London has this enigmatic allure that draws people from all over the world to come and witness it for themselves. It’s bustling city life and historic buildings make it one of the top destinations in the world.
Flying into London-Heathrow is an experience in of itself. The bustling airport is gigantic and has estimated walking times from terminal to terminal that can be up to an hour. But once you step out of the airport, it’s like walking into a new world.
London is thriving, busy, exciting. There are endless things to get into while visiting and you could easily spend a month here and not see everything you wanted to. Start by seeing the whole city on a double decker bus tour to get a feel for what you really want to visit while there. Seeing everything from a distance gives you a chance to reconsider your options. Maybe the museum you were so excited to see didn’t look so great after all but the pub you passed by on the way looked like a great place to stop instead.
The main stops are a must: Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliament, Winchester Abbey and the Tower Museum. Payless Flights tip: purchase a hop on-hop off tour. You pay a small fee for a two day pass and you essentially have free rides to all of your desired destinations with commentary on the way.
One of the newest places to see in London will excite the avid readers: Leavesden Studios has opened it’s Harry Potter tour as of April 2012. Walk through all of the sets used in the films and get up close and personal with all of the props. Music from the soundtracks plays in the background and there are short videos of the actors telling you funny stories of things that happened right where you’re standing. If visiting in the summer, try the Butterbeer! Not only is it cool to drink what was used in the movies, but it’s actually delicious!
Another quirky destination is a multiple stop “Oldest Pub in London Pub Crawl”. Since over 15 pubs claim to be the oldest pub in London, there is a pub crawl that stops at every one, just to say make sure that you can say that you visited the oldest pub without lying.
Buying a hotel room can be quite expensive if you want to stay centrally located so you should make it worth it. Payless Flights tip: stay at the Premier Inn at County Hall. It’s literally right behind the London Eye and across the street from Big Ben. There are lots of music festivals and restaurants that line the street below so there’s always something to get into if you don’t want to sight see anymore.
London’s allure is world famous and it lives up to it’s name. The best time to visit is definitely late spring or early fall, the middle of summer can be unbearably crowded.
