I’d been to nearly 40 countries and over 100 cities before I ever visited London because honestly I thought it was just another major city but with Royals, and oh my gosh I was so wrong! It’s an AMAZING city with so much to offer, and you could easily spend weeks exploring and barely scratch the surface. It’s a notoriously expensive city so this mini-guide aims to help you save money on your visit.
It’s easy enough to visit for just a long weekend, or you can spend a week or more exploring and taking it slow at the same time.
I stayed at 2 different places in London:
- The Clermont Charing Cross – expensive for the basic rooms but great location in the center of London and stunning main areas
- Spark by Hilton London Romford – great value for comfortable stay, it’s about a 25-30 min metro ride out of the center but worth it to save $$
Makes sure you have tap-to-pay on your phone or credit card for the Underground & train systems!
Free Things To-Do
Unlike a lot of other major cities, a lot of the best museums in London are free! Just MAKE SURE to make reservations ahead of time to save your entry time. Otherwise you’ll either end up waiting in hours-long lines or being denied entry. Some of the things I’m listing here you can do paid tours of, but I mostly just saw from the outside (like Tower Bridge and St Pauls Cathedral).
- British Museum
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Natural History Museum
- National Gallery
- Science Museum
- Tate Modern Museum
- Kyoto Gardens
- Millennium Bridge
- See Big Ben
- See Houses of Parliament
- See Tower Bridge
- Walk around Chinatown
- Daunt Book Store
- See St Pauls Cathedral
- Neal’s Yard
- God’s Own Junkyard
- See Shakespear’s Globe
- Sky Garden (free hours)
- British Library
- Hyde Park
- Harrod’s
- Borough Market
- Portobello Market
- Abbey Road (Beatles Crossing)
- Kings Cross Station (Platform 9 3/4)
- Trafalgar Square
- See Buckingham Palace exterior
- See Westminster Abbey Church
- Columbia Rd Flower Market (Sundays)
- Walk along Little Venice Canals
- Primrose Hill
Paid Things To-Do
There’s SO much you can do in London, so I’ll try to list some of the most unique or cool things to do. Try to go to the theater though, even if it’s a show you’ve never heard of!
PS: links go to the Get Your Guide tour! – I make a small commission if you use my links at no cost to you so I truly appreciate anytime you use my links!
Go to the theater – get discounted tickets at TKTS Booth
See a Premier League Game
Sky Garden after hours
Afternoon Tea
Day trip to Stonehenge & Windsor
Where to Eat
London has some of the best international cuisines in the world. Basically anything you want you can find it! Also as a vegetarian I was able to find amazing veg options literally everywhere we went!
- The Churchill Arms (very cool pub with surprisingly good thai food!)
- Dishoom
- E Pellicci
- M&S – grocery to get lunch to go
- The Old Queens Head
- Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon
- Tayyabs
- Mercato Mayfair
- Seven Dials Market
- Borough Market
- Attendant Coffee Shop
- Lanzhou Lamian
- Greggs – cheap easy fast food
- Claridge’s Bar
I hope you have the best time!!