Hi everyone! I’m back with yet another article! No, this one isn’t about university. It’s instead about my solo trip to London! Now, I love travelling. I like exploring new countries, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures and traditions. Going overseas, especially by yourself, teaches you many skills. It teaches you independence, forces you to be responsible, and trains you to have fast and efficient decision-making skills. Additionally, let’s all be honest — Singapore is far too small a country. We get so used to our fancy public transport and our nice HDBs, we often forget that the world is so large. Outside the little country we call home, there is still much to see.
I’ve written about some of my previous adventures and this time, I decided on London because my friend is studying there and offered me free accommodation in a very good location. I’ve also never been to London, and thought it might be nice to see what it was like. I enjoyed my time there — I had lots of good food, watched quite a few plays and musicals, and even brought back a brand-new electric guitar! And so, I decided I would share the top things to do in London, for anyone who interested in going for a short holiday.
Although, just a disclaimer: I like cold weather, so I actually didn’t mind visiting in early January. If you are afraid of the cold, or prefer cool but not freezing weather, please visit during the autumn. And with that, let’s look at what you can do in London!
1) West End/The Globe
Now, for those who are unaware, West End refers to the theatre district in London. If you are a musical theatre fan, you’ve definitely heard of Broadway, the area in New York where musical theatres are performed. West End is London’s version of Broadway. In London, an endless number of musicals or plays are being performed every single day. Once a production has finished, it is often quickly replaced by another one. There are also so many productions, it is quite literally impossible to watch them all. And so, if you’re trying to find something to watch, never fear! There is something new every single day.
Additionally, if you’re a fan of Shakespeare, then you need to check out the Globe. Shakespeare’s Globe is known for Shakespearean productions — after all, that’s what Shakespeare himself called his theatre at the time. He would train the actors and actresses himself, and hold performances of his plays in the theatre. Unfortunately, the original Globe burned down during the London fire, but they reconstructed a new theatre and named it The Globe in honor of Shakespeare’s legacy. They have seasonal performances of Shakespeare’s plays, and they are always very well-performed.
In London, I went on a West End streak — I watched a musical or play every day. In the end, I watched eight productions: The Mousetrap, Phantom of the Opera, Witness for the Prosecution, The Play that Goes Wrong, Les Miserables, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and Hadestown. If you get a chance to visit, I thought that Witness for the Prosecution, The Play that Goes Wrong and Phantom of the Opera were the best ones. You can check them out if you’re interested!
2) Famous Spots
Now, it’s no secret that London has a rich history. They have a lot of famous historical buildings, such as Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and the British Museum (to name a few). There are also tourist attractions such as the London Eye, the Big Ben, and the River Thames. You can visit these places by taking public transportation (which is surprisingly expensive in London), walking (if they are one hour or less away, I recommend walking) or taking the hop-on-hop-off red bus that brings you to tourist destinations. If you live farther away from central London, or are short on time and want to see as many of these as possible, I highly recommend the last option.
Do take note that you have to pay to enter most (if not all) of these places. And there are also often a lot of people who are visiting. For example, when I walked past the London Eye, there was a whole line of tourists waiting to enter. My friend (who is currently studying there) told me that you first have to book tickets online, and that even with the tickets, you have to queue and wait your turn to get on.
For me, I didn’t really go into any of these attractions, I just visited them and took pictures. I went to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard, I saw the Tower of London, and I paid to walk up 206 stairs and crossed Tower Bridge from above. I also frequently walked past the London Eye and the Big Ben, and crossed Westminster Bridge (which allowed me the view of the River Thames). Oh yes, I also passed by Canary Wharf and the monument to the Great Fire of London (i.e. a giant candle).
3) Shopping
London is similar to Singapore in that there are many, many shopping districts. One very famous one is Oxford Circle — it’s basically an entire Orchard Road. There is also Covent Garden, which has many branded stores. And while London is expensive, certain stores or brands are definitely cheaper or more worth it there. One example is Marks and Spencers — the quality of clothes there is better. Another example is Zara — they have clothes that are only sold in Western markets. Additionally, if you want to do some gift-giving for friends and family, you can always try these locations. You’ll definitely be able to find something.
But if you are looking more for hand-crafted specialties and not widespread consumerist brands, check out Camden Town. I wanted to buy my friend a cat hoodie, and found a really cute one at one of these smaller shops. They have all sorts of things, ranging from clothes to perfume. Side note: if you are a music fan, there is also an incredible electric guitar shop called Camden Guitars (yes, I bought my electric guitar there, and special mention to Brandon, one of the workers who was really nice and helped me out a bunch).
Also, if you are interested in books, there are many bookstores. One of them is Waterstones — it is similar to Barnes and Noble in the US, or for Singaporeans, perhaps a Kinokuniya. It holds a nice selection of books, and the covers for them can be very aesthetic. There are also thrift book stores, for those who don’t mind second-hand ones. The one I went to, Skoob Books, had a decent selection for a very cheap price. A lot of books offered are old classics, but there are a few sections that provide more modern books for sale. For example, they were selling Silent Patient for only 5 pounds (8.4 SGD), and their books are all around that price. They even have a student discount if you show your student card (my NUS card worked fine)!
One final tip: if you are looking for basic fashion or things like face cream and shampoo at a low price, try Boots. It’s a London brand, and they sell skincare, pharmacy, daily living (i.e. shampoo, toothpaste etc.), and clothes/shoes (in some stores).
4) River Thames Cruise
One final suggestion I have is to take a River Thames cruise. There are different piers you can go to, but because I was living near Westminster Bridge, I went to the Westminster Pier. I bought a two-day hop-on hop-off pass for 16.9 GBP (around 28 SGD) with student discount, and from there I could get on and off whenever and wherever I wanted to.
Where you go depends on which company cruise you take, but for mine, I could go from Westminster Bridge to Butler’s Wharf Pier (near Tower Bridge and the London Bridge) to Greenwich Pier. Along the way, there’s insightful commentary by the cruise guide, and since the boat is all glass, you can take plenty of nice pictures. The boat is also not fast, and so you can take your time and enjoy the view of London. In the evening, the sky turns a nice shade of blue, and I have some nice pictures with the blue sky and the London Bridge. At night, it’s especially aesthetic since all the lights come up, making everything stand out against the night sky.
Aside from the scenery, you can also use this as an opportunity to visit Greenwich. Now, Greenwich is a little bit outside of London, but I would definitely recommend visiting if you have the time. It has a couple of tourist attractions, namely the Cutty Sark (a giant ship), the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Market, and (my personal recommendation) the Royal Observatory and the Meridian Line.
If you don’t know what the Meridian Line is, let me explain. Do you know the equator? It’s a line separating the northern and southern hemispheres of the world. Similarly, the Prime Meridian separates the eastern and western hemispheres. If you stand on one side of the line, you are geographically in the east, and if you stand on the other side, you are in the west. You can read more information here, but I thought it was really cool to be able to do that. And so I went there, crossed the line, and bought myself a really cool calendar in the form of a compass. I also wanted to look at Greenwich Market, but I didn’t have enough time because I had to catch a play in the afternoon.
That’s all from me! If you are interested in chess (like I was), you can go to the Chess & Bridge shop near Baker Street station. There is also a list of chess clubs, and you can go and play for fun. It is completely free of charge too! If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, you can check out the Sherlock Holmes Museum or go to a Sherlock Holmes escape room. You can even visit 221b Baker Street! And if you are a Harry Potter fan, there is always the 9 and three-quarters platform, and a large number of shops selling Harry Potter merchandise. Hope you have a good trip! See you all next time!
