London is the perfect city to visit with your best friends. This travel guide walks you through the best places to visit, the must-do activities, and of course, the best food London has to offer!
Places to Visit
London Eye
Riding the London Eye is a great way to see the city from an aerial point of view. You book your tickets to the London eye for a time slot, so I would recommend trying to book at the beginning or end of your day, so you can explore London the rest of the day without having to stay close. I would highly recommend this because you get your money’s worth as it’s a nice length of a ride!
Buckingham Palace
Watching the changing of the guards at the Buckingham Palace is a really cool experience. As you can imagine, this can be super busy, and attract large crowds. I would suggest getting there by 10:15 am for the 11:00 am guard changing.
Tower Bridge
The tower bridge is an iconic photo opportunity. If you wanted, you could also pay a small fee to go on top of the bridge. I opted not to, but it was fun to both see the tower bridge, and cross under it on a boat tour!
Beatles Iconic Photo Spot (Abbey Rd.)
One place that tourists (Americans especially) love to visit would be Abbey Rd. Abbey Road is the name of one of the Beatles albums, and also the cover location. Many fans will travel to take a shot of this iconic road. What we found was that it was wildly busy, and hard to take a picture because it is a fully functioning road! The local drivers do not enjoy stopping for your pictures, but if you are patient and lucky, you can get a great picture!
Camden Market
Camden Market is a super cool spot in London. There are amazing food carts, with all types of delicious food, and there are also shops some of which sport great vintage finds. I loved spending an afternoon walking through the shops and eating both lunch and a dessert at the Camden Market. There really is something for everyone!
BoxPark Shoreditch
Another trendy spot for the foodie would be BoxPark in Shoreditch. Boxpark has amazing restaurants all in one place. We stopped by for Dum Dum Doughnuts, which I will later discuss in this blog! This marketplace is heaven for a foodie, and there are so many foods you will want to try. Shoreditch is also just a really cool neighborhood, and there are tons of beautiful murals to explore.
Greenwich Market
London really has some amazing marketplaces, and Greenwich also made the list. Our boat tour stopped in Greenwich, and we were able to explore this marketplace filled with local artisans, artists, and vendors. I would suggest visiting at least one marketplace while in London because they have the best food.
Things to Do
Ride a Double Decker Bus
Riding a double-decker bus is a great way to get around the city, and it is a fun experience! I purchased an Oyster Card and was able to use both the underground trains and the busses to get around London. The bus was definitely one of the most entertaining options because you can see more of the city while you are riding!
Pose in a Telephone Booth
This one is self-explanatory. I have not met anyone who has gone to London and has not taken this iconic photo! Do it, you know you want to :)
Attend Afternoon Tea
One of the activities, I was most excited about when planning my trip to London, was having Afternoon Tea. As a little girl, I would have tea parties, and there is something so wonderful about being a grownup and fulfilling your childhood dreams! I recommend visiting the Wallace Restaurant for your afternoon tea. Compared to other afternoon tea locations, they are affordable while not compromising on quality. Their food was delicious, and they had a wide variety of tea options. Afternoon tea was so much fun, and I would highly recommend you go to one!
Boat Tour of London on the Thames River
On our first day in London, my group and I took a boat tour on the Thames river. It was beautiful, and although touristy, a fun way to learn about the city, and see a larger part of London than you could walk! My particular boat tour took us from Central London to Greenwich and back.
Go to a Broadway Showing of Wicked
I had never seen Wicked before and was so excited to learn that you can get tickets for a decent price. As a college student traveling, my budget was tight so I was pleasantly surprised I was able to afford to see Wicked. The show was incredible, and it was so special to see a Broadway show while in London.
Sketch London
Sketch is a famous restaurant known for its egg-shaped bathrooms. Most people have seen Sketch via Pinterest or Instagram. It is a beautiful restaurant and you are paying for this unique experience. I had a fun time at this restaurant, but my advice would be to go for breakfast instead of the other meals because breakfast is a more affordable option.
Hyde Park
Hyde Park is beautiful to walk around in. After you visit Buckingham Palace, be sure to roam around enjoying the scenery and beautiful flowers.
Food
The Travel Café
The Travel Café is an adorable coffee and plant shop located in Central London. They have delicious pastries and lattes. If you’re a coffee addict like me, you’ll love this little spot.
The Mac Factory
Located in Camden Market, this is one of my favorite finds in all of London. The Mac Factory sells elevated mac and cheese that is nothing but scrumptious. I ate Pesto mac and cheese with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella balls. I love mac and cheese to begin with but this place is just amazing.
Dum Dum Doughnuts
Dum Dum Doughnuts is a lil shop located in Boxpark Shoreditch. Famous for their cronuts, Dum Dum Doughnuts has gourmet flavors. My personal favorites were the Zebra Cronut, and the Creme Brûlée. My group and I ate a whole box and every doughnut was incredible!
Franco Manca
Franco Manca is known for its sourdough pizza. Their pizza is delicious, and because they’re well known you’ll most likely wait in a long line to get sat. It’s worth the wait because the pizza is crispy, and tasty.
The Fudge Patch
The Fudge Patch is located in the Greenwich Market. I loved this little quirky shop. The owner was super kind and offered us samples of all of the flavors we were interested in. They also have vegan fudge, but you wouldn’t know when you try it. I’m a sucker for fudge, and their fudge is everything you would want: creamy, sweet, soft. Pure YUM!
Thank you for reading my London, England travel guide. I went to London with my best friends, and we had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed our girls trip! Please let me know if you have been to London or if you hope to visit soon!
Love, Kylee Marie
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