50 Things I Want To Do When I Move To London

A couple of weeks ago, I shared 5 things that I'm going to miss about my home city of Manchester when I make the move to London in September. While it will be strange and quite sad to leave everything I have ever known behind, I didn't want to leave it on quite such a negative note, especially since I am so excited to be going to discover a whole new city. In order to lighten the tone a bit, I've put together a list of 50 things I'm excited to do when I'm living in the big city for the next 3 years. I've been to London a fair few times in the past and so I've already done a lot of the 'touristy' things, however some of them are repeated below if it's something I fancy doing again sometime, while I have left others off completely in favour of new experiences.

1) See a play at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

2) Explore Soho

3) Visit the British Museum  

4) Go to Fabric

5) Visit the Imperial War Museum

6) Visit the Sky Garden
7) Go to the Science Museum 

8) Visit the National Gallery 

9) See both Tate galleries in a day by hopping on their Tate Boat 

10) See inside Buckingham Palace 

11) Go to the Chelsea Flower Show

12) Visit London Zoo

13) See London from the Shard

14) Tour the Houses of Parliament 

15) Go to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 

16) Have afternoon tea at The Savoy/The Ritz 

17) Go to Attendant cafe 

18) See a gig at Brixton Academy 

19) Ride a 'Boris Bike'

20) Visit the National Portrait Gallery 

21) Go to Borough Market

22) Explore Camden Lock 

23) Go to Carnaby Street 

24) Lay down on Primrose Hill

25) Visit the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising 

26) Shop (or at least browse!) in Harrods
27) Find the best art shop
28) Explore Shoreditch
29) Visit the Design Museum
30) Find the best ice cream place in London (any recommendations!?)
31) Visit the Saatchi Gallery
32) Explore Portobello Road Market
33) Hunt out the best vinyl shops
34) Buy a bouquet at Columbia Road flower market
35) See the Tower Bridge raise
36) Watch the Changing of the Guard 
37) Visit a city farm
38) See the Christmas lights
39) Visit the Natural History Museum
40) Explore the British Library 
41) Use the tube to explore new areas
42) Hunt out the best nightlife
43) Sketch the city outdoors
44) Shop on Oxford Street
45) Avoid Primark on Oxford Street
46) Find 'Up The Bracket Alley'
47) Take the train out of London at the weekend and visit somewhere new
48) Get a library card
49) Meet new people
50) Find some hidden gems

So there it is - my 'London bucket list'! I'd better print this post off and stick it up once I move down to motivate myself to actually get these done. I've got 3 years to tick the whole list off so there's really no excuses! Despite the understandable worry, I truly am excited to have the opportunity to move to a new city to study, especially one as diverse and vibrant as London.

What are your favourite spots in London? Is there anything I should add to my list? I'd love to know your secrets!