London Itinerary

Everything you'd want to know for a visit to London

London is one of my favourite cities in the world. My mom used to live there, it was my home city for a year, and I regularly train down to visit friends. In my opinion, London strikes the perfect balance of having a rich history, endless professional opportunities, sprawling nature, and a diverse culture.

Anytime friends or family are coming to London, I’m often asked for recommendations of my favourite places and things to do. I’ve compiled all of them below (other than food recs - that deserves an entire post in and of itself) with some FAQ’s at the bottom.

Have the best time! x

THINGS TO DO:

• Tourist Attractions:

  • Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden

    • They’re all around the same area

      • FREE TIP: If you go to a service at Westminster Abbey, you don’t have to pay to get inside (you can, of course, pay for the traditional tour inside if preferred).

  • Tower of London

  • London Eye

    • FREE TIP: If you don’t want to pay for the London Eye, you can get a free view of the city skyline by going to the Sky Garden (book tickets in advance) or walking to the top of Primrose Hill.

• Arts:

  • West End theatre

    • Equivalent to Broadway and an absolute must-do. Shows are cheaply priced (tickets for as low as £20 pp) and the quality is unmatched. Definitely one of my favourite things to do in London! 

      • TIP: You can go on TodayTix and find cheaper tickets for day of shows and shows in advance. My all-time favourite show I’ve seen is Les Mis!

  • Shakespeare’s Globe

• Green Spaces/Parks:

  • Unlike many major cities, London is home to many green spaces and gardens. Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, and Primrose Hill are some of my favourites.

    • TIP: You can rent bikes for a pound or two and ride around the parks - so lovely to do if it’s a nice day!

• Museums (my favourite ones):

  • British Museum

    • Free, just book tickets ahead of time

  • Victoria and Albert Museum

    • Free

  • Churchill War Rooms

• Recommendations on areas to stay/explore:

  • Notting Hill

    • Darling part of town with the Portobello Road market, colourful homes, and full of boutique-type shops/food. Further away from Westminster area (likely would need to Tube rather than walk)

  • Kensington

    • Sister to Notting Hill, full of elegant architecture, hidden pubs, and boutiques. One of the most expensive parts of town.

  • Soho

    • Vibrant night life and shopping centre near the centre of London.

  • Westminster

    • Governmental buildings and the heart of historical sites (like Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Big Ben, etc). Expect lots of tourists in this area, but ideal location for sight seeing!

• Some of my favourite walking circuits:

  • Cross the Thames around the Tower of London and walk along the Thames until you get to the London Eye area. Then, cross over by Big Ben/Parliament. Stop for lunch around Southbank Centre Food Market.

  • Grab a coffee in Kensington and wander through Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens into Notting Hill.

FAQ:

• Q: What’s the best way to get around?

  • A: The Tube (otherwise known as the London Underground)! Public transport is super easy and safe to use. You don’t need a printed ticket, but can just tap and go with your card/phone.

  • Note: if you can avoid the tube during rush hour, you’ll likely have a much less crowded ride :)

    • TIP: Use the same card in the same manner (ie credit card on phone) to ensure every ride counts towards the daily/weekly cap!

• Q: What’s the easiest way to get from the airport to central London?

  • A: Depends on the airport, but public transport! (However, if money is not a factor, you can’t beat the convenience of a taxi/Uber). Here are my recommendations for which public transit option to take.

    • Heathrow:

      • Heathrow Express

        • £15-25, takes ~15 minutes direct to London Paddington (then may have to tube from Paddington to your destination)

      • Tube

        • ~£5 (cheapest option), takes ~45 minutes - 1 hour, often direct

    • Stansted:

      • Train

        • ~£10, Services run frequently, takes ~1 hour

    • Gatwick:

      • Train

        • ~£10-15, can take Gatwick Express or other train lines depending on destination, takes ~1 hour

    • Luton:

      • Train

        • ~£5-10, takes ~30 minutes

• Q: Is it as rainy as people claim?

  • A: It doesn’t rain as much as people think. It may sprinkle randomly during the day so just be prepared - I always have a small umbrella on me. But it rarely thunderstorms and rarely downpours either.

I’ll be updating this regularly and sharing my London Food Recs in a future post, so stay tuned! x