A weekend in London

If time doesn't appear often on your schedulle then 2 days will have to be enough for you to feel the real London vibe.
The truth is that one month is not enough to know london but the most important things, if you're stong at will, can be seen in just 2 days.
If you find it difficult to choose between the hundreds of options then take our suggestions in the way to have 48 fantastic hours.



Start your journey by taking the underground untill Edgware Road Station and head towards Marble Arch.
Trough this 5 minute walking you'll find many middle east shops where you can find the best exchange rate for your euros. There's no cheaper place in London then in this street.
Drink a hot chocolate down at Starbucks (they're the best, there's dozens of stores everywhere and they're worth the 5 € you pay for it).

Once you're in Marble Arch go through Oxford Street (one of the biggest commercial streets in the world) and be amazed with the London style.
In Oxford Circus catch the underground to Notting Hill Gate and follow the signs to Portobello Road (saturday mornings just follow the crowd to see that you're in the right direction).

With some pounds less and the hands full of stuff go back to Notting Hill Gate station and catch the underground to Green Park (you have to change line at Bond Street).
Once you're in Green Park, follow the signs and go down the park untill you arrive at Buckingham Palace to watch the change guard (daily at 11.30am).




Five minutes from there and after you cross St James Park go to the Horse Guards
and take a picture with the Queen's horses.
At the same time you're heading to the famous 10 Downing Street (the oficial home of Britain's Prime Minister),at the right of the Horse Guards.

Stop to eat something in the neighbourhood and with some energie gained you can see at the bottom Big Ben. Take a good look at him and take as many pictures as you can.
Right in the corner there's the Westminster Abbey, the place where Lady Di said goodbye to this world.

Go back to Big Ben and get in one of the many turistic boats (the ticket costs about 7 €) and go till the Tower of London. There enjoy Tower Bridge and the interior of the Tower of London (it takes about 3hours to see it).
In the way out get the underground at the Tower Hill station and go to Leicester Square (you have to change line at Embankment).
Have dinner and enjoy a bit of the London nightlife.
2 minutes from there shines the big publicity panels of Picadilly Circus.

The next day start your journey in Warwick Avenue and visit Little Venice and see how many of londoner's have a different lifestyle living on boats. There catch a bus to Camden Market. You're going to need about 3hours to watch the latest and unusual trends that exist there.

In Camden catch the underground to Hyde Park Corner (you have to switch line in Leicester Square) and eat something in Hard Rock.
With full stomach it's easier to walk down at the giant Hyde Park. Take a rest and head west toward Harrods.

Loose your head and buy some souvenirs there and right at the door there's the underground station (Knightsbridge) and head to Covent Garden.

Enjoy the street shows and eat something in the neighbourhood.
If you still have the time and energie use them in a night walk from Waterloo to Tower Bridge that is absolutely gorgeous at night.

Have a good weekend!

Sightseeing London

London has a lot to give.
Once you're in town you may feel a little bit confuse with so much offer that is given to you that you don't know where to start.
If you like to be in touch with nature you may start by the many green spots around the city.
London is known by it's fog, by it's high level of pollution and by it's caotic traffic but it's very easy to abstain from that because of the existence of dozens of parks and gardens right in the heart of London.
The londoner's usually spends his weekend, or even that lunch hour break in the parks with the children, walking the dog, having lunch and even play some football with the friends.
The biggest and the best known is Hyde Park, with more than 350 hectars, 4000 trees and a horse track.

Every sunday it's possible to watch some political debates or just some opinions of people passing by in the Hyde Park Speaker's Corner. In 2003 about 1 million people gathered there to protest against war on Iraq. Get off at Marble Arch and follow the signs drafted on the floor of Hyde Park to find Speaker's Corner.
Don't miss the Serpentine, a huge artificial lagoon that was ordered by George II to show off his love to his wife Caroline of Ansbach, where you can roll around with your bike or skates and to pedal in boats down on the lake.
Hyde park is also the stage of many benefit concerts or the stop point to some of the biggest bands in the world.



If you continue your walk down at Hyde Park you will get to Kensington Gardens, and it's good to be prepared with some cookies as you're arriving to Royal Albert Statue you will find dozens of friendly squirls that will get to you if there's something in exchange.



Princess Di loved to walk around in this park as her palace is situated in Kensington Gardens. Visit the memorial dedicated in her memory and take a picture with the Peter Pan statue.




Another best known park is Regent. It's in a sofisticated neighbourhood as it's situated in a high class residential area. It has about 30.000 roses. If you like to play sports, this park has a lot to offer you, since tenis and golf courts, a place to play some hoquei, jogging tracks, 2 rugby fields, 4 to play some cricket and 14 football fields.
Through the top of the garden it's possible to get to London Zoo.

If you go to Greenwich to see the meridien then you have to cross the Greenwich Park where you can run, take a walk, do a picnic or roll down the hill. In the top of the park you'll find the astronomic observatory and there you'll enjoy the breathtaking view of London that certainly you will never forget!


Back to the city centre, straight to Buckingham Palace, the oficial residence of Queen Elizabeh II, stop at St James Park and feed the many ducks, pelican, goose and pigeons that live there.
Sit down and relax at the many chairs displayed in the middle of the garden.


Museums

If culture is your big passion then you came to the right place.
If you want to got to one of the best museums of the world then catch de underground to Russel Square and head to the British Museum.
Here it's possible to make a trip to past cultures, with special focus on the egipcian. The entry is free of charge and you'll only pay if you want to visit special exhibitions.
It's open daily between 9am and 6pm althought some days it will only close at 11pm.



If you always liked the time when dinossaurs ruled the world then you can't miss the Natural History Museum. Here you can see real size replicas of this "monsters", know a little bit more about there lives and get carried around with de pre-historical vibe that circles around the museum. It's a must go place both to children and adults. It's open daily and the entry is also free of charge and the last permitted entry is at 5.30pm.


If you didn't cross with any famous star,
then let yourserlf be photografed with some of the celebreties down at the very famous Madame Tussaud's.It's in Baker Street near the Planetarium. You can buy both tickets togetether if you like so. The ticket price is not very appealing, 25£ (37,5€) but you can't miss this place. Take a picture with the eternal Lady Di, walk trought the many USA presidents, ask for the pope blessing, help building Mourinho's ideal team, remember the famous white dress of Marilyn Monroe and sing with Michael Jackson.
If your ticket includes the Live Chaimber, a special wing of the museum, then prepare yourself to feel the rush watching Joana d'Arc being burned alive or Louis XVI being decapitated. Jack the ripper and Adolf Hitler are also there between many others.
The way out is in a trolley car and where you can wath the antique London.






If you like arts and is addicted in The Davinci Code then you certainly want to go to the National Gallery. It's in Trafalgar Square, near the Nelson's column. here you can see the real Madonna of the Rocks and the Caravaggio colection, aong other works of art.
The entry is free of charge and it's recomended and amall visit.
If you want you can leave a pound to manintain this museum free of charge.





On South River Thames it's possible to visit Tate Gallery. The entry is free and the nearest underground is Pimlico. It's the modern art museum of London. It's collection is so vast that the board decided that it was for the best that the pieces of art would be renovated 6 to 6 months.
It's open daily and it closes at 5.50pm.


Landmarks

Anyone that goes to London goes to see the Big Ben.
Big Ben is not the name of the famous clock in Westminster as everybody thinks but it's the name of it's bell.
When you get to London make sure that this is going to be the first thing that your're going to see. You'll be impressed with it's dimension and for sure that you will set your clock by him.


London Eye is right in front of Big Ben. For those who don't know what that is, it's a giant wheel, with numerous capsules that can gather about 15 persons each.

It was opened in the year 2000 and in the present about 10.000 people travels every day in the eye.
Inside each capsule you can take fantastic pictures and in clear sky days you can see for about 40km distance (you can even see the Windsor Castle). If you'd like to impress or even pop the question you can rent a private capsule.


Go to Trafalgar Square, one of the most beautifull squares in the world, where it's the National Gallery, Nelson's Column and it's where usually the londoners celebrate a big football victory and where the chinese celebrate they're New Years.

Visit Tower Bridge and try to find out the schedule that the bridge is open. In the top of the bridge there's a special glass where you can take fantastic pictures of the London sights.

You can see right next to the bridge the Tower of London, a fortress that in the present is the repository of the Crown Jewels and in the past was a castle and a prison.
It's almost one hundred years old and it's still imaculated. On the inside you can see numerous crows whose wings were cut so that they won't fly away. The brittish believe that if they fly away from the Tower the monarchy will fall.
Don't miss a visit to this place that is well worth the 15£ (22,5€). Students, familiar and retired people tickets are cheaper.

Go to St Paul's Cathedral, where Prince Charles married Diana and was built after it's predesessor was burnt during the big London fire of 1666.
If you want to reach the top you have to pay and will have to climb about 500 stairs.

If you're a Beatles fan or just a curious one go to Abbey Road and see the studio where they recorded, take a picture in the famous zebra walking wich was the cover of a Beatles album and sign the wall. It's very near of the centre and you can catch a bus in Oxford Street to go there.

Also go to Westinster Abbey, the stage of the english crowns and the same place where Pincess Diana saied goodbye to the world.

If you have a free afternoon then visit the Greenwich Royal Observatory where it's the first world meridien. It's situated in a pretty and colourful village that marks the spot known as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) that sets the time in every clock in the world.
The ticket is free but you have to get in line to get one and the last entrance is at 4.30pm.
And if you're there visit Cutty Sark, a historic english boat that was used as a way of transportion of tea.

If you'd like to know one of the places where was filmed The DaVinci Code then go to Temple Church. Get off at Temple Station. It's close by between Fleet Street and River Thames. It's a bit tricky to find it as it's in a very quiet area.
It was built in the XII century and in the floor you can see the Templars tombs (they built this church). Free entry.

As you're near the river get to know HMS Belfast, a ship that was used in the II world war and in the Normandie landing and it's now open for exhibition near the Tower Bridge.
Children 'till 16 have free entry and adult tickets go around 8.5£ (13€)


Relax

In London you have dozens of places where you can have fun.
One of the best clubs in the world is in London. It's the Ministry of Sound, it's near the city centre and you can go there by getting off at the Elephant & Castle underground station.

If you like more calmed spots then go to Leicester Square area. Go to Hippodrome that has that student vibe.
Go to Tantra Club, in Soho. A very cool bar with style and glamour. The vive looks like an MTV videoclip. One of the best bars is the West End area.
If you like theatre then go watch one of the many musicals that play in London.
One hint, go to the Half Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square (there are lot's of false booths but the only one that is real is the one in front of the Capital Radio of London) but it only sells tickets for that day.
Watch the famous Phantom of the Opera, or Cats or even enjoy the Queen musical. You can even buy your ticket online.

If you like to see famous people there are many world premieres in London where you can see the famous Hollywood stars or even the royal family that so many times marks they're presence in these events.

If you'd like something more romantic then have a dinner boat Cruise in the Thames River. It costs about 80£ (120€) per person but you'll have a night that you wont' forget.

If your trip is finnishing and would like to get rid of that damn pennies that the britts usually throw away, go to the Trocadero Shopping in Piccadilly and use them in the pennies machine. If you're lucky maybe you'll win some money for a future trip.

Shopping in London

London it's a good, if the not the best, european city to do some shopping and to find the cheapest and rarest things.
The best markets are Portobello Road and Camden market.
Portobello market takes place in Notting Hill and is on every saturday morning.


In this market you can find such things as fruits, vegetables, fresh cakes, clothes, trifles, knick-knack and that very rare vinyl that you can't find elsewhere but here. It has things and styles for all tastes in a very good price. It was also here that was filmed the Notting Hill movie with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, among other movies.

Camden market take place everyday but the best day to go is on Sundays. This market is dominated by the punk theme. This is the place to do that piercing and tattoo that you always wanted.
In case you're hungry you can always try, for free, the food offered by the shoutting ladies in the food department.
Don't miss the orange juice, lemonade and garlic bread sold in the market entry!

You also have the Petticoat Lane Market (near Aldgate Station) where you can find the best leather clothes. It's held on Sunday mornings.
Brixton market the most musical market that exists in london. As brixton is the borough of the black community there's no wonder that this market is full of they're culture.

Then you have the Covent Garden market, whose main products are crafs, but it's main attraction are the street performers that are there all day long just to entertain people who are passing by.


Stores
Beside the markets there are many stores around London that you can find the best prices. Some of those are the Sports World store (Oxford street and St Paul's Cathedral) and Lillywhites(Picadilly) who have special promotions all year long.
If you love shoes then go to Office store, that you can find in Bayswater and Covent Garden. They have the special promotion of buy 1 get the 2nd one for 1/2 price.


And we can't forget the Harrods store. The biggest one in the world, and where you can buy from an elephant to a olive.True!!!
There you can find really everything that you can imagine. It's a bit expensive but you can always buy a souvenir pen at the dutty free department. You can't miss the Diana and Dodi Memorial (we can't say in which floor it is because the place is so big that we´ve always get lost in there!)



If you go to London don't forget to take some extra cash as it might be impossible to get out of there whithout new stuff on the bag!

How to get to London

Nowadays it's possible to arrive in London, by airplane, for about 60euros round trip, with taxes included, in less then 2 hours.
The company that made this possible is the irish Ryanair that allows us to make reservations online saving time and money on the tradicional tickets (as they give us the reservation code that we have to show at the moment of the luggage check in). Even thought, ryanair lands in secondary airports, it's always a good choice.
You can get the lowest fares, by buying online with about 3 weeks in advance (choose the find the lowest fare link).

London has 5 airports Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Gatwick and City.


Ryanair lands in Luton and Stansted Airport.
If you land in the Stansted airport, that is 50km from the city centre, you have 2 options: the train or the bus.
If you choose the train you can get to the city centre in 45 minutes with the "Stansted Express" and the ticket costs about 25£ (37,5€) round trip. They have departures every 15 minutes.
If you choose the cheapest way then you're going with the "Terravision" buses that can get you in the centre in about 1 hour and 15 minutes for only 8£. Make your reservation online so you can get discounts and save time.
The trains depart on the lower floor of the airport (-2) and the buses leave in the -1 floor.

London

London is the biggest european capital with about 7million people and at the same time one of the most cosmopolitans of the world.
It's also on of the most fun cities. Everyday, anytime, anywhere you can find the most diverse events and don't be surprised if you find someone famous just around the corner.
Anyone that goes to London must be open minded as there's many different people, cultures and styles...

Where to stay in London

Another big thing about going to London is where to stay. It's better if you make reservations online or you can have lot's of trouble finding one when you get there.
There's lots of good hostels in London where you can meet many different people and cultures in wich we detach by it's hygiene, security and location the "Adamotel" and the "Globetrotter Inn London".
If you're looking for fun then go to the "Generator Hotel".


But whatever you do PLEASE stay away from the "Smart Hyde Park Inn".
The prices are around 20 to 30euros per person, depending on the time of the year.
If you're going to London with your family then a good option is the Royal National Hotel. It's great located (3 minute walking the Brittish Museum), has a good staff, nice rooms and an excelent quality / price relation.
It's in Russel Square and a double room costs about 85£ (130€) with breakfast included.


If you're a natureze person and prefer to stay outdoors the Crystal Palace Caravan Club is a good option with a 5£ daily rate. It's near the centre and has direct bus connection to Piccadilly.

How to move in London

Althought there's lots of ways to go around London city the best way is definitely the underground.
With the "travelcard" for zones 1 and 2 (where all the action happens) you can use the underground in both zones, all the buses with no zone limit and the DLR (a transport similar to the train that goes around all the London docklands) and you can even get a 1/3 discount on the river boats down on the Thames River. The travelcard allows you to have an unlimited number of rides on the transports.
The London Underground is very practical, secure, clean and is the fastest way to travel around the city (there's a metro in every 1 to 2 minutes).
There's the 1day, 3 day and 7days travelcards that you can by online or when you arrive at London in any station.
The bravest, can go around the city by car but be careful with madness that is the London traffic and don't forget to pay the congestion charge. You can also rent online in the "Sixt" rent a car webpage, a Smart car for only 5 £ per day.

Eating in London

Eating in London is not that much expensive as everyone thinks it is.
For those who like to cook there's many supermarkets just around the corner such as Tesco, Sainsbury and Sommerfield (and in zones 3 - DLR Prince Regent station - there's Asda and Lidl). In these supermarkets if you go around 7.30/8pm you can find many products that are made for eating in that day with 50 and 75% discount.

In London there's many All You Can Eat restaurants like the Deep Pan Pizza (metro stop Notting Hill and Bond Street), where you can eat all the pizza, pasta and salad that you can handle, for about 6pounds (about 9€).
"Pizza Hut" does that promotion too at lunch time for 5,49pounds.
For those who like chinese food,there's many All You Can Eat chinese restaurants, in China Town (Soho), for about 4/5pounds (but pay attention, that many of those restaurants a few months ago where closed for lack of hygiene!!).
In Edgware Road, the best place to find the beneficial rate for exchange, you have lot's and lot's of libanese restaurants where you can eat this different food for about 7 to 10pounds (10/15€).
And if you like portuguese food or is curious about it you can go to Stockwell where you can find the best portuguese dishes for about 4/5pounds.

About Us

 

 

We are portuguese youngsters that love's to travel and we are starting by knowing Europe. Our blog is set to give you some tips that the books don't tell and at the same time to demystify what they say about the costs that you have while travelling. We usually don't travel with big big budget and that's not a problem to know many european cities and have lot's of fun. Feel free to send us some tips also. Enjoy!