FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO IN LONDON

After writing my blog post on my favourite food places in London I thought I would write one about my favourite places to visit and things to do London, other than eating. I'd say the number one place I would recommend to anyone visiting London is the Sky Garden. It's basically a garden in the sky, if you couldn't guess from the name, it's on the top floor of the walkie talkie building which is opposite the Shard across the River Thames. They have a variety of events on year round, from sunrise yoga to late night live music bands, theres something for everyone. I've just been in the day where you can get free entry to have a look around the garden and over the views London. There are two cafes/ bars up there which sell a variety of drinks from coffees to cocktails and snacks, I will pre warn you it is very expensive, I paid £14 for my cocktail but it's nice to enjoy whilst looking over the views. There are seating areas throughout and sofas to chill and enjoy the surroundings and also an open air balcony on the front looking over the River Thames. There is also a resturant which is raised within the garden to get the best over looking views, I haven't been in there as it's quite expensive but I'm sure it would be great. Theres a lot of photo ops so if your looking for Instagramable spot this is the place to go. To get tickets to go up there, you have to go on there website and they are released a week before the date and it's first come first serve and the spaces do fill up quickly so make sure you are on there as soon as possible. Once you are up there you have no time restriction so you can enjoy it for as long as you like.

The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, this is an art gallery located on Kings Road. I've been to this gallery a couple of times and both times I've been amazed by the work there. The exhibitions and work being show reguarly changes and it's always really unique and innovative work. It's a great place for those you like art but not just paintings and sculptures, it's all very modern and relevant to the current day society. It's free to go into, it's quite small but has a wide variety of artists work on show. Chelsea is also an amazing place to visit, is so beautiful with all the classic houses and some very unique stores and cafes. There are also some gorgoues parks and scenery for a more chill day than the hectic London.

When I went in summer last year I went to something called Summer by the River, its a free food and music festival on the side of the River Thames by Tower Bridge. We went one evening after going out for dinner and there was loads of small bars offering a variety of drinks and live music filled with art and lights to create an amazing atmosphere. We also went in the day when it was really sunny and everyone was out day drinking and all the children were enjoying themselves. We brought a jug of Pimms and sat and enjoyed the live music. It is a bit pricey but it's an amazing location and atmosphere so its worth the bit extra. There is also some rides and we went on one of the really high swing rides and had the most amazing, unique views of London.

Speaking of the Tower Bridge, thats also a great thing to do whilst in London. It gives you amazing views across the Thames River and London, you walk up one side where you are told to story and history of the bridge and then across the bridge where the floor is transparent so you can see straight down on the the river and the cars crossing the bridge, this would be great to be on when a big boat goes through the bridge and they have to lift the bridge. You learn so much about the bridge so if your interested in the history this would be great to visit, but its also really interesting to those less interested in history as the experience is very engaging and interactive with the way they have set it all up. It is around £10 a ticket dependent on age, but I actually used a trainline 2 for 1 voucher so it was half price, if you travel by train definetly look into the 2 for 1 vouchers as they are valid at so many amazing places including restuarants and monuments.

My favorite places to shop would be Covent Garden and Carnaby street. Covent garden does have as big of a variety for shops but the resturants and cafes there are amazing and really unique. The whole aesthetic is beautiful there so if your wanting an instagram thats the place to go. There are also quite a few high end stores there so its quite a prestigious area so it's well maintained, but you do have to pay to go to the public toilets. It is also home to two of my favourite food places; Shake Shack and Flat Iron so its definetly worth the visit. Carnaby street as a lot more of typical, but not so typical high street stores such as Skinny Dip, Brandy Melville and Size? There is some more unique but affordable stores in this area and also my favourite cookie place, Bens Cookies. They always have amazing lights and decorations up along the street which are gorgoues to see and it's right next to the Selfridges store which is a must see.