It was one of the last super deals from SkyEurope; a year later they went bankrupt. It was July 2008 when tickets could be booked for 29Sk for over half a year in advance. Therefore, we decided to visit the biggest city of the European Union in March – London. The tickets cost us 63Sk + one piece of luggage for 450Sk. A month before departure, they slightly adjusted our flight time from evening to morning, thus shortening our stay by a day.
Content
Day 1 – Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace
Day 2 – Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Big Ben, and museums
Day 3 – St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and HMS
Day 4 – Speakers Corner as a closing point
Day 1 – Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace
At Luton Airport, we arrived on Saturday at 13:20 local time (time difference -1 hour). We bought return tickets from easyBus for 15£, even though the bus was actually GreenLine. During the journey, we fortified ourselves with Becherovka, which eventually became a tradition on our trips 🙂
We got off at Marble Arch bus stop, which was the closest to our accommodation. Upon arriving at the tube station, the first thing we did was buy an Oyster card for 3£ and top it up with credit so we wouldn’t have to worry about tickets anymore.
TIP: Oyster Card automatically deducts fares based on zones and is much more advantageous than single tickets. It also has a daily cap set, so you won’t be charged more than 8£ a day in zone 1 and 2. The card has two fares. The more expensive one (Peak) is applicable during 6:30 – 9:30 and 16:00 – 19:00 from Monday to Friday except holidays. The cheaper one (Peak-Off) is valid at all other times.
We took the red Central line to Notting Hill Gate station. This became our starting point for the following days. In London, we exclusively traveled by tube (London Underground or simply Tube). Each tube line is marked by color and a characteristic name. Our accommodation was only a 5-minute walk away, and on the way, we came across a Tesco Express where we stocked up on supplies 🙂 We also enjoyed watching fancy cars like Ferrari and Porsche; Porsches with slippers seemed quite common in London.
We settled into our accommodation, arranged through acquaintances who happened to be Slovaks as well. The boys shared one room, and the lady got a room next to ours. Strengthened by Becherovka, we headed to a nearby park for our first evening stroll. Our first stops were Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We took some photos with the ducks in the pond, and as the evening crept in, we moved on to Green Park. At the end, we could admire the illuminated Buckingham Palace of the British Queen. A short walk by St. James’s Park captured our attention, leading us to the famous Big Ben in the distance. We took a glimpse at the London Eye and pleasantly tired, we headed to the first metro stop and back home.
Day 2 – Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Big Ben, and Museums
We had breakfast and our first stop was the financial center Canary Wharf, where the tallest buildings in London were located. It was Sunday morning, so we could walk undisturbed through the nearly deserted skyscraper district. There are three of the tallest buildings in Great Britain: 1 Canada Square (235 m), HSBC Tower (200 m), and Citigroup Centre (200 m), so photos of me holding the tallest building had to be taken. We admired the buildings and peeked into the shopping center. The fact that it often rains in London was evidenced by an umbrella vending machine right at the entrance.
We headed to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich via the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). This type of automated light rail system also accepted the Oyster Card, but you had to touch the card on the platform. By the time we boarded, it was already late, but luckily we weren’t caught 🙂 From the station, we had to walk through Greenwich Park, where we relaxed a bit and ate our homemade supplies. At the top of the park stood the observatory itself. We took photos with the Prime Meridian and the digital clocks symbolizing the Greenwich Mean Time GMT.
The sun came out and from Greenwich we took the DLR and tube straight to Big Ben. We wanted to see it in the evening lights. And we did. A beautiful view of Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, and Westminster Abbey. Then we peeked into the side street of Downing Street and stopped at no. 10, which is the official residence of the British Prime Minister. Of course, heavily guarded behind the fence by armed units.
We continued on to Trafalgar Square, where we saw Nelson’s Column and a few streets away, the transportation hub Piccadilly Circus. Once again, hunger struck and we were craving something substantial. In China Town, restaurants entice you with a fixed fee and you can eat as much as you can. We chose a modest restaurant for £4.95. At the end of the day, we visited the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Both are located south of Hyde Park right next to each other, and entry is free. In the evening, we sat down at a local pub and tasted some draft English beer. The second day is behind us, time to go to bed.
Day 3 – St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, Tower Bridge and HMS
We saved all the paid attractions for the third day. You can purchase a pass – London Pass for one or more days, which includes almost all the main landmarks.
TIP: London Pass can only be purchased at information centers.
Monday morning starts with a tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Just a short walk from the cathedral, we first bought a one-day London Pass for £32. During the tour, we climbed to the top of the cathedral, where we enjoyed beautiful views of the city. The next stop is the fortress and palace of Her Majesty, the Tower of London. We split up for an hour and each explored things that interested us. Among the many halls and rooms, the coronation jewels caught our attention the most. A photo with a Beefeater was a must in the courtyard.Before entering the castle, people were playing with a catapult, quite a fun activity, and while waiting, I even got stamped by a pigeon 🙂 It started getting dark, so we hurried to the Tower Bridge. Just the entrance to this bascule bridge would normally cost 16£. Part of the tour also included a walk on the upper walkway, which connected the tops of the bridge. Finally, they tried to sell us an overpriced photo where they retouched us into a picture with the bridge.
We continued further and next to the local town hall, we moved to Her Majesty’s ship HMS Belfast, which was open to the public as a museum. We all agreed that it was the most interesting attraction of the day. Exploring the five decks of the ship was worth it, from the lower decks one could reach the captain’s cabin and sit on his chair. Mannequins in the rooms depicted everyday life as it was in the old days when the ship was used for wartime purposes. The thematic smell in the different rooms only complemented the authentic experience. After the tour of the ship, we hurried back to the other side of the Thames to catch the last sightseeing boat cruise. The route ended at Westminster Pier.
Just to add to that, we also managed to visit the British Museum. But that was really a quick visit as they were closing. It was quite amusing when I exited on one side of the museum and the others on the opposite side. It took us a while to find each other 🙂 In the evening, we relaxed our tired feet in the city center and explored the Soho district. Exhausted, we fell asleep like babies.
Day 4 – Speakers Corner as the grand finale
In the morning, our steps led us along Hyde Park to the Marble Arch bus stop. On the corner of Speakers Corner, Tomáš voiced his displeasure. We were also lucky because while waiting for the bus, we saw the royal procession on horses passing by. It must be said that you don’t see so much mess and smell produced by those horses in such a short time very often. Thankfully, the shiny BMWs quickly cleaned up the mess all over the city. We boarded the bus and headed to Luton Airport. The journey back flew by, and filled with experiences, we returned home content.
