flywithlivIt is impossible to do London in a weekend… however I must admit, I am biased because I absolutely love this city and the buzz it brings!
We decided to take a Friday off work, and I am so glad that we did! Here is what to do in London during a 3-day long weekend.
You must arrive Thursday night. If you arrive at Stanstead Airport, you can take the National Express Since the train station
- we took a fancy taxi for the UK experience – 15 pounds from the train station to the hostel
Day 1:
Walk to kings cross station. Wait in line to take a picture with the Harry Potter platform 9 3/4, it is free! Probably because most people shop till they drop at the Harry Potter shop next door
Take the tube from here into Trafalgar Square. From here you can walk basically anywhere!! It’s awesome. You’ve got a ton of options:
Morning:
- Grab a coffee from Costa and head towards St. James Park. Have your coffee and breakfast there on the view of the pond. There’s plenty of wildlife here it’s very beautiful.
- Once you walk through St. James park, you get to the long road draped in flags that lead to Buckingham Palace. This is the home of the British Monarch (now, King Charles III).
- If it is of interest to you, you can go in and do a tour for £90
- From here, you can walk to the famous Royal Church, Westminster Abbey. This is where the Royal Weddings have happened. This was a £20 entry fee.
- Within eyes view, you have the infamous Big Ben just steps away. Don’t forget to take a picture! If it’s a foggy day, take a picture up close on the bridge next to it.
- Picture tip: If it’s a foggy day, take a picture up close on the bridge next to it.
- If it’s a sunny day, then cross the bridge and walk down the staircase towards the London eye. The ledge by the water on this walkway has the best picture-perfect background of Big Ben!
- The London Eye is just ahead of you. It is often quite busy so you should buy your tickets online! It will be cheaper too – £32.50 online, or £36 in person.
- Fun tip: As you adventure around London, a great game to play is, “can you see the London Eye from here?”
- While you’re in this area there a couple of things you can do:
- walk around the cute parks within the city and get acquainted with the city streets
- stop by at a pub around noon and have a mid-day drinkNi
- Walk to Covent Garden and check out the markets in this area
Afternoon:
- Just don’t get toooo full because at 2 PM you have afternoon tea!
- This must be booked in advance. There are many options for afternoon tea, some which could be quite expensive, so you want to make sure you find a discount here
- After this, you will go back to your accommodation and rest for an hour. You have a big night ahead!
Night:
- You are going to see a musical tonight! It is a must on the to-do list when you come to visit London. Even if you have no idea if this is “your thing,” it is not something you want to miss when you visit a city that is practically made of shows.
- I highly recommend seeing Wicked. This was the first musical I saw when I visited London for the first time and from then on, I was hooked!
- After the show, you will be going out in Soho! This is the district with all the fun bars and energy that will keep you up on a Friday night.
- If you are looking for all the club pop and rap hits, Bar Soho is always a great vibe!
Day 2:
Morning:
- You start off the morning with some breakfast at Pret. They have some awesome parfaits and sandwiches and remember, you are on a budget!
- The first stop of the day is none other than King’s Cross, platform 9 3/4. For all the Harry Potter fans, this is a dream come true.
- There is no line to see this. However, you can get a photo on the shopping cart with wands and House scarves, which is totally worth it!!! The line to get this picture may be long, but it goes fast. There are a ton of food places around, so grab a coffee and get talking with your friends while you wait!
- Good thing you are at King’s Cross station, because here you will take the Northern Line tube, southbound to Tower Bridge station. In case you didn’t know, London bridge is not the bridge we imagine when we think of London, England. It’s actually Tower Bridge!
- It’s a beautiful walk across the Tower Bridge, and it leads you to a beautiful boardwalk by the River Thames.
- If you would like to do a cheap tourist attraction (£11) you can actually go up to the top of the bridge, see the interior and learn about its history. There’s a little scavenger hunt where you can collect stamps as you learn about the build of the tower bridge. At the end, there is a glass floor where you can take a picture. It’s fun for kids and adults!
- As you step off the bridge, head in the direction towards the London Bridge – there is a wonderful boardwalk this way and some amazing opportunities for photos with the Tower Bridge!
Afternoon:
- It’s time for lunch! Head to the Borough Market which is just down the road from London Bridge. There are many options for fresh food to make everyone happy. I highly recommend this for a big group of people!
- Being well fed, you have the energy to keep walking this afternoon! Now, you are heading towards Leadenhall Market – this is Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies! Plus, this is one of the nicer shopping markets to see in London.
- From all the walking around you may be quite tired – personally, we went back to our hostel to relax and take a nap. You have several things you may do during this time:
- Go to Greenwich Park Observatory and relax in the park
- Check out the beautiful, colourful houses in Notting Hill
- Go shopping at the Shoreditch Market, Brick Lane Market, and Old Spitalfields Market
- Go to SoHo area and go shopping around the infamous Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street
Night:
- Tonight you’re going out… again! This time, head over to Covent Garden for a nice meal at one of the restaurants. Then, head to Leicester Square for some pub hopping until you end up at Simmons – no entry fees required!
Day 3:
On this final day in London, prepare for a bit more walking, but also a bit more relaxing.
Morning:
Start the day off with going to Camden Market. Here you can grab breakfast. Some good coffee can be found at Caffe Nero!
At Camden Market you have great food from all over the world, vintage clothes, fake designer items, and so much more. The Market is placed over a canal so it is quite a beautiful area.
Your next stop is Hyde Park. This is a humongous park (think of it like a Central Park) with plenty of gardens, including Kensington Garden right under Kensington Palace. There are some cute cafe’s placed by the Serpentine River where you can rent out a pedal boat and enjoy a nice spring or summer’s day. This is the perfect place to relax and have a picnic.
From here, you can choose to check out the colourful houses of Notting Hill. This is quite a wealthy district, and a place you can admire as one of the prettiest parts of the city.
Afternoon:
Finally, you can head over to Chinatown for a nice dinner with some authentic Chinese food. You can choose from having a dine in meal, an all-you-can-eat buffet option, or take-out. There are even some amazing deserts and bakeries around for you to check out!
Before you know it, it is time to go home. Just don’t forget to take a picture with a red telephone booth on your way out, you may not see one ever again. Cheers!
Do you have any recommendations for London? Write them down below in the comments.
Some other attractions I would recommend:
- A relaxing day in Greenwich park
- Check out the colourful houses in Notting Hill
- Sky garden + breakfast
- The Shard for a fancy dinner with a view of the city
- Interested in Art? Then head to Tate Modern
- Interested in history? Try the Shakespeare Globe Theatre or the National History Museum
- Little Venice
- Cable Car
- Hop on – hop off double decker bus tour
Tips:
- If you have any questions about the tube, do not hesitate to ask for help – while pedestrians may be rude I have found that the staff has always been helpful and kind!
- Don’t buy a day pass for the tube!! Just use tap with your card – it will save you money!
- Pret has better food, Costa has better coffee!
- Book afternoon tea online before you trip – use groupons
- Pims o’clock
- Double decker buses are only £1.60 and can be used to get throughout the city, especially at night!
- Only the Victoria Line, Central Line, Northern Line, Jubilee Line and Piccadilly Line run during the night. All other tubes stop running around midnight until 5 AM.
- Go to a Sunday roast a local pub if you have time on Sunday night! It is truly fresh, delicious and very British!
- You can pre-drink on the streets without getting fined!
