Great Places to Visit in London During Summer Olympics and Beyond

Here a former London resident gives a tourist advise about the British capital.

London sights

It was supposed to be a hell. Overcrowded streets and underground trains as well as horrible traffic congestions during London 2012 Summer Olympics.

As 2012 Olympics were approaching, many Londoners ran away. They went on vacation. Workers decided to work at home, if possible. Yet…the streets of London, especially in the central part, are quite empty. What happened?

The London Summer Olympics news give two reasons for that. First, as mentioned above, many London residents left the city. The second reason is that many visitors just want to see Olympics and don’t care much about other things such as fantastic, world-class museums the British capital offers.

If you end up in Trafalgar Square, you will see a big screen where Olympics are shown. The place, unfortunately, is surrounded by expensive restaurants and eateries few Londoners would go to. The food is expensive and not that good. Moreover, the owners have an unwritten policy of chasing the customers out as soon as they finish food, so new ones can come in. After all, most guests are tourists, so there will not be much repeat business.

But, there are cheap places in London where you can get good food. Just avoid eating at tourist places. One example is the London Bridge Station where delicious sandwiches can be bought for 3 pounds. Or Mark & Spencer’s supermarket where food can be bought for a pretty low price. If you happen to stay in Tooting, a sizable pie of pizza can be gotten for just 5-6 pounds.

A visitor doesn’t need to spend a fortune to have a good time in London. If you’re an American, be advised that at a pub you don’t tip bartenders. Another good thing about London is that most of the best museums have free entrance. Take British Museum. The entrance is free.

Or, go to South Kensington underground station. This are three world-class and free entrance museums: the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum (art).

London also has beautiful parks. If you happen to end up by Buckingham Palace, it is surrounded by beautiful St. James’s Park and Green Park. These parks are adjacent to the Hyde Park, which forms a single body with Kensington Gardens.

If you’re an Olympic sports punter, you can sit on a nice bench next to a pond filled with swans and ducks and do some mobile Olympic sports betting on the games in the town.

Have a good time in London!