Before going to London, I thought that when you say UK its just London :)) With our all knowing friend, Google, I learned that the UK is actually comprised of 4 countries – England (also known as Great Britain), Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Good thing, when you get a visa for the UK, you get to travel to all four countries.  With limited time (and budget), we were lucky to visit England, Scotland and Wales (stay tuned for our Scotland and Wales post) last year .

Here are  the places we visited which I think are worth visiting aside from the  mandatories (Tower Bridge, London Eye, Big Ben). I put the farthest one first – which I suggest should be the top on your list as it will be easy to visit those within the city.

• Bath – situated at the outskirts of London, you can opt to spend 2 days and one night here, staying overnight at historic Bath. Bath is a 90-minute train ride from London Paddington station.  As we wanted to experience right-hand driving, we decided to rent a car for a day going to Bath. Bath is a small, charming, walkable city. Before going to the Roman Baths, you will pass by the Bath Abbey, so you may want to say a prayer. As the Roman Baths is the most famous tourist attraction in the area, better to buy your tickets in advance. There are four main sections in the museum: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum, where you can see artifacts from Roman Bath. Unfortunately, the water in the Roman Bath is not safe for bathing. Tickets and prices here. 

inside the Bath Abbey

the beautiful Bath Abbey

• Stonehenge – Some people say its just a bunch of stones but I was drawn by its mysterious appeal – who built it? why did they build it? How were they able to bring those gigantic stones there? These are the questions most people ask, which I think up to now are still unanswered. Check out more info about Stonehenge.

Nic with his sword at Stonehenge ticket centre

the mysterious Stonehenge

• Warner Brothers Studio -definitely not to be missed is Harry Potter’s birthplace.  Being here feels like being part of Hogwarts. Witness how they transformed the studio into an enchanting place. I suggest booking in advance to get your desired date. Allot one day for this magical tour. Buy tickets online here.

the door to the enchanting world of Harry Potter

the Burrow

Diagon Alley

• Buckingham Palace – no trip to London will be complete without visiting the palaces. Top on the list will be Buckingham, which is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth. Most of the palace is not open for public viewing, so we contented ourselves with just taking pictures at the gate of the palace and waiting for the changing of the guards ceremony. We did not check if there are certain hours for this (which there was), so I suggest to check this out first before heading to the palace. Details here.

• Kensington Palace – the birthplace of Queen Victoria, it is also famous as being the official residence of Will and Kate. This one is open to the public, so you can buy your tickets and meander on the palace rooms.
• 

  at the entrance of the Kensington Palace

  

  cute toilet signs

  

  

  

  
• Westminster Abbey – UK’s traditional place of coronation of monarchs as well as burial site.  It is also one where Queen Elizabeth was married as well as the church where Will and Kate were married. Some notable personalities buried in Westminster were: Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Tennyson and many more who I’m not too familiar with. Better to visit early morning so you avoid the crowd. Taking photos is prohibited so here are some stolen shots

• St. Paul’s Cathedral – One of the most famous attraction in London, it has historic value. Among the most important services done here were the funerals for Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher and the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. Ticket cost £16 for an adult and £7 for a child aged 6-17. If you’re a family of four, you can get a family ticket at £39.  You can buy tickets online.

• Temple Church – one of our not-to-be missed attraction, it was built late in the 12th century as the English headquarters of the Knights Templar.  It is a small, round church made famous by Dan Brown in his novel. Ticket cost at £5 for adults, free for under 16 yrs old.

• British Museum -an impressive and expansive museum with about 8 million collection.  We allotted half-day which would be impossible to cover all the 8 million collection.  It house artefacts documenting the historical facts from the ancient to modern times.  For me, one item not to be missed is the Rosetta stone – provided the key to the modern understanding Egyptian hieroglyphics. What’s so great about this museum? Its free!

Rosetta stone

• Picadilly circus -at first i thought it’s an actual circus.  Wikipedia though said it came from a Latin word meaning circle.  So it is actually a public space within walking distance to shopping areas and restaurants. Suggested activity: people watching 🙂
• Tower of London – What I like about this place is that you can see the Tower Bridge.  It’s also the place where Anne Boleyn was beheaded. Wikipedia says: ‘The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England.’

Of course here are the pics from the mandatory tourist spots. Make time to visit  Royal Albert Hall and Abbey Road too 🙂

Big Ben at night

London Eye

Royal Albert Hall

Tower Bridge from the Tower of London

Abbey Road

our trusty AYGO car