Coming from an industrial city in Vietnam, I’m familiar with and have come to love such city sights as (medium) skyscrapers and modern buildings, scattered across busy streets and Buddhist temples. I mean they are beautiful, but to see something so different from Asian architecture or normal office buildings would be awe-inspiring. And for me London is just that. It is a “looker”!
I’ve been to Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Southport, all beautiful cities in their own ways, also with that “difference” I was yearning for, but London seems just another level of impressiveness for me.
Travelling and accommodation costs
To get to London from Ormskirk (where Edge Hill University is based) the most common way is by train from Liverpool Lime Street station. Take a train from Ormskirk to Liverpool Central first, then walk for 5 minutes to Liverpool Lime Street station and there you’ll get a direct train to London (Euston station).
Train tickets: I travelled with 3 of my friends and we managed to book the cheapest return tickets from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston at only £15.80 (If you don’t plan well ahead it may cost you up to £ 30 each way, which is not too bad)
(In case you’re not familiar with the “language” of train tickets, like I did when I first came, here’s a quick explanation: Single (ticket): one way; Return (ticket): two-way (go and back). There are also “Anytime Single”, “Anytime Return”, “Advance Single”, but I figure I’ll deal with that on another post about travelling by train in the UK.)
Accommodation: We (group of 4) booked Airbnb for 5 nights and the cost for each person was £ 70. There are other websites to find and book cheap hotels or accommodation in London, you might like to do a Google search and shop around.
That’s it for the tips. Now, here are the sights that wowed me in London.
1- Tower Bridge
I was in awe of its magnificent beauty (it was dark or my phototaking skill was just unreliable…) 
it’s important to travel with friends because they are your best photographers 🙂 
there are just so many photos to take, haha 
whether you’re a good friend or not totally depends on how well you take photos for your friends 
still on the majestic Tower Bridge 
we’re crossing the Bridge to get to that modern city look you’re seeing behind me
On the other side of the Bridge we got to see a Christmas market (because we went there in December).
2. The River Thames
3. London Eye
4. Buckingham Palace & Queen Victoria Memorial
5. St James’ Park and St James’ Palace
(There’s a lake right next to me in this picture. The park is much bigger and though in winter, it’s still so beautiful to me, but the winds were too strong!)
6. Household Calvary Museum
This is where you can see the iconic horsemen. I truly loved the experience, although I could see one of the horses was a bit sad when there were so many tourists in front of him.
7. Regent Street
Regent Street is, from what I’ve seen, the street with all the most luxury and high-end brands in London. Every store can become a sight to marvel at, especially Burberry London (in my opinion, I’ve just never seen any fashion store like it). You can also find other affordable brands here, like The Body Shop. Regent Street at Christmas is obviously a must-visit.
8. Chinatown and a few other streets (not sure what they’re called because as usual I relied on my friends, heavily)
There are so many things to see and do in London. Definitely give London a visit while you’re studying here at Edge Hill!