With Royal sites, great shopping, thousands of years of history, a diverse array of British and immigrant cultures, a great music scene, famous landmarks galore, gorgeous parks, luxury hotels and some of the best dinning in the world, London is an epic business or leisure destination. But there are more reasons to visit London than you may know. That’s where we step in.
The latest projections from Visit Britain forecast that they’ll receive over 40 million visitors this year and spend over $32 billion USD, so clearly there are a lot of people who already want to visit London. And if you happen to be one of them read on as we have a few ideas of what to see and do so that you can go deeper than the typical traveler.
First off London may have better Indian food than India. Atul Kolchar was the first Indian Chef to receive a Michelin-Star for his contemporary Indian/British take on Indian food Benares. And there’s Brick Lane the traditional epicentre of Indian food in London, it’s filled with small shops serving a multitude of dishes. In fact all across the city, from upscale to street food, London boasts nearly every style of Indian cuisine… and that’s saying a lot.
Pubs are historic, friendly, affordable and usually have great food. If you don’t fancy a pint, don’t worry, these days they also offer cocktails, usually a good selection of wine and other non-alcoholic drinks. People tend to eat early here and they tend to hit the pub after work, anytime from 4 – 7 pm. So this is a great time feel a part of the community, chat with some Londoners and have a snack, a full meal or just a drinker or cider. Don’t ever make the mistake that pubs are just for drinking, often they’re the community meeting place and one of the favourite local eateries.
London helped spawn the British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who among many more in the 1960’s and the punk and new wave movement of the 1970’s and 80’s, and it still remains a vibrant and exciting city for live music. Counter culture ideas are expressed in art, plays and still by bands looking to make it big. If you’re feeling nostalgic for the music of your youth the Soho Punk Tour is a brilliant way to get to see a different side of London.
And finally the city is resplendent with history, architecture, interesting people, well known icons, buildings made famous by films and literature and lots of nooks and crannies, so it is a photographer’s dream. Bring your camera or just your smartphone and try to capture a landmark from a different angle or just have fun documenting the magical and mundane moments of the city on the Thames.
We love the city and think there are more reasons to visit London than we can count. Aside from the usual tourist fare and must see sights and sounds it’s a surprisingly friendly, walkable and diverse destination. There’s so much more than Union Jacks, Harrods and Black Cabs, although those are all also little part of what makes London great. Visit London and you’ll agree.
