London, the capital of England, the center of the world, was once the capital of the empire that ruled 25% of the whole world. It is one of the most famous & the most visited places in the world.

Overview: Most places to visit in London are located in a smaller area (Central London). The Currency used here is the British Pound. most famous places to visit in London are the Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, UK Parliament, Westminster Bridge, Thames Walk, London Eye, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square,The Shard, National Gallery,Millennium Bridge, Kew Garden, Harrods, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, St.Paul’s Cathedral, Natural History Museum, Hyde Park, Lords Cricket Ground etc. VISA: The visa for the UK is different than the Schengen Visa which is valid for most other European countries (including Scandinavian countries). The UK tourist visa is valid for England, Scotland, Wales & Norther Ireland. But if you are on a UK tourist VISA, you can visit Republic or Ireland as well. Airports: London is a city having a lot of airports- Heathrow is the one nearest to city. Other airports near the city are Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport, Stanstead Airport & London City Airport.Commute: London has one of the best public transport systems and is completely cashless. It is divided into different travel zones but most of the places you visit are in Zone 1 & 2. You should buy an Oyster Card and then according to the places you want to visit, you could get the card topped up or get a daily, weekly or monthly travel card. The card is valid in all the underground trains , most overground trains & all the famous TFL Red buses. Day Trips: There are a number of places that you could go from London on day trips like Buckingham palace, Brighton Beach, Stonehenge, Roman Baths etc

Itinerary: Lets create a week long itinerary. We can start from Central London & then go to places near London. First day, travel to Baker street, here you can first go to Madam Tussaud’s Museum. This is a wonderful museum & has a lot of Indian celeb’s Wax Statues as well :). Once don with this, you can walk to the Sherlock Holmes Museum at the iconic 221-B, Baker Street address. On way you’ll see the Sherlock Holmes Statue as well. Then you can go to the Regent’s park a nice stroll. If you are interested in Cricket, then you could walk to the Lord’s Cricket ground– Home of Cricket. There are tours available for visiting the Lords. Then you could walk or take a bus to ZSL London Zoo.

Second day, you can start by travelling to Oxford street. from here you can either walk towards Oxford circus station or go to Hyde Park via Marble Arch. You can spend a lot of time in the Hyde park itself by going to the serpentine (lake) & walking towards the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Then catch a bus and come back to Oxford street. Now start walking towards Regent Street. This is one of the best places to do shopping. While walking, you can reach the Piccadilly Circus. This is a smaller version of Time square in New York. From here, you can walk towards Leicester square. Here, you should explore different streets near by like the China Town, SOHO neighborhood etc. You’ll find a number of theaters in Leicester square, like the Odeon, where a lot of movie premiers are held. From here, walk towards Trafalgar square. National Gallery is located on the Trafalgar square itself. Entry is free as is the case for most of museums in the UK. From trafalgar square you can take the road that leads to Buckingham Palace. This the official residence of the queen of UK & her family. You can book a tour of Buckingham palace as well. Once done, you can come back to Trafalgar square. Then, you can walk towards the Westminster Bridge via the St James Park. You will see Winston Churchill’s statue in the Parliament Square. Then you can visit the Westminster Abbey. It is beautiful. Then there is the British Parliament. and then you’ll see the Big Ben. and just opposite to it is the statue dedicated to Boudiccan rebellion on the banks of Thames river. across you could see the London eye and the Thames Walk. You can cross the Westmister bridge but lets keep that for the next day.

On Third day, catch a train or bus to Westminster bridge station. Come out of it and now cross the Westminster bridge and get down on the left side on the queens walk. If interested, you can visit the Sea Life world, London Dungeons, or Shriek’s Adventure world. You can get a 2 for 1 ticket for all these attractions. Check online. I would recommend Sea life world. Then once you come out, go to the London Eye (there will be a long line for sure. Also, one hidden gem is a free 4-D show just opposite to the London eye inside the London eye ticket office. Continue on the Thames walk and you’ll cross National Theater & a lot of other famous buildings. Then further ahead you’ll come across Millennium bridge and if you cross Thames on it, then you’ll reach St Paul’s Cathedral. Once, you come back to Thames walk using the millenium bridge, continue on towards London bridge. You’ll pass Shakespear’s globe, which is a reconstruction of the theater for which & where William Shakespeare wrote a number of his plays. Then continue on towards the London bridge and once you reach it, then you have to underneath it and then after a bit more of walking you’ll see the HMS Belfast. You could take a tour of this British Battleship. Then continue towards Tower bridge, you’ll pass the City hall, and from here you’ll get the best views of Tower bridge. Now from here go to tower bridge & cross it and then go to the Tower of London. For my Indian readers, the Kohinoor diamond is kept here. Finish your day in any of the river side bars or restaurants.

On Fourth Day, take a train or bus to Natural History Museum. This is highly recommended place and is free. The science museum is adjacent to this museum. Opposite to it is the Victoria & Albert museum. Then you could walk towards Hyde Park and you’ll see Imperial college on your left. Then you can either walk or take a bus to Harrods. It is a shopping mall but is extremely expensive. Just go here to check out all the brands and the price tags 🙂 . Take Piccadilly line & then Northern Line to Camden town. It is a very hip neighborhood and is worth visiting.From here take northern line & then a bus to Brick Lane market.

On Fifth Day, take a train(Not covered in London TSL Zones) or National Express bus to Brighton. You can spend almost a whole day enjoying the sea (English Channel), the pier & crowd watching.

On Sixth day, you can travel to Stonehenge and then on towards Roman Baths in Bath(Town).