At the end of May we spent 4 days in London. In addition to Warner Bros Studios, places related to Paddington the bear and several museums, we also had to see the very center of the city. We were really lucky with the weather, because on the day of our long walk along the Thames, the sun was shining all day long:) The very center of London made a great impression on us and we liked it much more than we expected. Interesting architecture, a combination of monuments and modern skyscrapers, a very nice promenade by the river, pleasant parks and a cozy market. So shall we go?

Tower of London
We started our day with the mandatory double-decker red bus and tube ride. We got to the Tower Hill station, from where we set off on foot to explore London. The first point was the Tower of London, a medieval castle, once inhabited by English kings. We did not visit the castle itself, but those who wish to visit it will surely be lost in it for a long time.

Tower Bridge
Instead, we focused on visiting Tower Bridge, i.e. the 19th-century drawbridge. Did you also think that this bridge is much older? Well, when, in the second half of the nineteenth century, it was decided that a second bridge over the Thames shall be built, there was one condition, it must architecturally match the nearby Tower Of London. The bridge has a steel skeleton, which was used at the time, covered with stone in the neo-Gothic style.
We started visiting the bridge from the North Tower, then walked through a corridor with a floor partially made of glass through which you can watch cars passing over the bridge. From the bridge you can admire the view of the entire city. During the tour, you can learn many interesting facts, such as how long it takes for the bridge to open, how often this is done and how the original steam powered lifting system worked. After descending the stairs in the South Tower, you can also visit the engine room. We all liked it very much and we got to know all the interesting facts about the bridge.

The Queens Walk
It is a 4.5 km long promenade that starts at the Tower Bridge and ends at the Lamberth Bridge. We covered the section to Westminster, deviating from the road several times. The sculptures of chimpanzees placed along the promenade turned out to be a unique attraction of the walk! We managed to count 11 such sculptress between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. And we have a photo with all of them 🙂 “Chimps Are Family” consists of 28 sculptures. The exhibition, which aims to raise awareness of the situation of chimpanzees, was opened on May 20th on the occasion of World Endangered Species Day. Unfortunately, we do not know how long it will be possible to admire it.

Borough Market
Another must-see for all foodies. Lots of small eateries, cheese, meats, fruit, vegetables … It’s really worth a look! And and a bite!

Shakespeare’s Globe
It is a reconstruction of the Globe Theater, for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. The original theater was built in 1599, destroyed by a fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, then demolished in 1644. The modern Globe Theater is built based on available evidence for buildings from 1599 and 1614. It is considered quite realistic, although modern security requirements mean it can only seat 1,400 compared to 3,000 in the original theater.
If it weren’t for the children, I would love to go to see a play there.

Millennium Bridge
That is, a pedestrian bridge over the Thames, originally open only for 2 days in June 2000. However, due to the perceptible swaying, it was closed and renovated until February 2002.
We crossed the bridge to the other side of the Thames to see one of the most famous cathedrals in London.

St. Paul’s Cathedral
17th century St. Paul Cathedral, is one of the most famous Anglican churches in Great Britain. After checking the price list, we agreed that we do not have to see it inside 🙂 (£18 for an adult and £7.70 for a child)

Originally, we planned to water bus to move from Blackfriars Pier (near the Cathedral) to London Eye Waterloo Pier. We assumed that we would be walking a lot that day, and such a ride could be an additional attraction. As a result, we also covered this distance on foot. Our decision was due to the fact that we had tickets for the London Eye only for 17.30, and we were at the Cathedral 3 hours earlier and we had no idea what to do with this time 🙂

London Eye
The famous Millennium Wheel from which, during a 30-minute ride, you can see the whole of London. The price for such a pleasure can cause a headache for many, because an adult ticket will set you back £36 . Fortunately, we managed to buy 2 tickets for the price of 1, so for the 4 of us we only paid for 2 tickets. This promotion can be used when traveling with Stansted Express from the airport to the city center on the same day (or having an open return ticket for the same). There are probably other promotional codes as well, but we don’t know them. When buying tickets with this code, unfortunately, you cannot choose any given hour during the day and therefore our day plan looked like this. Adam was totally delighted and recalls the “big carousel” as one of the coolest things in London 🙂

Big Ben & Westminster
Big Ben is the common name for the Elizabeth clock tower. The name originally referred only to the bell from St. Stephen’s Tower, also known as The Clock Tower, which belongs to the Palace of Westminster. Today, the name Big Ben often refers to both the bell and the clock, as well as the tower itself. On September 12th, 2012, the tower was officially named Elizabeth Tower in honor of Elizabeth’s 60-year reign. The tower has been under renovation since 2017 and only at the beginning of April this year the scaffolding disappeared, showing the new version of the tower. When planning our trip to London, I was sure that we would not be able to see Big Ben in all its glory, and here is such a surprise!

Westminster Abbey
The most important, next to Canterbury Cathedral and St. Paul in the City of London, Anglican Temple. It is the site of the coronation of the kings of England and the kings of Great Britain, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII, who were not crowned. Since the 13th century, the abbey has also been the burial place of kings and distinguished persons. Many royal weddings were also held here, incl. the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011. We admired the church only outside, mostly because it was late and we were quite tired after a long day.

Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of British monarchs. It is the largest royal palace in the world and has been the official seat of the monarch since 1837.
It’s weird to admit, but that’s all we managed to see from the royal palace. We were in London one week before Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and preparations were well advanced. We do not even know if it was possible to see the changing of the guard at 11 am, because we came to the Palace in the late afternoon. Do we regret this? Probably not, at least there will be a reason for coming back to London 🙂