London Travel Guide

Ah, London. My favorite city in the world, home to amazing food, shopping and sites. It has the excess of New York City with the charm of Europe. I went on my first trip there at 11, and have been three additional times sense, and yet I still feel that I’ve barely scratched the surface of all it has to offer.

Things to do in London

To get yourself acquainted with the city, I suggest the 48 hour hop-on hop-off bus tour; there’s one that includes a river cruise with the ticket too. The tube (their subway system) can be expensive so the bus tour is a better way to all the London must see spots in one day.

Another one of my favorite touristy things in London is the Tower of London tour. See the crown jewels, learn what a beefeater is and more in this iconic place.

There are a lot of free museums in London. The Tate Modern is in a cool area, and if you need to leave a bag the day you are arriving or leaving, they have a big back check area you can leave luggage for a day; I think it was only a pound or two

My favorite areas to walk around in London are Kensington, Notting Hill, Covent Garden, Carnaby Street, and the Tower of London area.

For shopping, the Harrod’s experience is a must when in London. Oxford Street and Camden Market have great shopping as well.

In terms of other London tourist attractions, the London Eye is a classic way to view the whole city, seeing a theater show in the West End is always a good idea, The Shard has a stunning view of the city, Regent’s Park is a great place to walk around, rent a bike, or take our a peddle boat, and if you are going over the holidays, the Christmas decorations and market in Regent’s Park are a sight to see.

Bonus tip: If you want some pictures to take home from your trip, book a photoshoot with Ewa Horaczko - great prices and amazing pics!

Take a day trip to Paris. You can go from London to Paris via a train that goes underwater through the chunnel, and be to Paris in just around 2 hours. This makes for a great day trip or overnight stop. If you book far out, the ticket shouldn’t be more than $100. you can find tickets and times here. Read more in my guide to France here.

Food & drink ideas London

This city is expansive and writing a review of all the places I’ve eaten would take forever, but here are some of the best restaurants in London. I loved Polpo Soho for small Italian plates, Obica Mozzarella Bar made all my cheese dreams come true, Basement Sate was a great speakeasy with top notch gin cocktails, and Coppa Club has great drinks and even better views. Here are a few other food and drink spot suggestions: Honest Burgers, Dishoom, The Churchill Arms, NOPI, The Palomar, Ottolenghi, Italian Garden Cafe in Regent’s Park. Borough Market and Camden Market are awesome spots to food hop and try a lot of delicious treats as well.

Where to stay in london

I personally love the Notting Hill area; we found a great AirBnb close to the tube and Kensington Palace, so we could walk around or take the tube around town easily. I’ve previously stayed further outside of the city as well and had no problem getting the most out of my time. The tube makes it easy to get around, so you can take your pick of place to stay based on price, and as long as it’s close to a stop, you should be able to easily get around to all the sites.

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