First time in London

London was my very first destination I flew to as a cabin crew. Usually we would have 24 hour layovers and the company would arrange a hotel and give us cash allowance that we would normally spend on food, taxi, metro tickets or buying the souvenirs. In this article you can read about what we managed to do and see in London in just one day.

I had never been to London before so I was thrilled to visit it. Before I started flying I studied British and American Studies so I knew a lot of information about British history, culture, geography and all other book stuff. Now it was time to get to know this city myself! I was lucky because I got to fly with my best friend and colleague Lucy and as such we could explore a new city together and enjoy it even more.

The City of Westminster

After we arrived to the hotel, we had a short nap as we were tired after a flight and then we headed straight to the city centre. We took the shuttle bus to the closest metro station and went to Westminster. London metro is very clear and easily understandable. It took us only a few minutes to figure out how to get where we wanted to go. Once we got off at Westminster station, all the famous attractions and landmarks of London were just in a walking distance, close to each other. I usually prefer sightseeing on my own, with just a few people, to sightseeing with a tour guide. In this way it is easier to spend as much time as we want at each place, take a break and go for a coffee whenever we feel like; and it also gives us freedom to stop at shops we come across while sightseeing.

As soon as we got out of the underground we walked to the Westminster Bridge situated on the River Thames and enjoyed the view of the magnificent Palace of Westminster, which is the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Big Ben, a notorious clock tower, I would say one of the most iconic places of the United Kingdom, is a part of this Palace. Its official name is Elizabeth Tower.

Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.

With my friend Lucy. Big Ben in the background.

Right next to it you can find the Westminster Abbey which is the Gothic abbey church. It is one of the most significant religious buildings in the country; a place where the coronation of British monarchs takes place; and it is a burial site of the monarchs as well. A little bit further, there is another famous church, called Westminster Cathedral. It is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. We did not go to see the cathedral, though, as we did not have enough time.

After we enjoyed ourselves on the bridge, took enough pictures and bought some souvenirs, we walked to the London Eye, which was not more than 8 minute walk. The London Eye is one of the most famous tourist attractions in London; it is an observation Ferris wheel. As its name suggests, it is a viewing point, and indeed it provides a unique view of the city. Back in 2000 it used to be the world´s tallest Ferris wheel.

London Eye.

Underneath the London Eye. River Thames. Westminster Bridge. Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.

For me, London Eye, Big Ben and Palace of Westminster are the images that pop up to my mind as first when I hear “London”. They are visited by many tourists from all around the world and I would definitely recommend visiting these places to everyone.

Another famous palace in London, also located in the borough of Westminster, also called City of Westminster, is Buckingham Palace. To get there we walked all the way from the London Eye, stopping at Trafalgar Square and then continuing through St. James's Park and Green Park. We were quite lucky because the day was warm and sunny so we were able to walk a lot. Generally it rains a lot in Britain, so make sure you always carry an umbrella with you, just in case.

Trafalgar Square is a historically important square, as well as an iconic place of London; it commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, where British Royal Navy fought against the French and Spanish fleets during the Napoleonic Wars back in 18th/19th centuries. We had a short break on the Trafalgar Square, where we enjoyed sitting next to one of the fountains. It was full of tourists, taking picture with famous statues and monuments of the square, all of us enjoying a bit of rich British history, culture and architecture.

To get to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square took us around 45 minutes. If you go straight it will not take you more than 20 minutes; however we took a stroll through two Royal parks of Buckingham Palace, namely St. James´s Park and Green Park. We were planning to go to see Hyde Park as well, which is the biggest Royal park, however it was a bit further and we were already quite tired so we just decided to relax in these two parks which were on our way. They both were wonderful and peaceful; I could not imagine a better afternoon. Small lakes and ponds with ducks, geese, colourful trees and flowers were just exactly what we needed after a long day of sightseeing and walking through busy streets of London.

Finally, we made it to Buckingham Palace. It is the administrative centre of the monarchy and as a tourist you might find interesting to book a tour and visit some parts of the palace, such as The State Rooms or The Royal Collection which is the private art collection of the British Royal Family. Changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous London´s attractions. I recommend checking the schedule on their website before visiting the palace so you won´t miss it. The whole ceremony takes about 40-50 minutes.

Buckingham Palace.

From Buckingham Palace we took the metro and got off at Oxford Circus station which is located right on the Oxford Street. It is one of the busiest Europe´s shopping street and a major road in the City of Westminster. Whatever your favourite shop may be, it is very probable you will find it there. Whenever I am in the United Kingdom I always visit Primark and Holland & Barrett which is my favourite health food store. After that we only had a very little bit energy left so we went back to the hotel, had dinner and went straight to bed as in the morning we were flying back to our base.

Interesting facts about London

As a linguist I found it interesting when I saw that some of the London squares are called “circus”; for example, Piccadilly Circus or Oxford Circus, and they definitely have nothing to do with a circus as such. So I googled a bit more about it and here is the answer, if you wonder as well. “Circus” is derived from Latin word “circle” which means a round space, and therefore in British English it is commonly used to denote the squares. Mystery solved!

The metro is called "underground", or "tube". The London Underground is the oldest underground railway in the world and when it was built in 19th century it was the first metro of the world. The funny fact is that even though it is called “underground” the majority of its railways is not underground.

Another means of public transportation, the red double-decker buses and black taxis, in London called "cabs", are the iconic sights and together with old historical buildings, parks, monuments, bridges and towers create a unique and peculiar atmosphere of the city of London.

Photo gallery