As I had already explored the East and South sides on my first trip to London, upon returning a second (and third…and fourth) time I stayed on the Western half of the city, just below Hyde Park.

For anyone looking to travel around this side of London, I highly recommend the Hyde Park/Kensington area.

It’s a beautiful part of the city filled with lots of green space, cute neighborhoods, and lots of great attractions.

PALACE OF WESTMINSTER/BIG BEN

The Palace of Westminster, or the House of Parliament as it’s most commonly referred to, is a gorgeous, gothic style building that is the meeting place for the House of Commons and House of Lords (aka parliament). It’s a gorgeous building that has somehow survived numerous fires, and even avoided an attack that would have leveled the palace.

The Palace of Westminster, along with it’s infamous “Big Ben” (or the Elizabeth Tower as it’s officially known), are huge tourist attractions for London and draw hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Fun fact: Big Ben holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world (Minneapolis City Hall being the first).

I didn’t go into the House of Parliament or Big Ben, but am saving that for another time. Plus it’s cool enough on the outside!

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Westminster Abbey is a large, Gothic church in the City of Westminster, next door to the Palace of Westminster. It has been the traditional place of coronation for British royalty, and a burial site for monarchs and other notable people of history. Since 1100, there have been at least 16 royal weddings at the abbey.

For a slightly hefty £20 I was able to take a tour inside the Abbey (complete with audio guide to explain everything to you). Unfortunately pictures are not allowed inside the church, so in order to see the inside you’ll just have to jump the pond and see it for yourself! Or google it.

However, since I am a science nerd at heart, I do have to tell you a quick story.

I was haphazardly listening to the introduction audio on my guide as I was walking through the first bit of the church, until I heard the guide say, “Make sure you keep an eye out for the graves of some of the world’s most notable scientists, including Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton.”

Let me tell you, at those words I had a HARD CORE science geek out. I started searching that area of the Abbey high and low until I found them. At that point I was so tempted to sneak a picture. Even if you’re not a science person, come on…that is just pretty damn cool.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE/CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Buckingham Palace doesn’t need much of an introduction…I think we all know what it is. But just in case you don’t, Buckingham Palace is the home and principal workplace of the monarchy of the United Kingdom.

The main reason tourists head over to the Palace is to witness the Changing of the Guard. It happens almost every day at 11am (my hostel had a schedule up for us in the kitchen area which was very convenient), but if you want to get a good viewing point you need to be there at least a half hour early. And go on a weekday. I walked past the Palace on a weekend one day (forgetting it was Saturday), took one look at the crowds assembling to watch the ceremony, and went “NOPE”.

But finally, on my third time in the city, I made it to a Changing of the Guard ceremony.

On my way to the Palace I even got to see the Queen’s Life Guard (or the mounted guards), ride through the streets on the way to their own Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard - Horse Guard Parade.

While it was interesting, and something every tourist should witness I think, it was also pretty boring. And LONG. I had no idea what they were doing (or yelling) half the time. I can fully appreciate that it’s a long standing tradition, and it was interesting to watch…for the first 15 minutes. I left after about 40 minutes and they didn’t look anywhere near done.

SO MUCH MORE

There are many other places to visit in the West of London, including Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, the Royal Albert Hall, museums galore, Leicester Square, the theater district, Oxford Circus, Kensington Palace/Gardens, Portobello Road, Notting Hill, and so much more.

Royal Albert Hall

Kensington Palace/Gardens

Trafalgar Square

I visited all of these places throughout my London visits, but this blog post would be a mile long if I tried to get into all of them. I guess you’ll just have to visit the amazing city yourself!

And if you need a London travel buddy let me know…this is one city I know I will be coming back to over and over again.

Have you ever been to London? What was your favorite place to visit?