Be a Local London Tourist: Hidden Gems, London Secrets, Don't Miss These!

in our last London video I created my perfect five-day travel plan what I as a local would recommend in my own hometown and all of you seem to find that useful well almost all but your overall enthusiasm for that vlog has sparked this mini sequel so in this video I'll be going over some of my other favourite lesser-known hotspots around London local tips with a few hidden gems thrown in they will almost certainly be something on this list that you haven't thought of but definitely should if you have the extra time if strolling around canals getting lost in London's very own mini forest visiting Harry Potter film locations and a lift that sings to you [Music] all sound like your cup of tea then stay with us if you're new to the channel we make travel movies from around the world hoping you might just find your next holiday inspiration this is suitcase monkey going even deeper into my hometown of London situated in the East End of London Spitalfields market hosts a trendy melting pots of independent traders bringing together a wide range of designers and artists if you're looking for a souvenir a little more unique than this then Spitalfields is a good place to start with handcrafted pieces home wares and original artworks along with a mixture of contemporary and vintage clothing starting life in an empty field 800 years ago the market has always kept up with the times with a recent regeneration creating what you see here today once you've finished market hopping Spitalfields also boasts an impressive selection of tasty grub although vera market is my favorite London market which I covered in my previous video Spitalfields is a close second it branches beyond food with a younger more dynamic vibe and you'll only well by now you know that I am indeed down with the kids as with most of the things in this video I'd link more details about Spitalfields market in the description below along with our own social media links so you can follow us as we discover London and the rest of the world live as it happens next is an area I avoided for years but have recently come around on naming an area as little venice is a very quick way to make me Don my sceptical British hat and dismiss this marketing naming as nonsense and while you should very much understand that Little Venice should in truth be called not really Venice in any way but there is a nice canal so please visitors it does actually offer a peaceful Oasis starting near Warwick Avenue tube station you have the choice of a shorter stroll towards Paddington Station or a longer roughly two mile canal meander towards Camden Lock again I have links to a website below with a full map of the walk walking past residential homes cafes bars wildlife and more you'll also have the option to ride some of the canal boats if you prefer an even more leisurely approach it might not be Venice but it certainly won't feel like London [Music] one of the first touristy things I did in London 15 years ago was a tour guided walk whilst the typical sightseeing buses are a good way to cover lots of ground quickly London will always be best discovered on foot there are numerous tour guide walks throughout the city some which are free and you can google for yourself but the company I've used and always have enjoyed his London walks over the years I have been on ghost walks Jack the Ripper walks historical walks and as filmed here a Harry Potter film locations walk starting in the city our guide talked us through the areas thought to have inspired JK Rowling's magical world from there we quickly went on to the original Diagon Alley and the entrance to the leaky cauldron and as a quick aside if you are in the City of London then leathern Hall Market is a great thing to see in itself boy wizard or no boy wizard built by Horace Jones his next project after this was Tower Bridge so he was onto something of a role here now I'm not specifically putting this Harry Potter walk on my list here but instead pointing out that London really comes alive when told through the words of a guide right in front of you London walks have so many varied tours happening each day there will probably be something that fits your location and interest even on this Harry Potter walk there was lots of extra London history included and it helps you notice all the little details that goes into making a 2000 year old city on my last London video I glanced over this South Bank without much detail so here I want to highlight something which is a bit of a hidden gem in the list of rooftop Bars rooftop Bars in London sound like a great idea but are often overcrowded and expensive requiring advanced booking or a long queue before you can even start to enjoy them enter the South Bank Centre and Royal Festival Hall this Music Hall opened in 1951 for the nationwide festival of Britain a particular highlight along the way is to take a ride in these sea lift going from a deep voice on the basement level to a high soprano on the sixth sometimes I find myself having just one more go like a mad child on Space Mountain this lift also has more Twitter followers than me which is something I'm certainly not bitter about but it's on the fifth floor that you will find the unheard of happening in London a bar a balcony and a view with plenty of space for which to enjoy it and just behind the festival hall away from the River Thames and therefore very easy to miss is an occasional food market if you are in the area and don't want to eat at a chain restaurant it's worth checking if it's open for a quick tasty bite [Music] next is Kings Road in Chelsea a long stretch with a mix of fashionable boutiques designer shops and high street staples along with a range of eateries the name Kings Road comes from king charles ii who used this as his own private road to travel to q but fast forward to the swinging sixties it then became synonymous with mod culture and miniskirts and then later with hippies and punk I'm not quite sure what it is about Kings Road that I like so much since it is basically just a row of shops but I think it's that in terms of shopping it feels more local unique and authentic then say bond or Oxford Street there's yet another mini food market here there's the Saatchi Gallery which features Contemporary Art multi pastel coloured houses and also the place where Chiaki and I got married oh and there's also apparently wizards [Music] Hampstead Heath is so lovely I'm actually thinking of doing a standalone video just on this one area upon exiting Hampstead tube station you're immediately welcomed with this quaint English neighborhood vibe wandering around its numerous streets passageways side streets alleys and other things that all mean the same you can spend a good hour to just meandering and taking it all in [Music] after leaving flask walk make a gentle beeline towards Hampstead Heath itself and while along the way making sure you enjoy the houses that you'll never be able to afford [Music] walking through Hampstead Heath is probably the furthest away from London that you'll feel while still being in London once the greenery surrounds you on all sides it's easy to forget that there are 8 million people beyond those trees a trip to Hampstead is not complete without reaching the summit from Parliament Hill offering the best wide-angle view of the city and if you're feeling spontaneous and especially if the weather is good then why not end your visit with a spot of swimming in a Hampstead Heath bathing pond in my previous London video I suggested the Natural History Museum as my favourite museum to visit if you still want more however then the British Museum is a great choice open to the public in 1759 it is the first national public museum in the world entry was always free and given to all studious and curious persons nowadays it's just open to all persons it probably helps keep attendance once inside and before you see anything old you will see something relatively new opened in the year 2000 the great courts is the largest covered public square in Europe and is a sight in itself beyond this the museum houses an unrivaled collection of relics from all over the world with the actual rosetta stone being one of its many highlights [Music] if you are near London Bridge then Hayes Galleria marks the start of a nice little walking route I've enjoyed many times before the Galleria reveals itself beautifully when coming from Tula streets crossing an assortment of shops cafes and traders it's often a quiet oasis for a pit stop [Music] heading out from under the roof you'll be met with some great views of the City of London and the HMS Belfast a second world war battleship which acts as a floating Museum walking further east will bring you to an open area known as more London or London Bridge city considering this is ultimately a place for financial companies and City Hall it's a pretty great place with a number of events happening mostly over the summer months [Music] this is also the best spot to get that photo with Tower Bridge [Music] bringing us back full circle towards London Bridge is they walk down more London Place which is a long narrow path lined with modern glass offices this so far doesn't seem too interesting but as you walk down I love how the design of this Street is positioned so that one side points towards the shard which is the UK's tallest building whilst the other side points directly to Tower Bridge it's a great little photo spots and a unique piece of town planning if this is your first visit to suitcase monkey then please check out our UK and London playlist where we have numerous video guys discovering London's best sites as well as must-visit dining brunch hotspots cake cafes and more we make travel movies from around the world not just London so please subscribe and hit the bell icon for all notifications since I only post every six weeks or so I promise I won't spam you until the next one thanks for watching suitcase monkey

Channel: Suitcase Monkey

Views: 462,271

Rating: 4.9508309 out of 5

Keywords: london, london vlog, days in london, things to do in london, things to see in london, london best, travel vlog, england, london england, sightseeing, guide, travel guide, tips, top london, best london, what to do in london, 7 days in london, 5 days in london, 2019, uk, london uk, London travel guide, London itinerary, local london, Hampstead heath, local tourist, hidden gems, secret london, must see, visit london, london hidden gems, hidden gems london, walk, walks, walking

Id: WGXxcbgujWs

Length: 12min 16sec (736 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 12 2019