London
When I Went:
March 2018 & March 2019
Itinerary:
London (5 days)
Oxford (day trip)
Cotswold (day trip)
How long:
2 days & 3 Days
Notes:
1) Two days is definitely not enough, but that's all I had. London was actually a bonus part of my trip (to Portugal).
2) I didn't take out any British pounds (£) while I was there. Everywhere I went took credit card.
How I got there:
I flew from London (Heathrow) via British Airways. I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington station to save a little bit of time. It was £25.
Accommodations:
I have two friends that live in London so I was able to stay with them a couple nights, but I stayed one night at St Giles London. The room was tiny, but it was right next to the Tottenham Court Road station and in a good location to walk to many places.
Activities/Sights To See:
The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4 - this is at the Kings Cross station and the line to take a picture with the cart outside of the shop was a bit longer than I wanted to wait. Check out the store for merchandise if you'd like!
Borough Market & Camden Market - I talk about this later in the food section, but there are some great restaurants and shops in both of these markets.
Tower Bridge - After we got food at Borough Market, we ate it along the river then walked to the Tower Bridge. Along the way is Hay's Galleria, which looked pretty cool. It has shops, restaurants, and offices. London Bridge is across from Tower Bridge and right next to Borough Market. It is a bit underwhelming compared to Tower Bridge, but still nice to see since it was part of the childhood song.
London Eye, Westminster Abbey, & Big Ben - I really only passed by all of these. Big Ben will have scaffolding on it for the next 2-3 years I hear. London Eye had an extremely long line too.
The Shard - You can go to the top for The View at The Shard. It might be touristy, but had a great view of the city. Unless it's raining, I recommend going for the sunset. It's cool to see the transition from high above.
Neal's Yard - super cute, picturesque area with colorful buildings. There are shops and some restaurants here.
Fortnum & Mason - I felt like a kid in a candy store. I was so happy and overwhelmed with the possibilities. They have teas, biscuits, candies, home goods, and you can also get afternoon tea here. I easily dropped $100 USD here...it adds up quick! If you want to take home some souvenirs, this is a good place to get some treats.
Green Park - This was close to Fortnum & Mason and on the way to Buckingham Palace. It was a nice walk on a nice sunny day. I was running out of time so I had to quickly jaunt through it then take a quick peek at Buckingham Palace.
I walked through Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. They weren't particularly interesting, but good to cross off the list while I was there.
Food:
Bird - this was right outside of Camden Market. I was waiting for my friend to get off of work and this was one of her recommendations. I had the Original Waffle Burger. It was a lot of food, but when I'm on vacation, calories don't count ;)
Borough Market (Pieminister) - so many food vendors for food to eat right away or to bring home. We got Pieminister since I couldn't go to London and not get a meat pie! We took this to go and ate by the river.
The Cheese Bar - if you go on the weekend, reservations are probably good. This is located in Camden Market and has cheese everything. My friend, Allison, and I shared a couple of appetizers, fondue + smoked sausage and grilled angloumi. We also got a couple of grilled cheeses - goat cheese, honey, walnut, and rosemary butter and the other one I think was a cheddar. We finished the meal with a chocolate and salted caramel tart.
Chin Chin Dessert Club - I got the hot chocolate with torched marshmallow on top, and it's really fun to see them torch it! They have ice cream and other desserts too.
Golden Union - some of my London colleagues took me here for lunch for fish n chips, another thing I had to eat while in London. This fish was HUGE. Probably the biggest I had ever gotten and I also got the small portion too.
Afternoon Tea at The Library at County Hall - I love (afternoon) tea and experiencing this in London was a must. My friend Allison and I were looking for tea that wasn't too expensive and this was £36 per person for the traditional afternoon tea. There was a nice view of the Thames, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. The Marriott is also right next to the London Eye.
Enough time?
Definitely not! I'd love to come back to London one day and spend a few more days here and also explore other parts of England. I think spending at least 4-5 days in the London would be ideal.
