Hello, it’s London Calling
While studying abroad in spring 2017, I was able to travel to 10 different countries around Europe, one being the UK! Originally, London wasn’t even on my list of places I wanted to see, however, a couple of my friends had it on the calendar to go so I ended up tagging along. I can now say after visiting, that I definitely want to go back one day soon. It was the perfect little taste of home I needed after being immersed in Italian culture for 3 months. London, the city that’s often compared to as being the most ‘United States’ feel, was impeccable from the tall buildings all the way down to the tea.
Whether you’re in London for a couple days or a week, I’ve got an itinerary that’s jam packed with stuff you’ll for sure want to hit! Here’s my guide to being a true, in-style Londoner↓
BEHIND THE SCENES DETAILS
We stayed in hostile - look for ones that include breakfast, good location to attractions you want to see, etc.
Londoner’s drive on the opposite side of the car and on the opposite side of the street so make sure you REALLY look both ways before crossing
The tube (or subway as you might know it as) is AMAZING! It goes everywhere so make sure to check that out for transportation purposes
DAY ONE - Buckingham, High Tea + a Show
After getting all ready for the day, we immediately hit Buckingham Palace first. It’s famous for being the Queen’s official and main royal home. We got there just in time to see a changing of the guard ceremony. It was incredible and extremely involved. There were tons of guards, horses + carriages, and tons of people surrounding the palace for this mini event.
After Buckingham, we had a little time to kill before our tea time. If you have some downtime while visiting, I highly recommend just walking/exploring the street and nearby parks - Hyde Park is the most well-known.
For tea, we reserved a 2-hour spot at Sketch. It was one of the best experiences I had abroad. If you like tea, this definitely is the place for you! It’s a 4-course ‘meal’ that consists of: unlimited tea, caviar, a tower of mini sandwiches, macaroons, cheesecakes, etc., biscuits + jam, and to be honest, I didn’t make it to the fourth course because I was SO full.
NOTE: One thing I wish I would have explored a bit more in London was the cuisine. Since it was the most ‘American’ place in Europe and I was 3 months deep into eating pasta, I was itching for some American food! So we ate a lot of McDonalds, Chipotle, and Starbucks while we were there.
After dinner, we hit a nearby pub before hitting a show! My friend and I got tickets to see Mamma Mia on Broadway - at the Novello Theatre. Mamma Mia is one of my favorite movies, so seeing it live was AMAZING! I highly recommend seeing a show while in London. They’ve got plenty of options of shows to choose from at very reasonable prices.
DAY TWO - Tate Modern + Borough Market
Art is big around all of Europe, but I think London tops it all with a 10 floor art museum - Tate Modern Art Museum. For someone who enjoys art, it was a really great experience. The museum had interactive pieces, tons of sculptures, paintings, portraits, and anything else you can imagine.
After spending hours at Tate Modern, we walked around the Borough Market. It was filled with tons of vendors, food, flowers, etc. If you go, you absolutely MUST get fish + chips from Fish Kitchen. It was by far the best fish fry I’ve ever had (sorry Wisco)! I mean that is what they’re known for so I did expect it to be delicious!
DAY THREE - Notting Hill + London Eye
Off to Notting Hill! It’s known for its quaint streets, architecture, and being more of a quieter area. Near Notting Hill is Kensington Palace - which is a working residence for the Royals. It’s important to note that when visiting historic places, you must be quiet while observing out of respect people who work and live there.
Second, we crossed off seeing the London Eye and Big Ben. Unfortunately, when we visited Big Ben, it was under construction so it wasn’t legible to read the time. The London Eye was filled with telephone booths, a city skyline, ferris wheel, and tons of tourists on the streets.
DAY FOUR - London Tower, Soho + Chinatown
If you don’t start your day off with Pret a Manger, you’re doing it wrong! They have the BEST almond croissants ever! But if you’re not a fan of that, they’ve got plenty of baguettes, salads, sandwiches, coffee, and bakery items to choose from. It’s essentially a European Panera!
From there, we went to see the famous London Tower and walk around Soho Square, Chinatown. This block was filled with shops from TopShop to Urban Outfitters, tons of different cuisines for eating, M&M World, and everything in between. My favorite was Bubblewrap Waffle. Yes, it looks exactly how it sounds - waffle with vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzle, and oreo cookies.
Make sure to make a couple stops I recommended and please let me know what you thought too! I know London is known for always being gloomy and rainy, but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting!