I’ve been in London for three days in September: for the firs time I enjoyed the city with sunny days! It wasn’t the first time in London for me, but I have to admit it: London with the sun is quite cuter!
In these three days I left out museums and everything that could involve tourist attractions. I have decided to focus on the discovery of the english capital, concentrating on the districts I love the most.
Here are my favourite stages.
Notting Hill. It is well known thanks to the homonym movie. Nothing Hill is a residential neighborhood where you can have a walk feeling like if you are on a movie set: extremely well-kept roads, luxurious cars, elegant buildings and sometimes you can also find some streets with colorful houses. The main street is the famous Portobello Road, where there is Portobello Market which crosses the neighborhood from north to south receiving the most fashion shops and restaurants of Nothing Hill. Beside this, the district is also home of vintage shops, sacond hand book shops and a mixture of different cultures and traditions. Where to eat: Unico Gelato & Coffee, to enjoy an italian lunch break.
Regent’s Park e Primrose Hill. We are in the north side of London, Regent's Park is one of the parks symbol of the city. It is well-kept and with a quite elegant style and the best period to visit the park is during the spring season when you can admire the gardens. Primrose hill was a great discovery for me, it is a hill located in the north side of the park which I have never heard about but I suggest you to have a visit there. One I got to the top of the hill I have never thought I would have seen a beautiful view of the park and of London in general.
Camden Town. A quite popular neighborhood well known for its market, the Camden Market, always haunted of hundreds of tourists who are fascinated of the endless numbers of shopping point, multietnical products, art objects, vintage dresses. The cutest part of this district is represented by the mix and match from all around the world: here you can taste special international food and you can find common people who comes from any part of the entire world.
Hyde Park. One of the biggest park in the world, it has a lake, two restaurants e the chance to practice different kind of sports. Inside the park you will also find a fountain in honor of Lady D.
Soho e Mayfair. These two neighborhoods stand out for the elegant hotels and the haute-couture boutiques. Oxford street is one of the most popular streets to go shopping, where you can find the Selfridge big mall. The hot points here are Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square with the National Museum and Leicester Square. Where to eat: the romantic Elan to enjoy a very good breakfast and the famous Sketch where you can have dinner or drink a cocktail.
Chinatown. As any big city, London has its chinese neighborhood too, here you can visit the first chinese district in Europe, born in the ’50. Chinatown is located in the heart of the city between Leicester Square and Soho. A colored area full of oriental buildings, the neighborhood is easily recognizable from the perfumes which invade the surrounding area. Once you cross Charing Cross Road you’ll be in Gerrad Street, full of chinese shops and restaurants.
Covent Garden. Heart of the artistic and cultural life, perfect for shopping too. The center of Covent Garden is Apple Market, a very cute and particular market home of artistic creations, souvenirs and little boutiques. Street artists give their perfomance around pubs, shops, theatres and little restaurants.
Westminster. This is the area in which we can find the most famous London attractions: The Big Ben, The House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park and Buckingham Palace.
The Big Ben, is one of the most iconic image of the city: the Elizabeth Tower main bell of Westminster Building dominates every tourist pictures who visit London, except for the last year, the clock is being restored up to 2021. The neogothic Westminster Palace hosts the House of Parliament. Behind this one, you can see the Westminster Abbey towers, which are UNESCO heritage. In the west side of this area, you can find the exclusive St. James neighborhood, where Buckingham Palace and St. James Park are located, this is my favourite park in London. Buckingh Palace is the current house of the Royal Family and it opens to public only during the summer season, when the Windsor family is on holiday. In front of the Palace you can assist at the changing of the guard, everyday at 11:30am.
Tower Bridge e dintorni. Tower Bridge is, no doubts, another symbol of the city of London. The best you can do is starting a walk from the south of London, so you can reach the bridge from the Tames and enjoy the bridge view. On the north side of Tower Bridge you will find Shoreditch and Brick Lane areas: here you can see a multiethnic atmosphere due to the arrival of migrants all over the years. Nowadays you can find hipster shops, pubs and original vintage boutiques. Brick Lane i salso famous for its Sunday vintage market while Shoreditch has a market everyday of the week, but the best days to visit the market are: Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Finally, I suggest you to go to the Shard, the Renzo Piano skyscraper where you can enjoy a magic view of London. Where to eat: Sushi Samba for dinner or a cocktail, you’ll be on the 39 floor and it will be breathtaking. Borough Market is perfect for a fast lunch, Tha Shard for a typical tea or a special dinner.
