Top Oz Tours offers a great range of London tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
Drawing visitors into an intoxicating embrace of history, culture, and cuisine, London has never diminished in its capacity as a ‘rite of passage’ travel destination for Australians.
Many arrive in the UK capital for a few weeks’ holiday, only to be sucked into its slipstream for years. Resistance is useless at any age, so be warned when planning your first trip!
There’s a seemingly endless list of activities that will make demands on your time in London, not to mention your bank balance. If you want to see and do it all, it’s worth investing in a London Pass. Enjoy discounted entry and skip-the-line access to a host of attractions (around eighty in total), with flexible one to seven and ten-day passes available.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in London on a first visit.
Watch our video of five amazing things to do in London in 24 hours:
24 Hours in London, UK | Five Amazing Things to Do, 2021 – The Big Bus
Welcome to The Big Bus tour and travel guide’s YouTube channel. If you’re travelling to London and only have limited time to get to know the city, then this …
1. Ride high on the London Eye
London is a big place and a spin on the famous 135-metre-high London Eye reveals all. It provides a bird’s-eye view of the city, West End, and River Thames, along with key landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, and The Shard. You’ll get a strong sense of the lie of the land, before diving in to explore.
2. Get arty
As one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, there’s no end to London’s artistic diversity. Visit the mainstays of the British art world — the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and Victoria & Albert Museum — the permanent collections of which are all free to see. You should also explore contemporary spaces like the Barbican and White Cube.
Ten great ways to save money on travel to London
3. See a show
You absolutely cannot visit London without seeing a musical or play. There are close to 40 theatres in the West End, and countless independent and fringe venues just beyond the borders of this theatrical heartland. Visit the Official London Theatre Ticket Booth (formerly TKTS) in Leicester Square to pick up great deals on unsold seats for that evening’s performances.
4. Step back in time at the British Museum…
From the Stone Age to the Romans, Normans and Anglo-Saxons, London has been part of the bedrock of world history. Take a stroll back in time at the British Museum, which holds priceless treasures such as the Rosetta Stone and controversial Parthenon Sculptures. Painting an even bigger picture, the Natural History Museum’s mind-boggling collection spans 4.5 billion years.
5. …and Tower of London
Next, head for the Tower of London — one of the city’s defining heritage landmarks, parts of which date back almost a thousand years. Aside from ogling the crown jewels and making friends with the ravens (or not), you’ll get the chance to meet everyone’s favourite prison guards — the Beefeaters.
Must-see historic neighbourhoods in London
6. Tour the Churchill War Rooms
London’s Westminster precinct sits at the core of British politics and you may be surprised at how modest 10 Downing Street (the official residence and workplace of the British prime minister) looks. Don’t be fooled though; it has a TARDIS-like quality and connects a series of buildings with more than one hundred rooms.
Nearby, you can visit the fascinating Churchill War Rooms — an underground network of bunkers that served as government offices during the Second World War. Walk in the footsteps of wartime PM Sir Winston Churchill and learn about his incredible influence on global events in the mid 20th century.
7. Feast on traditional British fare
While you can spend a fortune in London on posh nosh, equally you can enjoy delicious cheap eats. The aromatic curry houses of Brick Lane and the global culinary melee that is Borough Market are good places to find the latter. The city is also home to around 4,000 pubs — most of which serve up traditional and cost-effective British fare. We’re talking fish and chips, bangers and mash, and desserts like spotted dick and bread-and-butter pudding. Look for the venues hosting plenty of local workers at lunchtime and you’re onto a good thing!
8. Shop up a storm
From budget boho to classic couture, London is the style capital of the world. If you have a passion for offbeat fashion, you’ll love the Camden Market and jumble of stalls that make up the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill.
Label loving shoppers will feel right at home on Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End. High-end retail heaven can be found in Knightsbridge (home to Harrods and Harvey Nichols), Sloane Street, and Bond Street. And don’t worry, window shoppers are welcome — so go for the experience — even if you leave empty-handed!
The Ultimate London shopping guide
9. Stop and smell the flowers
For a mega-metropolis, London has a surprising number of green spaces. St James’s Park, The Green Park, Hyde Park and neighbouring Kensington Gardens are the best known, but you should also explore further afield and visit beautiful Richmond Park (home to wild red deer) and the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Both are located south-west of central London and are accessible by PT.
10. Visit Hampton Court Palace
While you’re in the south-west, take the opportunity to visit Hampton Court Palace — the home of King Henry VIII, famous for his six marriages — two of which ended in divorce and two in executions for treason. The palace is said to be haunted by Henry’s third queen Jane Seymour, who died giving the King a much-longed-for male heir.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.visitlondon.com.
Browse our range of London tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of top things to do in London on a first visit? We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Julietta Henderson is a Melbourne-based travel writer and author. Originally planning to visit London for six months, she ended up staying for ten years and now divides her time between her home in Australia and several months of the year in the UK, Italy, and France. Julietta has travelled extensively through Europe, North America, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia, and believes the keys to a great travel experience are an open heart, an open mind, and an open-ended ticket. Her first two novels — The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman and Sincerely, Me — are now available in bookstores.
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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