Two Days in London
London is one of those charming cities that you will never run out of new things to see, do, and eat but can also be experienced in one weekend.
After hopping off our plane at 6 am (yay! overnight flights), we dropped off our luggage and headed to check out a few of the most noteworthy London sights.
Day 1: Visit all of the London “Must See” spots
After a delicious English breakfast at a local café, we walked to Buckingham Palace. And because we arrived at 10 am on a Saturday, it was PACKED. Highly recommend checking out this famous landmark at a less trafficked time than we did. Pretty sure even Times Square isn’t that crowded.
From the palace, we walked through St. James Park toward Big Ben. Unfortunately, Big Ben was under construction during our visit. So I guess I’ll have to come back to London one day, right?
From Big Ben, you can see the London Eye. This recognizable observation wheel has one of the best 360 degree views of the city of London. Ticket prices for the London Eye start at 27 pounds (about $35) each. Be prepared to wait in a long line.
Next, we hopped on the ferry to travel down the Thames River to the London Tower Bridge. Probably the most ornate bridge in the world. And probably one of my favorite sights in London.
When researching best place to photograph the bridge, I discovered that the best place to go is right by the Girl with the Dolphin Fountain on the North side of the bridge . But on Saturdays, the area is filled with local vendors offering many different types of ethnic food. Which was very neat, but did make more difficult to get an unobstructed view of the bridge.
By about 3:00 pm, we headed to our Airbnb to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening catching up on missed sleep.
London Tip: London’s accommodations can be quite pricey, so Airbnb is a great option for those wanting to travel on a budget. If you’ve never used Airbnb, click here for my code to get $55 off your first night’s stay.
Day 2: Exploring London’s Neighborhoods
After spending our first day in London checking out the iconic (read very crowded!) sights, we opted to explore the charming surrounding neighborhoods. London offers many enchanting neighborhoods like Chelsea, Notting Hill, Greenwich, and Soho. We were not able to fit all of them into our schedule, so we settled on Chelsea and Notting Hill which we found to be rather complimentary.
In Chelsea, we started at Peggy Porschen Cakes, a bakery well-known for its instagramable quality. Regretfully, we did not stop for a cake as we had just had breakfast and no room for more food.
From there, we headed West on King Road with our next destination being Baywater Street. This street may just be one of the most photograph worthy streets I have ever walked down. I just loved the colorful pastel houses.
If we had visited Chelsea on a Saturday, we would have visited the Chelsea Farmer’s Market in Duke of York Square Market. Reviews and photographs online make it seem to be one of the best in London. Oh well, next time, London!
Next, we headed to Sloane Square which offers a large selection of retail shops. From here, we hopped on the Underground Tube with a bus connection to the Portobello Market. Due to a few outages, it took us way longer to find our connecting bus than it should have taken. But what’s travel without a few mishaps along the way?
The Portobello Market offers a wide selection of food of different ethnicities. London is really saturated with cuisines from all over the world. The market also offers a large variety of different vintage records, clothes, accessories, and handcrafts.
After the market, we headed back down Portobello Road to window shop and even stopped for a croissant. Further down the road, we came to this charming street. The only downside, it was packed with other onlookers, which is why I would again recommend Bywater Street. I found it to be more beautiful and we were the only ones there.
After Portobello Street, we meandered around the neighborhood imagining what it would be like to be a local Londoner. If it weren’t for the weather, London would be the place to be!
Next, we stopped by Churchill Arms to grab a drink and photo. This place is so charming it’s no surprise it’s popular with locals and tourists alike.
What are some of your favorite sights and things to do in London? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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One Comment
Randy Norton
Great read on how you got a taste of London! My favorite London sight definitely has to be tower bridge as well