{"id":12386,"date":"2019-01-24T00:04:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T05:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/social.rollins.edu\/wpsites\/letters\/?p=12386"},"modified":"2019-07-08T18:03:45","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T18:03:45","slug":"london-a-tourist-in-your-new-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/2019\/01\/24\/london-a-tourist-in-your-new-home\/","title":{"rendered":"London: A Tourist in Your New Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s amazing how fast fifteen weeks can fly by. I wanted to see as many attractions, museums, and plays as I could during my time in London, so I made sure to research all of the \u201cmust see\u201d things to do before arriving for my study abroad program. I knew that if I made a list, I would be more likely to stick to it. However, I quickly came to realize that study abroad programs keep you busy. Balancing three days of classes a week on top of interning for twenty hours leaves very little time for exploring if you don\u2019t plan out time for yourself. Fortunately, I was able to work out a schedule that allowed me to have three-day weekends throughout the semester. I was also fortunate enough to have my family and friends come visit and we were able to explore London together. Below I\u2019ve shared some of my favorite spots in London that attract both tourists and locals\u2026 maybe something you could do your first weekend in London? Hope you enjoy! <\/span><\/p>\n

Day One<\/b><\/p>\n

Welcome to London! Overnight flights from America typically arrive in London around 7am \u2013 this allows you an entire day to explore!<\/span><\/p>\n

Coffee, please! <\/span><\/i>Some of my favorite spots for a morning boost include: Pret, Paul, and Gail\u2019s Bakery. <\/span><\/p>\n

Visiting the Queen. <\/span><\/i>No trip to London would be complete without seeing Buckingham Palace and the Queen\u2019s Guards. The famous Changing of the Guards takes place on various days during the week (check the schedule online!) at 11am. I would suggest arriving early to make sure you don\u2019t miss it! <\/span><\/p>\n

From Buckingham Palace, walk through St. James\u2019 Park to Trafalgar Square. Here you can snap a photo with the famous lion statues in front of the National Gallery. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lunch time! <\/span><\/i>After working up an appetite from all the walking, stop by the Southbank Centre Food Market to enjoy lunch from London\u2019s most popular food stalls. This open-air food market is only open on the weekends and has so much variety. <\/span><\/p>\n

Eye-Spy. <\/span><\/i>Located along the river in Southbank is the world famous London Eye. Head up for a ride to see London from above!<\/span><\/p>\n

Big Ben.<\/span><\/i> Once exiting the London Eye, cross over the river to Westminster. Here you will find iconic London landmarks including: Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shop \u2018til you drop. <\/span><\/i>A quick tube (London Underground) ride away from Westminster is Knightsbridge, the ultimate destination for all of your fashion needs. Here you will also find Harrods: your luxury one-stop-shop for everything from perfume, apparel, chocolate, handbags, and electronics. <\/span><\/p>\n

Piccadilly Circus. <\/span><\/i>Located in the heart of London, Piccadilly Circus is the city\u2019s most famous square. It\u2019s often compared to Times Square in NYC! <\/span><\/p>\n

Dinner time! <\/span><\/i>From Piccadilly Circus, walk around the corner to Soho to find some of London\u2019s best restaurants. I\u2019d recommend Poppie\u2019s Fish & Chips for a popular British meal. <\/span><\/p>\n

Day Two <\/b><\/p>\n

After grabbing breakfast at a local coffee shop, take the Tube to the Tower of London. Here you can walk around the Tower as well as walk across the famous Tower Bridge. <\/span><\/p>\n

Views. <\/span><\/i>From Tower Bridge, head over to the Top of the Shard to see the highest and best (in my opinion) view of London. Tickets costs <\/span>\u00a3<\/span>32, so if you\u2019re looking for a more economical way to see the city, Sky Garden offers free admission to its 35th floor viewing deck. (Just make sure you book tickets online in advance since they run out quickly) <\/span><\/p>\n

Lunch time! <\/span><\/i>From there, walk over to Borough Market to have lunch at London\u2019s most renowned food and drink market. With stalls ranging from traditional British cuisine to international favorites, there\u2019s so many options for everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

After lunch, walk along the bank to see the Globe Theatre, Saint Paul\u2019s Cathedral, and Millennium Bridge. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tea Time! <\/span><\/i>Afternoon tea is a true British tradition and I\u2019d highly recommend getting tea while you\u2019re in London. My family and I went to tea at The Ritz and we loved it! <\/span><\/p>\n

More shopping? <\/span><\/i>Covent Garden is my favorite neighbourhood in London and is home to some of the city\u2019s best restaurants and shopping. Even if you\u2019re not a big fan of shopping, I\u2019d recommend stopping by Covent Garden just to browse (or get gelato at Venchi Chocolate). There are also many restaurants to choose from for dinner if you\u2019re still hungry after tea! <\/span><\/p>\n

Day Three<\/b><\/p>\n

The Most Visited Museum in the UK. <\/span><\/i>My favorite museum in London to explore was hands down the British Museum. I would recommend spending at least half a day here! <\/span><\/p>\n

From here, take the Tube to Kensington High Street to explore Kensington Palace and visit shops and restaurants located in the Royal Borough. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s so much to explore in London and I hope this guide was helpful in providing a perspective from someone who has been both a local and a tourist. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s amazing how fast fifteen weeks can fly by. I wanted to see as many attractions, museums, and plays as I could during my time in London, so I made sure to research all of the \u201cmust see\u201d things to do before arriving for my study abroad program. I knew that if I made a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-capa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13519,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12386\/revisions\/13519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}