I made it back to London, still travelling by car with my bike on the roof after crossing over from France. Of course, arriving in England also meant getting used to driving on the left side of the road again, which added a little extra excitement to the journey. After the fond memories of visiting London with my mum many years ago, I wasn’t sure when I would return. But visiting friends for a few days seemed like the perfect opportunity to plan another trip to London, followed by a more detailed journey through England. And so, after 15 years, I was looking forward to exploring London’s museums and streets once again.
Read my last France blog here – Cycling the Gardens of Versailles
LONDON
London is an amazing city, and I absolutely loved being back. Maybe the sunny weather had something to do with it, but my week in London was both exhilarating and exhausting. The city had such a buzz, with everyone outside enjoying the beautiful weather, filling the parks, streets, cafés and riverbanks.
As you can imagine, there is so much to do in London, and I will definitely have to come back to explore more. But I certainly made the most of my time and kept myself very busy.
So, what did I do in London?
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Catching a London cab? – Once!
Enjoying a night at the Theatre? – Shakespeare ‘A midsummer night‘s dream’ it was!
Taking the subway? – Definitely!
Using the river ferry? – Yes! And it reminded me of Brisbane!
Visiting the Buckingham palace? – Of course!
Shopping? Oh well.. maybe? – Yes!
Relaxing at an English Pub with friends? – Very refreshing! And James Blunt was there too!
Exploring museums? – Yes, plenty! They are all free here.
Theatre Night
Exploring London‘s Museums
One of the things I love most about London is its incredible selection of museums. While I’m not usually someone who visits every museum in a city, London is an exception. Better still, many of the world’s best museums are completely free to enter.
Whether you’re after a quick look or plan to spend several hours exploring, here are my favourite museums in London.
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Westminster Abbey
It may be a church rather than a museum, but for me, Westminster Abbey was one of the most impressive places I visited in London. In fact, it ranks right up there with St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Read – Rome and the Vatican City
Stepping inside feels like walking through a museum of British history. Everywhere you look are the tombs and memorials of kings, queens, prime ministers, famous explorers, scientists, poets and other influential figures who helped shape Britain’s past. It is an incredible place to explore and admire.
Photography isn’t permitted inside, so I don’t have any photos to share apart from the exterior. But if you only have one day to explore London’s museums and historic landmarks, Westminster Abbey should definitely be on your itinerary. Just make sure you book your tickets online in advance!
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Victoria and Albert Museum
After Westminster Abbey, the Victoria and Albert Museum was my second favourite attraction in London. Its collections are simply outstanding, covering art, design, fashion and sculpture from around the world.
The highlight for me was the Cast Courts. Although I’ve been fortunate enough to see many of the original sculptures and monuments in their home countries, seeing these full-size 1:1 plaster casts gathered under one roof was no less impressive. Walking among them was a breathtaking experience and one of the highlights of my time exploring London’s museums.
Wallace Collection Museum
For something a little different, make sure you visit the Wallace Collection. Housed in a beautiful historic townhouse, it is full of character and showcases an outstanding collection of antiques, armour, furniture and fine art, all displayed in elegantly decorated rooms.
If you’re an art lover like me, you’ll really enjoy this museum. Best of all, like many of London’s top museums, admission is completely free.
Exploring London’s museums was one of the highlights of my visit and reminded me why London is such a fantastic destination for lovers of art, history and culture.
Other Museums
The Natural History Museum and the National Gallery were both well worth visiting and are easy to recommend to anyone exploring London’s museums. I didn’t make it to the Science Museum this time, but it’s already on the list for my next visit to London.
I also visited Tate Modern. The museum itself is impressive, but the modern art installations weren’t really to my taste, so I made my way through the galleries fairly quickly.
Over my five days in London, I alternated between exploring London’s museums and wandering the city’s streets. For me, it was the perfect balance of art, history and sightseeing. After all, it’s nice to mix things up a little!
The streets of London
From the London Eye to the Gherkin and Big Ben (which was unfortunately covered for restoration during my visit), I explored most of London’s iconic landmarks simply by walking. And there was certainly plenty of it!
Of course, no trip to London would be complete without a little shopping. Most of mine was focused on beauty products around Soho. While Harrods was impressive, I found it a little too crowded and overwhelming. Instead, I much preferred browsing the independent boutiques in Marylebone and Mayfair. And, naturally, I couldn’t leave London without stopping by the Victoria Beckham store. I am a big fan!
And so… exploring London’s museums and more
Walking is by far the best way to explore London, and whenever the distances became too long, the Underground made getting around quick and easy. The older Tube trains could certainly do with some air conditioning. It was rather hot and crowded at time, but being able to simply tap on and off with a contactless bank card made travelling around the city effortless. No more queuing to buy tickets! I had to try it once. Or twice.
By the end of my five days I was definitely feeling the effects of all the walking. But I had an amazing time exploring London. I’ll no doubt be back after discovering more of England, and perhaps Scotland too.
I may have seen most of London’s museums by then, but one place I’ll happily visit again is Westminster Abbey. It truly was one of the highlights of my trip.
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