Guide to a Long Weekend in London
It was as fabulous as I remembered.
When I studied abroad in Florence, Italy I met my mom for a long weekend in London and fell in love. The architecture, the charm (the Tube?!), the pubs, the style, everything. My friend was heading across the pond for a conference and asked if I wanted to come along for the ride (the obvious answer being YES).
While she was furthering her career, I had some time to explore on my own, up until it was time for us to meet up for a cocktail and begin our night.
Here’s my guide to a few days in London (keeping in mind I did majority of the touristy things the first time I went!).
Day One: Regent’s Park, Camden Market, Marylebone
Primrose Hill / Regent’s Park: Our hotel was near Regent’s Park so we decided to walk around the park on our first day - it’s a huge park (also home to the London Zoo) so you could easily take a long stroll and end up at Primrose Hill, which came recommend from a friend. It’s at the top of the park and has some great views overlooking London (plus many dogs, which is a plus).
Camden Market: My friend read about this and it wasn’t far away from our hotel so we walked around Camden Market, a large retail market with tons of shops. We even found a cute photo booth inside one of the squares!
Daunt Books / Marylebone: London has a lot of cute bookstores, and Daunt Books in Marylebone was one that I read about. It’s also on a very cute street of Marylebone with shops and restaurants.
The River Cafe (Thames Wharf): My one request for dinner was to go to Stanley Tucci’s alleged favorite restaurant in London - The River Cafe. I scored us a reservation right when they opened, and the space has an almost 70’s vibe to it with a roaring wood-fired oven in the back. There were tons of servers walking around and helping out, and the space filled up fast. The menu changes daily, but we scored some delicious Italian-forward dishes like the Pizzetta, Prosciutto di Parma, Mozzarella di Bufala and Fettuccine Verde. Definitely a must visit if you’re a foodie (we just took a quick Uber from our hotel, but you can also take the Tube or bus).
Day Two: Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Kensington
Kuro Coffee: On my first solo day I took The Tube to Notting Hill since this was an area I hadn’t made my way out to on my first trip. Before I started my trek around the area, I grabbed some delicious coffee at Kuro.
Notting Hill: I could’ve walked around this area all day - the houses were so classic and chic and paired with the fall weather was chef’s kiss. The busy Portobello Road helms cafes, antique shops and the famous Notting Hill Bookshop. I highly recommend spending a good chunk of time in the area.
Gail’s: Realizing I hadn't eaten any breakfast yet this morning I popped into Gail’s to grab a croissant. A chain in London but great grab-and-go pastries.
Churchill Arms: This was one of (if not the only) place I wanted to go back to. My mom found this place during our first trip - it’s a traditional pub in the front and a hidden Thai restaurant in the back! The food is so good, but I also just found it so cool that it doubles as a separate restaurant.
Hyde Park: One of the larger parks in London and great to walk around in - also is home to Kensington Palace.
Victoria & Albert Museum: If you do decide to walk through Hyde Park, you can end on the south side of it and keep walking to the Victoria & Albert Museum. I loved their fashion and photography exhibits.
Harrods: This is a non-negotiable for me when it comes to London - Harrods is THE department story of the city, and is even more special during the holidays. I go just to browse and never actually buy anything :)
England’s Grace: I was in need of a serious pick me up to get me through the remainder of the day, and I stopped in here for a flat white on my way back to the hotel (our Tube stop was St John’s Wood), but it looked like a cute place to grab breakfast or lunch too.
Prince Albert Pub: We had some time to spare before our dinner reservation so we popped in here for a quick drink. We were convinced we found a locals spot, and they had your traditional pub food and beers.
The Hero: I’ll toot my own horn here as I found some pretty killer dinners for us on this trip. I saw this place in a guide and it’s a bit off the beaten path, but when we walked in it was packed. The vibes were sooo cozy (there’s a small fireplace that people can also sit around) - think dimly lit and tons of wooden furniture. We sat in “The Pub” but there’s also different style rooms you can pick depending on the vibe you want. It was more of a ‘split a bunch of things’ situation, so we got the Cocktail Sausages, Cheese Toast (a grilled cheese but 10x better), Oysters, Chicken Pie and Steak & Chips + martinis, of course.
Day Three: Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, High Tea
Borough Market: Definitely worth strolling around - there’s so many food vendors, and I recommend starting your day off here + getting there early before it gets too crowded.
Monmouth Coffee Co.: Conveniently located directly across the street from Borough Market, I popped in here to grab a cup of coffee. I will say, the coffee was DELICIOUS, but they don’t have regular to-go cups (you can buy a reusable one and bring it back and you’ll get reimbursed), so it was pretty packed with people finishing up their coffee, but still worth it.
Tower Bridge: Arguably one of the most well-known attractions in London (and not to be confused with the London Bridge), it’s cool to see and you can walk over the bridge to get to the other side of the river. From Borough Market, I walked over the London Bridge and past the Tower of London just to see it again.
Dickens Inn: I wasn't hungry enough for a full meal yet, but if I was I would’ve went back to The Dickens Inn, which is where I had my first ever Fish & Chips during my previous visit. It’s a cool building, and right on a wharf so it makes it a fun area to walk around in (I did so just to reminisce).
Buckingham Palace/St James’s Park: I did miss the Changing of the Guards, but strolled around Buckingham Palace just to see it again, and kept walking through St James’s Park.
The King’s Head pub: I definitely worked up an appetite after all the walking, and I couldn’t leave London without getting at least one order of Fish & Chips. I stopped at The King’s Head Pub in the St James’s area, and it was pretty full so probably a well known spot (they serve your classic pub food and beers on draft) - plus, the Fish & Chips were delightful.
The Halcyon Gallery: I continued to stroll towards the Mayfair / Marylebone area and a gallery caught my eye - artist David Hockney was having an exhibition, and is apparently one of Britain’s most celebrated artists.
Everbean / Avery Row: I couldn’t believe it when I saw a street called ‘Avery Row,’ and it would have been a crime not to at least see what was going on down it. To my relief, it was the CUTEST street ever. I also stopped into Everbean, a coffee shop that doubles as a wine bar) and took a quick coffee break.
Mayfair / Marylebone area: Another cute area to walk around in and do some shopping.
The Wallace Collection: A free museum with tons of paintings, furniture and ceramics in a historic London house.
Afternoon Tea at Claridge’s: I don’t know how I was able to snag us a high tea reservation (probably because it wasn’t until 5:30 p.m.), but we considered this our dinner. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and we got to live out our afternoon tea dreams, sipping on house blends and eating cucumber sandwiches. I’ve also done the afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason, which is also fabulous.
Duke’s Bar: Being the martini-loving friends that we are, we had to stop by Duke’s Bar for their martini experience. They have an array of martinis to choose from, which they’ll make for your tableside. It’s a small room so we had to wait a bit for a table, and they also have a strict dress code but if you want to feel like James Bond, I highly recommend.
