London from an insider’s perspective

I’ve been living in London for two years now and I’d love to share my top three favourite places in this amazing city with you.

As you can see in the picture above, The River Thames plays a vital role in Londonand is an iconic landmark that splits the city into north and south. South of the river Londonis a lot more suburban than its northern counterpart.

Londoners acknowledge the difference between the city of Londonand the city called London. When we talk about the city we talk exclusively about a square mile; the financial services arena. You should look at it as a city within a city because it’s just that, it holds its own city status. It’s like the Vatican but there are more bars.

Living in “the City” is very expensive. Whilst it only has 7,000 inhabitants, every day more than 300,000 people commute to that area of London. As you can imagine the underground is fully packed with people trying to get to work in the city. If you are on a holiday with your suitcases it is best to avoid rush hour. Terminals like London Bridge and Victoria are extremely busy and best avoided at these times.

To further complicate matters, London as most people see it is actually greater London, which is comprised of 32 boroughs.

Londoners appear to be a bit aloof at first but they are polite and tend to open up when they notice that you’re not crazy. It is difficult to say what the culture in London is to be honest as more than half of the people that live in Londonare not English. It is one big melting pot of people from all over the world. But let me get back to the topic and provide you with my top three favourite places in London.

3. Regent’s park

Hyde Park is more famous but Regent’s park is my favourite park in London. It has a tremendously big flat grass area perfect for sports. When the weather is nice you’ll see many people play football or rugby. It can be pretty packed out there but seeing that the park covers almost 500 acres of land you’ll always find a spot to relax. The park is often used for concerts and festivals. London Zoo is set in Regent’s park and some scenes of the Harry Potter films were shot there. There are also very well kept gardens and ponds. You don’t have to worry about getting hungry as it is close to a few underground stations and the park has its own restaurant.

2. South Kensington

What is absolutely great about South Kensington is that it is proud host to three world class museums that are accessible to everyone free of charge. There is the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum and Natural History Museum all in walking distance of each other. The building the Natural History Museum is set in is called the Waterhouse building, a world famous landmark and work of art. Once you’ve entered this stunning building you’ll be welcomed by a large dinosaur skeleton. If you are more of a geek the Science Museum might be the place for you to go. My personal favourite is the Victoria and Albert Museum. They have a very large assortment of ceramics, books, architecture, drawings, fashion, paintings, sculptures and more.

1. South Bank

On the south side of The River Thames you’ll find South Bank, a very recognizable place in the capital due to the London Eye. The London Eye is a humongous Ferris Wheel with capsules in which you have a great view over the city. There is also plenty to be seen from the riverbank itself. There is a lovely view over the river and the City of Westminster and the famous Big Ben. The top floors of the Royal Festival Hall and the Tate Modern are good alternatives to the London Eye for views over the city if you don’t feel like buying a ticket. The Tate Modern is a museum of Art. Also, the London Dungeon and the Sealife Aquarium are to be found here.

         

So that’s it: London from an insider’s perspective. If you visit England’s capital you really shouldn’t miss out on these 3 amazing places!