My personal best London sights Top 10 London travel tips. In a European comparison, London is in first place in terms of sights and tourists who want to see them every year, well ahead of Paris and Berlin. However, if you try to compile your personal London sightseeing top 10, you quickly realize that there are actually far too few for London sightseeing Top 10. I should actually make a top 25 travel tips list for the sights in London for you, but I will try to introduce you to the must-sees for your first visit to the English capital.
London – sightseeing tour, tickets, phone cards
London has been an instant love for me on first visits, the city fascinates right from the first visit and combines modern buildings and historical monuments. On my first visit to London more than 15 years ago, I couldn’t visit all the important sights and therefore opted for a city tour with a hop-on hop-off bus followed by a boat trip on the Thames.
This option is of course still available today and offers you many opportunities to get a good impression of the city and the London Top 10 sights and to switch back and forth between the different bus routes. The prices for this type of exploration are a little more expensive, but very convenient.
For those who want a cheaper and, above all, more flexible option, we recommend the London Underground (see below), which offers a variety of day and weekly tickets, offering many inexpensive ways to explore the city.
Day tickets for public transport in London start at 9 GBP and are also available as weekly tickets. If you arrive via London Heathrow, I can only recommend the public transport system, the journey to the city center (Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square) with many transfer options costs about 5-6 GBP and takes about 45 minutes. By cab or shuttle you have to calculate about 90 GBP and takes at least as long – that’s why I regularly choose the public transport system for all my visits.
If you want to use your smartphone in London outside of the numerous Wi-Fi hotspots, you can buy prepaid phone cards with a data flat rate for your cell phone in many drugstores in London. These cards usually cost around 9.95 GBP and offer 500 MB data flat rate (providers include Orange, Vodafone and O2).
I have found that the service in these stores is very friendly and helpful and they really try to find the best product for the customer. So that you can also use your data flat rate, I would now like to introduce you to my personal London sights:
London sights top 10
Buckingham Palace – Royal London
Probably the most famous sight in London and a must-see in London. Anyone who misses the official residence of the British Queen has not seen London. In addition to the typical “Changing of the Guards”, you can visit Buckingham Palace in the summer months and see the 19 State Rooms with selected English and French furniture, view various works of art by Rembrandt, Rubens and Poussin and walk across 42 acres of the Queen’s land.
Tickets to Buckingham Palace cost around £20 and include an audio guide. Tickets for Buckingham Palace, as an attraction, can be purchased directly near Buckingham Palace. Good hotels in London often help with arranging or purchasing tickets in advance. Buckingham Palace is THE top 10 attraction in London and a must-see.
Tower of London – Historical
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge are two other well-known sights in London and absolute must-sees during a stay in London. Ideally, you should start with the Tower of London and then cross over to the other side of the Thames via Tower Bridge and take the opportunity to take beautiful photos of the two sights together on the opposite side.
The Tower of London (original: “Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London”) now houses the British Crown Jewels, parts of the Royal Armouries collection, as well as administrative and office space.
The Tower of London is the attraction in London with the most visitors (by tickets) in recent years and one of the top 10 travel tips for London.
Tip: Tickets can be pre-ordered online directly on the Tower of London website and are approx. 1 GBP cheaper. Regular admission price for the Tower of London is currently around 22 GBP.
Tower Bridge – Historic
Directly after the Tower of London, you should cross Tower Bridge and go to the other side of the Thames. From there, there are countless good photo opportunities with the London skyline, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London together.
Tower Bridge as we know it today was opened in 1894 and connects the A100 main road in London with the boroughs of Tower Hamlets to the north and Southwark to the south. Tower Bridge is one of the most photographed sights in London and is 244 meters long, the height of the towers is approximately 65 meters.
The middle sections of the bridge are raised at regular intervals for shipping, providing yet another special photo opportunity. Crossing the bridge is free of charge for both pedestrians and cars. In the evening, the interesting lighting of the bridge regularly offers beautiful photo opportunities.
London Eye or The Shard – wheel and spire
One of the questions I am asked most often and I can always answer relatively easily for myself. The Millenium Wheel – or “London Eye” is “THE” attraction in London and offers a breathtaking view of London from the Ferris wheel. A small gondola that rises up, with the River Thames directly in front of the wheel and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on the opposite side.
That’s London for me and therefore my favorite of the sights. The Shard with its viewing platform is a nice alternative – but not for a first impression. Even from the top of the London Eye, the attractions seem very small, and from The Shard it becomes even more surreal.
With a height of 310 meters, “The Shard” was the tallest skyscraper in Europe for a short time. The viewing platform is located at a height of around 230 meters, and the attraction “The Shard” can be reached by subway from “London Bridge” station.
For me, both “London Eye” and “The Shard” are two special sights in London, but I would personally add “London Eye” to my top 10 sights in London.
Tickets for the London Eye cost GBP 20.95 (or GBP 17.95 online) – and GBP 24.95 for The Shard.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
The Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is the first wax museum of its kind and the forerunner of many other wax museums around the world. Today, “Madame Tussauds” is synonymous with excellent depictions of historical figures as well as contemporary people. Depending on the location of the Madame Tussauds museum, there is always a reference to local or national personalities.
The first wax figures date back to 1802, the current location of Madame Tussauds in London has existed since 1884, when her grandson Joseph Randall moved the exhibition to its current location. Madame Tussauds in London is also one of the absolute must-see attractions in London and should be planned for.
The entrance fee starts at 30 GBP (online at 15 GBP) – in combination with many London attractions (such as the London Eye), the entrance fee can be reduced by around 50%.
Palace of Westminster – Politics
The Palace of Westminster is often known as the “Houses of Parliament” and was built in 1097, but large parts were completely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1834 at the latest. The Palace of Westminster is located directly on the River Thames and almost opposite the London Eye.
The most famous sight at the Palace of Westminster is “Big Ben”, which is often referred to as the clock tower. The bell tower has been called the Elizabeth Tower since 2012, named after Queen Elizabeth II, and “Big Ben” only refers to the largest bell in the tower. It is possible to visit the Palace of Westminster at regular intervals and sign up for a tour.
Further details are available on the Parliament website and tickets cost around GBP 25. The London landmark is particularly interesting in the early evening hours with the warm lighting of the clock tower and Parliament, as well as the Thames in front of it. For me, this is an absolute must-see in London and a clear top 10 sight.
St. Pauls Cathedral London – Church
After my mention of the Sagrada Famílía in Barcelona, I would also like to add St. Paul’s Cathedral to the list of top 10 sights for London. St. Paul’s is one of the largest cathedrals in the world with a height of 111 meters (the equivalent of 365 feet – for every day of the year) – and is also open to visitors. The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London can also be climbed via 528 steps (for comparison: Cologne Cathedral 533 steps).
Admission to St. Paul’s Cathedral costs GBP 16.50 (GBP 15.00 online) and allows limited photography. The London attraction offers a special view over London from the steps outside. If you are looking for a special photo spot for St. Paul’s Cathedral, you should first cross the Thames at the Millennium Bridge (opposite the Tate Gallery) and then see St. Paul’s Cathedral directly from a distance. The building alone is a clear top 10 sight in London.
Tate Gallery London – Museum of Modern Art
The Tate Gallery London is located directly opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral and has been connected via the Millennium Bridge since 2000 and is the world’s largest museum of modern art. It is housed in the former power station and was originally designed for 1.8 million visitors per year, but soon reached its capacity limits.
In 2012, with the expansion of the exhibitions and new premises, the Tate Gallery welcomed over 4,000,000 visitors per year for the first time. The next expansion of the Tate Gallery in London was designed by the well-known designers Herzog & de Meuren and is now scheduled to begin in 2016.
The museum houses works and sculptures by Vincent van Gogh, Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, as well as Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys. Admission to the Tate Gallery in London, one of my top 10 places to visit in London, is free.
London Underground System
“Mind the gap” is the regular motto on the London Underground and since the London Olympics at the latest, the system has shown that it can be effective, fast and helpful. There is hardly a point in the British capital that cannot be reached by tube.
Only two lines of the London Underground run completely underground, the remaining lines run both above and below ground at the 270 stations. The oldest subway in the world is therefore also the largest subway line in Europe. For me, it is an absolutely practical means of transportation in the city of London and my perfect connection between many sights – hence a place on my personal London sightseeing top 10 list.
Westminster Abbey – Church
Westminster Abbey has to be on my list of places to visit in London because of its special character and its close ties to the British monarchy. Unlike most churches in London, Westminster Abbey does not belong to a direct diocese, but is under the direct control of the Church of England.
The Dean of Westminster is therefore not directly appointed by the royal family and is responsible for the coronation of the royal heads of state, most recently for the wedding of Prince William and Duchess Kate in 2011. A visit to Westminster Abbey can easily be combined with a visit to the Houses of Parliament or the London Eye.
Trafalgar Square and Lord Nelson statue
The most famous of London’s squares is the meeting point of Whitehall (coming from Westminster), The Mall (Buckingham Palace) and Pall Mall (from St. James Palace) and is home to the Lord Nelson statue as well as the British National Museum with its adjacent piazza and grand staircase, which opened in 2003.
The Lord Nelson Column can be seen from afar and is dedicated to Admiral Nelson of London, who sacrificed his life in defense of England against the Spanish and French in order to protect England. The height of the column is modeled on his ship and is guarded by four lions at the base.
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square
What Broadway with its illuminated advertising is to New York, Piccadilly Circus and, more recently, Leicester Square in the immediate vicinity are to London. The former meeting place was built back in 1819 and was intended to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly Street.
Today, Piccadilly Circus combines Regent Street and Lower Regent Street, as well as the Haymarket. Piccadilly Circus has become famous in modern times as a meeting place for many young people and the large illuminated advertisements for current plays, as well as Coca Cola and McDonalds.
Piccadilly Circus is a piece of London and must be experienced. For a long time, Leicester Square was the lesser-known square in London and was only renovated and made popular again during the London Olympics. Today, Leicester Square regularly hosts London movie premieres and is the site of many small cafés and restaurants.
The W Hotel London and the M&M Museum and M&M Store in London are located directly on Leicester Square. These two squares clearly belong on the list of London’s top 10 sights as meeting places for Londoners.
Hyde Park London – Nature
The largest green area in London, together with the Royal Gardens, forms the recreational area of London and is started by the Wellington Arch, whose gate was created in honor of the Duke of Wellington, the victor of the Battle of Waterloo.
The citizens of London use Hyde Park for various leisure activities, such as swimming in the Serpentine Lake or for trips on the lake in a rowing boat. The lawns also permit ball games in large areas, as well as picnics and various concerts.
In 2005, the largest concert to date took place in Hyde Park in front of over 200,000 people as part of the Live 8 concerts, with well-known artists performing free of charge. In winter, Hyde Park also offers a beautiful Christmas market with a large ice skating rink. For me, of course, this is also a special attraction and my place in the top 10 London sights.
Conclusion – London sights top 10
As you can already see from my suggestions, London offers more than just the top 10 London sights and I can still discover and experience special sights on my almost 10th visit to the British capital.
London is simply a wonderful city, whether during the day or at night, whether in summer or in the run-up to Christmas, the city always offers different faces and wants to enchant me again and again.
Whether it’s a concert at the O2 Arena in London or a musical or theater at the Royal Albert Hall. During my last stay in London, a few days before Christmas, I visited the above-mentioned sights again in the evening and at night and standing in front of Buckingham Palace at midnight without a single tourist is also a special moment for the London sightseeing top 10.
For a first impression of London and the London Sightseeing Top 10, I always recommend two to three nights in a hotel, often in combination with a long weekend. Of course, the choice of hotel is crucial in London.
Recently, many hotels can often be booked cheaply via the well-known hotel portals and, for example, 4-5 star hotels (such as the Hilton near Tower Bridge) often cost just GBP 100-120 with breakfast. There is also a selection of cheaper guesthouses in the surrounding area in London, but the prices are often not far off a good star hotel.
However you would like to discover London, I hope I have been able to give you a brief overview of what you can see in the city center with my London sightseeing top 10.
