It’s odd how after 18 years of living in London this is the first photo I’ve ever
taken in front of Buckingham Palace. Funny how we take these tourist hotspots for granted
when we actually live in that place. To a tourist this red phone box is fascinating.
For me, I’m concerned if they still actually work, if I ever lost my phone. To the tourist,
Elizabeth is a queen, a ruler of lands and the star of a Netflix Original. But to me,
she’s just my friendly old lady neighbour. Since starting this travel channel, I have
mostly ignored my own home town, not because it wasn’t great, but because it was just
normal for me. So about a year ago I thought it would be a good idea to do a travel vlog
about my own city. But not as a local, as a tourist. How, would my wife and I holiday
in our own backyard. So over months of filming various days out, I have created this travel
vlog which will masquerade as being shot over 5 consecutive days in order to show people
what I think is the best of London, to act as a suggested guide for future visitors and
perhaps a different view of a place I’ve grown to love. This isn’t just about hitting
the famous landmarks, and it isn’t just about visiting places no one’s heard of,
either. It’s a splash of both and what I personally would recommend. If you’re new
to the channel, we aim to make travel movies where the location is king, hoping you might
just find your next holiday inspiration. This is Suitcase Monkey being a local tourist in
London.
(STRONG DRUM BEAT)
So let’s zoom out a second and take a look at what we have in store for us. Over the
week, we will mostly focus on specific areas each day to cover as much as possible in as
little time. To begin, we started in this area which broadly speaking covers the City
of London. Under its original name Londinium, 2000 years ago, it was here where the the
city’s first Roman settlers inhabited so what better place for us to start.
The Tower of London is one of London’s oldest buildings, with the White Tower in the middle
being almost 1,000 years old.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES)
What I love about the Tower is how it sticks out like a
sore thumb when compared to its surroundings but also seems to feel right at home at the
same time.
(DRUMMING CONTINUES)
I’d really recommend waiting for a Yeoman tour which is included in the price of admission.
Lasting around an hour, they vividly paint stories of the Towers past
I’ve seen a few different tours over the years, and
they have always been of a high standard, with a sharp, dry British wit, not dissimilar
to the humble narrator that you’re enjoying right now.
(DRUM MUSIC CONTINUES)
Along with pretty much everything else I am about to discuss in the video, I will put
all important links in the description below, along with our social media so you can follow
us live while we do whatever London throws our way next. Please do come along and say Hello
(RAVEN CROWING)
(UPBEAT HAPPY GENTLE MUSIC)
Somewhere that isn’t as well known is St Katharines Docks. Literally hidden across
the road from the Tower of London, this little gem is great for a tea or coffee, a lunch,
a beer and occasionally a mini festival. Again, I’ll link below, but they have sporadic
dates where they will host really cool international food festivals. But outside of those busy
dates, it’s a really quaint, quiet, closed off harbour where you can watch people with
more money than you park their boats.
Next, we headed into the heart of the City of London, known as The Square Mile. It might
seem odd to suggest the financial district as a place to visit but especially on weekends
when the streets are empty of the usual business, there is some great architecture and history
to discover.
OK, so if you’re in the area and have a spare 30 minutes then The Monument is worth
a cheeky look in. It’s only £4.50, there is never a wait and it gives you a nice simple
view of the City. But you do have to be fit enough to tackle the 311 steps it takes to
climb to the top.
The great fire of London in 1666 left 13,000 houses burnt to the ground and The Monument
was erected as part of the effort to rebuild the city.
Along with the Tower, St Pauls Cathedral is one of my favourite historical buildings in
London. During the second World War Blitz, it somehow miraculously missed all London
bombings and stood as a beacon of hope. A short walk from The Monument, it’s an impressive
sight. If you want to get an elevated perspective beforehand, I’d recommend going up to the
roof terrace within the One New Change building. There is a free observation deck as well as
a trendy bar if you want to take your time before visiting the impressive Cathedral.
(LIGHT PIANO MUSIC)
Whilst The Monument is great for a quick stop, and without a booking, The Sky Garden is my
favourite free viewing space in London but usually requires a reservation.
Nicknamed the Walkie Talkie, I’d always recommend going just before sunset so you get the daylight
turning to night.
(LIGHT MUSIC CONTINUES, BUILDS WITH STRINGS)
If they’ve run out of free observation tickets, then I’d suggest
booking a table at the Sky Garden’s Darwin Brasserie instead. The food here isn’t cheap
but is good enough with an even better view, making it a great way to end your day. For
lots more restaurant suggestions, I’d check out our assortment of best London dining videos
we’ve already made, which I’ll link to above and below.
(PIANO MUSIC FADES)
UPBEAT INTENSE MUSIC)
London is best discovered on foot and I think there is no better way to relax into the city
than with a long walk along the South side of the River Thames. We started at Borough
Market, with the aim to fuel ourselves up for the rest of the afternoon.
Being London’s oldest food market, its 1000 years of experience means you will be test
tasting, smelling and eating some of the best local and international flavours around. This
is an energetic, bustling space open Monday to Saturday with Wednesday to Saturday having
the most traders. Whether you’re here for breakfast, brunch or lunch, you are guaranteed
to find something you’ll enjoy and hunting for that goodness is often half the fun.
(UPBEAT FUNKY MUSIC CONTINUES)
(MUSIC ENDS, SILENCE, EATING NOISES)
(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC)
Walking along the Thames going from Borough Market to the London Eye can take anything
from an hour to a whole afternoon. Representing the bottom part of an official walking route
known as the Jubilee Walkway, it was opened by the Queen during her Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Along the way are dozens of pit stops that may or may not grab your attention but the
scrolling north side view of the Thames are worth the walk alone.
(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES)
(MUSIC ENDS)
(FASTER STRING MUSIC)
This whole area of Westminster has been the home of government and royalty for centuries.
Westminster Abbey being the initial seed, it was established in 960AD and has been the
home to every royal coronation since.
Acting as an open air museum, this whole area is
a who’s who within history. Much like the Jubilee Walk, your time here can vary massively
depending on how deep you want to go but an hour or two can easily be spent wandering around.
Whilst views of 10 Downing Street are not possible for most, the closest view is around
the back next to Horse Guards Parade. Just next to this, is the Churchill War Rooms,
where you can go inside the underground bunkers where Winston Churchill planned through the
Second World War.
(FAST STRING MUSIC ENDS)
(SLOW GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC PLAYS)
As we pass Trafalgar Square, we are now entering the tourist hotspots. Let’s hang out in
Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square, said no Londoner ever. They should certainly be
on every holiday makers list however, especially Piccadilly Circus with its famous curved signs.
Next, we head into Soho, which is the perfect place for evening drinks and dinner. Catering
to literally every single taste known to man, there is literally something here for everyone.
Chinatown is a great stop if you want either authentic Chinese food or even the English/Chinese
version I’ve grown up with.
For the sake of this day, we went to Barrafina, an authentic Spanish Tapas Bar right in the
heart of Soho on Dean Street. Be prepared for a wait since it is incredibly popular
but the food here is always great. Our eyes got very large as we tucked into Chorizo rolls,
Ham Croquettes, Prawn Tempura, Deep water Mussels, white fish, an incredibly juicy slab
of beef, and the classic coffee and chocolate tart to finish off. Soho covers a pretty large
area altogether so I’m saving 2 of my favourite Soho hotspots for when we return here on our final day.
(SOFT GUITAR RIFF)
After a busy few days, we wanted today to be a relatively relaxing one, venturing out
into South East London for a more local feel. We would be spending most of our early afternoon
in Greenwich but I think a nice add on is its neighbouring town of Blackheath, especially
if it’s a sunny day. Whilst no means essential, Blackheath is probably the most local and
unassuming place in this trip which makes up its small town charm. Getting to Blackheath
is just a couple of stops from London Bridge and on that, a quick note to say that you
should definitely download the app City Mapper as it’s the best transport app for London.
But the main reason I wanted to start in Blackheath is that it is the best gateway into Greenwich
itself. Entering from the south side of Greenwich Park gives you The Flower Garden and The Pavillion
Cafe but also a postcard view of London.
This Prime Meridian line divides the earth into the East and West hemispheres marking
0 Longitude on a map is also the reference for Greenwich Mean Time. In the late 19th
Century every town in the world kept their own local time with no international standards.
Greenwich was chosen as the centre of world time and the Royal Observatory does a good
job of telling this story.
(FUNKY BASS RIFF)
A great way to get back to Central London is to take the Thames Clippers. The Thames
by boat is a great way to see the city from a different perceptive and whilst doing a
slower commentary boat is also a great option, this version provides sightseeing and transport
at the same time.
There are several stops along the way, but we wanted to get off at Embankment since there
are a few random things we wanted to show you. The first being Victoria Embankment Gardens
which is worth a drop in if you’re already close and its a nice day. But also, one of
my favourite London drinking spots is here in the shape of Gordon’s Wine Bar. On a
sunny day and evening, its a great place to enjoy some crisp white wine outside and during
the winter months they have a really cool cellar underground. This also holds a special
place for us since it was the place where Chiaki and myself had our first ever date together.
(GENTLE ROUND OF APPLAUSE)
A few minutes from Gordons Wine Bar, and just off The Strand, is Adam Street. Here, you
will find a door that strikes an uncanny resemblance to that of number 10 Downing Street. Which
leaves you open for many a comical pose and an Instagram post to impress your friends.
And while I mention it, please do consider following us on Instagram and Facebook so
you can enjoy our London travels live as they happen.
Now, if you listen to nothing else I say, then listen to this. If you’ve never done
one before, you have to enjoy an afternoon tea whilst in London. Going all out for an
afternoon tea is one of our favourite dining experiences and something we do at least a
couple of times a year. I’ll spread my footage here over 2 places we’ve visited recently
but I’ve put a link in the description that lists loads of different options for you.
Generally speaking though, as long as you see good reviews on Trip Advisor, you can’t
go wrong.
This tradition is said to have come about in the early 19th century when it was normal
for someone to only have breakfast and dinner. When Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford and
now one of my personal heroes complained of hunger during the long afternoon period, the
idea of enjoying a snack was born and here we are, a lunch, a brunch and an afternoon
tea later.
Generally consisting of a multitude of speciality tea or coffee, a delicious selection of sandwiches,
usually with the crusts cut off, thank you very much, a marvellous mix of sweet desserts
and then my personal favourite, the scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream. Now,
if there is one topic within England that divides people more than Brexit, it’s how
to spread your jam on a scone. Whether you should enjoy it the Devonshire way; that is
with jam spread on top of the cream or the Cornish way with the cream on top. Whether
any of this makes any actual difference once it’s all in your mouth doesn’t seem to
be the point but I invite you to try them both and let me know in the comments below
what your thoughts are.
With an afternoon tea usually satisfying any hunger for the rest of the day, what better
way to work off all those calories, than to sit still in a darkened room facing forwards.
Something else that should be on everyones to-do list, is to enjoy a West End show.
Along with Broadway, London hosts the finest selection of shows in the world and the scale
and quality here is top notch. Three shows that continue to run that I would recommend
to anyone are Hamilton, Wicked and the Book of Mormon. And we’ve also recently seen
Aladdin, The Comedy about a Bank Robbery, The Play that Goes Wrong, and Harry Potter
which I’d suggest also. Tickets can be purchased either at the actual box office or various
ticket outlets around the city, with the main one being in Leicester Square and unofficial
ones dotted around. But I’d also recommend the Today Tix app for a simple mobile option
and I’ll link a few websites in the description below also.
As part of this hypothetical trip, I wanted one of our days to take us away from London.
When thinking what this day could be, instead of picking my favourite child, I thought it
better to give you a brief summary of a bunch of different potential days away. So here
goes…
The furthest out on this list is a 90 minute train ride taking you to the old Roman city
of Bath. Located in the South West of England, Bath is a great getaway and although it might
be rushed, could be done in a day if you catch an early train out with a late return.
In fact, I recommend Bath so much, I’ve already made a full length travel vlog on
our weekend away, so make sure to check out the full story.
A little closer to home, and with about 40 minutes of travel time is the Warner Brothers
Studio Tour, otherwise known as the Making of Harry Potter. If you have any interest
in the boy wizard or movie magic in general, then this is a great half day activity. The
moment where the Great Hall is revealed behind its colossal doors is really well told and
is a great start to your experience. Compared to the world in Universal Studios, it’s
a lot less theme park and more of the actual behind the scenes, where you can interact
with genuine props, set design, costumes, and effects that made up the franchise.
One of my favourite parts was where you get to green screen yourself onto a frantic broom
stick flight. Now as a little bit of background on myself I had 3 years of drama school training
and I think its clear to see those years were certainly not wasted.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS)
Just beyond this, you get to step inside the original Hogwarts express that is contained
within an impressive recreation of Platform 9¾. What followed was what my life had been
leading up to. With a director yelling instructions, I was finally given the chance to show the
National Theatre why they were wrong during those dark days of 2003.
DIRECTOR SPEAKING: Now look out of the window and smile and laugh
Great! Keep it up and look over at the camera.
Big Smiles!
Nice!
You're on your way to Hogwarts so you're really excited, you're happy, let me see some big smiles!
And cut!
Thanks for riding along
(VOICE OVER AGAIN) For all bookings, please contact my agent.
If you’d rather get a bit more in touch with nature, then I’d recommend an early
morning trip to Richmond Park. I say early morning since this is the best time to spot
the deer that roam freely around the park and it’s a nice early scene in Jurassic
Park moment when you do.
(GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC)
Not too far from Richmond Park is Kew Gardens, which was one of my first videos on this channel
so take a look at that in my pre voice days. We visited here on a cold January and it was
still an enjoyable day out. But visiting in the summer months and especially if you’re
a lover of nature, then you’ll safely be in plant heaven.
Windsor is also another day that is easily travelled to and from London in a day. I don’t
have any footage of Windsor but wanted to give it a shout out anyway.
There is obviously so much more to Britain than just London and I plan on doing some
more UK destinations as and when we travel there. I will definitely be posting a video
soon about our time in Edinburgh which I’d highly recommend for a longer trip and to
see more of the country.
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC)
London has a great collection of free museums so I wanted to start our final day with my
favourite, the Natural History Museum. Before you even arrive, I’d suggest stopping off
at Exhibition Road which hosts a number of great little stops for breakfast. The museum
itself covers everything from dinosaurs to present day animals, to natural disasters
all with information and spectacle in mind.
(JAZZ MUSIC CONTONUES)
20 minutes later via the Underground… and we’ve arrived in North London, at Camden
Town. With Chalres Dickens, Alan Bennett, Dylan Thomas and Amy Winehouse all former
residents, this list alone tells you all you need to know about Camden Today it’s famous
for its markets, and counter culture so gives a tangible alternative to what we’ve seen so far.
(JAZZ MUSIC CONTINUES)
(JAZZ MUSIC STOPS, SILENCE)
(SLOW GENTLE PIANO MUSIC
(MUSIC BUILDS)
(MUSIC FADES)
(FAINT PIANO MUSIC STARTS)
Heading back to central London, there are 2 final areas around Soho and the West End
that for me, are both must visit. The first is Covent Garden and its neighbouring Seven
Dials area. Compared to say Regent or Oxford Street which are great places for shopping,
Covent is still shopping, but with a more relaxed, polished, creative beat to it. Once
referred to as the “Garden of Westminster Abbey and Convent”, it later became known
as Covent Garden. Markets of some form have been here since the 1600’s and today it
is a great mixture of sole traders, big name brands and of course its famous performers
and entertainers. One lesser known area within Covent Garden is another church that goes
by the name of Saint Paul’s. This is a small secluded oasis and a perfect place to bring
a takeaway sandwich or coffee for a quick bite.
A few minutes north of here via Neal Street, and you arrive at a small roundabout known
as the Seven Dials. Named because there are quite simply 7 roads that run off the centre,
each are worth a look in with a few nice surprises along the way. My favourite stop from here
is Neal’s Yard. For its Instagramable design alone its worth a quick stop, but the cafes
here are all worth a sit down and I can vouch from experience that restaurant Homeslice
serve a tasty pizza.
Then, 10 or 15 minutes from here, and you’ll end up at the famous Carnaby Street. Running
almost parallel to Regent, its a pedestrian shopping haven. Just off Carnaby is the excellent
Kingly Court. This is a small square with 3 levels of restaurants and cafes all vying
for your attention. There’s so much to recommend here, a few we’ve sampled are Crumbs and
Dollies for mouth watering treats, The Good Egg for an amazing brunch, Jinjuu for some
tasty Korean Street food, and Cahoots for some underground cocktails to round off the
evening and a jam packed tour of my home city.
Now, I know there are still loads of things I’ve missed so please let me know if you
would like more London videos. If you haven’t already, take a look at our Bath, Kew Gardens
and London dining videos. Subscribe for our upcoming Edinburgh vlog and check the notification
bell since I only post every 6 to 8 weeks. Please also give this video a thumbs up since
it really helps us spread the word and come say hi over on Instagram or your choice of
social media. Thanks for watching Suitcase Monkey.