Best Sites to See in London


London is known, affectionately, as the Great Ren.  It's also known as the Smoke, which could easily allude to the famous and eternal cloud of fog that is as just as much a feature of the city as the Queen.  It's also densely packed with a combination of new world culture and old world landmarks.  A buffet for the eyes, the capital city of the United Kingdom has plenty of sites to see that should never be missed.  Here a few things that the average tourist might not know about.

Tower Bride: This famous location is what we think of when we sing the nursery rhyme London Bridge.  Many tourists who ask for it by the name of the song,are let down or confused;  the original London Bridge was purchased by a town in Arizona in the 1970s and the current day London Bridge is boring and uneventful.  The song has always been referring to Tower Bridge.  When asking for directions, calling it by the proper name may earn you the subtle appreciation of the locals!

Buckingham Palace: Make sure you come here to see the beauty of this historic building, because there are no guarantees that the Queen will be in residence when you drop by. Look for the royal standard flying above the palace before you end up waiting hours for a glance at the royal family.

Museums: Don't pay for Museums in London!  Many of the best ones are free, and are a great place to people watch once you're done looking at the exhibits.  The Tate Modern, British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, National Maritime Museum, Imperial Museum, and more are all filled with amazing sites and are completely free.  It is highly likely that you could visit two free museums a day, and not run out of places to visit during your stay in London.  You'll find that this has lead to these institutions becoming hangouts for locals just as much as for tourists.  As such, they've become excellent places to sample London's diverse culture.

Smithfield Pub Crawl: Love regional specialties, both fried and fermented?  Than wake up at 4am, so you can pass through the various pubs, bars, and hostels that open up for the market workers in Smithfield.  Some of the greatest examples of scotch eggs, bangers and mash, and other pub staples can be found along the crawl, and a majority of them will be open until noon.  This is a great place to head while you're still adjusting to the jet lag, or preparing for more on the return trip home.

There are more sights, sounds, smells, and flavors within the boundaries of London than could be describes in thousands of words.  Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, the double decker buses, and the Marble Arch are all well known, and should never be missed if the opportunity to experience them presents itself.  These are locations that everyone knows however, and any guidebook can talk about their wonders.  Make sure you take the time to explore London not as a checklist, but as a living city.
