If you’re heading to London soon but feel overwhelmed with where to begin, this London travel guide will help map out your days, where to eat, what to do, and more. Planning a trip to London may feel strenuous at first due to the size of the city. It is one of the largest cities in Europe and has a population of almost 9 million! However, once you figure out the areas and places you want to visit, it’s easy to bounce from one place to the next. Additionally, the tube and bus transportation are easy to navigate, and taxis and Ubers can be found just about anywhere.
Marco and I spent Christmas in London, and it couldn’t have been more magical! It was actually my first-time visiting London and a city that has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. Regardless of what season you’re visiting in, London is beautiful all year round with no shortage of activities and things to do.
If you’re coming to London by plane, chances are you will be flying into Heathrow Airport (LHR). To get to the city center from Heathrow, you can opt for the London Underground (aka the tube), Uber, taxi, or bus.
We opted for the tube and in total the journey took us about one hour to get from Heathrow to our hotel. From the airport, you will be able to get anywhere in central London in about 40-60 minutes depending on your final destination. A single, one-way ticket for this trip cost us £7 each.
In comparison, a slightly quicker alternative, but more affordable than a taxi is the new Elizabeth line. Unfortunately, this line was not running on the day we arrived due to workers being on strike. If the line is running, it can get you from Heathrow to central London in under 45 minutes, with trains every 30 minutes. Prices from Heathrow to central London cost £12.80.
If you prefer taking a coach bus over the Metro, they run from Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station, as well as many other destinations across the UK. You can catch the bus outside terminal 4, 5 and Heathrow’s Central Bus Station, which is a short walk from terminals 2 and 3. Prices start from £10 depending on your location.
Meanwhile, an Uber / taxi will cost you about £50-£70 and take you around 45 minutes to an hour to get to your location, depending on time of day, traffic, and your final destination.
With strikes happening often in London, I advise you to take a look at their website in advance, to ensure you won’t have any stress getting from the airport to your hotel. You can check here for the strike schedule.
We stayed in Clerkenwell, which is on the eastern side of the city, during our four-night trip to London. Although we loved the area itself and would stay there again, I cannot say we recommend the hotel we stayed at. Alternatively, here are some other areas of London that I would suggest staying in:
Chelsea: If you are looking for somewhere quiet with a nice & safe area, then Chealsea is a good place to look. There is also a lot of shopping around and it’s near to Thames River. Chelsea is one of London’s wealthier neighborhoods, so you may find accommodation to be pricier in this area.
Notting Hill: If you’re looking for a “homey” type of neighborhood within a big city, then look in some options in Notting Hill. It is near Holland Park and Hyde Park, while it is also easy to explore and get around elsewhere. If you’ve seen the famous pastel-colored houses on Instagram or online- those are located in Notting Hill.
Theatre District: If you’re looking for a fun, lively, and vibrant area, try out Theatre District. As it is near Covent Garden, there are always street performers, seasonal decor displays, and a ton of variety when it comes to bars, pubs, and restaurants. This is a very popular area, so you will find hotel accommodations to most likely be a little pricier.
When the train lines were down, we took Ubers which cost us anywhere from £10-20 depending on our location. There was a strike on our first day and train lines were closed on Christmas, but for the most part, you shouldn’t have any issues! We typically took the tube or the bus, which were both very easy to navigate! I like using Apple Maps to get around because it will simply tell you the bus or train you need to jump on. Furthermore, if a destination that we wanted to head to was only a mile or so away, we normally prefer to walk. You definitely stumble upon more when you are wandering around a city! The bus cost us £1.60 for a single ticket, or about £6.00 for a day pass.
Walk across the Tower Bridge: A lot of people actually mistake the Tower Bridge for the London Bridge. Although the London’s Bridge’s name is more well known, the Tower Bridge is the more eye-catching bridge of the two. Both bridges go over the Thames River and are located between the city of London and Southwark near the Tower of London.
Pastries / Desserts / Bars:
There is definitely no bad time to visit London. We came over Christmas and it was absolutely magical. There were plenty of activities to do like ice skating, seeing a play, popping in and out of shops and more. I would love to come back in the summer or fall, spend more time roaming around outside and relaxing at Hyde Park. Whenever you decide to visit, there won’t be a shortage of things to do and places to see!
Pros of London:
Cons of London:
After having had London on my bucket list for years, it did not disappoint! It lived up to all the expectations and more. In summary, there’s a good reason London is one of the most popular and famous cities in the world. It’s a city you could easily spend a week in and not run out of things to do. It’s also a great option for a nice 3-day weekend to roam around, explore, and eat some good food! We had about 4 full days in London and felt like the perfect amount of time. We could have easily spent one more day there and not felt “as rushed”, but overall, we got to do and see everything we wanted. All in all, London is definitely a city that you should visit! I am already dreaming about my next trip there!
If you’re like me and need help keeping all of your travel plans and itinerary organized, be sure to check out my travel journal that I designed for just this reason! It’s how I plan every single trip and keep organized. It has everything you need from a packing list, a page for your accommodation info, travel itinerary, budgeting on your trip, journaling each day and more!
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