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| London, United Kingdom (UK) |
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| St Pancras International, London, UK |
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| Outside the St Pancras International railway station. London, UK |
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| St Pancras International Platform, London, UK |
King's Cross is adjacent to St Pancras International, the terminus for Eurostar trains coming from the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
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| King's Cross Station |
Exploring London is not that difficult. You could do it on your own. You could join the guided city tour, both though involve lots of walking and transfer by bus or tube. Check out our design to get the best of London in a day or two.
DAY 1
9am to 10:30am TRAFALGAR SQUARE, ST. JAME'S PALACE
Alight at Charing Cross station, join the locals and tourists at the historical Trafalgar Square.
200 meters from the square is the Admiralty Arch, the entrance to the street, The Mall.
The Mall is the ceremonial path to the Buckingham Palace, about 15 minutes on foot.
Before proceeding to the Buckingham Palace, view the St James Palace from the outside. St James Palace is not accessible to public all year round. The palace was the royal residence from the 16th century (Tudor monarchy) until the completion of the Buckingham palace in the 19th century. Queen Victoria was the last to reside in the St James Palace and the first at the Buckingham Palace. Adjacent to the St. Jame's Palace are the homes of the various members of the Royal family such as the Clarence house and the York house. There are more to see around: the memorials of the previous Kings and Queens,
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| Trafalgar Square |
Trafalgar Square is a public square in the very center of London. It is one of the favourite places for meet-up and hosts licensed events of the buskers and street theatres. Trafalgar was formerly Charing Cross until the early 19th century when it was renamed to Trafalgar to commemorate the victory of the British over France and Spain from the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
There were two fountains installed in 1841 at the Trafalgar square to reduce heat. Additional purpose was to reduce the space available for public gatherings, thereby, to reduce the risk of riots.
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| Trafalgar Square |
Trafalgar Square is surrounded by important buildings, roadways and monuments. On the north side is the National Gallery and a terrace in front. To the east is the St Martin-in-the-Fields Church. Between the gallery and the church is the Charing Cross road. Opposite the National Gallery is the Nelson's column, a monument to the Battle of Trafalgar's victory and to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the battle. The Corinthian column is topped by the admiral and guarded by four (4) sculpted lions. Charing cross underground on the Northern line and Bakerloo line have a separate exit in the square.
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| Trafalgar/Charing cross roundabout- London's KM zero |
To the southwest of the Trafalgar square is the Admiralty Arch, the gateway to The Mall which leads towards the Buckingham Palace. Whitehall is to the south and the Strand is to the east.
The statue of Charles I was erected at the Charing cross roundabout. It is the same site where the statue of one of the twelve (12) Eleanor crosses stood from 1290 until its destruction in 1647 on the orders of the Parliament. The site was marked as the centre of London and the point from which the distances from London is measured.
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| Horse-carriage at Trafalgar/Charing Cross |
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| Admiralty Arch, London |
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| Street of The Mall, London |
10:30am CHANGING OF THE GUARDS
Around half past ten, the old guards at St James Palace and Buckingham Palace will form at their respective forecourt. Those at St James will leave at 10:45am to join the old guards at the Buckingham Palace. At 11am, the official ceremony starts, accompanied by music, and will last for 45 minutes. During this 45 minutes, the responsibility is being handed over formally to the new guards who arrived before 11am from the Wellington Barracks. Thereafter, the old guards and the relieved sentries of the two palace leave their post and march to the Wellington Barracks.
From August to May, the changing of the guards takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The ceremony is conducted daily in June and July. All year round, there would be no ceremony when there are big events in the city.
12nn BUCKINGHAM PALACE
You could visit the Buckingham palace after the ceremony. The palace is open to the public only when the Queen is in her annual visit in the Balmoral castle, usually in August and September. Book your timed tickets three to six months in advanced, The viewing could take 2 hours.
Buckingham palace is the official residence of the British Monarchy. The palace has 775 rooms, 19 staterooms and 78 bathrooms. Only the state rooms, which are used for official events, are available to public and the part of the garden. The state rooms are grandeur, beautifully decorated with the Royal collections such as the paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Poussin. Be warn though, photography is not allowed in the state rooms. You could take photos in the garden.
The visit to the Buckingham Palace may take till after 2pm. You could go for lunch before or after the visit to the palace. There is a cafe and ice cream should you go for a very light meal and continue to the next attraction. In summer, the sun sets as late as 8pm.
There are three options to continue the tour after the visit to the Buckingham Palace:
3~4pm SOHO, PICADILLY CIRCUS
You could go for a decent meal nearby or you could go to Soho for a late lunch or early dinner. Getting to Soho: take the tube at the Green Park station and alight at Oxford Circus UG. From there you walk to the busy Soho in the West end which offers variety of dining and shopping options. In addition, Chinatown in London is around the corner. For the theatre goers, Soho is one of the main entertainment districts since the 19th century as well as Picadilly Circus, a round open space at a street junction surrounded by illuminated advertisement signs that, apparently, can be viewed at night. For the night goers, we suggest to come back after sunset. Both Soho and Picadilly Circus are popular with nightclubs.
The branded shops such as Hermes, LV and Chanel are 10 minutes on foot, at New Bond street. This area is 8 minute walk from the Green station, where we boarded from the visit to the Palace. However, there are still places you will be visiting, we do not suggest carrying branded shopping bags at this time. If you could have Day 2 for London, you can do the shopping after the visit to Kensington Palace
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| Soho, London |
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| Ganton Street in Soho, London, UK |
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| Les Miserables, Soho, London, UK |
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| Wardour Street towards Chinatown Gate |
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| Prince Charles Cinema, West End, London, UK |
Shake Shack in London, inside the Convent Garden Market
4pm~5pm WHITEHALL
You could continue to explore SOHO at night and find time to walk the street of WHITEHALL after your late lunch.
Going to the area where Big Ben is very much visible, you have two options. Following this itinerary could be exhausting. You could take the bus or the tube from Picadilly Circus/New Bond street. I suggest though to continue walking. Taking the tubes/bus could only save few minutes and it is always crowded.
You will pass the Trafalgar square and you will see again the Arch. But you will not enter the street of The Mall. Continue to the next road Whitehall. Latter is the centre of the UK Government lined with offices, memorials and monuments. The Horse Guards is along this road too. Walk this street all the way to the Parliament square. The walk may take 18 minutes without stop from Picadilly Circus. The street of Whitehall ends at the entrance of the Downing street. Latter is lined with the official residence and offices of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of Exchequer. The road continues to the street, Parliament St.
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| Whitehall street |
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| Old Admiralty Building |
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| Horse Guards Building |
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| Downing Street entrance |
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| The Cenotaph at the Parliament St |
5PM~8PM BIG BEN AND THE WESTMINSTER PALACE
Along the Parliament St, after passing the King Charles St, on the right is a Red Telephone Box. This is not just a public phone. I am not sure though if this phone is still working. But this place is the best photo spot with the Big Ben and part of the Westminster Palace while pretending to be on the red phone.
Cross the Westminster bridge to the south bank for a complete view of the Westminster Palace, Big Ben and the Victoria tower lies on the north bank of the Thames River.
From the Westminster Bridge, across the Westminster Palace, walk along the south bank of the Thames River, the pedestrian Queen's Walk, towards the Jubilee Park. Ride the London Eye for a panoramic view of the city. I suggest to buy the tickets online. The complete rotation takes about 30 minutes. The views are nicer after the sunset and the queue would not be long. In summer, the giant wheel is open from 10am to 9:30pm.
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| Westminster Palace, off Westminster station UG |
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| Westminster Palace and the statue of Winston Churchill |
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| Photo spot in London Red Telophone box and Big Ben |
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| Victoria tower details |
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| Big Ben details |
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| London Eye and the County Hall |
Should you go back to SOHO, I suggest a dinner at the Burger & Lobster either at Oxford Circus or at their SOHO branch. Reservation is a must.
If you do not have the Day 2 for London, you could squeeze the visit to Kensington Palace after the visit to Buckingham palace and shop at Harrod's. Further, you could continue the tour to the Tower Bridge after the London Eye's ride. Take the Bus 381 to London Bridge. From London Bridge, walk to the Tower Bridge with the view of the Tower Bridge from the distance crossing the Thames River. More information of these places on the suggested Day 2 below.
DAY 2
Walk on the banks of the River Thames from the Millenium Bridge to the Tower Bridge.
9~10 am St Paul's Cathedral
Cross the Millenium Bridge to the South bank.
10~11am Breakfast or Brunch at the Borough Market
11~12nn Walk the London Bridge to the north to view the South Bank and walk back to the South towards the Tower Bridge.
12nn~3pm Visit the Tower of London
From 3pm Take the tube to Kensington Palace, thereafter shop at Harrod's to conclude the 2-day London Experience.
Kensington Palace was where Queen Victoria was born. The Palace was also the residence of Princess Diana and the two young princes. At present, it is the residence of Prince William and his family as well as by the other members of the Royal family. Outside the Kensington Palace is a memorial garden for Princess Diana and a statue of Queen Victoria.
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| Millennium bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral |
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| Shakespeare's Globe Theatre |
The Borough Market is great place for brunch. It is on the Southwark Street, 8 minutes walk from the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and 5 minutes to the London bridge on foot. The market offers international cuisines with interesting and original menus. The place is also loaded of breads, cakes and ice cream.
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| London Bridge |
London Bridge spans the River Thames between the city of London in the North bank and the Southwark. These two-word London bridge is very much known around the world as most grew up singing the nursery rhyme, "London Bridge is Falling Down". The very first bridge built on the same site recorded to be in the AD 50 and was made of timber It has been rebuilt and redesigned from then to medieval stone arch to Victorian stone arch and the latest, since 1971, made of steel and reinforced concrete and designed in the modern box girder.
London bridge was attacked by the terrorists in 2017 and 2019.
View of the River Thames from the London Bridge towards the Tower Bridge
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| Tower Bridge, London, England |
I only knew the London bridge. So when I saw this beautiful fairy tale / castle like bridge, I thought it is the London bridge. This is actually the Tower Bridge, named after the famous Tower of London which is very near to the bridge. It is the bridge crossing the River Thames after the London Bridge from the west. The Tower bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge, built between 1886 and 1894,
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| The Shard, London, England |
On the south bank on the River Thames near the London Bridge is the highest building in UK, The Shard. Latter was just completed in 2012 with an observation deck, 244 meters high, offers good view of the city
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| HMS Belfast on the River Thames, London, England |
HMS Belfast was the Royal Navy warship used during the World War II. They government originally planned to dismantle the ship after the war to save from the maintenance cost. It was decided later to moor on the River Thames. The significant surviving warship has been on Thames, near the Tower bridge, since 1971 and became one of the landmark of the city.
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| Tower of London, England, United Kingdom |
Tower of London is a major tourist attraction in London that is a must to visit. A UNESCO world heritage site with 1000 years of history. Tower of London is a fortress consists of several towers originally built in the 11th century to protect London. However, it became a state prison detained and executed not only the criminals but members of the royal family accused of treason and considered threat to the reigning King or Queen.
The Tower of London is in the north bank of the River Thames, near to the Tower Bridge.
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| Tower Bridge, London, England |
The Tower Bridge is accessible both to pedestrians and vehicles. The bridge consists two towers tied together by two horizontal walkways. The site is good for photo ops. The nearest UG tube stations: Tower Hill on the circle line and district lines, Bermondsey on the jubilee line and London Bridge station on the jubilee and northern lines.
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| Harrod's, London, England, United Kingdom |
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| Harrod's, London, England, United Kingdom |
Dinner at the Burger & Lobster, Oxford Circus
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| Burger & Lobster at Oxford Circus |
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