Ah England. Home of the Premier League, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, James Bond, the posh accent, Buckingham Palace, the black cabs, the red coats, and the Tube. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to visit London! Doubly so when I realized that my favorite team, Manchester United, had two home games during my trip, giving me the opportunity to cross off a major item on my bucket list by attending a game at Old Trafford. I grabbed a flight for $530 with Icelandair and off I went to the land of Shakespeare. Although my trip was initially two weeks, I only spent one week in England, flying off to Milan mid-trip to give my wallet a break (the English Pound in one of the most expensive European cities was not a good mix for my Canadian funds). If you want to skip ahead, you can read my Milan recap here. If you want to start at the beginning, here’s what my trip in England looked like.
Transportation in London
My plane flew in and out of Gatwick, London’s second airport. From there, there are two ways to reach the city center: by train (Gatwick Express, Southern Railways, or Thameslink) and by bus (easyBus and National Express). I took Southern Railways to get into the city and Gatwick Express on the day of my departure to simplify my journey. If you’re taking the Gatwick Express, book online to save 10%. There is literally no difference between the Southern Express and the regular Southern. Unless you care about a 5-minute difference in trip time.
In the city itself, Transport for London‘s services are pretty extensive and easy to figure out. I had a Visitor Oyster card pre-loaded with £50 which I used every day to get around the city. The Visitor Oyster card is a pay-as-you-go card that is valid on the Tube, DLR, London Overground, buses, trams, TfL Rail, and most National Rail services in London. It offers daily capping, meaning you can travel as much as you like in a single day and the amount you pay for your travel is limited (or capped). For example, you can travel as many times as you like in a day in Zones 1 and 2 (from 04:30 to 04:29 the next day) and you won’t be charged more than £6.60. Although you must remember to tap out when you exit the Tube. If you don’t, you’ll get a penalty fare.
Useful tips:
- Get your Visitor Oyster shipped to your home before your trip so you can be ready to travel within London as soon as you land (the card is valid for transport from both Heathrow and Gatwick).
- Google Maps shows the bus and tube schedule in real-time so you know how much time you have before the next bus/metro.
Where to Stay in London and Manchester
Both hotels and Airbnbs in London are expensive when compared to other cities. You have to really glean the listings and reviews to get the best bang for your buck. For the London part of my trip, I stayed at Athena Hotel by Paddington station. That’s when I thought I would be landing at Heathrow. My airport was actually Gatwick! Ooops! It wasn’t a big deal, but always double-check your airport codes, people! I spent one night for free at the AC Hotel Manchester Salford Quays in Manchester, then I booked a private room on Airbnb for the last night of my stay. Athena Hotel had breakfast included while the Airbnb had two meals included (breakfast and either lunch or dinner – your choice) which allowed me to save money on food. All three places were 5-10 minutes walking distance from public transportation.
Where to Get a SIM Card in London
Since I was going to visit two countries (plus a 24-hour stopover in Iceland), I bought a pre-paid SIM from Always Online Wireless which let me top up for whatever country I needed. I bought the 1 GB plan for England and the 24-hour plan for my last day after I came back from Milan (bought the 500 MB plan for Italy). The plan becomes active as soon as you pay or at a scheduled time so it was easy switching plans on the fly.
[2020 update: Sadly, Always Online Wireless no longer exists. If I ever revisit the UK, I’ll update this section of the post with a new method]
England Itinerary
Day 1: The Wallace Collection, The London Eye
I had my first experience with double-decker buses as soon as I made it to the city. Google Maps told me the bus would take less time than the Tube so off I went looking for my bus outside Victoria Station. Although I have no doubt that the experience from the second deck is a good one – I didn’t get the chance to do it – the lower deck is the most inefficient way of transporting people I’ve ever seen in my travels. As you make your way towards the back of the bus, there is less and less space for people to stand, making the bus super crowded in as little as two stops. Thankfully, I had a short journey and managed to get a seat for the last few stops. I don’t know how they deal during rush hour.
After checking in at the hotel, my first stop was the Wallace Collection, a free art gallery in Manchester Square. Most of the art and objects displayed are from the 14th to the 19th century, including nice Dutch paintings. But the real highlight is the Oriental Armory featuring beautifully crafted Indian, Persian, and Turkish swords and rifles. I suggest saving that room for last during your visit as everything you will see afterwards will be a letdown.
From the Wallace Collection, I made my way down to Westminster for the cliché pictures of the Palace and Big Ben. Half of the clock tower and several parts of the Palace were covered by scaffoldings. It was also windy as hell on the Westminster Bridge but I managed to get a few decent shots.
I then went over to the London Eye. The rain seemed to had driven away most of the tourists so it didn’t take long for me to get a ticket and get through the security checks. At £26, the London Eye is among the most expensive attractions in London. You can save 10% by booking your ticket online but you’ll be limited to a specific timeslot instead of being able to simply walk up whenever you feel like it. The experience itself will depend on your capsule companions. Most of the people in my capsule did not stick to a specific spot and moved around to take various pictures of the skylines and moved out of the way to let other people take pictures.
Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern, British Museum
On Day 2, I made my way on foot to Buckingham Palace for Changing the Guard. There was already a crowd by the Palace’s fence even though I showed up a full hour before the ceremony was due to begin. Following advice read on the Internet (I wish I could remember the blog where I originally found the tip), I posted myself on the steps of the Victoria Memorial for a decent view of the ceremony.
The next stop was Tate Modern for the Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibit. Although the Museum is free, the exhibit was £17 (£15 without donation) and worth every penny. From the curated Spotify playlist that you can listen to while going through the exhibit (wifi is free at Tate Modern), to the various paintings, sculptures, and photographs chosen; everything was amazing. I rate it higher than The Color Line exhibit which I attended in Paris in 2016.
I extended my visit at Tate Modern by checking out the Media Networks display which featured works by Andy Warhol and the Guerilla Girls. However, the room that stood out to me was Cildo Meireles’ with his Babel artwork. From the Tate Modern website:
“Cildo Meireles refers to Babel as a ‘tower of incomprehension’. Comprising hundreds of radios, each tuned to a different station, the sculpture relates to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, a tower tall enough to reach the heavens. God was offended by this structure, and caused the builders to speak in different languages. No longer able to understand one another, they became divided and scattered across the earth, and so began all mankind’s conflicts.”
After a quick stop on Tate Modern’s 10th floor to take in the (free) view of St. Paul and its surroundings, I made my way back to the other side of the Thames to complete my day at the British Museum. Intimidated by the sheer amount of rooms, I picked up an audio guide (£6) and selected the Top 10 Highlights Tour which took me to the Rosetta Stone, the Easter Island statue Hoa Hakananai’a, and the David Vases, among others. This is definitely the kind of museum where you’d have to go back several times to take in the whole thing.
Day 3: Old Trafford, Manchester
The following day, I took a National Express bus to Manchester to fulfill my childhood dream of watching Manchester United play at Old Trafford. Although Sir Alex Ferguson is no longer the manager and the class of ’92 have all fully retired, this was still a highly-ranked item on my bucket list. So much so that earlier this summer, I bought a United membership (£20) and subscribed to the Thomas Cook newsletter to guarantee myself a match ticket for my trip. I ended up purchasing a ticket for their Champions League opener against Swiss champions FC Basel (£45). My Marriott card came in handy as I had just enough points to book one night at AC Hotel Manchester Salford Quays without having to pay a single cent.
Walking to the stadium was a surreal experience. Crossing the bridge on Trafford Road, there was a warehouse-like building with the words “The Liverpool Warehousing Co Ltd” which I found ironic since Liverpool is one of United’s biggest rivals. I googled the building in question and it turns out it was a warehouse from the 30s now converted into a hotel. Down that street, food trucks and scarf vendors attracted football fans unwilling to spend a fortune at the stadium’s food concessions. I bought an half-and-half scarf as a souvenir before coming face to face with the Theatre of Dreams. Having been to the Camp Nou earlier this year, I was impressed by the police presence around Old Trafford. They were a lot more visible than in Barcelona.
Getting into the stadium was a big ordeal as I first had to find my entrance. That was easy but I got turned around by security who told me that I had to check my backpack even though the website said it was allowed. Anyways, I found the bag check (thankfully free) where I then had to provide my phone number in case I forgot my bag. Now I know my Canadian number by heart, but I was travelling with my international phone so I had to somehow find my phone number (it didn’t appear in the About Phone section). Once that was done, I could finally get in. I found my seat easily enough but realized that I had left my down jacket in my backpack. I still had my hoodie so I purchased the most disgusting hot chocolate of my life (£1.50 for basically dirty water) to keep warm before the game and settled in.
My excitement level grew when they ushered the away fans in and they started to make some noise (it turns out they only had three songs so that got old pretty fast). Hearing the Champions League anthem live while the rain was pouring down the pitch was fucking amazing even though I was freezing. My excitement dampened somewhat a few minutes into the game when Paul Pogba went down injured. I was really looking forward to watching him play but he lasted all of twenty minutes before he had to be subbed off. He was replaced by Fellaini who gave me my money’s worth, by scoring the first goal and completely bossing the midfield. United went on to win 3-0, and although I was disappointed by the atmosphere, I went back to my hotel with a huge smile on my face.
Day 4: St. Paul Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Wembley Stadium
I woke up very early the next day to catch my bus back to London. I booked a 7:45 AM departure because a) it was cheap and b) I needed to get back to London as early as possible to start using my 3-day London Pass (£90.90) with only four days left until my side trip to Milan.
Back in London, I decided to cross out the two most famous churches from my list: St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Both were disappointing experiences. Let’s begin with St. Paul’s. On the good side, there is no timed entry. You can simply walk up and walk in after a security check. The audio guide is included in the entrance fee and is pretty informative (although you can just eavesdrop on what the tour guides are saying). On the bad side, no photography is allowed. The Stone and Golden galleries were both closed during my visit. This was a huge letdown as getting on those galleries was one of the main reasons of my visit. I love getting up on the rooftops and/or towers of churches ever since I went up Hallgrímskirkja’s tower in Reykjavík, Iceland.
As for Westminster Abbey, there is not much to see apart from the Coronation Chair unless you’re a major British history buff. In which case, you will probably geek out at all the burials and memorials. Westminster Abbey is basically a giant mausoleum. Like St. Paul, no photography is allowed. You can get in for half-price on Wednesday evenings but the audio guide will not be included (I could be wrong but there were no audio guides during my visit). On the upside, you can time your Wednesday evening visit to end right at the start of the service. Although I couldn’t stay for the entire service, the few minutes of listening to the organ’s music at the start made up a bit for the disappointing visit.
My mood improved considerably in the evening when a friend of a friend got me a ticket to Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League opener at Wembley Stadium. Although I had only planned to see Manchester United and Arsenal in my pre-trip preparations, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Spurs play against Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s best clubs. So I cancelled my plans to take a cruise on the Thames and off I went to Wembley.
My decision was rewarded early when Spurs scored the first goal after just 4 minutes of play. Dortmund equalized less than 10 minutes later. Then Spurs took the lead again in the 15th minute and never looked back. They went on to win 3-1. I left the game around the 80th minute to avoid all the foot traffic on the Tube. I wasn’t the only one. There were hundreds of people racing to the Underground before the end of the game. It goes to show that people leave the game early even in football-mad countries.
Day 5: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Emirates Stadium
I continued to take advantage of my London Pass on Day 5, visiting the Tower of London, Tower Bridge Exhibition, and the HMS Belfast.
The main attraction at the Tower of London is The Crown Jewels, a giant vault containing a collection of crowns and other Coronation Regalia worn by UK kings and queens. With crowns featuring jewels the size of a baby’s fist and a giant silver-gilt punch bowl able to hold 144 bottles of wine, if you need to see one display of the British monarchy’s opulence, this is it. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed and the attendants watch everyone like hawks.
The Fusilier Museum and the Royal Armouries are also great attractions at the Tower of London but I suggest you get there early and tackle The Crown Jewels first before the school and tourist tours start arriving.
The Tower Bridge Exhibition was one of the highlights of my trip. You get your ticket at the foot of Tower Bridge where you are then ushered to an elevator. Once you get to the top, you can watch a movie about the Tower Bridge’s history or go straight to the walkways where sections of the floor have been replaced by glass, letting you observe the traffic on the bridge. Some visitors clearly felt uncomfortable by the view beneath their feet but I loved it! It was something different and exciting!
The entrance ticket also gave access to the Engine Rooms. To find it, you have to follow a yellow-marked path from the base of the bridge’s tower to the other side of the river. When I got out of the tower, there was an old couple looking for the path. I immediately spotted it as it was made in similar fashion as Boston’s Freedom Trail. The old lady’s reaction when I pointed it to her: “That’s not yellow!” Old people crack me up!
After a quick look at the Engine Rooms, I made my way to the HMS Belfast. It wasn’t on my original list of things to do but it was docked pretty close to the Tower Bridge. So I figured why not. It was a pretty interesting visit. I strongly suggest getting a map in addition to the audioguide. There were numerous times where I got lost inside the ship. It doesn’t look all that big but all the corridors and ladders get confusing really quick. After exploring all the nooks and crannies while listening to the guide, I can’t imagine living in such tight quarters for a long period of time. This is a must-visit for history and war buffs.
I still had time to kill after visiting the HMS Belfast so I decided to head down to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre as the tour was included in the London Pass. Unfortunately, tours only ran through in the mornings so I didn’t get to enter. My walk from the HMS Belfast to the Globe hadn’t gone to waste however as I stumbled upon the Borough Market, a magical place where you can easily spend all of your money if you’re not too careful. I bought a smoothie there but I honestly would have bought many more things had I brought more cash with me. Everything looked appetizing!
In the evening, I headed over to Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s Europa League opener against FC Cologne and what an adventure that was! First, I was supposed to meet my friend who had my ticket at the Holloway Road station. Midway through my trip, there was an announcement on the PA system. Holloway Road was closed due to all the foot traffic. I, along with several other passengers, must’ve looked panic-stricken as a helpful Arsenal fan told us that we could simply get off at Arsenal station which was the stop after Holloway Road.
Once at Arsenal, I made my way to the stadium. However, the closer I got, the more difficult it was to communicate with my friend as the amount of people in the area messed with my phone signal. He told me to get on the concourse and I somehow ended up walking towards the away section of the concourse which was cordoned off by the cops. When I saw the massive crowd surrounded by police, including officers on horses, I quickly doubled back to find another way in. After walking around half of the stadium’s perimeter, I finally met my friend and also learned that the game was delayed by an hour. We were relieved since we were late, but also worried because games don’t simply get delayed for no apparent reason. When the stewards finally opened the gates and announced that there was no security bag checks to make the lines go faster, the lady beside me disagreed. “This is the one night where you should be diligently checking people.” Of course, she didn’t say it to the steward but I digress.
I finally made it to my seat in the upper tier with plenty of time left ahead of kickoff. A group of German Cologne fans sat beside me. Now, you must understand that I was sitting in the Home section which should be reserved to Arsenal fans. When the Cologne players came out and the Germans started to cheer, the Arsenal fans in my section became incensed. Although I completely understood how they felt, there is nothing more hilarious than an angry posh-accented little old lady from North London. She yelled at the Germans, complained to the stewards, and spent most of the first half taking pictures of the German fans in our section (to report them, I guess?).
We ended up learning that the Germans had showed up in greater numbers than anticipated (20,000 versus the 3,000 for whom tickets had been allocated), which was the reason of the match delay. It made for some tense pre-game clashes and overwhelmed stewards but the atmosphere was the best of the three matches I attended that week. I am now looking forward to attending a game in the Bundesliga. Arsenal won the game 3-1.
Day 6: Kensington Palace, Queen’s Gallery, Churchill War Rooms
For my final full day in London, I kept the activities light, using up the final day of my London Pass.
My first stop was Kensington Palace, the residence of Princess Diana until her death. I visited the King and Queen’s Apartments as well as two exhibitions: “Diana: Her Fashion story” and “Enlightened Princesses,” three German princesses who played a big role in 18th century England. It was all very meh but I could see the appeal for Diana fans.
I then went to the Queen’s Gallery for the “Canaletto & the Art of Venice” exhibition which featured many beautiful paintings from 18th century Venice. In terms of paintings only, it was probably my favorite collection out of all the ones I saw during the England half of my trip.
I ended the day at the Churchill War Rooms, the underground bunker where Winston Churchill lived and worked during WWII. Like the HMS Belfast, I really enjoyed my visit there. The museum dedicated to Churchill’s entire life was a bit much in my opinion but that may just be me underestimating his importance in English history.
Day 7: Windsor Castle, Roman Baths, Stonehenge
I kept it light on Day 6 because Day 7 was a massive day for me in terms of sightseeing and trip planning. I checked out of my hotel early in the morning and made my way to Victoria Station where I would embark on a 11-hour tour with Evan Evans Tour. The tour would take me and my fellow tour mates to Windsor Castle in Windsor, the Roman Baths in Bath, and Stonehenge. Although I booked the tour on Viator for $166 CAD, you can book the same tour straight on Evan Evans’ website.
Day tours all have their pros and cons. On the pro side, you get to see multiple sights on a very condensed amount of time. If you’re a solo traveler, it is often a good opportunity to meet other travelers, share stories, and perhaps meet up again in the same city. On the flip side, they are very exhausting. You are very limited in terms of time at each attraction since it’s basically a race to get to all the attractions during opening hours. And although, I’ve had only good guides so far, a bad tour guide can absolutely ruin your day as you’ll be stuck with him for the entire trip. Still, it is the most efficient way of covering long distances within a single day when you don’t have a car.
We ran into that limited time issue at our very first stop at Windsor Castle. After visiting the State Apartments and taking a look at Queen’s Mary amazing Dolls’ House, we watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony which left us with just enough time to literally power walk through St. George’s Chapel before running back to meet the bus.
We had more than enough time in Bath, our second stop on the tour. The Roman Baths were a short visit. We were out of there in about an hour but you can stay longer if you decide to listen to every stop on the audioguide. It’s crazy to think that the Roman Empire stretched all the way to Northern England and traces of it still remain to this day. After the Roman Baths, we visited the Bath Abbey, but we did not get enough time to climb up its tower.
We faced heavy rain on our way to Stonehenge but it cleared up a few minutes before we arrived. A lot of people say that Stonehenge is overrated but I found it just fine. Sure, if you make it a point to just go to Stonehenge, you’re essentially paying to see a bunch of rocks standing in a formation that no one can explain, but it’s a nice photo-op at the end (or the start) of a day trip involving multiple sights. I find the Mona Lisa more overrated.
We were back in London around 8 or 9 PM where I had to take the bus up to Stansted Airport for my early morning flight to Milan. Before my trip, I long debated whether or not I should book an hotel for that night but with the day tour ending late and the flight taking off at 7:00 AM, I decided to rough it and slept overnight at Stansted.
I won’t lie. I was worried. My last experience of sleeping at an airport was five hours in the freezing and uncomfortable Keflavik airport in Iceland during a layover. According to both wikitravel and sleepingatairports.net, sleeping at Stansted was a normal thing. In fact, they recommended getting there before 10 PM to get the good spots. I arrived at 11 PM and saw people already set up on the few bench-like surfaces by the check-in booths. I made my way to the Arrivals area where the seats are and found a seat in a row where two elderly people were sleeping. When even the elderly are sleeping in the airport, you know the surrounding hotels are overpriced. I didn’t sleep well – that was to be expected – but it was a better experience than Keflavik. In the morning, I made my way to the bathroom to freshen up and proceeded to the boarding gates for my flight to Italy. You can read all about that part of my trip in a future blog post coming soon.
Bonus – Day 8: Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum
Coming back from Italy, I had a half-day in London before my return flight to London. My flight was the next day but I had plenty of time for more sightseeing, so I booked an Airbnb in the Kensington neighborhood, a five-minute walk away from the Natural History Museum. Of course, I had to go visit the Natural History Museum even though I was tired because… dinosaurs! I cannot even begin to describe my disappointment when I showed up and learned that the T-Rex was not available for viewing due to maintenance. I still enjoyed the Dinosaurs exhibit. The Volcanoes and Earthquakes section was also great and very informative. All in all, it was a fun, light-hearted way to end my trip.
I also stopped by the Victoria and Albert Museum but didn’t stay long. I was too tired to appreciate it properly but I will definitely go back and take a closer at their Asian collection.
All in all, I enjoyed my trip to England. It was exhausting but I checked off major things from my bucket list. I intend to return and take the time to enjoy the city more. I’ll remember to bring more money as well!
Trip Breakdown
Total Spent: ~£534
Attractions: £376
- London Pass: £90.90
- Viator: $166 CAD = ~£99
- Manchester United Membership + Match Ticket: £20 + £45
- Tottenham Hotspur Match Ticker: £45
- Arsenal Match Ticket: £35
- London Eye: £26
- Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power: £15
Souvenirs: ~£42
Transport: £116
- Pre-loaded Visitor Oyster Card: £53
- National Express – London to Manchester round-trip: £12
- Manchester Metrolink: £6
- National Express – London to Stansted Airport: £13
- National Express – Stansted Airport to London: £12
- Gatwick Express: £19.90
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