London, Canada vs London, UK
- Martyn Hayes
- Jun 26, 2019
- 2 min read
Did you know there's a London in Canada? Resting between the dizzy heights of Toronto and Detroit lies the sleepy city of London, Ontario.
London UK and London Ontario don't just share the same name. The Big Smoke's little cousin also has the 'River Thames' running through it, albeit a bit icier than its original namesake. The similarities don't end there, little London also has:
Stacking London Ontario against London England is hard to do. It's like comparing chalk and cheese. One is huge multicultural metropolis of 14m people, the other is a quiet university city of 500,00. So there are noticeable differences.
People from the Great White North are famed for their "Canadian hospitality", Canada is truly a friendly country. Yet on this side of the ocean, London UK has a reputation of being the opposite.
One observation is how the locals react to snow. British media can be over the top when it comes to snowfall. Whereas our Canadian friends would find our reporting of "death from above" quite comical.
Here are a few comparisons:
I visited a few years ago and here are my observations... If you travel there and expect a city break like Paris then you'll be disappointed. London, Ontario is not a "holiday" destination. But if you go with an open mind and mingle with some friendly locals, you'll be sure to have a good time.
Apart from the novelty factor of viewing another London, I found there's really little to see there. After roughly two hours I was board. Once I saw the namesakes, I felt I had seen everything that's interesting. The city is very small and it's commercial district is pretty much one intersection.
Trains to the big cities are infrequent. So after you've seen the sights you'll likely find yourself killing time and waiting for the next journey out of town. Luckily there are plenty of pubs to keep you warm during Canada's harsh winters.
If you're travelling for pleasure then I'd say it's worth staying for a day before getting back on the road to see other Canadian cities. If all you want is to see what another London looks like, then a quick look at Google Images would suffice.
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