Study Abroad Blog: My five favorite spots around London!
By Mahidhar Sai Lakkavaram
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Last spring, I had the most amazing study abroad experience in London. From cooking for myself for the first time to choosing some really fun and unique classes, I got to try out a lot of new things I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to do before (this includes fish & chips, of course). The best part of my study abroad journey was walking around London. Every day I’d just keep walking around the whole city and finding another gorgeous place that I knew would be perfect for my Instagram story. So, if you’re ever planning to go to London, here are my five favorite places to visit!
5. University College London
I may be biased (just a little bit) but University College London (UCL) is such a pretty campus. Every building I visited was breathtaking, and had such gorgeous interiors that I never wanted to leave. From a cruciform-structured building to an entire art museum right in front of my classroom, UCL had some of the best views for studying in — and you should definitely check it out!
4. St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral was genuinely such a great experience for me. There’s so many gorgeous art murals and sculptures that cover the entire building, and there’s so many parts of it to explore. If you take the tour up to the dome, you can even get an amazing view of the London skyline. Caution — it's 9000 steps! So make sure you’re prepared for the climb up, but I think it's absolutely worth it. I visited the cathedral 30 minutes before it was closing so I RAN up those stairs, but I made it just in time. There’s also a service in the evening, and the cathedral is quite near to Tower Bridge (or what everyone knows as “London Bridge,” even though London Bridge is an entirely different bridge on its own), so you can actually hit up two famous London spots in one go!
3. London Eye/Big Ben
To preface this, I did not actually get on the London Eye (it costs at least 30 pounds a ride — I’m good!) but the surrounding area is SO pretty. My friends and I would walk down the River Thames and look at the London Eye and Big Ben, and see the entire London skyline overlooking the water. It was so fun during the night because we’d get food and see the trains passing by as well, and everything is a lot more lit up, so it was just a magical experience. Definitely walk across those bridges — not only is it great exercise but you get to see the night version of London in a beautiful way.
2. Hyde Park
I’m not the biggest fan of parks — and I didn’t understand the hype until I actually got there, but Hyde Park is definitely one of those must-see London attractions. There’s just so much greenery and deep-rooted history in the park, so walking around it and seeing and learning about it all was a nice evening for me. There were lakes and gardens, but also giant sculptures and structures dispersed throughout the park, so it's really an amazing sight.
1. Camden Market
I went to Camden Market most of the time when I was in London. There’s so many food stalls everywhere, and the shops are all local, so the items they had were just so amazing! It's always busy with tourists, so there’s always just a buzzing vibe to it. I bought most of my presents and souvenirs from Camden Market — it's just such a nice and fun place to walk around and eat!
These are five of MANY amazing places to visit around London. If you couldn’t tell already it's a lot of walking, but that’s just the charm of London.
Do you know any places in London that would be fun to visit? We’d love to communications [at] honors [dot] umass [dot] edu (know your thoughts)!