My Favorite Places in London
My Favorite Places in London
Hey, y’all! My name is Halle and I’m currently a senior at Connecticut College studying philosophy and public health. I studied abroad with IFSA at University College London in Fall 2019. London is my favorite city, and because of my incredible experience studying away with IFSA I’ve decided to return to London to pursue my masters next year! I wanted to share a few of my favorite places in the city. This list includes museums, shops, streets, and coffee shops. These are just some of my favorite places and where I spent most of my time abroad. I can’t wait to return, and I highly recommend you check these places out if you get the chance!
1. Black Sheep Coffee
Black Sheep Coffee is a chain in London, and I’d visited a ton of their locations. The vibe in the shop was perfect for me to do work, and I’d normally get up right when the open, grab a spot by the window, and camp out there all day to work on my assignments or reading. Their coffee and teas were really great and kept me going through long, dense readings. The people that worked there were friendly without fail, too. The first thing I do when I land back in London next year is grabbing an iced americano from Black Sheep!
View from the Tate Modern Museum
2. Tate Modern
One of my favorite things about London is how accessible museums are. There are rarely admissions costs so I loved to walk around museums whenever I got the chance. It’s a great way to learn and people watch that doesn’t cost anything! I lived really close to Tate Modern, so I’d visit often. When I’d have a bad day, I loved to just head there, listen to moody music, and walk around the exhibits. The museum is HUGE, so there were always new pieces or floors to explore. I highly recommend taking advantage of the amazing art in London!
3. Greenwich
Greenwich is a gorgeous area. I first visited with a friend to go to a weekend food festival, and we opted to take a ferry over. Greenwich was much further east than I usually ventured, so it was always a nice treat to head over there. There’s a big park with a hill that boasts great views of the city, if you’re up for the trek! It’s also right on the river Thames and reminded me of one of my favorite parks at home. There’s a really cool museum in Greenwich, too, called the Queen’s House that I visited with one of my classes. The O2 arena is also in Greenwich, which is a fun place to catch some live music if you can score tickets. I highly recommend taking a day to explore this branch of London!
4. South Bank
My flat was in South Bank, so I’m pretty biased, but I love this area. There was a really fun Christmas market that popped up in December, so my friends and I would often visit to buy gifts for our family from the small vendors and grab food from local food trucks. South Bank also runs parallel to the Thames, so I loved being able to grab a warm tea and walk for miles along the river.
5. Camden Market
Okay, so Camden Market can be a liiiitle touristy but I highly recommend it nonetheless. There are really great vintage shops inside of a big market building. I was able to buy a vintage Barbour jacket (seemingly a staple in London- when it starts to get cold, everyone I’d pass on the street would be wearing a Barbour jacket to keep warm) at a really great price. There are great food options around, too. You can’t go wrong with any restaurant or food truck you visit in Camden Market. I would recommend that you try to time your visit and go when it might be a little less crowded, because the area can get really congested.
Halle Paredes | Philosophy major | Connecticut College | IFSA University College London Partnership | Fall 2019