London, England Travel Diary

London, England Travel Guide

London and Paris have been on my travel list for YEARS now and I can finally proudly say that I’ve checked them off my bucket list. A few weeks ago, armed with our cameras and ball gowns, Kate and I hopped aboard a plane headed to the other side of the pond. We landed in London, England on a crisp spring morning and I instantly felt as though I had stepped foot into a magical world where elevators were called “lifts,” chips are known as “crisps,” and everyone speaks in the most charming British accent. Every single person that we met in London was so pleasant and (for a lack of a better word), just adorable! London is a world where everyone smiles and they actually say “cheers” when something good happens and the sidewalks have little reminders on them to “look left” or “look right” before you cross the street.

Regent Street & Elan Café

We literally landed, checked in to our hotel and hit the ground running. As we strolled along Regent Street, I could not get over how many beautiful buildings and shops there were. And the FLOWERS…there were flowers EVERYWHERE! We stopped in Elan Café, a beautiful sidewalk café for some rose lattes and avocado toast. From the entrance, which was lined in flowers, to the inside of the shop, I was in awe. This was a poppin’ spot, so if you go, be sure to get there early so you can get a good seat. After our little bite, we strolled around all of the shops in the area. However, despite the hustle and bustle, there was a whimsical charm to the cobblestone streets, string lights, flowers and shops.

This photo was taken in front of Liberty London, a beautiful store and great photo spot!

Big Ben & The London Eye

We finished out the evening by heading to Westminster, where we watched the sun set behind Big Ben and the London Eye glitter in the distance. We grabbed a cozy dinner at a local pub (which I would definitely recommend doing if you visit) – I’m sad to say we did not try fish and chips (because I couldn’t work up the courage to try fried fish…but apparently that’s definitely the thing that London is known for!)

The London Eye was truly spectacular, especially when it lit up the night sky! Tickets are about 27 pounds and can be purchased in advance here.

Big Ben was also a beautiful landmark, and of course an iconic spot to visit when you’re in London. The good news is that these two locations are located very close to each other making it easy to hit both when you’re in the area. Although the area was very crowded, we still enjoyed some stunning sunset and late-night views at both locations.

The Sky Garden

The next morning, we got up bright and early to head over to The Sky Garden for a breakfast reservation. I would highly recommend this as a must-do if you ever visit London. Not only was this a magical garden in the clouds, but it also allows you to get a birds-eye view of the city and orient yourself where everything is. I would definitely suggest getting there EARLY as it gets quite crowded quickly – we were some of the first people there, which allowed us to snap some beautiful photos and admire the serene view without being overrun by other tourists.

They also have several restaurants/bars on different levels which you can reserve as well – I would suggest making a reservation in advance to ensure that you are able to do this! This was definitely one of our favorite activities during our time there!

Click here to book.

Tower Bridge

 Following our breakfast, we headed over to the Tower Bridge. This is definitely an iconic London landmark, known for the bright blue accents. We enjoyed the waterfront view and briefly checked out the Tower of London before jumping on the tube (their version of the metro) to Covent Gardens.

Covent Gardens & Neal’s Yard

Covent Gardens was another one of the highlights of our adventure to London. I would highly recommend stopping over here if you have the time – not only was it an absolutely stunning location, but filled with beautiful shops, storefronts and markets. We stopped for some tea and coffee as we perused the market and offerings from the local vendors.

A short stroll away we stumbled upon Crown & Anchor, the Insta-famous red pub covered in the most gorgeous greenery.

And just a stones throw from there, we also happened upon Neal’s Yard, a beautiful little hidden alleyway that leads into the most picturesque little courtyard with shops and colored houses. What a dream!

Belgravia

If you want to adventure into flower, bakery and boutique heaven, Belgravia is such a beautiful place. Although the entire city is bursting with floral displays, Belgravia certainly had the MOST! On nearly every corner, there was a quaint flower shop, a bakery or a boutique.

Peggy Porschen London

Of course, we had to stop at (another) Insta-famous location in London, Peggy Porschen Cakes. This place definitely lived up to the hype. From the unmistakable front door and floral display, to the magical interior, the vibe of this spot was definitely worth the 45 minute wait and price tag. We opted to sit outside because the weather was pleasant, but the inside was gorgeous as well. Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed sipping on some vanilla roibose tea with a slice of lemon and rose cake. Honest opinion: the tea was out of this world, the cake was just okay. If you visit this spot, come prepared to wait for a table and also make sure you dress for a memorable photo – this place is the perfect photo op!

As we wandered around Belgravia, we stumbled upon numerous other adorable bakeshops and boutiques, including Dominique Ansel Bakery London (definitely try their world-famous cronut).

Buckingham Palace & Westminster Abbey

I feel like Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey are a tourist “must” if you’re visiting London. We didn’t spend too much time at either of these locations, but I’d definitely recommend that you stop by these iconic London landmarks to snap a photo and say you’ve seen them. Definitely try to see the changing of the guard if possible (it’s at 11:30am)!

Markets in London

There are so many awesome markets in London that would definitely be worth checking out! A few of the best are The Borough Market (one of the oldest/famous food markets in London), Leadenhall Market (a beautiful covered market in the heart of London), Camden Market and Brixton Market.

Where to Eat in London

Other than the food locations mentioned above, most of our meals during our time in London consisted of little cafe’s and pubs that we happened to come across as we were walking. Don’t be afraid to ask the locals were the best spots are or do a little research to find something good nearby. Although Elan Cafe, Peggy Porschen and Sky Garden were pre-determined food locations on our list, we preferred the convenience of finding little hole-in-the-wall spots that came across as we explored for everything else!

Weather in London

Although (thankfully) we were able to avoid any rain during our stay in London, it is notorious for unexpected showers. *PRO-TIP: Definitely make sure that you pack an umbrella or some rain jackets and proper shoes just in case it does!

Where we Stayed in London

Our hotel was located in the Westminster/St. James Park area and LOVED it. We were walking distance from so many of the big tourist attractions including The London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and more. We found the area to be safe and clean! Although I don’t have anything to compare it to, we thoroughly enjoyed staying in this part of town and found it to be very accessible!

Currency in London

Everything in Britain is paid for in GBP (Great British Pounds) which exchanges to about $1.65 USD per 1 GBP.  There are plenty of ATM’s around the city (don’t ever exchange out your money at the airport as they tend to jack up the prices). However, right before the trip I got a credit card with no foreign transaction fee (mine was from Capital One, but do your research and find a good fit if you decide to get a new credit card!). Mastercard and Visa are pretty much universally accepted, so we never even changed over our money – we used credit for the entire trip with no issues.

*PRO-TIP: Make sure that you alert your credit card company that you will be traveling internationally before you go so that they don’t think it’s fraud and freeze your card

Transportation in London

Although we took an Uber from the airport to our hotel, we utilized the Underground public transportation for the rest of our time in London and found it to be incredibly safe, clean and user-friendly.

Oyster Card: We opted to buy Oyster Cards while we were there since we planned on using the Underground so much. The card is prepaid and can actually save about 50% on each ride. It can also be used on the buses as well! If you leave and have extra on the card, they will also refund the balance! There are also daily fare caps, so once we hit a certain point, the rest of our rides for the day were free which was great! (I think the cap was 8 pounds or something like that!). The information online was pretty confusing to me, but the kiosks at the stations were very easy to use and we didn’t have any issues!

For more information on the London Underground system, click here.

Airport Transfer: Most all international flights arrive into the London Heathrow Airport (LHR). This is about a 40 minute drive to central London.

• Taxi/Uber – We were tired and decided to take an Uber which cost us around $50. In hindsight, we probably should’ve taken the tube simply because it was significantly cheaper.
• Underground (The Tube) – This is the cheapest option. It takes a little over an hour and costs around 8 pounds, according to the woman at the information stand at the airport.
• Express Train – An alternative option is the express train that runs from LHR to Paddington Station – this only takes about 15 minutes. This will run about 25 pounds, but if you book it in advance, can actually be almost half that price. However, keep in mind that depending on where you’re staying, you may still have to take secondary transportation from Paddington to your hotel.

What We Missed

There was so much more in London that we simply didn’t have time for that you should DEFINITELY do if you have time. These include Harrods (we tried to go here but unfortunately it closed very early – make sure that you go earlier in the day), Notting Hill (beautiful houses and neighborhoods), Kensington Palace (a royal residence and gardens), and a million other cafe’s and museums…but I guess that means we’ll just have to go back again soon! It felt like we barely blinked before we were packing up our bags to climb aboard the Eurostar bound for Paris, France.

Continue reading about this trip in Paris, France Travel Diary.