I visited London in the springtime, and I want to share where we stayed, what we did, and why it was such a memorable trip. If you’ve ever considered taking a trip to the UK, I couldn’t recommend it enough. There was so much to do, so much to see, and we made great friends along the way – that we still keep in touch with!
But enough intro, let’s dive right into the nitty gritty of our trip:
Where We Stayed
I did an embarrassing amount of research on neighborhoods in London to help decide where we should stay. I learned a lot about popular neighborhoods, touristy spots, quieter areas, and overall areas to avoid.
The major neighbor hoods are: Knotting Hill, Shoreditch, Covet Garden, Soho, Mayfair, Southbank, Westminster, Bloomsbury, and South Kensington.
We ultimately ended up in South Bank, right around Southwark station and Black Friar bridge. We picked South Bank for its centrality, easy access to the tube, and scenic walking routes along the Thames. Now – we ended up staying in an Airbnb for the entire 10 day trip and I’m not sure if I’d recommend it.
The reason we chose Airbnb initially was for two reasons: we thought we’d cook a few dinners for ourselves, and we wanted to really experience living in a flat together in the city. Plus, hotels in the specific areas we liked (like South Bank) we pretty pricey in comparison to an Airbnb. However, we learned a lesson the hard way during this european trip together: just pay extra and stay in a damn hotel.
The Airbnb was loud, the walls were pretty thin and our neighbors were also an Airbnb (we later found out). The laundry situation wasn’t ideal, as there typically are no dryers in europe/the UK. But because our flat was a garden entrance, we had to keep our blinds shut 90% of the time and our clothes took forever to dry without sunlight. Plus, we wanted to change our bedsheets at least once, as we were there for just about two weeks, and wash our towels every other day and there were no additional linens or towels for us to use.
And not for nothing, but we cooked zero meals. There are tons of healthy grab-n-go places all over the city that were cost effective and nutritious. My recommendation is find the right neighborhood/area of the city that you want to be central to, and book a hotel. You won’t regret spending the extra pennies!
What We Did
We did SO much. During our final dinner, Andrew and myself decided to write everything down that we did to recap the two weeks and we were grateful for that.
Site Seeing – like any trip outside of the States, if you’re a history buff than we will get along. Andrew and I had a specific list of all the sites we wanted to see. London has a few classic spots, and we added in our own along the way.
Notable activities include the Churchill War Rooms, St. James Park, the London Eye, Knotting Hill, and the changing of the guards.
Chelsea Match – it’s been a dream of Andrew’s to visit Stamford Bridge and see Chelsea FC play a match. This was a decision we made almost immediately when we first booked our trip.
I think whether you’re a soccer fan or not, try to catch a match if you can. There are several teams in London alone, and experiencing a match live is so much fun. I recommend grabbing tickets ahead of time because the matches can sell out or get expensive!
Shows/Performances – Technically, the reason we booked our trip to London in the first place was because Andrew and I bought Elton John concert tickets 10 months prior to our trip and built a vacation around it. Therefore, this category reflects what we did the most.
We saw 4 live shows during our time in London. Elton John performed at the O2 arena, Noah Kahan opened up for Dermot Kennedy at a small local venue in Brighton, plus Phantom of the Opera and The Book of Mormon that both play almost dialysis in Piccadilly Circus.
Although Elton was planned ahead of time, the other 3 shows were total spur of the moment experiences and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. That being said, if you enjoy live performances then you should check out the resident shows near Piccadilly Circus, or see if any artists are playing locally. You might be surprised – seeing Noah Kahan in the UK was the highlight of the trip for me!
Day Trips – I mentioned it briefly already, but the only day trip that Andrew and I took was to the coastal, artsy town of Brighton. Brighton is so worth the visit; great food and really cool old school pier vibes. Walking on the rock beach reminded me of some sort of mix of Rhode Island and Coney Island, which explains a lot as a ton of our coastal towns with big carnival piers in the States were inspired by Brighton Palace Pier. There’s a ton of cool history to be learned about this town, and it’s filled with unique, eclectic shops.
Where We Ate
Like I said earlier, we ate every single meal out. But honestly, we ate so well. The food in London is great – don’t listen to what people say! A major, international city is going to have fantastic cuisine and there’s no denying it. Here’s a quick rundown of every spot we hit:
Breakfast/Lunch
The Table Cafe – Cute brunch spot with delicious options, highly recommend the classic English breakfast with the heirloom tomatoes.
Lost In The Lanes – Technically in Brighton, but worth stopping in if you’re in the area. Delicious coffee and perfect lunch spot.
Bread Ahead Donuts – A stand in Borough Market, but some of the best donuts we had in London. And yes, we ate donuts from multiple spots.
Borough Market – Honorable mention as we never ended up grabbing lunch from here, but Borough Market is an awesome place for exploring food options. Although I didn’t eat here on this trip, I have had many a meal at Borough Market in previous trips to London.
Egg Break – Tiny brunch spot in Knotting Hill. They don’t take reservations but we only had to wait a couple minutes to grab a table. Very sweet breakfasts but they do have savory options.
Dinner
The Anchor & Hope – Oh the place that Anchor & Hope will hold in our hearts. We crowned this pub our local watering hole during our trip, became friends with a bartender and keep in touch with him online from time to time. Besides the great atmosphere, the food is out of his works. It’s a little pricey, but it’s very high end for a pub. Crowded nightly for a reason.
Dishoom – Second to Anchor & Hope, Dishoom is unbelievable. I still think about this meal daily. The food will knock your socks off, but the interior design of this restaurant is straight out of 1980 Bombay. You’re back in time, eating 10/10 food and drinking unique cocktails. Only regret was not trying this restaurant sooner in our trip so we could go there twice.
Sartoria – A but of a random Italian restaurant on the list, it was a Stanley Tucci recommendation. As a special treat for Andrew’s birthday, we celebrated by trying out this spot. It was pretty pricey, and the food wasn’t our favorite of the week. But it was cool to try some of the dishes that Stanley talked about in his food series.
The Aqua Shard – This restaurant is located at the top of the Shard, a famous skyscraper in the London skyline. Again, it’s pricey but boy is it special. Andrew and I shared a table right against a window on the Thames where we watched planes fly by and the sun set. It was totally worth the experience.
Honorable Mention
Pret a Manger – Jokes aside, Pret single handedly got me through this trip. I had my early morning savory pastry from Pret every single day. Plus they have delicious sandwiches and salads that are great for grab-n-go options!
London will always hold a special place in mine and Andrew’s hearts, and we know it’ll be a reoccurring trip for us in the future. If you have any questions or are looking to plan your own trip to the UK, definitely reach out to me via email or DM me on Instagram – I’d love to connect!
xo, sjv
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