This is part 2 of our cruise journey to St. Petersburg, Russia. We started by deciding where we wanted to go and what cruise to take. You can read about our trip planning here, or just read on about our time in London.
Three nights in London before our cruise
Our departure port for the cruise to St. Petersburg was Dover so we decided to stay in London for the three days prior to leaving. It wasn’t much time, but we would try to squeeze in as many sites as we could in the few days that we had.
The London Underground train system is very efficient. We used it extensively, starting with the express train that takes you from Heathrow airport into central London. We were able to get pretty much anywhere we wanted by using the Underground.
We chose to stay in a hotel called the London Regency Hotel south of Kensington Gardens. We saved some money by not staying closer to all of the tourist sites. However, we were close to the Metro and tour buses so we still had easy access to all the places we wanted to visit. (Note that this hotel is now called 100 Queensgate.)
The Sites
We arrived in London at 7:00am after 10 hours of travelling. We knew that we needed to stay active and awake to ward off jet lag. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we jumped on the Hop On/Hop Off double-decker red bus, which conveniently had a stop only a few blocks away. Our plan for the day was to take the bus for an overview of all the major sites and get our bearing of where everything was located. In the coming days, we returned to our top sites for a more in depth visit. The bus ride was nice and enjoyable, but we quickly found that it wasn’t very efficient. Each stop took on new passengers and we all had to wait while everyone purchased tickets and boarded. It wasn’t uncommon to have a 10 minute stop, which got old very quickly.
The open air bus provided a nice view of all the sites
We eventually got impatient and “hopped off” at Big Ben so we could walk over the Westminster Bridge to the London Eye. The ticket line and boarding line were extremely long, but we weren’t sure if we would ever be back so we decided to go ahead and wait. The Eye was a great first attraction, as we were able to see the entire London area from a high vantage point on a beautiful clear and sunny day. Each pod is covered in glass so there is perfect viewing from all directions. I was perfectly happy to view everything from the bench in the center of the pod (ugh, heights!). After riding on the Eye, we hopped back onto the bus to complete the loop.
Looking back at Parliament from the Westminster Bridge
Huge crowds near the London Eye
Since I had never been to London, the next two days were filled with typical tourist activities. London tourist attractions in the summer are crowded! So go early or prepare to wait in long lines.
We started the next morning at Westminster Abbey, assuming that it would get more crowded as the day went on. We were correct, as we walked up to this impressive historic building we could see the line was already extremely long. The exterior facade of the Abbey is beautiful and the interior is even more spectacular. After having seen televised royal weddings take place here, it was great to see the Abbey in person. Many kings and queens are buried here, so be sure to walk around to see the various tombs and memorial stones. Don’t forget to find the Poet’s Corner to see where famous poets, writers, and playwrights are buried. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the Abbey.
Long morning lines to enter Westminster Abbey
In the late morning, we took the metro over to Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The Cathedral was started in 1668 after the great fire of 1666. It was finished around 40 years later. The iconic dome can be seen from several blocks away as you walk up to the Cathedral. The church interior is beautifully decorated with colorful mosaics. Many famous people are buried in the crypt located downstairs.
The dome of Saint Paul’s Cathedral is clearly visible from the Millennium Bridge
From Saint Paul’s Cathedral, we walked across the Millennium Bridge, a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians to cross the River Thames. While walking over the bridge, we saw a restaurant on the other side. It had excellent Yelp reviews so we decided to try it out. The restaurant, Founder’s Arms, had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and served great food. We were able to get a table with a great view of the river. The Fish and Chips and Meat Pie were excellent.
Looking back after walking over the Millennium Bridge
Fish and Chips at the Founder’s Arms near the Millennium Bridge
After lunch we walked to Shakespeare’s Globe, which sits just off the Millennium Bridge. The Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theater which was destroyed, for a second time in 1644. It’s considered a realistic replica, accounting for today’s safety requirements, compared to those of the original theater. We took a tour and were able to sit in the “very realistic” seats inside the unique three story hexagonal shaped theater with no roof. A show rehearsal was in progress at the time of our tour, which was an added bonus. We could here and see what a real performance could have been like, back in the day! There was a small museum you can walk through before and after the tour.
Shakespeare’s Globe located directly off the Millennium Bridge
The total walking time between Saint Paul’s Cathedral and Shakespeare’s Globe is only about 10 minutes. This makes it very convenient and easy to visit both sites with the added bonus of enjoying a walk across the Millennium Bridge.
We went to the Tower of London, but did not arrive until late afternoon. The line for entrance to see the Crown Jewels was a block long, which was disappointing since this was one of the main reasons for visiting this complex. We conceded the fact that the line was too long to bother trying so we walked through the other Tower exhibits instead.
Long lines to see the Crown Jewels
We were just about to leave around 15 minutes before closing time when we noticed that no one was in line for the Crown Jewels exhibit. We asked the door guard if we could quickly walk through and he said “yes”! We were in disbelief, but walked right in. Not sure if that works all the time, but it did on this day. A “people mover” (moving walkway) moves you slowly through the exhibit. This is a really smart and efficient way of allowing everyone a fair turn at seeing all the beautiful exhibits. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed for the crown jewels but were allowed almost everywhere else.
The Tower of London
As you might expect, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is a very popular event and attracts massive crowds. We arrived an hour prior to the start, and were rewarded with a prime viewing spot right up against the fence for a fabulous view. The crowd was especially large with media trucks all around waiting for the expected birth of the first royal baby of Prince William and Kate Middleton. If you find yourself toward the back, you’ll still be able to enjoy a great view of the guard as they march into place.
We were up in the front against the fence
The new guard march in before the ceremony takes place
The British Museum is huge and you can definitely spend the whole day there. We spent an afternoon in the museum and felt like we were rushing to get through the sections that we were most interested in seeing.
One of the exhibits that we really wanted to see was the Rosetta Stone. It is protected in a glass case, which allows you to walk up close and all around for for a good view of the detailed inscriptions. We were also able to spend some time in the Parthenon section. We were in awe of all of the marble statues that originally came from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. There is a large Egyptian display at the museum and we took our time walking through that as well. If you are an Egyptologist at heart, there are plenty of artifacts, mummies and Egyptian hieroglyphics for you to enjoy.
The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum
Statues from the Parthenon at the British Museum
If you can, spend some time at Trafalgar Square. The square was built in 1830 to commemorate the British victory against the French and Spanish in the 1805 battle of Trafalgar. While you’re there, you can visit the National Gallery which sits at the end of the square. The square is walkable from many of the tourist attractions, and is located next to the Charing Cross metro station.
The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square
I already commented about The London Tube. It is by far the best way to get around in London. We originally planned to use the Hop On/Hop Off bus a lot more, but the Tube is much faster and more efficient. The South Kensington station was only a few minute walk from our hotel so we could easily get to anywhere in London.
Our three days in London went by far too quickly but we were glad that we were able to take in so many attractions. We caught the train to Dover and looked forward to St. Petersburg and the rest of our North Atlantic cruise.
