UBC October 2025 - London Sightseeing between Chocolate and Chinatown

We finally made it to London, returned our car, and decided to rely on the Underground from now on. Our first stop after dropping our bags at the hotel was lunch, but I’ll save that for tomorrow.

Then we were off to see some sights.

Coming back to London after more than a decade with Colin, the contrast with our memories from the late 1990s was striking. Piccadilly Circus, once a whirlwind of cheap souvenir shops, littered sidewalks, and fast-food wrappers swirling in the wind, has been completely transformed. The streets are clean, buildings refurbished, and many budget shops replaced by high-end retailers and chocolate boutiques. It’s the same vibrant city at heart, but polished, orderly, and undeniably “instagrammable.”

Even the traffic feels different. Where Piccadilly Circus once swirled with buses, cars, and honking horns, it’s now limited to a single lane, making the square feel open, calm, and much more pedestrian-friendly.

Back in the day, you never knew what might happen around Piccadilly Circus; today, those white police vans with cameras quietly watch over the square, making sure your only worry is which chocolate shop to pop into next.

Some things, however, haven’t changed. At London’s Horse Guards, the riders are not allowed to move, tourists are not allowed to touch the horses, and apparently the horse manure is not allowed to be cleared away either ;-) At least one category seems to ignore these rules; guess which one…

Let’s talk money for a minute. Tourist attractions aren’t cheap: A 30-minute ride on the London Eye or a visit to Madame Tussaud’s costs around GBP 30 (USD 40) per person, while a one-day hop-on-hop-off bus pass is GBP 50 (USD 67). Even with a small family of three, where 17-year-old Colin counts as an adult, that adds up fast. We skipped the pricey tickets and happily explored on foot, enjoying the cooperative weather.

For those less inclined to walk, pedicabs (bicycle-drawn carriages) offer a colorful alternative. Vendors decorate their pedicabs in fuzzy pink, animal print or rainbow colors and play music ranging from ABBA to aggressive rap. 

Right at Chinatown’s entrance, we stumbled upon the Swiss Court, named in 1991 to celebrate Swiss–UK friendship. Its Glockenspiel performs a five-minute show several times a day, featuring moving figures, bells, clocks, and astonishingly, the cantonal coats of arms of all 26 Swiss cantons! I could see myself visiting regularly if I lived in London.

All in all, however, the UK wouldn’t be my dream destination to live. The weather and the food, both key to my personal quality of life, would likely drive me to despair. London, of course, stands out from the rest of the country. As I mentioned in my post about England’s food scene, I struggled with the prevalence of fried foods.

In Soho, especially around Gerrard Street in Chinatown, however, there’s something for everyone: Chinese, Thai, Taiwanese, Malaysian, Korean, Singaporean, and more. Of course, fish & chips, burgers, and pies are still easy to find.

So maybe I could be Bridget Jones for a year ;-) Could you? Would you ride the pedicab? What’s the most surprising or delightful discovery you’ve stumbled upon while sightseeing in a city?