Recently we had an opportunity to take a foreign friend around London. She had never been before and was very excited listing the normal sights that she had to visit (e.g. Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye). My husband grew up in and around London and I am quite happy travelling around London, but for both of us the shine had come off the Smoke. It occurred to us that this ‘tourist chaperone’ role might be our way to enjoy London again and see some things that we had never gotten around to previously. The following route was where we took our friend and I thought it might be nice to share it, as we really enjoyed ourselves and could have spent much more time in these locations but we only had one day.
1) Westminster, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (St Stephen’s Tower!)
Prepare for tourist central as soon as you step out of the underground at Westminster. This is the main stomping ground for all visitors to London and who can blame them. There is so much to see that it is quite hard to take two steps without tripping over someone taking a selfie with “Big Ben”. This might be a pedantic fact but; you cannot see Big Ben from the pavement of Westminster. Big Ben is the nickname of the great bell within the tower. What you are taking a picture of is the Elizabeth Tower, formerly known as St Stephens tower.
This area is the seat of Political Power in England. The area is dripping in history with grand buildings, carvings, gold leaf, statues and famous churches around every corner.
2) The Thames River Tour boat by City Cruise from Westminster Pier.
I had always thought that a Thames river, boat tour was a very ‘touristy’ thing to do. That it was on a par with open top bus tours and standing at the top of escalators/stairs whilst wearing colourful backpacks. However, I was wrong and happily wrong too. It was one of the highlights of our day. The guides do not get paid for their commentary and their patter is not verbatim. This can mean that you may not get an entertaining commentary on every boat or, at the very least you will not get the same information on every tour. However, we had an entertaining young man who made the tour informative for those who had never been to London and hilarious for those who have lived there.
You get taken under Tower Bridge, past the Tower of London and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and HMS Belfast and many, many other landmarks. As you are on the river, you are seeing them much closer and from a different side to the normal tourists!
3) Greenwich (pronounced Gren-Itch).
For Marvel film lovers, this IS where Malekith lands (smashes into the Royal Naval College) with his army to do battle in Thor: The Dark World. 
For those not into comic books or godlike Australian actors, Greenwich IS the home of time, naval navigation and maritime history. It is not by chance that its name is given to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town itself became the site of a royal palace, which was the birthplace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I (Tudors). The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren. In 1873, these buildings became the Royal Naval College, until 1998 when they passed to the Greenwich Foundation.
Many historic rooms within these buildings are open to the public, with other buildings being used by the University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Behind the old Royal Naval College is Greenwich Park, which houses the Royal Observatory Greenwich in its grounds. The Cutty Sark, a 19th century British Clipper, is in permanent dry dock here. She is a beautiful sight to behold, with her 3 masts in full rigging.
On a sunny day, you can spend a lot of time in the park and in the town itself. There is so much to see and do, even with no money, as a lot of the sights are still free. I was really impressed with Greenwich, how fun it was and how much there was to see and do in a buzzing, vibrant atmosphere.
Take the Underground from Greenwich to London Bridge
4) London Bridge.
Often covered in confused by tourists expecting to find Tower Bridge. In fact, the previous London Bridge was the one that was sold to an American oil tycoon for almost $2.5million in 1967. However, it has since been denied that Robert McCulloch bought the bridge thinking that it was Tower Bridge, so perhaps that story has no basis. The fact remains that London Bridge is a much less grand affair, but one that offers good views and photo opportunities of “The Gherkin”, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, the Tower of London and other iconic buildings of London.
In full on tourist mode, complete with backpacks this is Isabel and myself enjoying the breath taking views from London Bridge.
5) Monument
Built to commemorate the Great Fire of London, the Monument is located at the
junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, 61 metres from where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. There are now many coffee shops and places to eat around this world famous attraction. If you have £4 adult price and sturdy legs you can walk to the top and get some fantastic views of London. If not, the carving and craftsmanship is still breath taking to see. This is yet another one of Sir Christopher Wren designs.
6) St Paul’s Cathedral
The present Cathedral is widely considered to be the masterpiece of Britain’s most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. However, it is at least the fourth Cathedral to have stood on the site. The current Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. This was the first Cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the life of the church. Sir Christopher Wren’s blue tinged, copper domed design is now an iconic feature of the London skyline.
7) Bank of England.
The Bank of England was founded in 1694 to raise funds during the war with France. The Bank moved to Threadneedle Street in 1734. Its famous nickname comes from a James Gillray cartoon published in 1797. Over two centuries later, the Bank is still known as The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street. Stunning architecture, carvings and decorative masonry adorn this building. It was closed on Sunday but it was still amazing to see the craftsmanship in the door and surrounding buildings.
8) Leadenhall market (Pronounced Led-Nall market).
For Harry Potter film lovers this IS Diagon Alley from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In real life, an optician shop in Bull’s Head Passage in Leadenhall Market is the entrance to wizard’s pub, the Leaky Cauldron. For those not into Harry so much, this is an actual, working market with lots of cool quirky stalls to be browsed and discovered. Just to note that this market was not open on Sunday afternoon when we got there.
9) The Counting House at Cornhill
(http://www.the-counting-house.com/)
The Counting House was built in 1893 as Prescott’s Bank, and the foundations rest partly on the North sleeper wall of a 2,000 year old Roman basilica. The pub oozes grandeur and opulence and many of the features have been lovingly restored to their former glory. I spent most of my time sipping gin and tonic whilst gazing upwards to the glazed dome ceiling and spectacular chandelier.
10) Spittlefields Market
This wonderful working market is open on Sundays and brimming with fantastic treats for you to discover. From boutique stalls to second hand chic, you can find clothing, food, jewellery, art and so much more, in this bustling hub of London market life. Unfortunately we didn’t take any pictures here because I was too busy shopping.
11) Brick Lane
Food, food and more food. Known primarily for it’s spicy, curry-ness, Brick lane is a must for evening to late night culinary sensation seekers. Again, no photos, too busy eating. Looking back now, Isabel says that her favourite part of that day was the boat tour and her favourite part of London was Big Ben (St Stephen’s Tower!) as well as the visit to Harrods, which we did the next day and it was fantastic. Here is a taster.
I hope you enjoyed the information provided here. London is waiting for you, what are you waiting for?
Luanda Barnham is an independent contract research scientist who likes to travel. She also likes eating, drinking, HICT workouts and Rugby Union.