London Bucket List -- Top 10 Tourist Attractions

Everybody's heard of Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and when you're coming to London for the first time it's probably the first thing on your list. It's certainly very memorable, but you do need to get there pretty early if you want to bag a decent view - as much as two hours if you want the very best spots up against the palace railings. If you don't mind looking over a few shoulders, or lining the side of the road, then you can get away with coming later. But there's nothing quite like standing in that crowd of thousands, with the sound of the marching band coming down the Mall - it's genuinely exciting! -- read my review of Changing the Guard

Everybody loves the London Eye, and I always recommend that first-time visitors ride it on their very first morning. Make it the very first thing that you do because 1) it's quite exciting, and you want your holiday to start with a bang, 2) it gives you a great overview of the city and you can pick out all the landmarks you'll be seeing later in your stay, and 3) if you buy your ticket in advance and you're lucky with the queue you can do the whole thing in sixty minutes, so you'll still have plenty of time to try other things later in the day -- read my review of the London Eye

If I had to pick just one famous landmark to represent London then I'd choose for Big Ben. This clock tower is recognisable the world over, but did you know you can actually go inside Parliament for a tour? They run most Saturdays, and also during the week when Parliament isn't sitting (so that's during the summer, Christmas and other holidays). The rooms inside here rival the ones at Buckingham Palace, and you won't believe the golden decorations in the House of Lords. But what I really recommend is a visit to the House of Commons to watch the MPs debating. You don't even need to book a ticket - you can just turn up at the visitor entrance Mon-Thu and ask to go inside -- read my review of the Houses of Parliament tour | read my review of the House of Commons

I've always thought that Buckingham Palace doesn't look all that amazing from the outside, not when you compare it to somewhere like Versailles anyway, but that all changes when you go inside. They open the State Rooms up to the tourists in the summer, and it's definitely a must-see. You get to see the Throne Room, the Ballroom (where they do the investitures), the Picture Gallery hanging with artworks from the Royal Collection, and many more... but best of all is when you get to the end and you can sit in the little cafe on the veranda, sipping Earl Grey tea and eating cucumber sandwiches while you're staring out over the lawn -- read my review of the Buckingham Palace tour

Not many capital cities have a 1,000 year old castle slap bang in the middle of it, but London does. The White Tower was begun by William the Conqueror following his victory at the Battle of Hastings, and so many famous events have happened here over the ten centuries since that it was labelled a World Heritage Site. Highlights include Traitor's Gate, the Bloody Tower and Tower Green, where Henry VIII beheaded Anne Boleyn. You can also go and see the Crown Jewels inside the Waterloo Barracks, and have a guided tour by one of the famous Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters) -- read my review of the Tower of London

When I had to pick the most famous landmark in London it was a toss-up between Big Ben and Tower Bridge. Where in the world can you see another bridge like this? It's a piece of gothic theatre! The views from the top walkway aren't all that amazing, if I'm being honest, but they've tried to liven it up a bit by installing a glass floor halfway along its length, so now you can see the buses and cars thundering under your feet as you tip-toe across. After you've braved that you can go and see the original machinery that powered the drawbridge in the Victorian engine rooms -- read my review of Tower Bridge

Horse Guards is one of the most popular photospots with tourists when they come to London. There are two horse boxes on the Whitehall side where members of the Household Cavalry stand guard, and the crowds gather around them and take it in turns to tip-toe up to the tank-like horses to take a selfie. If you walk through the central arch then it gets even better, because you'll come out into the impressive parade ground where they hold big military events like Beating Retreat and Trooping the Colour. You can also see the garden wall of No.10 Downing Street over on the righthand side -- read my review of Horse Guards

This is another popular photospot for tourists - standing outside the big black iron gates at Downing Street. The Prime Minister lives at No.10 and the famous front door is known all around the world. Tourists aren't allowed to walk down the street itself, but it's easy enough to get a glimpse of the door. over the shoulder of a big burly copper. Just stare down the righthand side of the street and look for the door with a curved lamplight over the top. It will probably have another policeman standing outside it. You're looking at the door from a very shallow angle, but you'd easily see the Prime Minister if he did walk out -- read my review of Downing Street

The Shard skyscraper is the tallest building in the UK, rising 1,016 feet above the street. The public observation floors start at level 68 and you won't believe the view when you get up there. It feels like you're coming in to land on an airplane - that's how high it is! The landmarks that you already know should be tall just look like building blocks below your feet. And they've installed floor to ceiling glass as well, so you can stand with your toes up against the edge. If you are feeling especially brave then you can climb another flight of stairs to level 72, which is partly open to the sky. The most terrifying moment is when a plane passes nearby and you can hear the factory-like roar of its engines overhead -- read my review of The Shard

If you're new to London then the chances are you'll want to ride a sightseeing bus. Personally I'm not a huge fan of these things (I think they're way too expensive), but everyone seems to enjoy them so I've included them on the list. The most popular companies are The Original Tour, Big Bus Tour, Golden Tours and City Sightseeing. I always recommend the Yellow Route with the Original Tour because the buses run quite frequently and you'll get to see pretty much all of the major landmarks -- read my review of the Original Tour | read my review of the Big Bus Tour