London June 2023. This is my third trip to London over a ten year time interval.
-National Gallery, wonderful of course but be there when it opens, it was extremely crowded on the Sunday that I visited.
-The Banqueting House. It looks on the website as if it is only open a couple of days a month with reservations.
-Crypt of St. Martins in the Field. Interesting lunch spot next to the National Gallery. Good food in a unique setting at a reasonable price.
-Sir John Soane Museum. Large quantities of objects crammed in a claustrophobic museum setting. Overall, it’s not too big and doesn’t take long to see. If you are in the area have a look, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to get to this museum.
-Tate Britian Museum. This was my first visit to this museum. Well worth the time. A great building and a wonderful collection.
-Greenwich. I was here on a busy Sunday. I first visited the Cutty Sark, well worth your time and money. After, I strolled around the wonderful buildings in Greenwich visiting Queen’s House and the museum in the visitor’s center. The Chapel of St. Peter and Paul was closed for a church service. After lunch I dove into the busy Greenwich Market for some shopping.
-Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew. A wonderful experience for garden lovers. The little village of Kew located right next to the tube stop is quite picturesque.
-On this trip I again stayed in the Paddington Station area as this is where the Heathrow Express arrives/leaves from. The brand new Elizabeth Line also stops at Paddington, and is almost as fast (I timed it at 25 minutes) and much cheaper than the Heathrow Express. I recommend using this train to get to London from Heathrow. Check out various websites for other Elizabeth Line stops in London.
-If you do stay in the Paddington area be sure to stroll through the Little Venice area just north of the station.
-Hotels are expensive. I paid $200/ night for a tiny single room in an average quality hotel with breakfast. The room was so small that I had to leave my suitcase on the floor and step over it. There was no other place to put it.