Central London - A Very Touristy Itinerary

Tower Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. A must see when one is in London. Just take the Jubilee line to the Tower Bridge station. Spend some quiet time by Thames and of course click yourself with the Tower Bridge of London!Tip: Take a river cruise on Thames from Tower Bridge.Tower Bridge is way more beautiful when checked out at night when its all lit up

You can get to the London Eye from the Tower Bridge by taking the Thames River Cruise. You have to experience London from the London Eye when in the city. Its the most touristy thing to do but still...has to be done. Its an item that has to be ticked off the "things to do" list in London! Tip: You can buy the London Eye ticket from the counter. You get a discounted price if you buy it online.

This place is the heart of Central London. With all the street shows happening and people walking around and the souvenirs shops - every tourist in London must experience this place. Tip: best time to visit this place is post midnight because that's when this places is alive with the people partying and the pub crawls happening.

Another very touristy spot. But still must be checked out in the tourist spirit! You can also come early and witness the change of guards. I chose to skip that.Tip: The Queen's Guard change happens at Buckingham Palace at 11:30 AM every morning. Wake up early to witness that.

London = Big Ben! Do I need to say more here? You see the Big Ben and then you just want to keep looking at it and as you walk away, you will turn around and then look at it again! Tip: Try to stay back to hear the strikes of Big Ben.

This place is at the heart of London. An open space that holds various events and activities. Just walk into Trafalgar Square and you will stumble upon some or the other event happening. When I went there, there was West End Live event happening which was quite entertaining.

If you want to shop till you drop in London then this is the place to be.Tip: Plan for a full day trip if you want to do some actual shopping or else just an hour or two should be sufficient for checking out this place.

If you want to experience the central London party scene and want to meet up with lots of new people then you can just sign up for one of the pre-planned pub crawls. You can find a lot of pub crawls options online. They generally charge somewhere around £20 and take you to some 5 pubs in Central London + Soho area and you get one free complementary shot (isn't all that strong). Tip: If you book these pub crawls online then you might end up getting discount upto £5 or you can just check the start time and meeting point for these crawls online and then just show up on time and pay. I chose option 2.

The best way to get around Central London is to just walk. The alternative to walking is the National Rail/ Underground and Buses. Taxis can burn a big hole in your pocket and is highly not recommended. It takes some time to figure out the National Railways and the Underground routes however the the below two apps/ website provide accurate information with respect to the route and the timings for trains/underground/buses:

• Google Maps; or
• https://tfl.gov.uk/

Another website that provides useful information with travel information, events and tickets is www.visitlondon.com.

Trip Itinerary:

Day 1: Tower Bridge, London Eye, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Soho, Liecester Square, Picadilly Circus, Pub Crawl

Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Ten Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, West End Show