Whether you have a week, a day, or just a few spare hours in London, be sure to avoid the tourist sites and instead experience some of the city’s great past and delicious traditions.
Writing a guide to London sets itself up to writing a book with everything it has to offer! So to shorten things up a bit, Jetstream’s guide to London focuses on seeking out some of the unique traditions that can still be found in this royal city.
When you think of London, what is the first thing you think of? The red phone boxes? Black taxi cabs? Perhaps good old Fish ‘n’ Chips? Indeed these are some of the most recognized symbols of London that help to attract some of the 15m visitors to the city each year, so lets take a closer look at these and other London qualities.
Riding in Style
The best way to see the city is by jumping in the back of a Hackney Carriage, more commonly known as a Black Cab. But did you know that to become an official London Black Cab driver you have to complete what is known as The Knowledge? Keep an eye out for the guys on mopeds with a clipboard and a map on the front, buzzing around London — they are learning one of 320 routes across the city – part of their extensive training that takes over 32 months to complete, and will eventually lead them to a career as a ‘London Cabbie’. Of course, London’s underground system, referred to as ‘the Tube’, is also a great way to move around. But for the best views, nothing beats sitting on the top of a bright red double decker bus.
Up early?
For the early birds (or if you’re still suffering with jetlag) head over to one of the wholesale markets in London. Here you will get a real feel for the traders who keep the whole country in produce.
Smithfield’s is a must-see for meat lovers. Located in the original buildings dating back to 1868, over 40 traders are dealing in livestock and meat. The best time to visit is between 3-6am, when the market is at its liveliest. Be sure to grab a Bacon Buttie (Sandwich) before you head out. SMITHS of Smithfield is a popular choice but any café (pronounced ‘caff’ in London) will be able to serve up this British breakfast tradition.
If fish is more your thing, then head over to the Canary Wharf area to visit Billingsgate Market. Here you’ll find the largest selection of fish in the UK, where 25,000 tonnes of fish and fish products are sold each year. The market was moved to its current location in 1982, but trading on the original site is reported to have gone back as far as the early 16th century.
A Foodies Paradise
With all this talk of ingredients, let’s point you in the direction of some of the best traditional British fare. No visit to London is complete without sampling the classic Fish and Chips dish. Every town in England has at least one “Chippie” as it is locally known, but in London The Sea Shell in Lisson Grove, West London, is a firm favorite and has been keeping hungry customers coming back for more then 40 years. While you’re in the neighborhood, make sure to pay a visit to London Zoo or visit the home of cricket at Lord’s Cricket Ground, or perhaps take a walk around the charming Primrose Hill area (the perfect place for people watching and celebrity spotting). Climb to the top of the hill for a great view over London.
From one food tradition to another, well two actually, as they go hand in hand: the pub and a Sunday Roast.
Together with the local Chippie, there is at least one pub at the heart of every community across the country, and in London alone there are over 7,000! One of the best ways to sample a few is to join an organized “pub crawl” that will take you on a walking tour, stopping at a number of pubs on the route. (See our links below for suggestions). But if time is short, we recommend heading to Fleet Street, an area steeped in history and home to some very special “Ale Houses’. One of them is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which has cellars dating back to the 13th century. Charles Dickens was a frequent customer and even mentioned the pub in Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities.
Before you head out of this area, take a stroll along Fleet Street and the surrounding streets, where it feels like a step back in time. Walk down to St Paul’s Cathedral before heading over the Millennium Bridge to the cultural center of London, the South Bank. Here you have a huge choice of attractions, from a viewing at the Tate Modern to a spin on the London Eye, what ever you do, the South Bank will draw you in and before you know it you can lose yourself for a whole day in this eclectic area.
So, back to tradition and the Sunday Roast. Whether it is roasted lamb, roasted pork or roasted beef, this Sunday tradition has long been the center of family life in the UK. Served with roasted potatoes, gravy and a selection of vegetables, each dish has its own traditional accompaniment; mint sauce for the lamb, crackling with applesauce for the pork and, the most popular of all is the Yorkshire pudding served with beef. We recommend The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead, North London. This 16th Century ‘country pub in the city’ has a fascinating history and is considered by Londoner’s as one of the best places for a Sunday Roast.
Before we step away from the culinary traditions, we cannot fail to mention one of the oldest dishes from London – the Jellied Eel. This typical East End favorite, which dates back to the 18th century, is eaten cold and is made from chopped eels, boiled in a stock that is left to cool and set into a jelly. Once the food of London’s poor, the tradition is still kept alive by some of the original family-owned restaurants, such as Goddard’s in Greenwich (which also serves the traditional pie and mash with Liquor gravy); M Manze, which is owned by the original founder’s grandson and located near Tower Bridge and Cooke’s in Hoxton.
Ok, enough food for now; time to move on to another great pastime and one which can be enjoyed aplenty in the capital – shopping! Besides the popular shopping areas, such as Oxford Street or the Kings Road, there are several gems that should be visited. Here are our top 3:
Retail Therapy
Synonymous with traditional bespoke gentleman’s tailoring, London’s Saville Row was once home to the ‘who’s who’ of tailors. Unfortunately today, very few remain, but it is still worth a visit to the home of Gieves & Hawkes. Having dressed most of the British Royal family, including the Queen’s grandfather George V, the company has been offering handcrafted tailoring since 1771.
Once you have been measured up, you should head over to Selfridges – considered the best department store in the world. Founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1909, who once claimed he was willing to sell anything “from an aeroplane to a cigar”, the iconic store is the ultimate retail experience, internationally known for its creative retail space. One such space, launched in 2010, is the Shoe Galleries, the largest shoe department in the world, boasting 4000 pairs of shoes.
One last must-see shop you need to visit, especially if you have children in tow, is Hamleys on Regent Street – the oldest toy shop in the world. With a choice of over 50,000 items, spread over 7 floors, this is a kid’s paradise (even if you don’t have the kids with you, it is still worth a visit).
There really is too much to see and do to fit in one article so here are some additional links that we have selected to help plan your visit! Enjoy your trip to London – please send us a postcard!
We hope the following links will provide you with more info and insight into the many options for an exciting visit to London.
Local Airports:
There are 11 airports serving the London area. Depending on your final destination it is worth looking into which ones provides you with the best service for your needs. The airports on the outskirts of London offer competitive fees, connection options and fewer restrictions, making them an attractive option when flying into or out of London.
Links to Learn More
Jellied Eels and other British Food
Other Places to Visit
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