London travel review & recommendations by bjkel

Sooner or later it seems everyone who travels ends up in London, and for good reason! London is a busy, exciting city filled with world-famous landmarks. It seems that almost everyone who goes to London knows someone who is already living there, which is very convenient as accomodation is not cheap! If budget is an issue, you can temporarily rent a couch in an existing antipodean house-share at www.gumtree.com. ;-)

Most of the tourists are first lured to Westminster, where a lot of the most famous attractions are. As you exit Westminster tube station, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye are all immediately visible. From there, you walk through St James' Park to Buckingham Palace then back down Strand to Trafalgar Square.  

If you are there early enough, be sure to head to St Stephen's tavern (next to the tube station) for a full English breakfast... you will not be disappointed!

Travel around London is easy enough thanks to the extensive underground (tube) and bus networks. Purchase an 'Oyster Card' to halve the cost of your local travel.  Be aware that buses can be slow on weekends and during peak times due to traffic.

There are pubs EVERYWHERE in London, most of which serve good quality pub meals for less than £10. If you are on a budget, seek out a 'Wetherspoons' chain pub, which have the cheapest food and drink (full English Breakfast for about £3, pint of Fosters for about £2.30).

A cool thing to do on a weekend or Friday afternoon is to grab a picnic from the incredible Borough Markets (SE1) and eat with the squirrels at one of Londons beautiful parks; Hyde, St James', Regent or Green.  My personal favourite is St James'.

For a night out, make your way into the city and walk around Soho, Covent Garden and Leicester Square. You are guaranteed to find something you will like.

For shopping, walk along Oxford Street, or head into Harrods on Knightsbridge. Even if you do not plan on buying anything, Harrods is definately worth a visit. You can easily kill half a day looking at things you cannot afford!