While it’s been a few weeks since we returned from Europe, I still have been relishing in the feeling of being there. There was so much to do and see, and I truly cannot wait to head back at some point soon.
During the planning of this trip, I kept referencing various bloggers who had traveled to England/France to see their recommendations. Blogging is such a valuable tool to help you plan! So I figured it may be of help to write about what we did and saw in our time there in turn that it would help you plan your trip as well. We also referenced Rick Steve’s travel guide through England quite a bit in our adventures. So happy we did!
Since we spent a total of 9 Days in Europe with 2 days and one night in Paris and a day in the English Countryside, we only had 5 days in London itself and a morning, before heading back to Colorado, which was plenty of time to see the highlights. Since there is so much to do in London, you will want to come back at some point! There’s already so many things I have down for our next trip. 😉
{Related Post: Paris in 24 Hours}
If you are planning on seeing London, being able to go out to the country is well worth your time and money. It’s an entirely different feeling to see the countryside, for which I would love to spend more time wandering through on a future trip, traipsing farther away from London.
If you are interested, you can see our trip to Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor which I blogged, as well as our jaunt to Paris. (Probably the most magical 24 hours of my life so far!)
Day 1: Arrival + British Museum
We took a direct flight from Denver to Heathrow. I’ve never been out of the country, let alone on a flight that long, so I was a bit nervous about the 9 hours in the air. However, British Airways keeps you well fed and the dim lights in the cabin made it impossible not to sleep. We arrived around 11:30 am the next day, bought our Oyster Cards for the week (I’d recommend putting at least £50 on them if you’re there longer than 5 days-it was plenty for us), and made our way to the hotel.
After checking in, we walked to the British Museum. At this point, it was 3:30 pm, and the museum was closing at 5, so we made quick to walk through to see the highlights. The highlights included the King’s Library and the Rosetta Stone. The British Museum is magnificent, and the amount of knowledge and works stored there is truly amazing. I could have stayed hours in the museum.
Afterwards, we walked back along Tottenham Court Road, ate at Pret, (the tastiest and quickest to eat at restaurant-my Mom and I still miss our meals there) and popped in to Primark. What a shopping gem! Imagine a Forever 21, but larger. Bleary-eyed, we retired early, sleeping until the morning.
Day 2: Westminster Abbey, St. James’ Park, Portrait Gallery, and Fortnum & Mason
The next morning we woke up early and got ready for the day. Our first stop on the Tube was Westminster to see the Abbey and walk along Parliament. The Tube station at Westminster takes you right to Parliament and Big Ben. However, Big Ben is under restorative construction for the next few years, so he was covered in scaffolding. Despite this, it was still amazing to see that typical view of Parliament from across the River Thames!
Our first tour was Westminster Abbey. Although no pictures were allowed inside the Abbey, they give you an audio guide to pace yourself as you walk through the Abbey. I’m a bit obsessed with British Literature, the Royal Wedding, and the monarchs of England, so being able to see the place where so much history has occurred had me tongue-tied. Walking through the Abbey, looking up at the great balustrades, you can’t help but feel a bit small. You can walk by the tombs of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, Edward the Confessor, the Poets corner with memorials to Shakespeare, Austen, the Bronte sisters, and many others. The Abbey also contains a labyrinth of hallways to walk down. I would recommend getting to the Abbey right when it opens as lines do get rather long. It does cost money, around £20 per person which is the equivalence to $26 per person.
We made our way to the Portrait Gallery right next to Trafalgar Square to see Monet’s architectural works. Next time I’m in London, I’d love to go to the actual Portrait Gallery. This was something we didn’t quite realize: the special exhibit gallery which was where Monet’s works were, was separate from the gallery itself. Whoops!
If you’re over in the area of Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, you must make your way to Fortnum & Mason, which is simply the best place for tea in London. It’s a 4 story shop with everything from teaware to cafes and a place for high afternoon tea. While we were a bit late in the day for an official afternoon tea, we opted for the smaller cafe. Definitely worth it!
Following tea and hours of oggling over tea goodies at Fortnum & Mason, we made our way down Picadilly Circus, home to some of the best shops. Including a glorious Barbour store!
In the evening, we stopped by the Sherlock Holmes’ House on Baker Street, and even though the museum was closed, there was hardly anyone out front of the house, making for a prime spot to take photos!
Day 3: Eurostar to Paris
You can read all about our 24 hours to Paris here, as we boarded the Eurostar from St. Pancras International, which is connected to King’s Cross. It’s a quick trip under the Channel and is by far the cheapest option to getting in to Paris from London! The concierge at our hotel in Paris told us Paris and London are considered by most to be suburbs of each other, all thanks to the train.
Day 4: Return from Paris + Harrods and the Parent Trap House
As we returned rather late in the day from Paris to go visit any museums, we chose to walk from our hotel (near the Warren Street Tube Station), to Kensington where the Parent Trap House is, and then pop in to Harrods! What a huge department store. You could easily get lost in Harrods for days and return only with a lighter wallet and bags of goodies.
Day 5: Changing of the Guard, Churchill War Rooms, & Tower of London
We started the day off by taking the Tube to Green Park, where we walked to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace! While our Rick Steve’s Guide recommended we find a good spot early, we arrived right as it started and had a spot right up next to the fence.
I would highly recommend the Churchill War Rooms, no matter how much you know about Churchill. His impact on the world both during and after WWII and his secret rooms where the war plans were made under 10 Downing Street are a sight unlike any other. I was impressed with how intact the rooms were. You do need about 2 and a half hours for the audio tour, but it is well worth your time. Plus, there’s a great cafe right in the middle of the War Rooms with a tasty shepherd’s pie.
Following the War Rooms, we took the Tube to Tower Bridge and bought our tickets for the Tower of London. Now, silly me, I had presumed the Tower of London was the actual bridge itself or just a tower, but boy was I wrong. It’s actually a huge fortress which was added on to as a new monarch took their place. We took a walking tour with a ‘beefeater’ guard who brought humor to an otherwise morbid spot. He walked us through the history of the Tower of London, and afterwards we walked through to see the Crown Jewels. Pictures aren’t allowed of the Jewels, but let’s just say words don’t do them justice. (Your ticket to the Tower of London also covers seeing the Crown Jewels.)
Day 5: Warner Brother’s Harry Potter Studio Tour
While talking to some friends back in the states, they actually recommended we go and tour Leavesden Studios, where all 8 Harry Potter movies were filmed. We looked in to it and bought the tickets! A double decker Harry Potter bus picked us up in the morning in London and drove us and other Potter fans out to the studios about an hour away from the city. We arrived just as the studio was opening, and I can 100% say this was one of the best decisions we made while in London. I don’t want to say too much about the studios themselves, because Potter means something different to each of us, but just being able to experience the studios and see the sets, costumes, and behind-the-scenes makings of the movies was magic beyond belief. (And drink some butterbeer!) I’d highly recommend going!
After a few hours there, and more than a few tears were shed, we boarded the same bus back to London. Back in London, we headed home early to relax.
Day 6: Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge
While you can read about our day out of London, I just have to say that taking the time to head out of London is a must. You get to experience more of England!
Day 7: Kensington Palace
We woke up early to take the Tube to South Kensington to walk through Chelsea and on to Kensington Palace. We had been told Kensington was one of the prettiest castles to visit, and it did not disappoint. We walked through historic hallways and rooms where tour guides would position themselves throughout the area to tell stories about the palace. Kensington is where the young royals live and where other famous monarchs such as Victoria and Albert lived as well.
You can also take tea at L’Orangerie right outside the palace and stroll through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.
We finished our day with a pub meal of fish and chips before getting ready to leave the next morning.
Recommendations for London
- Invest in an Oyster Card. The Tube is the easiest way to get around London, and the Oyster card makes it easy to hop on and off. We put £50 on each of ours which was plenty to get to London from Heathrow, around London, and back to Heathrow at the end of our trip.
- Have a good pair of walking shoes. I cannot recommend this enough! There were days we had 20-30 thousand steps so a good pair of shoes is good. I really love my Supergas and can’t rave about them enough. I wore them constantly and they’re the kind of shoe that gets more comfortable the more you wear them.
- Food
- Don’t feel the need to eat at the pub for each meal. I’d recommend choosing one or two meals to eat at the pub, then take advantage of walk-up markets with grab and go food such as Pret.
- Curry is so tasty in London! I was blown away by the quality of a proper curry there, and ended up eating it at a restaurant after 7, when all food was half off. So. Tasty.
- Tea is a must. I’d recommend Fortnum & Mason, but there is also tea wherever you go!
- Bags
- Before the trip, I was looking all over for a lock-bag and found this little backpack. However, I ended up just using my Old Navy bag most of the time as I was carrying our raincoats and my DSLR with me. I’d definitely recommend a bag that zips!
- Tours
- Many of the exhibits and palaces cost money, however, some of the museums are free to the public. Be aware of cost before waiting in line to get in to a place.
What a whirlwind but so very worthwhile trip!
Have you been to London? What did you enjoy most?
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