London travel guide

I’m so excited to add another travel guide to the blog, and this one has been a long time coming. This guide is special because it combines recommendations from my cousin who lived in London for business school, from my sister who studied abroad there, and from me, after I visited in 2019.

There’s always been a lot of buzz about London and I really do think it’s a great stop on any European trip. It’s high time for me to make a return trip to London (my sister and I want to go back together!) but until then here are our best tips and favorite places for those of you lucky enough to be going. We put this together last summer when my parents went, and I figured why not post it to the blog as well.

Also, if you have a choice when to go to London, go around Christmas. Their lights are unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and truly nothing compares to London at Christmastime (except maybe Vienna, my other favorite European capital to visit during the holidays). It’s absolutely magical.

Information 

• A lot of restaurants include the tip in the bill. Otherwise, 10-15% is respectful.
• ALWAYS make sure you have a hand or eye on your belongings. Pickpockets are everywhere, especially at markets and on public transportation. 

Groceries & pharmacy

• Sainsbury (pronounced Sains-breeze)—grocery chain
• Tesco or Tesco Express—cheap groceries but smaller selection
• Boots—London version of Walgreens/CVS

Transportation

• Get an Oyster Card or use a contactless credit card for cheaper travel on public transport.
• Download the app CityMapper—you will use it every day! Like Google Maps, but for the tube and bus.
  • Will tell you exactly where to get on and off and the quickest routes. 
  • You can also choose which route you prefer, like if you only want to take the bus.
• Things to know for the bus:
  • You have to press the bell if you want it to stop at the next station. 
  • To get on, you have to flag down the bus or it won’t stop (just wave your hand).
  • ALWAYS sit on the front seat in the top deck unless you are getting off in just a few stops (so fun and beautiful views).

To See 

• London Eye
• Big Ben
• Westminster Abbey
• Tower of London
• Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards ~10.45-11 am every day
• Tower Bridge
• The Albert Memorial in Hyde Park
• St. Paul’s Cathedral—You can go to the top here rather than the London eye, it’s got great views and going up to the dome is cool
• Primrose Hill Park
• Walk along Regent Street and stop in Harrod’s and Fortnum’s 

Neighborhoods

• Camden
• Shoreditch
• Notting Hill
• Richmond
• Kensington
• Little Venice

Parks 

• St. James Park—where Buckingham Palace is
• Regents Park
• Hyde Park—Sit out in front of Kensington Palace when it’s nice out, have a picnic during sunset

To do 

• High tea at Harrods or the Kensington Hotel 
• Greenwich—go to the Maritime Museum and stand on the Prime Meridian! This is a 30 min tube ride from central London but there’s lots to explore up here, definitely could make an afternoon/evening of it.
• Day trip to Windsor Castle (home to the recent royal wedding)—a short train outside of London. You also get to go through the chapel which is stunning.
• Walk from Southbank to Tower Bridge Tube Stops—the best river walk, like 2 miles long, pass by cool shops, Shakespeare’s Globe theater, a cool underground Skatepark, random pop-up shops, and amazing views.
• Parliament/Westminster area—really cool area to walk around (where Big Ben is & London Eye is close) Tour Parliament if you can. 
• West End shows—A MUST in my sister’s opinion! Download the TodayTix app for cheap and last-minute seats!
• Football game—British are huge into football, tickets can range from £20 to a lot more…definitely check out one of London’s many teams and go to a game! 

Museums 

• Victoria and Albert Museum 
• Natural History Museum
• The National Gallery
• National Portrait Gallery—right next door to the National Gallery (check to make sure it’s open, might be temporarily closed)
• Tate Modern
• British Museum
• Churchill War Rooms—Churchill’s bunker turned museum, really an excellent museum if you’re interested in WWII history. Plan for 2-3 hours here.
• Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament—a really cool tour
• Tower of London
• Imperial War Museum—super cool if you’re into history at all, has a ton of stuff from WWI and WWII 

Markets 

• Borough Market—Open Wed-Sat, go for lunch (and go hungry!)
  • La Cappecaisin—famous stand for their cheese toasties!! 
  • Pizza stand—around the corner by the donuts (which are also incredible)
  • Gelataria 3 Bis—an awesome gelato place by the market 
• Portobello Market—has so many cool little stands. Go on a Saturday.
  • In the Notting Hill area which is where you see the famous pastel row houses.
• Covent Market for lunch or dinner
• Columbia Road Flower Market—Sunday only
• Camden—a little edgier but a cool different scene

Shopping

• Oxford Street—get off the tube at Oxford Circus and just walk…literally every store you could ever imagine or ever want. 
• Chelsea—a bunch of more unique shops. Similar to Grand Ave!
• King’s Street—really fun boutiques and fancier shops. Can walk up and down.
• Brick Lane Underground Vintage Thrift—this was really cool
• Selfridges—department store where Londoners shop.
• Primark—has everything and anything…super cheap! Chain located throughout London.
• Westfield Stratford City Mall—one of the few “malls” in London but it has everything and is located right next to the London 2012 Olympic location.

To eat 

Cafes

• Pret—like their version of Starbucks 
• Caffe Nero—also a coffee chain
• Coco Momo—off Gloucester Road, good brunch spot
• Bills—located all over London. Great brunch place, really cute atmosphere
• Peggy Porschen’s—tea/bakery items, cute little spot!
• Maison Kayser—great café/bakery near Oxford Street
• Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery—best bagels in London, super famous, plus Brick Lane is a cool place to walk around (lots of history and TONS of street art!)

Lunch & dinner

• Al Dente—my friend Lorenzo’s restaurant and my cousin’s favorite spot, delicious Italian food (they have a few locations, some are sit-down while others are takeout only I think)
• Iberica—for tapas, so a lot of little appetizers
• Dishoom—Indian, there are 4-5 in London, all are amazing! They don’t take reservations but move pretty fast. 
• Tonkatsu—Ramen restaurant, there are a handful across London
• Bone Daddies—another ramen place
• Da Mario—amazing Italian food, located right off Gloucester Road by Hyde Park (ALSO Princess Diana’s favorite pizza!)
• 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo Pizzeria London—delicious Neopolitan pizza off of Trafalgar Square
• Wahaca—Mexican street food, really cute atmosphere
• Flat Iron—good steak restaurant, reasonably priced
• Nando’s—similar to Cane’s chicken, fun spot to grab dinner with friends, chain restaurant 

Dessert

• Ben’s Cookies—famous cookies in London, the one in Covent Garden is in a cute little market, but there are a few throughout the city 
• SAID Chocolates—milkshakes with glasses coated in chocolate, TONS of yummy desserts!
• O’Donno’s—gelato place in South Kensington 

Pubs & bars

• Masons Arms Mayfair—really delicious, classic pub
• Gordon’s—super cute and historic little underground cave bar with amazing wine and charcuterie boards. Outdoor patio which is fun on a nice day/night!
• Waxy O’Connor’s—in Soho, super cool pub with lots of rooms/areas to hang out
• Churchill Arms—in Notting Hill. Serves amazing Thai food and the inside is decorated with tons of flowers. Could be a fun stop after the Portobello Market (also in Notting Hill)!
• Victoria Arms—oldest pub in London
• Tattershall Castle—outdoor pub on a ferry on The Thames. Right under the London Eye. 
• Any Greene King pub—happy hour from 4-6pm every day, AMAZING gin and tonics (London’s most popular drink)
• Greene King—you’ll see these pubs all over London, all cool with their own unique vibe and worth going to if you don’t know where to eat!

Safe travels to London, and special thanks to Molly and Maddie for their help on this guide!