets in the city. We suggest either Portobello Road or Camden Market. Portobello Road is the world’s largest antique market and is open every Saturday. Here you can buy clothes, vegetables and art in addition to antiques. Portobello Road is at Notting Hill.

Camden Market is open Friday through Sunday. In the market, clothes and shoes are sold as well as hippie effects and all kinds of grooms and oddities.

London is the biggest football city in England (sorry, everyone who has favorite teams in Manchester and Liverpool) and if you have the opportunity, you should try to get a ticket to one of the matches. The atmosphere and atmosphere is huge. Saturday is the big football day, and the matches usually start at 1500 English time. Many games are also played on other weekdays. Before and after the fight, you have to go to the pub, as the English do. Eat food and drink your beer, whether it is lager (like our Norwegian beer) or ale (dark beer). Pubs can be found all over London, including the famous sights.

Day 2 in London

London Attractions

We recommend visiting one of the many great museums in London (read more in the Attractions section of London). For example, take the trip to the Tate Modern Museum. Then you also get to see St. Paul’s Cathedral (which is mandatory). St. Paul’s is on the opposite side of the Thames if you are at Tate Modern. Stroll along the River Thames on the way to the city center. You will then start at the Millennium Bridge. Follow the river to the west and you will first pass the Blackfriars Bridge. One of the pope’s men was hanging under the bridge because of an affair with the mafia.

The next bridge you pass is the Waterloo Bridge that was built to celebrate Napoleon’s victory. The original bridge was demolished and replaced by a copy in 1911. Unfortunately, it is not as fine as the original. You should now be able to see “Cleopatra’s needle”, an Egyptian obelisk that is more than 3000 years old. If you walk further along the Thames, you will reach the London Eye (the big Ferris wheel) before ending the walk at Westminster.

There are many good restaurants in London and you should treat yourself to one of these. Read suggestions under the Eat in London category.

In the evening it is recommended to go to one of the many musicals set up in London. Be aware that there are only a few performances set up on Sundays, so be aware of this.