There is almost endless things to do in London, city tours, museums, famous sights, good restaurants. I’ve come up with a few before here and here and thought I’d add to the list with some more alternative ideas.
Take photos
Photography is a hobby of mine, so I’m going to promote it a bit here. There is more to it than getting a shot of the change of the guards at Buckingham Palace, street performers and a view of grey London from the London Eye. Why not capture the feel of the city from a bridge, or if you’re feeling a bit daring, some of the locals doing whatever they do. Anything that is a bit different to what you might expect on a postcard is rewarding to capture, and London offers plenty of opportunity. Here are my examples:
Sunset over London
Tattoo’d London Man
Strange roadblock in central London
Madame Tussauds
You can pose with him too!
Madame Tussauds is the famous waxworks which started in London by French lady Marie Tussauds. It features all sorts of people reproduced out of the stuff you get from your ears. It’s a good chance to pose with actors, sports stars, the Royal family, historic figures and the best of English in London really. Even if you’re not into celebrity culture like myself, it’s well worth a visit and interesting to see just how detailed they are, even if a bit shiny. There is actually 5 floors and it takes a lot longer to go through than you may think, so try not to go near the end of the day if you can. The end featured a few horror tunnels which is where the roots of Madame Tussaud actually come from – dressing up disfigured corpses.
Look for Graffiti
Banksy has a presence in the city
Like a lot of large cities, London has a lot of graffiti. It’s generally not in the usual tourist areas, but there is some that is worth seeing such as Banksy graffiti which has become so famous its often considered artwork which shouldn’t be destroyed, and often adds to the value of an area rather than reduce it like graffiti usually does. There is an iOS Banksy app which will guide you to each one of these spots if you’re interested in it.
Chinatown
Chinatown entrance
London’s Chinatown is not actually a very large place compared to some others I’ve been too like Yokohama in Japan or Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but it’s still a good place to get authentic Chinese cuisine, corner shops selling chinese produce like herbs, flower flavour drinks and snacks. If you go at the right time of year you can even see a traditional dragon dance through it. The nearest subway stations are Leicester Square and Picadilly circus as it’s based in the SoHo area.
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Many of London’s great attractions lend themselves more to groups: seeing Shakespeare at the Globe, climbing on the lions in Trafalgar Square or pointing out Henry VIII’s codpiece at the Tower of London. However, there are some activities that are better for individuals who are seeking solitude and something a little bit out of the way.
Thanks for adding more to the list! I’m sure there will be another London post in the future again.