Day 1 | Arrival at King's Cross Railway Station
I arrived in London via Eurostar High Speed Rail from Paris Gare Du Nord Station. The journey was about 2 hours and it costs around 60 GBP. The ride was really smooth and had comfortable seats. Upon arrival, I wandered around just to get my orientation right and then contacted my Airbnb host. The accommodation was round the corner King’s Cross station along Ossulton Street. Also, be sure check out platform 9-3/4 at King’s Cross if you’re fan of Harry Potter! The accommodations around Kings Cross are pretty near the tube (their local MRT transport) but a little off from the main city center.
I had a quick chat with the host and learnt that she is working in the essential services sector. Communication was not an issue although she thought I had a French accent which is the first time I’m hearing this.
I dropped my stuff, grab my belongings and then make my way to the British Museum. Quite a nice morning stroll as the streets were quiet and air was fresh.
Since most of the cafe were preparing to open, I wasn’t left with much choices. Came across EAT. cafe that was open and headed there for a quick bite. It’s nothing fancy, just a regular sandwich and a cream soup.
The British Museum
The journey from King’s cross to the British Museum was about 30 mins by foot. The entrance to the museum is free but the recommended donation is 5 GBP.
In my opinion, this place is not a must-visit if you’re not a fan of museums or history. So it’s okay to give it a miss if this is not in your itinerary.
Most of the exhibitions are global antiquities from Egypt and Greece. You can expect some mummies and ancient sculptures.
For latest information, always go to their main website to find out more
Address: British Museum, Great Russell Street Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730
Day 2 | Natural History Museum
The entrance to Natural History Museum is also free. Most exhibitions here are about science and history with topics such as Earth’s evolution, nature’s forces such and the prehistoric world of Dinosaurs. You can expect to spend up to 2 hours here.
After the museum tour, we went around the area to grab a quick lunch. Eating around London is not cheap, especially if you’re student since you wanna scrimp on food. We manage to find a eatery and a simple bento like this actually costs 5 GBP which is a rare find. Pack your own food if you can!
Winter Wonderland @ Hyde Park
We took a walk and arrived at one of the popular Christmas market in London. Apparently, Christmas markets are a thing in Europe, we don’t see that kind of scale in Singapore perhaps due to lack of space and spontaneity.
In general, most market have some sorta of carnival games, food carts and gift stalls very similar to Chaktuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok. Things here aren’t cheap either so be prepare to burn some cash.
Day 3 | Tower Bridge
Ever heard of the nursery rhyme where it goes – London bridge is falling down? This is NOT that bridge, its far from it.
From far, you can already see the building-like structure of the bridge. I liked the architecture of as it seems to suggest some wizards lives up there practicing sorcery.
Borough Market
Borough market is known for its sale of British and international fresh produce. It is also one of the oldest and largest food markets in London. Plenty of food and drinks choices there.
Next we headed to Westminster area to check out a few attractions.
London Eye, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
Along this street in the city, you take the tube to Waterloo station and start with the London Eye. The London is similar to the Singapore Flyer, its essentially a Ferris wheel ride for tourist to have an bird’s eye view of the city. I’m typically not a fan of Ferris so I didn’t took it.
Next we continued walking towards Westminster area to catch the Big Ben. If you have never heard of Big Ben, its just a nickname for the striking clock tower located near the Westminster Palace.
There’s no way you will missed the clock tower because it’s quite prominent.
Westminster Abbey is just round the corner. It is a royal church and considered to be a World Heritage Site.
Burger & Lobster
One of the food you gotta try is Burger & Lobsters. I’ve seen and heard so much about this and finally its my turn. So there are only 3 options (burgers, lobsters, lobster rolls) – you can further check out their menu online, its really that simple. If you’re fan of crustaceans, you will love this! I thought it was pretty affordable at 25 GBP!
Address: 36-38 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 4PS
Day 4 | Matilda The Musical @ Cambridge Theatre
It turns out that the theatre sells limited amount of 5 GBP tickets (25 & Under) for their shows and thanks to Gareth who showed up before the place was even opened, he managed to get a pair of tickets. It’s actually my first time attending a musical show and I didn’t really have much expectations for it. I guess what they say about not having expectations is true. The musical was phenomenal, I enjoyed every scene so much that I didn’t realised hours had gone by. I used to think that musical is a waste of money but this experience have proven me otherwise
Seven Dials
Seven Dials is one of the popular shopping streets in London. The place is so named as the lanes of 7 shopping street converged at the middle, resembling a 7 point star. Plenty of streetwear fashion and cafes.
Next we headed to Trafalgar Square to check out the fountain and statues. Occasionally there some gigs and performances such as juggling, mime, magic and acrobatic stunts so you’re in for a big surprise!
Taylor Walker Pub
Another food that we’re gonna try is fish & chips but we were out of luck as most of the places were closed due to New year.
We managed to spot one pub that’s serving fish & chips and had decent reviews.
I realised that most of the fries they serve are quite thick so if you’re fan of Mcdonalds type of fries, this would sadly disappoint. The fish was okay, the fish & batter was quite fresh. The price was 14 GBP for the Ultimate Fish & Chips Set
Address: M Block Ossington Buildings 153 Knightsbridge, London W1U 4BS England
Day 5 | EvanEvans Day Tour
We booked a day tour package with EvanEvans tour to explore places of interest outside of London. The tour includes 3 attractions (we settled on Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Oxford University), a tour guide (headphones provided) and transport. Pack your lunch as it is not provided
We had to be at the meeting point by 8.45am so I strongly recommended that you leave much much early as we had trouble locating our group. There’s a lot of tours in the area so that makes it even harder.
Windsor Castle
The bus ride from Victoria Coach terminal took us about 40 mins to reach Windsor Castle. It is actually one of the oldest and occupied castle in the world till date. The place was really huge and it had an aura of royalty and grandeur. We visited the historic route of state apartments and also made it in time to witness the changing of guards parade!
Stonehenge
Our next stop was to Stonehenge which is also one of the ancient wonders of the world. I have always wanted to visit this place since young as it gives off a vibe of being ancient and mythical. It seems like no one really knows how or why this prehistoric temple was formed. Perhaps a portal opens at night that brings you to another dimension. Who knows?
Oxford University & The Martyrs' Cross
The last stop of the day was a quick tour around Oxford University and some merchandise shopping. The shops also carried some Harry Potter gifts as some parts of the University were used for filming.
Another landmark that caught my attention was the Martyrs’ Cross at Broad Street which was used to signify the event of burning the archbishops for their religous beliefs and teachings.
It's a wrap
So it’s my last night here at London and I’ve pretty had a great winter break travelling across few european cities douse myself with great food and experiences. London is a lovely city. There are no issues in getting around or in terms of communications since we know their native language. The cost of living is high as seen in the food and public transport prices.
I will definitely visit England again to explore other parts.
