My mum is a Blue Badge London tour guide, and recently we went on a walk around the City of London to uncover some secret stories and hidden gems in the City of London that a LOT of tourists miss.
She showed me London’s smallest statue and told me stories of cockneys, fires, the origins of London Bridge and secret Roman ruins!
The full story is on my YouTube channel; this blog post has all the stops with more information about visiting yourself. All information is correct as of 22nd October.
In a rush? Here are my favourite hotels in London
⭐⭐⭐ The Ned – Click here for rates & availability
⭐⭐ The Derby London City – Click here for rates & availability
⭐ Borough High Street Rooms – Click here for rates & availability
Places to visit in the City of London
1. Dragon marker
This is the official point of entry to the City of London. There are a few of them, but the one we walked past was on the southern side of London Bridge, near London Bridge station.
You can find its location here.
2. The Monument
The Monument is fairly well-known, but the full story behind it isn’t always! It was put up to acknowledge the Great Fire of London that opened in 1666; when it was built in the 1670s, it was the tallest building in London. You can go all the way to the top for a view of the City of London, tickets are bookable on the website.
3. Pudding Lane
This is a street near the Monument where the Great Fire of London began. Nowadays, there’s not much there, but it’s worth popping down if you are interested in the history! The Google Maps location is here.
4. The mice-and-cheese statue
This is the smallest statue in London – it’s two mice and a piece of cheese. It commemorates a sad story that you’ll find in my YouTube video! You can find it on this Google maps link.
5. St Magnus the Martyr
This church is very much a working place of worship (there was a service on when we were there!) but you can pop in when it’s open and see a scale model of a Medieval London Bridge, complete with figures of people throwing waste into the river!
See its opening times on the website, where there are also some high-quality photos of the bridge.
6. The Walkie Talkie and Sky Garden
London’s Sky Garden is quite well-known amongst locals, but it’s a great spot for tourists to be aware of!
It’s a free viewing platform at the top of the “walkie talkie” building. The viewing platform was actually opened as an apology – see my YouTube video to learn what they were apologising about!
It’s free to enter, but you must book a ticket online (or a restaurant or bar table).
7. London Mithraeum (inside the Bloomberg building)
THIS is surely one of the best free things to do in the city of London – a Roman temple HIDDEN inside a modern office block!
It’s totally free to visit, but check its opening hours before heading there – we were too early as it doesn’t open until noon on a Sunday.
See the website here or the Google Maps location here.
8. St Stephen Walbrook
This is a small church near the London Mithraeum that is “regarded to be Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece” (apparently!). My mum disagrees, however, and thinks its St Paul’s Cathedral. Find the Google maps pin here and let me know what you think!
Opening hours may be limited, as this is one of many City of London churches that doesn’t have many parishioners these days!
9. Bank of England Museum
The Bank of England Museum is a free-to-visit museum open on weekdays (not on weekend days). It’s situated at Bank Junction, where you can also see the Royal Exchange (now a high-end shopping centre) and Mansion House (the residence of the Lord Mayor of London).
Bank junction Google Maps pin here.
10. Cheapside and the market street names
Around the St Mary-le-Bow area, you’ll see lots of streets with names of produce.
Cheapside is where the medieval market was held – “cheap” is an old word for “market”. Google maps pin is here.
You’ll find “honey lane”, “milk street”, “wood street” and “poultry” leading off it. No prizes for what’s sold at each!
11. The plaque for Thomas Becket’s birthplace
Thomas Becket, who was infamously murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, was born in the City of London – within the sound of the Bow Bells, which makes him a true cockney.
You can find the plaque of his birthplace here.
12. St Mary-le-Bow
This famous church is the marker of who is a “cockney”. To be one, you have to be born within the sound of this churches bells!
You can find the church here.
Where to stay in the City of London
Here are some places that I or people I know have stayed in:
The Ned: Oh how I wish I could stay here! This is one of the most luxurious hotels in the city of London. It was the headquarters of the Midland Bank, but was taken over and refurbished as a luxury hotel. If your budget allows, it’s definitely one to check out! Click to read more about it.
The Derby London City, Curio Collection by Hilton: I got a fab deal here not long after travel restrictions to London were lifted in 2021, and it’s well worth staying at if you can! The rooms are really stylishly decorated and beds are uber-comfy. It’s just a few steps from London Bridge. Click here to read more about it.
Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge: I’ve stayed in a few Leonardo hotels all over the world, and have found them to be very reliable quality. This hotel has a pool and comfy rooms with a desk and city view. Click here to read more about it.
Borough High Street Rooms: These are in Southwark but are a fantastic budget stay. Some of the rooms have shared bathrooms, but they’re all modern and well kitted out, and are just a walk from the City of London and all the action! Click here for more information about them.
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Final thoughts
If you enjoyed the video and this post and would like to leave a tip, my KoFi link is here. This directly sends the tip right to my PayPal account and goes into planning future videos (such as trains to London to film more with my mum!).
You can find the other two videos my mum and I have filmed here and here. And don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube if you’ve enjoyed the videos!
