What to do in London, England

Itinerary

  • Rather than setting an itinerary for you, I recommend looking at my recommendations & must-see lists below and then check the weather for your dates. There are so many great options for what to do in London, regardless of the time of year or weather.

Airport/Train Stations

  • Gatwick LGW (airport)
  • Heathrow LHR (airport)
  • London City LCY (airport)
  • St Pancras QQS (train)

Hotel

  • HomeAway
  • Airbnb
  • Hotels {I haven’t stayed in all of these, but they were recommended by locals}
    • Grazing Goat
    • Intercontinental Hotel, London Park Lane
    • The Rosewood London
    • St Giles Hotel {great location}
    • St Martins Lane {Covent Garden area}

Restaurants

  • Brunch
    • Borough Market
    • Caravan, Exmouth Market
    • Granger & Co
    • Lantana Cafe
    • Riding House Cafe {reservations highly recommended}
  • Lunch/Dinner
    • Battersea Pie Station
    • Blanchette
    • Borough Market
    • Céleste, Lanesborough Hotel
    • Churchill Arms
    • The Clarence
    • Daylesford Organic {for breakfast or lunch}
    • Maggie Jones
    • Oxo Tower
    • Simpsons in the Strand
    • Windsor Castle
  • Afternoon Tea
    • Bea’s of Bloomsbury
    • The Dorsett Hotel
    • The Drawing Room at the Ampersand Hotel
    • Fortnum & Mason
    • Haymarket Hotel
    • Modern Pantry
    • Number Sixteen
    • The Orangery at Kensington Palace
    • The Sanderson Mad Hatter’s Tea
    • Sketch

Transportation

  • Underground
  • Public Bus
  • Uber
  • Taxi
  • Walk
  • Hop on Hop Off Bus

Must See

  • Big Ben
  • Borough Market
  • British Museum
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Changing of the Guard
  • Covent Garden
  • The Globe Theatre
  • House of Parliament
  • Hyde Park
  • London Bridge
  • London Eye
  • National Gallery
  • Natural History Museum
  • Notting Hill’s Portobello Road Market
  • Piccadilly Circus {& West End Shows}
  • The Shard
  • St Paul’s Cathedral
  • Tower Bridge
  • The Tower of London
  • Trafalgar Square
  • V&A
  • Westminister Abbey

Recommendations

  • I highly recommend the hop-on-hop-off bus. It takes you all around town, gives you the chance to get off wherever you want and teaches you about the city. We loved it!
  • Decide which day is going to be the prettiest and go to the top of the Shard for a bottle of champagne. The views are stunning!

Did I miss anything?
What would you add to the list or what would you like to know more about?

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15 Comments

  • Reply
    Brooke
    April 5, 2018 at 11:53 am

    I’m so jealous of you and your adventures!!! I would love nothing more than the obligatory photo with the telephone booth when traveling to London!!!

    XO
    Brooke
    Charmedjerseybelle.com

  • Reply
    Kelly
    April 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    GREAT list!!! I just went to London last spring and I’m thinking back on all the fond memories now! The only thing I would add to the list is Harrod’s! It was so fun to visit the food hall (the doughssant is still probably the best treat I’ve ever had!!) and stroll through the departments and look at things I could definitely not afford. :)

  • Reply
    Courtney Hardy
    April 6, 2018 at 9:19 am

    There is so much to do in London. I want to visit there someday.
    http://sugarcoatedbears.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    Diana Chen
    April 6, 2018 at 10:30 am

    I’ve been to London many times but somehow never made it to a single market. I’d love to check out Borough Market (or any market for that matter), and I’m bookmarking your restaurant recommendations for when I’m back next month. Your photos are beautiful by the way!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    April 6, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    I live in London, and you’ve given some great tips. It’s a big city though, so there are tons of things to do here. I love your photos, I live close to Westminster Bridge!

  • Reply
    Rhiannon
    April 6, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    I’ve lived in the U.K. almost my whole life but have only ticked off maybe 3 or 4 things from your list! I really want to see a show at the Globe Theatre, though. My auntie travels up from Wales quite regularly and I should definitely go with her next time.

  • Reply
    Soraya
    April 6, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    This is a pretty list of recommendations for London. And totally will double check the weather too! The Grazing Goat Hotel got me curious and will totally check it out. Loving your list of Afternoon Tea offerings – Id love to experience this in London.

  • Reply
    Leah
    April 6, 2018 at 4:50 pm

    Perfect timing for this post because I’m heading to London in May! I’ll be there for two weeks and will definitely make sure to check out your recommendations for tea, that’s something I’m really looking forward to :) Your photos are fabulous, Big Ben looks so pretty at sunset.

  • Reply
    Clarice Lao | Camping for Women
    April 8, 2018 at 10:57 am

    It has always been my dream to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral. This is the top one of my list. I did not realize that there are more must-see attractions. Would happen to share how long should our trip be to visit all of these attractions?

  • Reply
    Jenn and Ed Coleman
    April 8, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    I am definitely a fan of the hop on / hop off busses. The tube will take you anywhere you want to go, but you don’t have the opportunity to “see” what’s around you and make a sudden change in the itinerary. What amazing spring weather you had during your visit.

  • Reply
    Chris Bloomfield
    April 8, 2018 at 8:35 pm

    Never used a hop on hop off bus, but seems like a great way to see the city. Especially if it is one of those double decker buses. I have always wanted to see Big Ben. It looks like there is plenty to keep me busy if I can manage to get over to London.

  • Reply
    Heidi
    April 10, 2018 at 4:05 pm

    Love London! You forgot to add the public buses and the Underground to the transportation list. The #24 takes you past most of the iconic sites for much less than the cost of the hop on hop off! And of course, we always stop into the Tate Modern everytime we’re in London. So much to see and do in this amazing old city.

  • Reply
    Ashley DTKAustin
    April 16, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Definitely saving this post! The last time I was in London I was in the hospital so I missed out on EVERYTHING!!! I’m due for another trip out there!

  • Reply
    Kasey | Running in Heels
    April 17, 2018 at 10:12 am

    I miss London! I’d go back in a heartbeat! I’d add Camden Market to your list, but you have so many good things on here! My favorite part was just walking around the river and seeing everything!

  • Reply
    homepage
    May 26, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    I read this article completely regarding the difference of newest and preceding technologies, it’s amazing article.

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