“Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be” –Oscar Wilde
I was lucky enough to spend a gorgeous and sunny day exploring London on our last bank holiday. So if you are looking for some inspiration of things to do and see in London then here is a day’s travel guide to adventuring around England’s capital city. We started off in Hyde Park after getting off the train in Marylebone. We then headed to the Tate Britain and the Van Gough exhibition. Westminster was next on the list with Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Finally, we headed around the beautiful area of Covent Garden. You simply can’t beat the atmosphere of London on a sunny day.
Hyde Park
We started our walk in the north of the park, as we came out of the Lancaster Gate tube station which is just over the road from Hyde Park. This means you can start your walk in the Italian gardens, which has some beautiful flowers and fountains in it. We walked right down the length of the park, down to the Princess Diana Memorial Garden. This was a beautiful walk, it’s great to be in London but surrounded by green, open space. It’s a lovely walk past the Serpentine river too. For the route we walked, we exited the park very near to Hyde Park Corner tube station. This is a good place to come out if you then need to get a tube after your trip to the park.
There are so many great spots for a picnic and also some great places for food and drink. There were lots of people renting bikes which I’d love to do in the future. There are a few places throughout the park where you can buy food and drink too. If you know the route you are walking then maybe just check on the map when you get there to see where you could pick something up. We had a coffee and pastry from the Italian Gardens Cafe, which was gorgeous. There are also tables to sit and eat here if you want a stop off and appreciate the Italian Gardens at the same time. The cafe was on the more expensive side for food so if you are on a budget you may want to bear this in mind. The Serpentine Bar and Kitchen also looked like a great food and drink option. It has a fabulous view and is set right on the edge of the river. There are also tables outside which look like a great spot for a sunny day. You can also rent boats on the Serpentine if you are wanting to do a bit of rowing!
EY Van Gough Exhibition- Tate Britain
The Tate Britain is an art museum which was opened in the Millbank area in 1897. It houses art from 1500 up to the present day. We got to the gallery by getting off the tube at Pimlico station then walking from there. It was only a ten minute walk and the gallery is sign posted which makes it very easy to find.
This exhibition was brilliant, with a good balance of Van Gough’s work and also information about his life and inspiration for his work. It was wonderful to see his iconic paintings in person. ‘The Starry Night’ is my favourite of his work, but the famous ‘Sunflowers IXXI’ is also a stunning piece.
The exhibition was extremely busy when we went so bear this in mind when you go in. Some of the paintings were very crowded, but it seemed to get less busy as we progressed through the exhibit rooms.
Here is a link to the exhibition information if you are wanting to look in to visiting. It is running until the 11th of August, but you have to book your tickets in advance as it’s been a very popular attraction. Also, if you are between the ages of 16-25 you can get in for just £5! I just had to sign up to the ‘Tate Collective Scheme’ on their website, which gives young people discounts on any exhibition. I would’ve paid £22 for a ticket without doing that, so definitely worth doing! You just need age ID when you go in so they can confirm you are between 16-25.
The architecture of the building is beautiful. There is also a restaurant and cafe inside the museum, we had lunch in the cafe. The food was delicious, but again on the slightly more pricey side. There is also a water machine in the cafe which is handy if you are needing to fill up bottles, sometimes this can be tricky when you’re out and about all day.
We also had a wander round the other rooms in the Tate Britain outside of the Van Gough exhibition. All of these are free to enter! There was a mix of older works, more modern ones, and also quite a few sculptures funky sculptures.
This piece below has a very interesting finding to it. Sonia Boyce invited people to come to be photographed in an afro wig. But from sourcing the wigs, she realised they were only available in fancy dress and costume shops as opposed to any of the hair shops in London. She realised this was due to them being used as a trigger of mockery against African-Caribbeans.
The gift shop had a large range of lovely gifts, all ranging in price. There was everything from books, postcards, clothes and art prints to purchase.
The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben
We walked up to Westminster from the Tate Britain as it was just a short walk up the Thames. We walked past the houses of parliament and Big Ben which is a good walk if you want to experience the busy nature of London! This is also a good spot to visit if you are wanting to visit the classic London tourist spots. Bear in mind if you are visiting at the moment, Big Ben is covered in scaffolding due to the construction and repair work going on.
This statue of Emmeline Pankhurst is near the Houses of Parliament. Pankhurst was one of the leading figures in the suffragette movement in Britain who fought for women’s rights to vote.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden has its own tube station so it makes to a very easy location to get to. We travelled from Westminster tube station and with a few changes, it was a pretty easy and quick journey.
We had a good browse around the covered markets, which are also near to all the other shops. The markets had a lot of vintage jewellery and furniture if you are interested in retro stuff! We aslo saw some really great street performers, from painters to a man doing the limbo which was on fire! If you have time, I would highly recommend stopping to watch some of the acts as there were some brilliant ones. It also creates a lovely atmosphere when everyone gathers around to watch.
“London is a roost for every bird”- Benjamin Disraeli
This concludes this London day guide! I hope you enjoy your trip if you are visiting soon.
Looking for another city break? Have you seen the wonders that Edinburgh has to offer in my blog post?!
Hope you are having a great day where ever you are in the world,
Mol x
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