Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: 3 Days in London, UK

April 2-5, 2015 ---- The trip to London is part of our 10-day trip in the UK, and it wouldn't have happened if Nathan didn't have a conference in Edinburgh after the Easter break. So it was a long weekend, and I thought it would be nice to just spend the Easter holiday in the mother land of the English speaking world.

We actually stayed in London for five nights, but we toured around the capital only three full days and spent the rest outside of the city. Traveling during Easter break was a little difficult because most people in Europe also travel on this holiday. Plus many attractions were closed or had shorter opening hours and some places were very crowded.

We didn't really have a very smooth trip at the beginning. First, our plane was delayed, so we didn't get to the city center till after midnight when the Tube, or metro, was already closed. We had to pay £20 and take a taxi from Victoria Station to our hostel in Swiss Cottage. Moreover, the Tube's "Jubilee Line" was closed for the entire holiday, so we had to rely on buses for traveling from our hostel to the city center, and that took longer.

However, aside from all the hassles we encountered, we were truly enjoying every single minute we spent in London. In fact, we were surprised that we enjoyed it so much more than we had expected. For me, I had never thought of going to London because I thought it's just like any other capital city: big, busy, dirty, and not interesting. To my surprise, London is very clean, well-organized, convenient, and VERY attractive. Moreover, the services were all good and people were nice and attentive. After living in non-English speaking countries for almost two years, England really made us feel like home, comfortable and relaxed.

Accommodation: Because we are a poor young couple, we had to tighten our budget on this trip. Hotels in London are extremely expensive, especially on holidays. So we decided to just stay in a youth hostel "Palmers Lodge" in Swiss Cottage. It was our first time staying in a dorm-like hostel and sharing bedroom and bathroom with many other budget travelers. I have to say that it was very clean, quiet and comfortable, and we got a lot of privacy because every bed had a curtain. It was probably the best hostel we will every get on this planet.

Transportation: London is very accessible and has many means of transportation. We took Gatwick Express from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station. The taxi was expensive and should be avoid for all budget travelers. In the city, we bought an Oyster Card from a machine located in all Tube stations and used it for buses and the metro or Tube. It was cheaper to use the Oyster Card since we got a much lower fare than paying by cash for a single ride. We added money to the card occasionally and at the end of our stay in London, we just got all the leftover cash back. Simple and Easy. Overall, we walked more than taking a bus or Tube since most attractions are close to each other. Plan wisely for what you want to do or see on each day.

Food & Restaurant: Like I mentioned earlier, we are poor tourists. In the morning we just made our own breakfast at our hostel's tiny kitchen. At lunch we relied on sandwiches, macaroni and/or veggie salads from Tesco supermarket located through out London. It isn't bad at all since Tesco has a meal deal for £3 and you can pick from over ten kinds of sandwiches or pasta salads + a bag of chip or candy + one drink (water/juice/soda). For dinner we picked what we really wanted to try in London. We skipped the "Fish&Chips" (boring food) and went for more interesting ethnic food like Indian or Portuguese food. Generally we spent around £20- £35 for each dinner.

Attractions: There is a lot to do and see in London. While a lot of museums are free, many must-visit sites aren't. As a result, it can get very expensive if you want to visit many places. The best way to "do more and pay less" is by getting the London Pass. We bought our passes online and got a 10% discount and picked them up when we arrived London. The pass included entrance fees to most major attractions in the city, so it'll be very worthwhile if you plan your trip accordingly. I paid £77 for the 3-day London Pass and I used it to visit sites that ended up being a total cost of £162. Super saver!

Our Trip Itinerary: I spent a lot of time planning this trip because it was on the Easter holiday and many tourist sites closed or had shorter opening hours. I also wanted to make sure that I got the most out of the London Pass, so here what we did for 3 days.

Day 1

To see: with Rick Steves's free audio tour "Westminster Walk" we walked pass Westminster Square -- Big Ben -- House of Parliament -- Westminster Bridge -- London Eye -- Thames River -- Whitehall Parliament Street -- 10 Downing Street -- Horse Guards -- Trafalgar Square -- (and Soho)

To enter: Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms -- The Guard Museum -- British Museum -- The National Gallery

To eat: Mother Mash --- It was our first time having this traditional British comfort food. I got Champ Mash + Chicken, Leek, Bacon Pie + Traditional Gravy. Very tasty!

Day 2

To see: St. James's Park -- Buckingham Palace

To enter: Westminster Abbey -- Household Cavalry Museum -- Queen's Gallery -- Royal Mews -- Kensington Palace

To eat: Nando's --- It has an interesting and tasty grilled chicken. I believe that it's a Portuguese food. A set for two is about £20.

Day 3

To see: We were on Thames River Cruise seeing London from the river. We also walked on Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral

To enter: Thames River Cruise -- Tower of London -- Tower Bridge -- H.M.S. Belfast -- Shakespeare Globe Theater

To eat: Tayyabs --- It was some of the best Indian food we have ever had!

Our Favorite Sites: It's difficult to say what we like most because we pretty much liked everything we did/saw in London! The most standouts are:

1. Westminster Abbey --- Although we had to stand in line for an hour, it was worth the wait. The interior was stunning and the audio tour was informative. It's probably the most famous church in the UK since it's where the coronation takes place and where the former queens and kings and prominent people are buried.

2. The Queen's Gallery --- This small art galley beats all the art galleries we have ever been to. Because it was small and focused on only one theme (at the time of our visit it had a theme of Gardens), it made us more focused and better appreciate the paintings. The audio guide was really helpful and helped bring the art to life.

3. Tower of London --- It's famous because it holds the "Crown Jewels." A long line to get in though.

4. Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms --- I learned a lot about Churchill here. Nice and informative exhibits.

5. H.M.S. Belfast --- I didn't expect much from this warship, but to my surprised I really enjoyed walking through it. Many exhibit rooms and an audio guide showing how the ship and the navy lived through so many wars.

6. St. James's Park --- An absolutely beautiful park in the middle of the big city. We were lucky to be there in spring when all the flowers were in blooms.

Our Disappointment: Of course, every trip brings some disappointment. We didn't have many in London though.

1. British Museum --- The museum is big and has a lot to see, but it was over-crowded at the time we visited, so we didn't get to appreciate those valuable artifacts as much as we had hoped.

2. Shakespeare Globe Theater --- It would have been awesome if we had gone to see a show. The theater itself isn't original anyway and the tour of the stage was just okay.

3. 10 Downing Street --- It's where the prime-minister lives. Nothing like the White House. You can't see anything other than the gate. The house is buried behind other buildings.

Overall, London is really worth a visit. There is so much to do and see; people are so kind; and the service is excellent. The only thing that might scare people with a low budget is the cost of traveling. It's an expensive city, but you can manage by sleeping in a hostel, visiting mostly free sites and eating simple. We had a great time there even though we didn't have the same comfort as when we traveled to cheaper Eastern European countries. If we ever have a chance to visit London again, I would go visit all those free museums that I didn't go to on this trip, such as Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum. Hope that chance comes soon. :-)