Having watched Bridget Jones 3, We had no choice but to visit the capital of the UK. What can you do in the city at the size of more than 1520 square KILOmetres just in two days? We have some clues for you. WARNING – this is a subjective guidebook for amateur travellers.
Where to eat?
- PATTY AND BUN, 54 JAMES STREET
The place calls for particular attention and the top place in our ranking. Delicious burgers with the high quality beef and chicken, crispy chips and coleslaw will steal your heart once you get there. The amazing, 90’s themed atmosphere of a tiny, quite claustrophobic restaurant with the buzz of people drinking Coke… Here we are in the land of Jamie Oliver! We must admit that it was worth waiting for!
- THE BREAKFAST CLUB / London Bridge, 11 Southwark Street, SE 1 1RQ
The taste of the meals served there explains the giantic queue. There’s no doubt they are phenomenal! For about 15 pounds (breakfast plus coffee/tea) not only can you drink a hot tea with milk but also eat the real English breakfast, that is, a plate with bacon, sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, champignon shrooms, blood sausage, peas, grilled tomatoes and integral toasts. Gourments of sweets, on the other hand, can choose pancakes with fruit and whipped cream.
- CAFE NERO
Although we know it from the streets in Warsaw, so far we haven’t had a chance to try their coffee or treats, so we decided to change it in London. We came by one of their cafes, located nearby Tower Bridge, to drink fragrant latte, to eat lemon tart and to smoke a cigarette gazing at the glittering Thames.
- CHINA TOWN
Located at Gerrard Street, a part of the popular SOHO, the place is a real parade of colours, so characteristic to the Chinese nation (ie., red and gold). You will find there plenty of Chinese stores, bakeries, restaurants and enterprises run by the Chinese. Buffets may also boast of huge popularity (HongKongBuffet among others, which we had the opportunity to visit) as you can eat as much as you want just for 10 pounds, be it main courses, soups or desserts. We must admit that the Hong-Kong-like chicken is phenomenal, not to mention the mango pudding, which will leave a smile on your face.
- STREET SNACKS
While in London, you’d better keep your eyes open for snacks, which you can find in tiny street stalls. We wouldn’t have explored the taste of Argentinian Empanadas or roasted chestnuts, whose aroma we can still smell today, if it hadn’t been for our food greediness. However, let’s not forget that London’s street food is also about hot dogs and ice creams.
Where to go crazy?
- M&M’s WORLD
If you are as much in love with M&M’s as we are, you must pay a visit to M&M’s World! You will find the 4-storey shop, whose construction cost about 10 million pounds, near Picadilly Circus Tube station. In a nutshell – you can see and buy there whatever you want, from towels, through cups, up to personalised M&M’s. Yep, that’s exactly what you think! You can design your own colourful M&M’s with personalised engravings, as well as find out what type of M&M’s you actually are.
WhAT TO SEE?
- MADAME TUSSAUDS
If you have dreamt of Hollywood fame or making a high-five with popular A-listers, here your dreams will come true! The museum, which dates back to 1835, displays numerous waxworks of famous singers, actors, politicians or even…the most recognisable Youtubers! I guess I don’t have to say that Kim Kardashian obviously evokes the greatest interest. Even in the form of a wax figure she emanates with sex appeal and self-confidence, accompanied by her faithful husband, Kanye West. But this is not the end of attractions! At the museum you can cast your hand or take part in a unique journey to the beginnings of the Albion’s kingdom.
- SEA LIFE LONDON AQUARIUM
This is another great tourist attraction in London. You will find there over 500 aquatic animals, swimming and winking at tourists, in tanks containing over 2 million litres of water. The most impressive attraction, however, is a walk through the tunnels surrounded with aquaria.
- LONDON EYE
If you are afraid that the London Eye is a typical Ferris wheel … you’re wrong! The observation wheel with 32 air-conditioned capsules moves very slowly, and the length of stay is about 25 minutes. Interestingly, the low speed allows for taking new passengers without stopping. The views from a height of 135 meters? Incredible! As marketers, we could not ignore the fact that the whole Millennial Wheel is signed with a logo and visual elements of Coca-Cola, and at the entrance you can buy a Coke in a specially prepared London Eye bottle. According to the information on the website of the London Eye – there is as option of booking a capsule just for yourself. Any volunteers?
It’s worth booking the tickets to the three places in advance, using the website MADAME TUSSAUDS. The package entrance costs £48. An additional asset of purchasing vouchers before arrival is the possibility of getting through less crowded entrances. If you are visiting London in a rush, it may be the ultimate resort.
LONDON CLASSICS
- BIG BEN
The clock tower is one of the most recognisable symbols of london. It is so massive and characteristic that it’s unlikely to miss it.
- BUCKINGHAM PALACE
The biggest royal palace in the world, a pearl of Baroque architecture. However, the palace itself isn’t the greatest treat for visitors but the ceremonial guard switch, which can be seen everyday at 11 from April to July, and at 11:30 in other months. You can check the schedule on the website Changing of The Guard.
- TOWER BRIDGE
A bascule and suspension bridge at the River Thames, situated nearby the Tower of London. Yes, that’s the bridge where Bridget Jones was wandering in pursuit of reason. Take a walk through the bridge both in the daylight and in the evening.
- PICADILLY CIRCUS
A square and the intersection of the main streets of West End. One of the most important hubs of London. Memorable and noticeable thanks to illuminated ads, McDonalds and Coca-Cola among others, located on the walls of tenement houses.
- NOTTING HILL
That’s a district where both an enterpreneur with a tie and a cheerful hipster will find something interesting for themselves. The area of tenement houses in different colours of the rainbow is considered one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in London. Open-air museums and second-hand music shops as well as antique markets at Portobello Road are very characteristic to the district.
- PIĘTROWE CZERWONE AUTOBUSY
There’s nothing much to say… It’s enough to look at the photos below to understand what we mean. Get on the bus and hit the unforgettable journey around the magical world of London!
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Translation into English: Katarzyna Mrówczyńska.