Some hard lessons I learnt from previous trips to London

#londontraveltip

Having visited London twice (and making plenty of errors along the way), I’ve gathered a few tips to share:

1. Transportation
* Use a contactless card for payment—it caps at £8.5/day, covering travel to nearly all London attractions
* Night Tubes (5 lines) operate all night on Fridays and Saturdays; for those who would love London’s nightlife, staying near these stations can save a lot (as compared to splurging on Uber)

2. Attractions
* For skyline views, skip the pricey Shard and opt for free observatories like Horizon 22 (or Sky Garden, the Garden at 120, the Post Building, or Level 10 at Tate Modern)

* For market visits: Borough Market offers fantastic cheeses (check out the 15-month Comte stall and the liquor-infused cheese vendor); Leadenhall Market boasts stunning classical-style architecture; Portobello Road Market is lengthy but felt a bit dull to me

* For museums: Many top UK museums are free (a delightful challenge since there are so many to see)—prioritize the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum.
* To efficiently hit London’s iconic spots, take a walk along the Thames River over a day or two. I recommend going east to west, as some buildings look better without the sun behind them.

3. Food
* the local signatures include English scones, masala chicken, fish & chips
* otherwise, if you’re on a budget, strongly recommend to check out meal deals in various supermarkets, which offer delicious meal+snack+drink at around 4£ (since restaurant food in UK to me is not worth it)

Post by Shih Yuin Chew | Mar 4, 2025