The top 10 things to do in London

If you go to London you will realise that there are a hundred things to do there. If you go for a year I can promise you that you will never be bored.

The city is really touristy and thus is prepared for us. In a different blog entry, I will talk about all the tourist activities you can do, but in this entry, I am going to focus on the best things to do, those that are super cool and aren't so touristy. A bit like the most hidden corners in London.

I am going to talk about 10 places, and I have to say that the order doesn't say anything about how good or bad they are. It's just an order. Here we go!

1. Brixton: is one of my favourite areas in London. It is towards the south, and it is the last stop on the Victoria Line (the blue line) so you can't miss it. Also, there are lots of different bus services that connect the area with all of London.

It is the old Jamaican area, although now it is super trendy, so when you go there you will see people from all different cultures (one of the big pluses about London). Also is it the area where David Bowie grew up and in front of the metro there is a graffiti of him that you have to see.

Go along the main street looking at all the shops, go to the cinema, go for a walk through Brockwell Park, a gigantic park in the centre of the neighbourhood. Go to see the markets and don't miss out on eating something there. As well as being a multicultural neighbourhood, there are as many churches as mosques and synagogues. All three are worth seeing.

In short, this is an area that you will fall in love with and wandering around and eating there is amazing.

2. Street art tour: In London there are lots of free tours available, so that you are able to see the city in the cheapest and most entertaining way; there's one that takes you all around the city centre, one for Jack the Ripper, one for Harry Potter and various others. I did some of them and I recommend them 100 per cent. One of them that I liked the most and is not that well known is the Urban Art tour.

London is a magnificent city with lots of really cool graffiti everywhere. As you have seen, in Brixton there is also lots. This tour takes you around an area of London which has lots of graffiti, with history and you can see some of Banksy's pieces.

As it is urban art, it can be ruined or covered up, so it could be the case that when you go, it will not the same tour that I did. In any case, here I will leave you some photos of the artwork that I had a chance to see.

Making the most of this paragraph, I am going to comment a bit on the free tours. As I said, in London there is a lot to see and with lots of companies. For those who don't know how it works very well, you register, you choose the one that you want and the time that you want, and then you show up at the meeting point. They can be in Spanish, English or in any language, whatever you prefer. There can be a lot of people on the tours, from 5 to even 20 people, depending on who signs up. Once you have all met up, the guide introduces himself and starts the tour. At the end, everyone gives a tip, which it seems like the guide has deserved. I would recommend it 100 per cent.

3. Tate Modern: is one of the best museums in London. It is an old power plant and you can find it on the Thames Riverbank, in front of St Paul's Cathedral.

I will start by saying one of the most important things there are free, the permanent exhibitions. If they have any special exhibitions you have to pay to see them, but I never went into any because there is so much to see that I didn't think it was necessary. I have to say also, that all the museums in London are free, which is an advantage and also fantastic.

It is a modern art museum that people don't usually visit, but this is a big mistake. I don't understand much about modern art, but what is there is worthwhile seeing. It's not just the building that is amazing, but also some of the things that they consider to be art. It was a strange and essential visit.

Anyway, if you are not a big fan of modern art, it is also worth going for the incredible views from the terrace of the top floor. London has various viewpoints from which you can contemplate the city (which I will talk about in another post) and this is one of them. Even if it is only for the views, it is worth going to.

Here I will leave you some photos of the works of art and also of the views.

4. Camden Market: in London there are so many markets, all of which are super cool, with lots of people, lots of things to see and buy, and people from all other the world. When I was there I went around all of them, and without a doubt my favourite one is Camden Market.

This place is very touristy and is usually very busy, but being one of my favourite places I couldn't leave it out of this post.

The best way to get there is via metro, to the stop which is called Camden Market.

The market is situated in the Camden Town area, which has other interesting things to see as well as the market, which I will talk about later.

The market consists of a street with super cool shops to see and then the market as such. Here, you can buy clothes, shoes, patches (really recommended as they are super cheap), vintage things, henna (also very recommended), foreign things and lots more. If you want something exotic, this is the place to go. Looking at all the shops and discovering them can take up a whole morning.

In addition, there are lots of places which you can eat at or grab a drink, with places to sit down and relax.

In short, it is a market where you can find everything and everyone.

5. Take part in a race: if you love running and taking part in races, in London you can do this too! There is an organisation that is called Run Through which organises races throughout the whole year.

This is the link of the website to find out all the information:

https://www.runthrough.co.uk/

They usually take place in parks, they are really well organised, and at the end they give you a medal which is really cool. Although I do have to say that it is a bit expensive to take part, but well, each to his own.

On the other hand, if you don't like running, you can also take part as a volunteer helping out the organisation, by sending them an email they will happily take you on.

It is a really good way of doing sport if you like it, and to get to know English people who also like sport, if you are sure that you will have a phenomenal time!

6. Go to the London beach: If you are in London for a long period of time, especially in summer, there is something that I'm sure you will miss - going to the beach! It depends on the year, but there are some summers in London which end up being quite warm, especially because the city is not prepared for the high temperatures and they particularly miss the beach.

In lots of London parks, there are fountains where you can get a bit wet and freshen up, but there is one which is special.

It is called Hampstead Head, and it is one of the biggest ones. The park has 3 lakes to go for a dip in. It is funny because the lakes are divided up into one for women, one for men and another that is mixed. I have to say that the water is really cold! I don't really remember if I had to pay to get in, but if I did it wouldn't have been very expensive.

It is a really cool place, with places to put your towel and let down, and it is really busy, but you will always find a space. The place is really prepared, with toilets, changing rooms and even lifeguards. The only bad thing is that there is nowhere to buy food, so you have to bring it with you from home, although I'm sure in summer there are places to buy ice-creams.

In short, it is something cool and different to do when the weather is really warm. I'd recommend it 100 per cent!

7. Go to a musical: musicals are one of the biggest attractions in London. Although it is true that this plan is a bit more specific, because either you love musicals or you hate them. In any case, if you like them even a little bit you have to go to one.

In London they have lots of musicals, such as Les Miserables, The Lion King, the Phantom of the Opera and a lot more.

A lot of people don't go because they say it is very expensive. However, the thing is to go to the ticket offices that are in Leicester square in the morning. Here they sell tickets for the same day which are far cheaper. Then, you can go to see a musical for a lot less money.

I went to see the Phantom of the Opera, and I completely fell in love with it, having seen the film, but the combination that they have, the voices, the artists, the theatre in itself. Everything was amazing. It is one of the things that since then I have not regretted paying for.

And if you are considering studying in this wonderful city, then please make sure to check out our post: What are the best universities in London?

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