Travelling Cheap

When I first arrived in London I took the train to Victoria and then had to take a bus towards Old Street. So I was told by mates to take the number 11 bus from Victoria and they would pick me up at Liverpool Street. It was night and I had no idea what London looked like, so I was in for the ride of my life. The number 11 bus offers the cheapest sightseeing tour of London’s most famous landmarks, and if you take it at night all the buildings are beautifully lit and the bus is nearly empty so you can sit at the front of the top deck and take in the views.

After being blown away by the size of Victoria station itself and the architecture surrounding it, I climbed to the top of the bus sat down and looked out the window. For the next 30 minutes I was astounded by what I saw. Driving towards the West End, we first had to pass from Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Temple Church (you might be familiar with it from The Da Vinci Code), all incredible landmarks with a rich history, and all beautifully lit in the cold night. It was true culture shock to be consecutively confronted with these beautiful pieces of architecture.

After that came Trafalgar Square, with its lions and the National Portrait Gallery and thankfully the bus stopped at the traffic lights and gave me a chance to enjoy the view. We then proceeded down the strand, where London’s more cosmopolitan side came out, as the bus drove by theatres with glowing signs of whatever musical was on back in 2004, which soon gave way to the bars and restaurants. We past by bridges, and it took all my peripheral vision to know when to look left and when to look right.

After the dazzling lights of the Strand and the West End, came the City, which was introduced with St. Paul’s cathedral, also lit for people to see from miles away. Monuments and statues were spread throughout a part of London that looks completely abandoned at night and combines older architecture with modern steel and glass buildings. The contrast gets clearer the closer you get to Liverpool Street, as buildings on one side of the road tend to have low relief decorations and Victorian windows and pillars, while the other side is more reminiscent of New York, building faces that are sheer vertical black glass, and behind it all towers the Gherkin, looking like some sort of invaluable crystal egg.

This bus journey was the best introduction I could have hoped for in London, and I have taken the ride quite a few times when picking up friends from or taking friends to Victoria station. If you are visiting London on a tight budget you might want to take the number 11 bus at night and book at a hostel. If you get a bus pass or travel card you can hop on and off as many times as you like and explore these beautiful locations.

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