London has long been one of my favorite cities in the world. From the architecture to the history and great pubs, there is something so charming about the city, which has led to my dozen or so visits over the years.
It’s one of the places I most readily share my recommendations to with friends, so I’ve organized them all here, for the ultimate London Travel Guide! (Also, read our review of St. Ermin’s Hotel, which is a great place to stay in London)
One word of note – if it is your first time in London, or you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing, we strongly suggest buying a London Pass, which will give you access to loads of London’s main sites and museums, etc. The pass covers your admission and also allows you to skip the lines, which will give you the ability to cover a lot more ground during your trip. Additionally, the London tube is clean and easy to follow, so it is always our preferred mode of transit while in London, and it’s a lot more economical than cabs or Ubers.
Day 1:
Green Park: Grab a coffee and breakfast to go and stroll through Green Park in the Royal Gardens. This tranquil garden is super peaceful and beautiful and you can catch glimpses of the Palace. I used to go running here every morning when visiting, so if you’d like to get some exercise in, this is a great spot.
Changing of the Guard: Report to Buckingham Palace before 10:45am to see the famous changing of the Guards. This lasts about 15 minutes. You can also tour Buckingham Palace, but the day I went, the line was insanely long.
Westminster Abbey Tour: I absolutely adored this tour of Westminster Abbey, which doesn’t take very long. This is the royal church where weddings, coronations and other historic events by the royal family take place.
Lunch at The Wolseley: The Wolseley is a London institution, and for good reason. My favorite time to visit is a Saturday for brunch, sitting with a Financial Times and cup of mint tea while also people watching at the famed restaurant. The décor, food, and clientele is so quintessentially British, and we love the regalness of the setting. It’s one of those places that I visit on nearly every trip to London despite the breadth of restaurants there since it’s that good. Located in Mayfair, it’s in a great part of town worth exploring before some shopping.
Mayfair and Bond Street: From here, head over to the Mayfair area, which is quite possibly one of my favorite neighborhoods. Between the beautiful streets and great shopping, it’s pretty hard to beat. Seek out Bond Street, which has all of the best shops and designers. It’s fun to stroll even if you are just window shopping and especially if you’re looking for some big purchases.
Carnaby Street: Carnaby Street is a London High Street filled with shops, some British and some that you’d find in any major metropolis. But, I find it super charming and they decorate it beautifully for the holidays. A stroll through shouldn’t take you very long.
Drinks at Mr. Foggs: Before heading to dinner, grab a drink at one of London’s most quintessentially British bars, Mr. Foggs. There are a few different outposts of Mr. Foggs throughout the city, but our favorite is the one in Mayfair. The bar is outfitted in tons of vintage decor and is super cozy without being kitchy. Their drinks are strong and create a great start to the night.
Dinner at Dishoom: Dishoom is an institution in London. This famous Indian restaurant has a few different locations, but we love the location on Carnaby street, which is conveniently walking distance from Mr. Foggs. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so expect a long wait, but it’s worth it. The food is flavorful and creative and there are tons of vegan options, as well.
Day 2:
Get up early, because today you’re going to cover a ton of ground sight seeing. We’re going to take you to the London Bridge area of London, where you’ll cross off a few London bucket list activities, get iconic photos of the city (we see you, Big Ben!) and get in some history and great views.
Breakfast at Borough Market: Head on over bright and early to this outdoor food market set up with amazing stalls selling everything from British pastries to tea and even fresh fish. We love meandering through this market and sampling the wares, coffee in hand as we begin the day.
Views at The Shard: The Shard is a 95-story building and one of London’s most recognizable features of its skyline. At the tippy top, you can enjoy coffee while taking in 360-degree views of the city.
Tower of London Beefeater Tour: You will start the day at the Tower of London, since it has an early open time of 9am. Before hand, schedule the 9am Tower of London Tour with a Beefeater, (or royal guard) and learn about the Tower’s dark history of torturing inmates. You’ll also view beautiful crown jewels and feel like you are transported back in time. Also, walk across the tower bridge while you’re in this neighborhood and don’t forget to take a picture of the iconic bridge from the promenade.
Big Ben: From here, you will make your way over to the London Eye. Before your London Eye appointment, take in the views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, which are visible from here. If you have time, you can take the Houses of Parliament tour today (Editor’s Note: I found this tour to be a bit boring).
London Eye: The London Eye is one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels and it offers some of the most spectacular views of the city. There is always a massive line to go on the London Eye, so if you don’t plan accordingly, it can be a major time suck. So, be sure to make an 11am booking for the ride ahead of time so that you can show up just before and be on your way before 11:30am!
Tate Modern: Just nearby is the Tate Modern, a wonderful museum of modern art that provides free entry to visitors. It is worth a visit even for a little bit to see some of its most-acclaimed works, such as Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe Diptych and Dali’s Mountain Lake.
Shakespeare’s Globe: From here, you can take a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe, which was a highlight for me, but I am a total literary nerd. This replica of Shakespeare’s theater is masterfully done and the tour that goes along with it gives such a great overview of the playwright’s life, upbringing, works and more. They even have performances at night where they reproduce his plays if that’s of interest. The Millennium Bridge is nearby, which makes for a great photo op, too.
Dinner at Bob Bob Ricard: If you’re spending the weekend with some girlfriends,w e can’t recommend Bob Bob Ricard more highly. This Soho restaurant is so incredibly instagrammable, with each table containing its own “Press for Champagne” button, which you can imagine we pressed pretty liberally. Everything we ate and drank was delicious and we especially loved that the fare was on the lighter side.
Day 3:
Breakfast at Cafe Elan: Start today in Knightsbridge, and get fueled up at Cafe Elan, a charming little cafe decked out in pink flowers and other great design details that will have you snapchatting the entire meal. They have one of the best americanos in London, and their almond croissant is to die for.
Harrod’s Department Store: In the Knightsbridge part of London, Harrod’s Department Store dates back to 1849. This beautiful building houses lots of floors of luxury goods. Its clothing selection is on par with a Neiman Marcus, but it also has great tours, house goods and other items. Even if you don’t buy anything, walking through Harrod’s is such a nice experience.
Snack at Harrod’s Food Hall: We’re going to start the day in one of my happy places – the amazing food hall in the basement of Harrod’s. Harrod’s is London’s most famous department store, and its food hall is just as regal as its other wares. Here, you’ll find dozens of purveyors of tasty goods, ranging from cupcakes to Turkish delight to cured meats and everything in between. I always wind up buying some edible souvenirs to bring back home with me for gifts, but also indulge in the food hall, picking up a pastry or other treat.
Victoria & Albert Museum: A short walk from Harrod’s is The Victoria & Albert Museum, which is one of my favorite museums in all of London. Admission is free, and the architecture of this building is just delightful. It reminds me a bit of a smaller Metropolitan Museum of Art. The size makes it more approachable, meaning you can explore the entire museum in a few hours. They also have wonderful rotating exhibitions and entry fees are free.
Brunch in Notting Hill: Head on over to Daylesford for some amazing organic fare in the cutest setting.We are huge fans of their farm and restaurant in the Cotswolds, so we were thrilled when they opened up an outpost in one of our favorite areas of London. (You can read about our experience at the Cotswolds Daylesford here)
Notting Hill’s Portobello Market: Notting Hill is one of the most picturesque parts of the city. Known for its pastel-colored row houses and Portobello Market vintage shopping, it’s the highlight of any trip for me and is so Instagrammable. If you plan on shopping, be sure to bring cash. You can read more about the area in this blog post we wrote.
Dinner at 108 Garage: For dinner, head to 108 Garage, a creative dining concept serving up some great meals. We love that the menu is a journey, complete with subzero popcorn to start and even sweetbreads. The standouts for us were the celeriac and their chicken wings, as well as a Chinese tea with mustard that they served as a palette cleanser. It is also worth noting, this is one of the best dirty martinis I had while in London.
Drinks at Chiltern Firehouse: Next up: One of London’s hardest doors. Pro tip: cozy up to a well-connected friend to get you on the list at the door for this buzzy hotel/restaurant/bar from restaurateur Andre Balazs. The bar at Chiltern Firehouse is a scene. Kate Moss and Leonardo DiCaprio are regulars. It feels like stepping into a retro London with all the associated glam. The drinks are strong and the music is great and the night turns into 4 am in the morning way too easily.
Day 4:
Afternoon Tea: Afternoon tea is a British institution, and something I treat myself to every time I am in the city, no matter what type of diet I am on. I mean, who doesn’t love cakes for breakfast with scones and tea sandwiches? We made a reservation at Zetter Townhouse, which has all of the Victorian feel you need to pretend you are a lady in waiting to the Queen while sipping tea out of blue-and-white china and nibbling on the most delightful cakes. This is such a wonderful activity for a girls trip or a mother-daughter trip and we highly recommend.
Sketch: This all-pink restaurant and tea parlour is another Afternoon high tea institution. Sketch is insanely Instagram-worthy (even the obathrooms are beautiful) and the setting is as great as the cocktails and food. We snuck in (but make a reservation for the pink parlor if you can) for cocktails and cakes one afternoon and were blown away by the decor and the execution of everything we ate and drank.
Explore Shoreditch: Today, head on over the London’s vibrant Shoreditch area. This area is up and coming and very hip, known for life-sized graffiti art and some edge. We popped into Shoreditch House, one of the city’s very many Soho Houses, for a few drinks in the neighborhood.
Authentic Thai for dinner: London is such a melting pot of ethnicities and it has really amazing Thai and Indian. Above, we already chronicled Dishoom for Indian. Next up, try amazing Thai food at Rosa’s in Shoreditch, just a ten-minute walk from Shoreditch House. The food is incredibly flavorful and reasonably priced and the restaurant is a delightful hole in the wall.
Read More Of Our Travel Guides:
The Ultimate Amsterdam Travel Guide
Travel Guide: Copenhagen, Denmark
Travel Guide: London’s Notting Hill
Travel Guide: Where to Eat & Apres Ski in Zermatt
Travel Guide: Zurich’s Hotel Glockenhof
Travel Guide: Zermatt’s Riffelalp Resort
Cotswolds Getaway: The Wild Rabbit, Kingham