Sights & Activities
TOWER BRIDGE: Most commonly (and mistakenly) called “The London Bridge”, the Tower Bridge is one of the most famous and easily recognizable structures in the world. It was completed in 1894 as a way to help ease traffic on the road and now is an exhibit in addition to a working bridge that let’s you step inside and read all about the history of this infamous bridge. We went as a group of seven and it was very easy to buy tickets when we got there, but if you do want to purchase them ahead here, you can save a few pounds)! Not going to lie, it was a grueling 206 steps up the North Tower (I was also very tired that morning and out of shape) but the new glass floors and panoramic view on the walkway were so worth it! Once you get to the glass East and West walkways, you can also enjoy the “Great Bridges of the World” exhibit that showcases 40 different bridges around the world, both famous and unknown. After you take in the sights and panoramic view, you can take the elevator (or stairs if you’re daring) back down to the ground level to follow the new ‘Walk of Fame’ from the South Tower to the Engine Rooms where you can see how the bridge works to rise and fall each day as well as older techniques they used when it first started and how far they’ve come.
PLATFORM 9 3/4: Let me start out by saying I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books. I’ve also only seen the second and very last movies because the snake scared me – I’m the worst I know, as my friends always tell me when I mention I have no clue what they’re talking about. Maybe I’ll at least read the books soon. Anyways, my friends are all huge Harry Potter fans so of course we had to go to Kings Crossing at Platform 9 and 3/4 to take a photo. The line, or “queue” if you want to be technical wasn’t that bad, even though it was long they got through everyone pretty quickly and were very organized! Once you step up to the spot, you tell the scarf guy what school you’d be in/what scarf you want and stand for the photo. They have a professional photographer there to take your photo but they don’t mind if your friends take photos of you with their phone too which is nice (if you’re cheap and trying to save money even though I think it’s only 5 pounds to have it printed/framed). The scarf guy will then throw your scarf up in the air on the count of three – and yes that’s his only job. They have you do a few different poses and then you can go inside and get them printed or check out the gift store. For someone who was a total poser and knew nothing about Harry Potter, the whole experience was still really fun!
Food & Drink
CAMDEN MARKET: Camden Market was easily one of the coolest places we went while in London. As stated on the website you can check out here if you want more info, it’s home to over 1,000 different shops, stalls, bars and cafes. The food itself is just incredible here. I got the mac & cheese from the the Mac Factory here, and my friends got fried oreo donuts from The Original Crispy Candy Co. They also had an array of (healthier) options likes salads, homemade pasta, burger slides and pastries – pretty much any thing you can think of you can find some variation of here. In addition to food though, it’s a great place to shop for souvenirs or clothing. My friend and I got great winter hats and scarves from here for a reasonable price, and you can try bargaining with them as well!
NANDO’S: You may have heard of them before. My friends who studied abroad here for a semester went all the time and they have great burgers and chicken platters. They also do a “wing roulette” challenge where you get 10 wings with 5 varying levels of spiciness and have to take a chance with the one you pick. The atmosphere is an added bonus and we got to sit in this cool little cave all to ourselves.
KOKO: A huge former theater turned concert venue/club located in Camden Town. This place was unlike anywhere I had ever been before. You step inside and there’s a concert going on at the main stage and then every where you look there are balconies where you can choose to dance on the dance floor or up in the balcony with your friends. There were a few bars located throughout the building and it felt like a grown-up version of a club to me. However, I did end up getting my phone stolen there, despite the numerous signs posted the second you walk in saying beware of pick pocketers (oops). There wasn’t wifi inside anyways so unless you have data, it might be a good idea to just leave your phone in your coat pocket with the coat check and pick it up on the way out. With that being said, even though I got my phone stolen I would definitely go back if I knew who the concert was, and didn’t have my phone on me.
Good to Know
I feel like this goes without saying but in London they drive on the left side of the road, and they also walk or stand on the left, so keep this in mind unless you’re passing other people, especially on escalators. Also, and this may seem silly but look both ways before crossing the street because I wasn’t prepared for the cars coming the opposite direction and it’s just something to be mindful of.
Oyster card:
If you’re going to be there longer than a few days, your best bet would probably be to get an Oyster Card. Similar to a Charlie Card or Metro Card, you can load it up with money and then just swipe it to get on the bus or tube (subway).
The exchange rate:
Currently 1 US Dollar =0.75 British pounds (aka 4 dollars will get you 3 pounds and so on). You can check what the current rate is here if you’re planning a trip soon. You can also get money out of an ATM in pounds but will most likely have to pay a high foreign transaction fee so you may be better off switching currencies before you go.
