Trafalgar Square is a place very fond in my heart and memories as I loved visiting as a kid (photo…read moreincluded). In recent years, they've cracked down on feeding pigeons and are far less than in the 1990s during my first visit. Sad for me as I love pigeons as my great grandad had messenger pigeons during WWII. Despite there being less birds to sightsee, there are plenty of performs and a stunning picturesque fountain to take photos. Well worth the visit if you find yourself in London!

An incredible journey and look into colonial English history. The size and immensity of Trafalgar…read moreSquare does the photographs justice - it's huge! Lovely fountain, the lions are incredible and stand the test of times. Nelson on the perch, one looks up, gets a bit dizzy, and ponders... just how on earth did they make that thing?! Relaxing, safe, but like any city watch your valuables and be aware. Grab a snack from nearby, walk to the square, sit down, relax and enjoy the scenery.

The love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is epic. His untimely death, at the age of…read more42 from typhoid, sent Queen Victoria into a deep mourning that consumed the entire country. This opulent monument that she commissioned to honor his memory is testimony to their deep love and her desire to immortalize him. The Gothic Revival structure stands in Kensington Garden, a garden behind the Kensington Palace where Queen Victoria lived. The structure houses a magnificent golden statue of the prince. Numerous statues surround the monument and depict interests of the Prince. Prince Albert looks quite regal. My photos don't do the memorial justice. Because of the cloudy day, the vibrant colors of the structure do not show up. The structure is vivid shades of turquoise and blues. There is a lot of beautiful color and the gold accents. The is a moving and gorgeous monument. The memorial is worth a walk by and is between the Science Museum and Kensington Palace.

One of the most famous and beloved monuments of the capital of Great Britain is located in…read moreKensington Gardens - the Albert Memorial. The Albert Memorial is a large Gothic monument built to commemorate the loss of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's beloved husband. At the edge of Kensington Gardens, on the boundary to Hyde Park, stands the Albert Memorial. Not sure why it's not that popular, as when you think about London, many monuments come to your feed, but it is not one of them, but it's just an amazing and awestruck feeling when saw this. It is just opposite to Royal Albert Hall. An allegorical sculpture stands on each side to represent industrial arts and sciences. There are another four other groups to represent the four continents, each including a large animal: a bull for Europe, an elephant for Asia, a bison for America, and a camel for Africa. Queen Victoria chose the winning entry from the competition, rejecting, among other proposals, an idea to alter Cleopatra's Needle, and Scott set about building this extravagantly Gothic structure, a feat which would help earn him a knighthood in 1872.

An iconic, famous, and crazy busy section of London. From…read morehere you can get just about anywhere. It's a great starting and landing point for tourists. It is a central area to get to places like Leicester Square, Chinatown, etc. Tons of giant, lighted, neon adverts adorn the area. It's like the London version of NYC's Times Square. It's exciting, frantic, busy, and a perfect spot for first-time visitors to London.

Tip: I recommend riding the tube to get here. Piccadilly Circus tube station is conveniently…read moreunderground and it's affordable. Piccadilly Circus was an area that I frequented a lot during my visit to London in December 2013. It is a touristy place. I liked it for a number of reasons. Piccadilly Circus tub station is under Piccadilly Circus. I took the underground to get to this touristy site. It was a cheap, efficient means to get to and from the area. The area feels like Times Square (New York), or Yonge and Dundas (Toronto) with brightly lit screens and signs. You then realize that Piccadilly Circus established illuminated, giant advertisements since the early 20th century. What's special about Piccadilly Circus is that it's a junction where Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street, and Glasshouse Street meet. Circus in the name doesn't mean seeing clowns and acrobats. Rather, it means a circle or roundabout. It makes sense when you see the statue of Anteros, which is also known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It gives you a good look at how the streets comprise this junction. Piccadilly Circus is close to these touristy spots: - M&M's World - Chinatown - Soho - Theatre district - Oxford Street (shopping) - Hop-on, hop-off stops Gone are these places that I enjoyed visiting: - Ripley's Believe It or Not - Angus Steak House I'm an M&M's fan, so I visited this place three times. I loved it so much! Shopping was great. You can find everything from phone accessories (I still travel with a USB cable with three different charging tips that I bought in London) to weed edibles. I liked the eclectic variety that was eye-opening at the time. I remember that there was a small winter fair at a park that I had visited nearby. I don't remember the name of the park or the fair. What I do remember is enjoying banoffee fudge for the first time. So good! It was fun being in this area. I'd love to go back and see how things have changed. If you've never been to Piccadilly Circus before, I recommend going at least once. (44)

A must do! Definitely spend the extra money to go up in the Tower Bridge. The glass sky walk is…read morereally cool and also a bit "mental" as the British would say. It's scary looking down on all the cars driving way down beneath you and definitely a mind over matter experience. You get some awesome views of the city from up there too. We had to climb the stairs (they do have an elevator for accessibility purposes) and my upper thighs were burning by the time we got to the top but it's totally worth it.

Around 1876, locals had petitioned for a new crossing east of the Tower of London to ease traffic…read morecongestion. With political support in the legislative process, the Corporation of London Act was passed in 1885 and authorized Tower Bridge's construction. It took about eight years to build the bridge (from 1886 to 1894). Tower Bridge is maintained by the City Bridge Foundation (established in 1282). Today, many tourists, commuters, bicyclists, and runners cross Tower Bridge on a daily basis. At times, it gets very crowded with not a lot of room to walk briskly. This also applies to cobblestone pathways by the Tower of London due to large tourist groups. There is a lot of space on both sides of the Thames to take pictures and gaze at the bridge. While running along the Thames, I saw a man painting Tower Bridge and surrounding skyline. This was near London Bridge, so it's nice to look at Tower Bridge from more afar.

You will need to reserve the ticket ahead of time. During summer, you need to reserve much ahead of…read moretime. Tower of London is next to London bridge. I would suggest buy the combo ticket with the river cruise. It is good deal and good river cruise along Thames River. The most valuable to visit is the Royal Jewels and Crown. The building host it do not allowed photo. The jewels are worth the visit. The other two area are the white tower and battlements. These three area is a must visit location. Other locations include along the wall walks. The visit takes minimum 2.5 hours.

The grounds of the Tower of London are impressive! We only walked the grounds and did not take a…read moretour inside so missed the crown jewels, but that was okay. The views of the Thames River were stunning. The Tower of London is an impressive structure built over a long period of time. It was used as a castle, as a prison, and had many other uses over the years. There is an excellent self-paced walking tour around the grounds you should consider. Aside from the Tower itself, the other large structure right there on the Thames is the Tower Bridge. What an incredible structure. As with every tourist attraction, there is a well stocked gift shop. They had some unique items we hadn't seen elsewhere so it is worth stopping by the gift shop for a few minutes.

Beautiful architecture, recognizable from many magazines, movies & shows, the Gerkin is unique &…read morebeautiful. I didn't have a chance to visit the restaurant inside but will hopefully during my next visit to London.

A beautiful and stunning building that adds to London's unique skyline and reputation as both a…read moremodern city and one with history that dates back hundreds of years. It's so much prettier than the plain steel and glass buildings dotted nearby. It's so *not* a Monet - it looks great from afar and from close up. I was in the City yesterday to meet my customers and it so happens that their office is right next door to the Swiss Re building, aka the Gherkin. We managed to pop out for lunch and sat under the building enjoying the fantastic view.

Also known as 'Number One London' (the popular name for Apsley House), this has to be one of the…read moremost interesting visitor attractions in London. Home to the Duke of Wellington after his victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, the interior of the house has changed very little since the days of the Iron Duke. It is still home to the 8th Duke of Wellington who still uses part of the building as a part-time residence. It is allegedly the only preserved example of an English aristocratic town house from its period. In 1807 the house was purchased by Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquis Wellesley, the elder brother of Sir Arthur Wellesley, but in 1817 financial difficulties forced him to sell it to his famous brother, by then the Duke of Wellington, who needed a London base from which to pursue his new career in politics. The magnificent collection of 200 paintings includes 83 which were acquired by the first Duke after the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, the paintings were in Joseph Bonaparte's baggage train. The paintings were from the Spanish royal collection and were given to Wellington by King Ferdinand VII of Spain in recognition of his victories in Spain against the French. The gallery, (reportedly one of the finest art collections in London), includes paintings by Velazquez and Rubens as well as a wonderful collection of silver and porcelain, with pride of place going to a massive nude statue of Napoleon. At £6.90 to get in (adults), it is very good value for money. I spent approximately 2.5 hours in the house but could easily have doubled that if I had spent more time viewing the large amount of amazing art work that was on display. The electronic guided tour on hand held devices is a must (and is at no extra cost).

The Apsley House has been the home for the Dukes of Wellington. The original occupant was Lord…read moreApsley but he sold the house and since then, the Dukes have occupied it. Now these days, it just a house museum. If you have the London Pass, entrance to the Apsley House is already paid for. But I think it is cheap to come in anyway so if you're in the area, you should definitely stop by. Photography is not allowed. An audio guide is included since it does help out with the history of each room and its paintings. Lots of rooms in this house with very high ceilings filled with dozens and dozens of paintings, relics, Victorian style furniture and tables. It's the type of house where you would want to take off your shoes or put up the floor runners because you don't want to have the slightest piece of dirt in the rooms. It's a very nice and maintained house. They have hundreds and hundreds of parties here throughout the years and it looks like it's brand new.

big ben really was beautiful! a lot smaller in person than…read morei'd thought, but gorgeous! was a beautiful day to see it. you can also walk on the grounds with a tour but we did not that day, i felt okay just seeing it! :)

Dear reader, Big Ben…read moreis one of those London landmarks that you have seen countless times in photographs, yet somehow remains magnificent when you are actually standing beneath it. The Elizabeth Tower is enormous, beautifully detailed, and every bit as grand as one expects from an icon that has spent generations casually dominating the London skyline. The entire Westminster setting adds to the experience. With the Houses of Parliament, the Thames, and Westminster Bridge surrounding you, there are fantastic views from nearly every direction. Hearing the famous bells while standing nearby only adds a little British theatre to the occasion. My tip: do not simply stand directly underneath it and leave. Walk across Westminster Bridge for one of the best views back toward Big Ben and Parliament, especially if you want photos that capture the whole scene. Go early in the morning if you can, before Westminster reaches peak human traffic. If you want the ultimate experience, you can actually tour inside Elizabeth Tower and climb 334 steps to the belfry. Tickets are released three months ahead, so planning in advance is essential. A magnificent London landmark and absolutely deserving of its reputation.