Travelling Solo: One Week in London
Day 1
Getting around the city on foot
Around 11am, head to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. It is such a fun experience seeing and listening to the marching bands play their brass instruments in traditional military uniform. If you want a good spot in the crowd best get there 20-30 minutes earlier, depending on time of year.
Afterwards you can do a tour of the Buckingham Palace States Rooms for £26.50. It offered great insight into the royal family, with historical readings, videos, old stills, and the children's toys and clothing all on display. The interior is lavish and grand: colourful wallpaper hosts large gold framed portraits and dangling from the ceilings are giant crystal chandeliers.
End the day with a visit to Madame Tussauds located in Marylebone, London for £30 a ticket. In the final room there is even Tussaud's original wax creations including Voltaire, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Day 2
Unexpected entertainment
Start the morning early with a visit to the London Dungeon which often delivers an unexpected amount of entertainment to say the least. Dark and damp, you’ll travel underground and enter various rooms where actors performed gory, historic recounts of life in old town London. This is an amusing adventure that mixes gruesome history with theatre.
Next stop – The Globe Theatre. Watch a play for about half an hour before your feet began to hurt from standing. It's crazy to think that poorer people back in the day had no where to sit in this theatre, subjected to standing tirelessly on their scrawny feet just to see a bit of the action.
After The Globe, cross the Millennium Bridge and head towards St. Pauls Cathedral, an easy 10 minute walk. The site where Prince Charles and Princess Diana said “I do.”
Day 3
Shopping, museums and the West End
Start with some shopping at Harrods, located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, before heading to the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, the latter being the world's leading museum of art and design. Much of the Natural History Museum is free, showcasing an exquisite dinosaur collection, a British wildlife exhibit, and a large gemstone and mineral collection.
Afterward journey to Westminster Abbey, one of the most famous religious buildings in the world. You can enjoy a relaxing stroll around the gardens and inside the church, walking down the same aisle Kate Middleton did when she Wed Wills back in 2011.
Head to London’s West End for some evening entertainment. It's worth going to see at least one of the shows to tick it off the bucket list. Les Mis is always a winner!
Day 4
Harry Potter World
After a number of train transfers, you will finally arrive at Harry Potter World (about a 2hr train journey from the city) located at Warner Bros. Studios. If you're a fan of the Harry Potter films then this would definitely be worth the long trip. Or even if you love movie sets and seeing all the behind the scenes action then we recommend this experience to you also!
It is fascinating seeing the sets, props, and costumes on display as well as taking a further look into how the special effects were achieved within this wizarding world. By the end of the day you can enjoy some chocolate frog candies and an ice cold glass of butter beer. A day well spent.
Day 5
The Tower of London
The Tower of London is a 900 year old historic castle which once held infamous prisoners such as Anne Boleyn, Guy Fawkes, William Wallace and Lady Jane Grey. Now, the castle is home to the crown jewels. After an intriguing guided tour with one of the beefeaters you can then explor the grounds and stand among the outstanding collection of crown jewels, including the Cullinan diamond, the largest white diamond in the world costing roughly $ 400 million.
Day 6
Tour beyond London
On your final day, book a guided tour of Stonehenge, Bath and Salsbury. First stop will be Stonehenge, about an hour and a half drive from the city. The enigma behind the stones still fascinates millions of tourists every year. Although you can’t walk up and touch them, the audio guide still provides you with some unique facts about these mysterious formations.
Next stop: Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury Cathedral isn't just known for its outstanding gothic architecture but is also the final resting place of the Magna Carta.
In the afternoon, you will eventually reach the beautiful city of Bath. There is so much to see and do in this town, it was a pity we were only there to visit the Roman Baths. The Baths are interesting to explore and after awhile you might even began to sweat a little from the heat coming off the water. It makes you wish you could go back in time to enjoy these baths like the Romans did.
Our final advise would be to rent a car and spend the entire day in this classic English town. That way you can take your time and not feel as though you are rushing from place to place.
