Traveling in UK

London is a real treasure of sights for all ages, any time of the year, 24 hours a day. It’s worth visiting either for a longer weekend or on your way to the next destination. From Sofia to London there are many regular direct flights with Bulgaria Air, British Airways, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Easy Jet – whose promotions are worth checking. For budget hotels, it’s also worth googling, we were particularly pleased with our stay at the London Waterloo (Westminster Bridge) hotel, which is just steps away from Big Ben and Parliament and offers excellent family rooms, and during our previous stay we were at Motel One London-Tower Hill – a few steps from the fabulous Tower of London and the impressive Tower Bridge. Here are some of my family’s favorite places in London, a city that certainly worth visiting again.

Undoubtedly, one of the symbols of the city is the famous Big Ben, that also stays on most of our photos in London. In fact, the name Big Ben does not stand for the 106-meter tall clock tower, but for the 13 tonnes bell that rings every hour. It is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief Superintendent of Construction, when in 1858 the bell was pinned. It is the largest clock in the UK.  whose arrows are respectively 7.5 meters and 4.25 meters.

Next to Big Ben is the Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster, erected on the banks of the River Thames and contains 1,100 rooms, 100 stairs and 5 km of corridors. It is the seat of both houses of the UK Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords).

Particularly beautiful is the view of the parliament and the clock tower from the London Eye Ferris wheel, located on the opposite bank of the Thames. With a height of 135 meters on a clear day, it reveals a 40-kilometer view in all directions of London. The Ferris wheel consists of 32 transparent cabins that can accommodate up to 25 people, and one full tour lasts 30 minutes.

Just below the Ferris wheel is the London Aquarium, which has sharks and other aquatic inhabitants of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that can be viewed through huge windows. We looked for fish during our boat tour on the Thames, and although we did not see any, we succeed to catch wonderful panoramic photos of the city.

The boat left us near the Tower of London, which is actually a fortified Royal Palace, with a museum where you can explore 1000 years of history. According to legend, “if the ravens leave the palace, the Kingdom will fall” and therefore at least 6 ravens are always kept here. At the time, the royal zoo with exotic animals such as polar bears, lions, kangaroos, elephants, etc. was kept here, and it wasn’t until 1835 that the animals were moved to the new London Zoo. For a long time, the palace served as a prison, but today it has generously opened its doors inviting visitors of all ages to reveal its long history and rich treasures.

The castle is undoubtedly very impressive but the situated in the vicinity London Bridge (Tower Bridge) seems to grab kids’ attention more easily. Erected in 1894 and to this day the bridge remains one of the symbols of the English capital. The two towers of the bridge are 65 meters high and their pointed peaks resemble palace towers. Usually the bridge is raised at least once a day, and on the website  http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/  you can check when this will happen. Especially beautiful is the bridge in the evening when it shines with thousands of lights.

We ate relatively cheaply in the Pret-a-manger restaurant chain, on the opposite side of the Tower of London, after which we took an evening walk along the glamorous shores of the Thames.

We started the next day with a tour of the London Zoo, which we highly recommend. With over 720 species of animals, the park is an ideal place for immersion in the animal world, with numerous animal cages open to visitors and children can literally touch a monkey or lemur that approaches them. It is also allowed to enter the cages of domestic animals, such as sheep, rabbits, etc., with children having direct contact with animals. The zoo is also full of interesting signs and curious facts about all animals. The most interesting are perhaps the animal shows, the program of which is announced on the official website of the zoo (https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo), as well as at the main entrance of the park. So children can see how animals eat, dance and what tricks have learned. If it was up to the kids, we could spend the whole day here, but London offers too many attractions to stay in just one of them. However, at the entrance we took some very funny and amusing photos that will keep our memories of our visit there.

An unforgettable is also the visit to the Museum of Madame Tussauds. To avoid long queues, we had booked tickets online (https://www.madametussauds.co.uk/london/en/) for a specific time, but we still could not avoid the queues. However, the crowds of tourists did not spoil our mood for photos with the wax figures of celebrities, and among the models there were many children’s characters, like Shrek, Thinker bell and others. The most interesting for our children remained at the end of the museum, where we rode a roller coaster through the sights and history of London, reaching the unique cinema hall with 4d screenings of the superheroes who save London.

We also managed to visit the most famous store in London – Harrods, which at night is lit by 11,500 bulbs. A phenomenal ending to another glamorous day in London.

Over the next two days, we took some day trips. The first day to Colchester, where it is undoubtedly one of the best zoos in Europe. The next day to the famous Winsor Castle and the mystical Stonehenge, which we visited with a program of the Golden Tours Visitors Centre, whose organization and performance were excellent.

We left the most interesting thing in London for the last day – the ride of the double-decker tourist buses. Red two-story buses were one of the symbols of the city and we couldn’t wait to get on them. Hop-on-Hop-off rides offered 24-tickets valid for the 5 lines passing through all the sights of London, including a free boat ride on the Thames.

During this journey we took photos of the beautiful building of St. Pancras station, as well as of the colorful square of Piccadilly Circus. We also managed to photograph the famous concert hall Albert Hall, erected in 1871 looking like a Roman amphitheater. The impressive building is famous for its excellent acoustics and numerous concerts and operas.

We got off the bus at the Natural History Museum. The entrance to the museum is free of charge, but the queues outside are sometimes quite discouraging. Fortunately, one employee saw that we were with children and offered us to go through the side entrance, where the queue was far smaller. The museum is unique and diverse, suitable for all ages and interests. On the ground floor we were welcomed by a dinosaur in real size, like many other animal species from around the world. Upstairs there is an interactive scientific section with information about planets, various phenomena, as well as real stones from the moon.

With the richest collection, not only in England but also in the world, remains the other London museum, the famous British Museum, where the entrance is also free of charge. There are historical treasures and artifacts from all over the world. So, if you are interested in mummies, Greek statues or medieval treasures – be sure to book some time for it as well.    

We continued our tour with the double-decker buses, getting off at St. Paul Cathedral, where Diana was married. One of the attractions of the cathedral is the climb of 530 steps (over 83 meters), which lead to the Golden Gallery, from where a panoramic view of the city is revealed. However, the panorama from the Ferris wheel was enough for us and we continued our bus ride, showering the city with pictures.

Although for a short time we managed to have a walk in one of the largest and most beautiful parks in London: Hyde Park. We admired the beautiful swans in Lake Serpentine, then headed to the nearby Buckingham Palace. We had missed the changing of the guard, but even so, we succeed to take a pick through the fence of the palace. and admired its beautiful building. Children are amazed at the fact that royal personalities have lived here since 1837 and once the flag is raised,  we knew that they’re home, when they’re gone, the flag is down. The palace has 775 rooms, 760 windows and 1,514 doors.

London impressed us. It is a wonderful city with numerous attractions and entertainment for all ages and tastes. Children will certainly not be bored here, and parents always have something new to see, preserving their childish admiration for the city.  

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LONDON:

Location:  London is located in the southeastern part of Great Britain, with the River Thames passing through the city dividing London into two parts (north and south), with the historic center and most of the sights located on the north coast.