Regular readers of my blog know that I’m so much after UNESCO World Heritage Sites and I try my best to visit them in any city / country that I visit. I still haven’t listed the total number of sites that I’ve visited and still I haven’t got the spirit to do that. I just feel I should keep visiting without counting, so one fine day when I do, I’d have good number.
So, after living in London for a few months, I had visited quite a few UNESCO sites around London. So, listing here the places that are within London or can be visited from London in a day trip. I skipped places like Cornwall, Liverpool etc that require almost an overnight journey from London. Except for Dorset, rest of the places have a pretty high entrance ticket! Dorset, on the other hand, is the only UNESCO site that comes under the ‘Natural’ category, while rest all come under the ‘Cultural’ category. Links direct to my detailed posts about the individual places wherever possible.
Stonehenge: This is one of the mesmerizing places I’ve visited and perhaps the first ever major site I visited after moving to London. Also listing it on the top coz its also one of the Seven Wonders of the World!!! To see the sheer size of our primitive fathers' construction is just mind blowing!
Tower of London: London has a gruesome history! If you’ve watched the series Tudor or the movie Elizabeth, you’ll have a slight idea. The kings, queens, religion, marriages, betrayals, killings - to get into it is really freaky. Visiting the Tower of London and walking through the Traitor’s Gate and standing next to the torture punishment instruments, it must be experienced!
Kew Gardens: To begin with, I didn’t even know Kew Gardens was a UNESCO Site! Covering an area of 300+ acres, this is the largest conservatory in London, and needs an entire day to just walk about!
Westminster Abbey& Palace (UK Parliament incl Big Ben): When I was in London, I wanted to walk the same aisle where Prince William & Kate Middleton walked down wearing Lee McQueen and got married! Guess what, as luck would have it, I also managed to climb the 334 steps inside Bigben to stand behind the face of the world-famous clock!
Maritime Greenwich: This is a collection of quite a few buildings together incl the Royal Observatory, Greenwich Park, Royal Hospital, Queen’s House etc. The post on Royal Hospital is coming up soon and unfortunately I missed Queen’s House as it was closed for renovation.
Canterbury Cathedral: Almost towards the end of my stay in London, I visited Canterbury Cathedral and the only reason was that because it was under UNESCO! The posts on Canterbury are also coming up soon.
Blenheim Palace: That’s a place I missed!
City of Bath: Unlike other sites, here an entire town is under UNESCO. The town looks like it got frozen in time a few centuries back.
Dorset: In simple words, this was a Paradise on Earth!!! It’s a thing of natural beauty. The landscapes are just too surreal!!! If you’re lucky with the sun shining when you visit, you might spot dolphins jumping and playing. No, I didn’t have that luck!
So, is this inspiration enough for you to visit London? Now is a good time to visit London, coz apart from this, Christmas and the New Year Fireworks at London Eye can also be included in the itinerary. Check out the offers on British Airways and pack your bags!!!
