I did a semester in London while in college, but there was so much I didn’t get to experience! Here’s what remains on my London bucket list.
A close friend has plans to visit London in the spring! I feel quite envious, but I know the trip will be unforgettable. She asked me for any tips about traveling the city. I could offer her quite a few, but when wracking my brain for ideas, I realized something!
When I completed my London semester, I spent most of my time walking around the city. I cooked my own food and spent time reading in cafes or parks! I truly did my best to live like a local, and not spend my time doing tourist things. However, that led me to miss out on some of the most essential things to do in London! Reflecting back now, I realized I missed a lot.
Aaron and I both have visited London, albeit separately, and neither of us covered all inches of the city. As a result, I’ve compiled a London bucket list! These are activities and places that I haven’t done yet, that I want to do one day. Because we’ve both been, a trip to London currently does not sit at the top of our travel list (more on that later), but we will return one day!
The LONDON BUCKET LIST
- Go to High or Afternoon Tea. High Tea is a true meal, more or less. Afternoon tea is what we think of when we think of sitting down to tea, with tiny treats and finger sandwiches around 4 PM. I never had the chance to truly enjoy either. Today, I found this list of the best tea experiences with the best views. I would love to visit one of them!
- Tower Bridge. I never had the chance to walk this bridge! I felt more partial to Westminster Bridge. I’ll make it across one day!
- Tour the Globe. I truly consider it an embarrassment that during my time, in London, as an English major, I never went to the Globe! Built in the late 1500s, the Globe theatre has been closely associated with the great writer himself: William Shakespeare. I walked past it (and possibly even rode a boat on the Thames past it), but I never made it inside the theatre! For shame.
- Tour the Tower of London. Similar to Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace, I visited the exterior of these places, but never went inside to tour them properly! I would love to visit… and eventually cause a mass panic culminating in adorning myself in the Crown Jewels on a throne. Just kidding… or am I?
- Watch a Tennis Match at Wimbledon. Truthfully, I am not a sports fan. I have the utmost respect and admiration for athletes, who spend hours and hours daily training and pushing themselves to be the best in the world! However, actual competitions can’t keep my interest compared to narratives like movies or television. However, I find tennis to be a thrilling sport to both play and spectate! It would be so fun to actually sit in on a tennis match, particularly the Wimbledon finals!
- Visit the Shard. I am a sucker for a good panoramic view! While I got a great view visiting Primrose Hill, I never made it to the top of the Shard, the tallest building in London (and the seventh tallest building in Europe!).
- View the Houses of Parliament. Another case in which I walked past it regularly, but never made it inside for a proper tour!
- Attend a London Fashion Week fashion show! Some friends managed to get into a show while I visited, but I was not with them at the time! I’ve mentioned my appreciation for fashion before, along with my desire to attend fashion week SOMEWHERE at least once. It would be so cool to make that dream a reality in a place as iconic as London!
- The Columbia Road Flower Market. A true dream of a place! I had no use for flowers in my dorm, which barely fit a bed, desk, and drawers. However, I’d love to go just to look at all the flowers!
- Go for a run at sunrise. I was partial to ellipticals back during my time in school. Running always seemed, like most sports, an impressive feat in which I would never willingly participate! However, now that I have taken up running as an exercise, I think going for a run along the Thames as the sun rises would be such a beautiful way to start the morning. In fact, I would love to run through Hyde Park, Regents Park, the city at large… I wonder, does London host a marathon like New York or Boston?
Looking back, I do think I completed a lot of what most people would place on their London bucket list. I visited the Portrait Gallery and the Tate Modern. I took “THE” photo at Abbey Road, and rode the metro almost every day. On reflection, I’m so grateful for that time. If I could only find a job that enabled me to travel regularly! I’d love to work in London one day, even if it just meant traveling in for a week or so a couple of times a year. One day, I hope!