I love lists. As a guiding force in my life, lists are at the very top. Whenever I arrive in a new place, I make a bucket list of everything I want to do in the area. I made a D.C. bucket list as a freshman in college. I made a London bucket list as a study abroad student. And I made a Hawaii bucket list as a young adult.
I find that it provides me purpose in a place. Even if school or work is stressful, I have an “extracurricular” goal in my bucket list. If I’m struggling to meet people or my social life isn’t as vibrant as it could be, I’m able to structure my time in a way that is fulfilling. I also think that it’s particularly helpful when you are meeting people in a new place. Having a list of things that I want to do allows me to be the first person to suggest something to others if we’re making plans. I know what I want to do — let’s check something off my list together. It makes it that much more exciting.
1. Regent’s Park ✔️
Located north of the city, Regent’s is one of the “Royal Parks of London.” As a fairly massive part of London, I wanted to see what it was all about. I had heard it had excellent sports facilities, an open-air theatre, and the London Zoo. I also knew Primrose Hill was located north of the park, which is also on my list.
2. Kensington Palace ✔️
At the tail end of my spring semester in May, I visited Kensington Palace to see the Diana, Princess of Wales, exhibit that was on display at that time. I was also able to see the gardens, which cover an enormous 265 acres. Of course, given that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live here, I was on full royal watch. During my semester abroad, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was pregnant with Prince Louis. I didn’t think I would see her, but I hoped I may see either Prince George or Princess Charlotte as I knew they were sometimes spotted playing in the park. Alas, no luck!
3. Primrose Hill ✔️
During an outing with friends, we walked through Primrose Hill. This neighborhood is known as being highly desirable for celebrities and has one of the best views of London.
4. Camden Market ✔️
As Taylor Swift says, “I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon.” Both Camden and Borough Market are top of my list when I go to London next. I love strolling through markets, tasting different food, and shopping for souvenirs. When my brother visited London during our Year 3 trip, we headed up to Camden Market because it’s one of his favorite spots in London.
5. Borough Market ✔️
My residence hall, Great Dover, was located only about 10-15 minutes from Borough Market. Thus, during that semester, I spent a lot of time walking past or through Borough Market. I would commonly buy fudge or pasta, taste-test different olive oils and bread, or enjoy mulled wine.
6. Shoreditch ✔️
My friends and I headed to Shoreditch, a hip area of London, most memorably for my friend’s (Catherine) birthday. She’s pictured below with “TOMBS” written on her forehead as a Georgetown tradition. There are numerous fashionable clubs and bars along with an eclectic dining scene, artisan coffee shops, and vintage stores. While my memories of Shoreditch are all at night, I feel confident this is an area I should explore in the future during the day as well.
7. The Breakfast Club ✔️
This restaurant is one of the first recommendations I ever received in London. This is my brother Jake’s favorite restaurant. Not only did I frequent the Borough Market location during my time in London, but we also visited together during his stay in London in April 2018.
8. Tate Modern ✔️
Known as just the “Tate,” it is a family of four art galleries that house the U.K.’s national collection of British art as well as international and contemporary art. While this is the spot to go if you love modern art in London, I can’t say that I spent all that much time here. I visited with study abroad friends during a weekend afternoon, and while I was thrilled to have seen it, I couldn’t see myself going time and time again.
9. London Bridge ✔️
Believe it or not, this is different than Tower Bridge, which is what everyone assumes is London Bridge. London Bridge isn’t anything special, but I did take it a handful of times to go to class. Been there, done that!
10. Hyde Park ✔️
Hyde Park is the largest Royal Park in central London and merges with Kensington Gardens at one point. Personally, I love that London is so full of well-kept green space. Whenever I walked through these parks, particularly on nice days, there were always people out. They were walking dogs, biking, having picnics, reading. The space was always in use.
11. Tower Bridge ✔️
This is the most famous bridge in London, and I love the picture that I have with it! It’s so unmistakably “London.” While I’ve been to Tower Bridge, walked over Tower Bridge, and feel content with my experience, I’ve never actually “visited.” You can actually plan to go up inside the bridge to learn more about the city’s defining landmark and see iconic panoramic views of London.
12. Oxford ✔️
This was the very first trip I took outside of London in January 2018. See more about my trip in my blog Top 8 United Kingdom Day Trips.
13. Big Ben ✔️
Also called Elizabeth Tower after Queen Elizabeth II, this is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. During my semester abroad, Big Ben was hilariously covered with scaffolding. Fortunately, I had seen the famed clock during my family’s trip to London in 2011.
14. Tower of London ✔️
The entire time I was in London, I wavered between whether I wanted to pay to go in and see the Crown Jewels. Eventually, I decided that it was one thing that was on my London bucket list that I couldn’t quite forego. So, I ended up getting tickets and doing a self-guided Tower of London tour. I snapped the photo below of Tower Bridge from the Tower of London.
15. Houses of Parliament ✔️
Early in the semester, I learned that you could watch debates in Parliament free of charge. The galleries are open from Monday to Thursday. I always had class Tuesdays and Thursdays. For most of the semester, I planned to day trip to other parts of the U.K. on Wednesdays and travel to other regions of Europe on Friday through Monday. And since the Houses of Parliament were just down the street from my campus, it worked out great. I just picked a day that I didn’t have much homework to do between classes, and I went to watch!
16. Trafalgar Square ✔
Trafalgar Square is a famous public square located in Central London. Every time I passed this area, I always felt like I was in heart of London. It was always busy and full of people. And for the most part, whenever I went through Trafalgar Square, I had exciting plans ahead of me. One of the most memorable times that I visited Trafalgar Square was when I went to The National Gallery with one of my classes called Salvation and the City: Christian Faith and the Arts. This course was particularly interesting because it had quite a few field trips planned throughout the term, and I actually chose it because I thought it would help me get out and see London. Other spots I saw during this class included Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral due to their religious ties.
17. Buckingham Palace & St. James Park ✔️
As an avid royal watcher, I have quite a few locations on my London bucket list that tie to the royal family. Unfortunately, Buckingham Palace wasn’t open to the public during my time there as a student (the spring term). Although, I was still able to visit the exterior. One particularly memorable day was when I visit Buckingham Palace when they announced the birth of Prince Louis. I waited in line to see the birth announcement.
18. Platform 9 ¾ ✔️
This was another spot that my family had visited during our trip to London in 2011. As big Harry Potter fans, we visited Platform 9 ¾ in King’s Cross Station. I returned to this scene during my time abroad in 2018. However, I didn’t wait around or get a picture. There’s quite a bit of fanfare near this spot due to tourists who regularly visit. I was content just to see it from afar and check it off my list knowing that I already had the experience.
19. Covent Garden ✔️
Covent Garden is a shopping and entertainment hub in London’s West End. I didn’t have any goal for this London bucket list item other than just to check out this neighborhood. It’s easy to get there on the Tube and packed full of boutique shops and restaurants.
20. Harrods ✔️
Harrods refers to itself as “the world’s most famous department store.” It dates back to the 1800s, and it’s full of opulent and luxurious stores. In fact, the department store even enforces a dress code of “no beachwear, no backpacks, and no riff-raff.” Needless to say, I didn’t come even close to buying anything (except maybe some fudge) on my college student budget.
21. The Shard ✔️
The Shard is a famous skyscraper in London that has some of the best views of the city. I constantly used the building to orient myself as I would walk home from class. My brother Jake advised against paying to go up to the top. He recommended grabbing brunch at The Shard instead, which would be close to the same price as a ticket to the top and serve as a fun meal out. I took him up on this idea, and my friend, Jenna, and I went to brunch when she came to visit early in the semester.
22. British Library ✔️
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom as well as one of the largest libraries in the world. I decided that I wanted to study at the British Library at some point in the semester as anyone can use the reading rooms for study and research. You just need a reader pass, and then you’re good to go!
23. The Roebuck’s Ice Cream ✔️
This was a personal bucket list item. During my time in London, I stayed at a King’s College residence hall called Great Dover. Across from Great Dover was a cute pub called The Roebuck. My friends and I frequented The Roebuck in the evenings, and they had homemade ice cream. As I was in London during the spring term (January to May), it was chilly. I wasn’t eating ice cream nightly, but it was on my bucket list to have it
24. Piccadilly Circus ✔️
Piccadilly Circus is one item on this list that could absolutely be removed. I’m not exactly sure why it made the cut, but I think I was looking over a map of London and picking out anything and everything that look important or familiar. I wanted to make sure I left the city having seen everything well-known.
Well, when I got to Piccadilly Circus it was exactly as Google describes it. It was a “road junction and public space of London’s West End.” It was nice to know where it was in relation to everything else in the city, but it wasn’t anything special.
25. 10 Downing Street ✔️
One of the most famous addresses in the world — where the Prime Minister lives! This was yet another repeat of a sight I saw with my family in 2011. However, as it lives amid a ton of other attractions (Buckingham Palace and St. James Park), it didn’t hurt to stop by again.
26. Westminster Abbey ✔️
This was a big one on my London bucket list. When my family visited in 2011, it was only about 10 days before the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Thus, Westminster Abbey was under preparation and couldn’t be accessed for tours.
Fortunately, I was able to visit Westminster Abbey not once but twice. I visited once during the semester with my Salvation and the City class in which we received an official tour, and I return for an Anglican service on a Sunday in May.
27. St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel for Harry Potter Cocktails ✔️
This was a fun night that I had with my friend, Cate. We had heard that the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, located in St. Pancras Station, which is featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, had special Harry Potter cocktails. We had a fun night out tasting them.
28. National Gallery ✔️
As noted above, my Salvation and the City classes toured the National Gallery, which is an art museum in Trafalgar Square. With an attention span of about an hour for anything, I’m not a great love of art museums, but our knowledgeable tour guide greatly enhanced the experience for me. We primarily focused on religious art that’s featured in the museum during our visit.
29. St. Paul’s Cathedral ✔️
Another field trip! My Salvation and the City classes visited St. Paul’s Cathedral on an extended tour. Construction on St. Paul’s began in 1675. It has always stood as the highest point in the city, and this was repeated over and over during the tour. During the Blitz, Prime Minister Winston Churchill used a special group of firewatchers to help protect the cathedral. These members of St. Paul’s Watch would watch for bombs falling on and around the cathedral, looking for opportunities to put them out. During this time, St. Paul’s became a symbol of togetherness, survival, and suffering.
30. Fleet Street Press ✔️
This was another personal item on my London bucket list that wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else. During my walk to school (depending on the route), I would pass Fleet Street Press. It was a coffee shop that looked like a great place to work, and I decided that I needed to stop a try it one day.
31. Timberyard ✔️
This was a coffee shop in Seven Dials that a friend pointed out to me. After that, I made a mental note to head back and study there during finals. I believe I went on the same day that Prince Louis was born which was April 23, 2018.
32. Sky Garden ✔️
Sky Garden is London’s highest public garden where you can get a spectacular view of the city. Every Monday, there are free access tickets released. All you have to do is book your ticket. Don’t pay to see great views of London!
33. Notting Hill ✔️
One Saturday, I decided that I wanted to explore the neighborhood of Notting Hill. I found this self-guided walking tour online and used it to navigate the pretty streets, letting myself get pulled to various attractions along the way. One of those attractions was Portobello Road Market.
Bonus: If you love the movie Notting Hill, you’ll recognize where it was filmed!
34. Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill) ✔️
Portobello Road is a street in the neighborhood of Notting Hill. In fact, it runs almost the length of Notting Hill from north to south. Portobello Road Market occurs every Saturday. It’s known for its second-hand clothes, pastries, and antiques.
35. London Grind ✔️
This is a restaurant, espresso bar, and cocktail bar that’s located just about Borough Market. Because of that, I would pass the Grind multiple times a week and think, “Oh, I should go in there and try that sometime!”
So, onto the London bucket list it went. I ended up going one morning on my way to school. A definite upgrade from the toast I normally ate for breakfast!
36. Gordon’s Wine Bar ✔️
Established in 1890, Gordon’s is London’s oldest wine bar. It’s only minutes away from Trafalgar Square and Covenant Garden. One of the coolest parts about Gordon’s is the ambiance. It has a vaulted candlelit cellar and old oak barrels filled with sherries and port, which makes it a unique spot for a night out.
37. Victoria & Albert Museum ✔️
I hit the V&A Museum with study abroad friends on one Saturday where we packed a lot in. This museum is considered the “world’s leading museum of art, design, and performance.” I remember admiring clothing from different eras in one area of the museum.
38. Football Game ✔️
I wanted to experience an English football (American soccer) game during my time in the U.K. I ended up attending a King’s College London game with my friend Brooke during the semester.
39. Duck & Waffle ✔️
Duck & Waffle is the highest 24-hour restaurant in London. It provides an amazing view from 40 floors up at the summit of the Heron Tower. Jake and I got reservations for Duck & Waffle during our Year 3 trip. And yes…you do need a reservation! Make one here.
40. Afternoon Tea ✔️
In 2018, I wasn’t a regular tea drinker, but I wanted the quintessential afternoon tea experience. When Jake came to visit after our Year 3 Trip, we found this experience at The Rubens at the Palace. Our table was set up to people watch. The menu included finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts along with our selected teas.
41. Catalyst Coffee ✔️
This was yet another hip coffee shop that I constantly passed. You may be sensing a theme here. If I see something enough times, I eventually want to try it. I think about all the other people I see frequenting the business and wonder if it could become a staple in my own routine.
42. Globe Theatre ✔️
The Globe is a world-renowned theater, education center, and cultural landmark located on the bank of the River Thames in London. Depending on the route I took home, I would often pass the Globe, but I would never get near to it. One day later in the semester, I visited closer to the outside. I haven’t, however, seen a play at, which I’ll need to do in the future.
43. Abbey Road ✔️
Here I am crossing Abbey Road with my friend Catherine early in the semester! My family and I had visited during 2011, but I decided to venture back for nostalgia’s sake.
44. Kew Gardens
This was an item on my London bucket list that I just didn’t get to. I attempted to make a few plans to get to Kew Gardens, but it’s out of the city and expensive for a student to enter. I’ll have to make a goal of seeing it on a future trip to London.
45. Somerset House
I’d pass Somerset House each day as I’d commute to the King’s College London campus on the Strand. Every time I passed it, I look inside and wondered what it was. Now, I know it’s an experimental workspace that connects artists, makers, and thinkers with audiences. But it would be nice to one day go inside as it’s fully open to the public.
46. Royal Opera House
I’m no big opera fan, but the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden would be the fancy night out I was missing during my student days in London.
47. The West End
While I saw a couple of plays while in London, I don’t feel that I truly experienced London’s West End. When I return to London, I’d love to take advantage of the presence of professional commercial theater in the city.
48. Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace was home to King Henry VIII and all his wives. It’s a bit out of the way — located in the London borough of Richard upon Thames — but I think it would be a nice sight to see upon my return to London.
49. British Museum
This one may be a bit unnecessary on my London bucket list. I have visited the British Museum in 2011, but I don’t remember anything significant from it. And I probably should, given that it displays some of the world’s finest collections of antiquities.
That said, museums are never my favorite, so it’s easily one that may get cut from a future list depending on how interested an accompanying party is. (This is likely the same attitude I had in 2018 and why I never visited then.)
50. Greenwich
I can safely check Greenwich off on any London bucket list of mind, but I leave it unchecked because I’d like to return to it on my own. When my family visited London in 2011, we stayed in Greenwich and commuted into the city.
This borough of London is rich in history and culture. It’s home to Greenwich Meantime (GMT) as well as royal palaces, vibrant marketplaces, and trendy hangouts. This is on my list for the next time I visit London!