Things to Do in London: Spring Getaway for Two

Spring is a great season to experience all the amazing things to do in London with your loved one. This is the time of year perfect for you to spend some alone-time with each other as the English city is mostly sunny and the visiting crowd is not yet in full force.

There are so many hotels in London that you can choose from. The best thing to do is to choose a hotel near the attractions in London that you plan to visit. The Crowne Plaza London is conveniently located near London’s historic sights. In fact, it actually just stands about 300 yards from the Buckingham Palace.

The first thing you should do is join the Original London Sightseeing Tour. The tour allows you to hop on and hop off , and take pictures of top London attractions such as the Big Ben and the London Bridge, to name just a few. Tickets for this tour are valid within twenty four hours after the first use and includes a Thames River Cruise.

Note: Be sure to hop off at the Buckingham Palace at 11:30 a.m. to witness the Changing of the Guard. However, leave yourself some extra time and get there early as there are bound to be many others there with you.

Continue to Leicester Square, located at the heart of London, for lunch. The Ivy, one of London’s premier restaurants, is a must-try. The Ivy serves exquisite modern British-European cuisine and offers a long list of nothing but the finest wines. One more thing you should do in Leicester Square is to get caricatures of yourselves made by local artists that you and your significant other can laugh at together.

There are so many beautiful parks in London. Richmond Park is a nice place to walk off your lunch and just be together. There is a corner in the park where pathways are lined up with the beautiful blossoming flowers that send a refreshing feeling and create a romantic atmosphere. Other things to do with your partner in this London park are horseback riding and boating.

Check out Covent Garden for some of the most interesting things to do in London. Plunge in the crowd of locals and fellow-visitors at the Covent Garden Piazza. Let the musicians, living statues, break dancers, mime artists and other street performers entertain you. Grab this chance to shop for London memorabilia and souvenirs you wish to bring home for yourselves or to give to your family and friends.

Another thing you should do in London is to visit the Tower Bridge, which is a spectacular masterpiece. Go to Tower Bridge when the sun is about to set. Brace yourselves and get your cameras ready as you are definitely going to find yourselves awed by the majestic sight.

Take your better half for a romantic dinner at the Clerkenwell Dining Room where you get to experience authentic British cuisine with a classy and sophisticated ambiance. Be sure to make reservations as the Clerkenwell Dining Room is one of the most notable dining options in London. There are also a great deal of ethnic restaurants in London, such as the amazing curry establishments. With varying budget levels, anyone can have a great meal.

London is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, and it is clearly obvious why. A couple of days’ visit is not enough. As your spring trip winds down, you will definitely think of coming back, listing more things to do in London you wish to discover and experience.

Travel guides: Bankside, London, UK

I’m standing on a narrow, cobbled street in London, looking up at a blackened corpse hanging in a gibbet. This guy must have done something pretty diabolical, like steal a loaf of bread, or perhaps he even insulted the Bishop. It was probably the latter, because the Bishop’s palace is just a few hundred yards down the street, not far from his brothels.

Let me explain. I’m on the south bank of the river Thames, between Blackfriars Bridge and Tower Bridge. Now a pleasant and clean riverside walk, until fairly modern times this place was a sink of iniquity, a cesspool of low-life, and a magnet for the worst elements in society. And because of its colourful history, there is no better introduction to London: this particular day out will take you right to the heart of the city. Geoffrey Chaucer and his fellow pilgrims set off from a pub around here (the long lost Tabard Inn) en route to Canterbury over six hundred years ago, and there’s plenty of walking (and drinking) for us too as we set off on our own secular pilgrimage.

Invaders Ancient and Modern

Southwark started life as a Roman camp at the time of Claudius’ invasion of Britain in AD 43, with the stretch now known as Bankside being occupied by brothels to service the troops. With such an illustrious origin, the area promised one hell of a future, and it certainly rose to the challenge: taverns, bars, gambling joints, cockpits and bear- and bull-baiting rings were a feature here for centuries, always attracting the lowest elements in society, such as robbers, murderers and actors.

To explore this fascinating area which you can easily cover in a leisurely day’s stroll get the tube to London Bridge and walk down the steps past Southwark Cathedral. Within a couple of minutes you’ll reach a replica of Francis Drake’s 16th century warship the Golden Hinde, on which he sailed around the world and wreaked havoc on Spanish shipping, before returning to England laden with treasures for Elizabeth I. He actually died of fever in the South Seas, but there is a legend that should England ever face mortal danger again, Sir Francis Drake will return, sailing up the Thames to the rescue, his drum beating as it did on the night he died. Not surprisingly, Drake’s Drum was reported frequently when the Nazis replaced the Spaniards and the Luftwaffe was the new Armada: some dictators just never learn. After appreciating this legendary and fascinating ship, have a drink or pub lunch’ if you’re feeling

The Spirit of London

The city has also rediscovered its river. The area between the South Bank Arts Centre, which includes the National Theatre, and Tower Bridge, has been brought back to life and the city has found a new heart along the forgotten riverside. As you walk eastwards along the river from Westminster, you will discover that old warehouses have been transformed into galleries, shops and clubs.

Across the river from London Bridge is “The City of London” the financial district of the capital. The City has its own historic delights such as the 15th century Guildhall and churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The best way to explore the City is on foot. For instance, you can “walk through the ages”, starting from Fournier Street and ending at the modern Lloyd’s building on Lime Street. Remember, however, that in London you are never far away from the past; the old-fashioned red telephone boxes are becoming popular again and many London pubs- where a visitor might ask for a pint of bitter- have been restored to the original Victorian beauty.

But the capital is not only a historical theme park. It is a lively and exciting metropolis which is well-known for its popular culture, music, clubs, street fashion, and visual arts. Today, many of its wide variety of restaurants claim to be as good as in any other European capitals. For example, Marco Pierre White’s highly recommended restaurant at the Hyde Park Hotel is a perfect example of new English cuisine- unusual, sophisticated and extremely expensive. When it comes to shopping, Covent Garden and King’s Road in Chelsea offer a mixture of reasonably priced chainstore clothing and unique boutiques selling everything from rave gear to skateboards.

Shoppers with full wallets and more sophisticated tastes should head for Knightsbridge, where Harrods and Harvey Nichols compete to be the most exclusive department store in London.
Much of London’s energy and originality is now centered in Soho, the city’s liveliest and most bohemian area, squeezed in between the department stores of Oxford Street and the bookshops of Charing Cross Road. Soho, once considered one of the dirtiest and most dangerous parts of London, was cleaned up in the early 1980’s. Today, with its gurgling cappuccino machines and pavement cafes, it has become a meeting place for all kinds of people from all over the world, whatever the hour of day or night.

So, even if you are new to the city, you don’t have to try hard on order to experience the real London. Despite its heavy traffic and shaking underground railway, it’s still one of the world’s greatest and most cosmopolitan cities.