My husband and I traveled to Europe from late August to early September 2017. We spent nearly two weeks exploring London and Paris. Let me tell you- it was pure magic! We fell in love with both cities and had so much fun exploring.
Today, I am going to review our London trip- where we stayed, what we did, and what we ate!
Accommodations
We were very lucky to have friends living in London, so we stayed with them. They live in a flat in the Paddington area and it was the BEST location. Very close to the underground, which we used multiple times each day, and to the Heathrow Express, the train that takes you to and from Heathrow Airport. Also, we were literally a few blocks from Hyde Park, which is essentially Will and Kate’s backyard (hey guys!). The park is beautiful and we spent A LOT of time here. The weather was beautiful during our trip, so hubs would nap in the grass while I people watched (seriously entertaining). I would highly recommend the Paddington area if you are planning a trip to London!
Sightseeing
· Kensington Palace/Hyde Park– like I mentioned above, Hyde Park is literally the backyard of Kensington Palace. I could go on and on about Hyde Park and its beauty. Although we saw Kensington Palace (Kate, you’re a lucky gal!), we did not go on a tour. Definitely a must when we go back!
· Tower of London and the Crown Jewels– the Tower of London is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. The castle was beautiful and we spent a few hours walking around exploring the grounds. The grounds also house the Crown Jewels, which are a working collection of royal regalia that are used regularly by The Queen. This was INSANE! I could not believe the number of jewels the royal family owns- definitely brings you down a notch and I left feeling like a peasant!
· Westminster Abbey– easily one of the BEST things we did the entire trip. The Abbey is breathtaking and the amount of history is overwhelming. We opted for the FREE headset tour (highly recommend) and it definitely made the experience much better. Not only is the actual Abbey architecturally beautiful, but the number of important people buried here is intense. It is literally a who’s who- Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, St. Edward the Confessor, Henry III of England, Mary, Queen of Scots, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the list goes on and on. It was so surreal to be walking around so many people that I learned about in school- such an amazing experience! Side note- this is where the royals wed! I told hubs that we can revnew our vows here ha!
· London Eye/Big Ben– right around the corner from Westminster Abbey which makes seeing this trio easy on foot.
· Buckingham Palace– the Queen travels to Scotland from mid July to October, and during this time you can tour 19 rooms of the Palace. Highly recommend this tour! It was so fascinating to be walking around in the Queen’s home! She certainly lives the life! After the tour, they had a lovely area outside set up with a little café- we had a delicious afternoon ice cream snack.
· Notting Hill– seriously the cutest area ever! The flats were beautiful, so it was nice to just walk around. We ate at Churchill Arms in this area- best Thai food in such a cool atmosphere!
· Borough Market– we went here on a Friday afternoon and had a blast! It’s basically a HUGE farmer’s market. It was very crowded and seemed like many people came here after work to hang out/eat. So fun and a definite must!
Food/Drink
· Maroush– this Lebanese restaurant was delish! The hummus was insane and the Spicy Lebanese salad was on fire (literally). Stick with the Maroush salad for a little less heat!
· Sketch– we went here for my birthday dinner and this is a girl’s dream. The restaurant has a few different “themed” rooms and, depending on what time you’re eating, they will place you in a particular room. We were placed in the ‘pink room’ for dinner and let me tell you- pink everything! Pink walls, pink velvet swivel chairs, pink flooring- it was crazy! It was stunningly beautiful atmosphere, but not necessarily my favorite meal.
· Churchill Arms– I mentioned this above and it is a definite must. We sat in the back and it was such a quiet, peaceful lunch. The Thai food was delicious. There are intertwined plants above you that create the most unique ceiling. I was seriously hoping they would share their gardening skills with me!
· The Victoria– this pub was directly across the street from where we stayed. If you want the typical London ‘pub’ experience this is the place for you!
· Lite Bite Café– located in Paddington, we ate here one morning for breakfast and it was delicious. Perfect to get you fueled up for the day!
· Maximini Chinese Restaurant– this was across the street from where we stayed in Paddington. Jimmy Choo (yes, the shoe designer) ventured into the restaurant business and created this lovely location where you can find a mix of different Oriental foods.
Shopping
· Selfridges– huge, luxury department store full of high-end products. Had a blast looking at everything and wishing I could afford it all!
· Oxford Street– felt very similar to New York’s Time Square with a lot going on. If you walk around the streets in this area you’ll find Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, etc- your window-shopping dream will be made!
· Zara– one of my most favorite stores EVER and there is literally one on every corner. We do not have a Zara in Nashville, so I went a little crazy here (also went to one in Paris ha!)
Tips
· Make sure to get an Oyster Card and load some money onto it- this is what you will use if you plan on traveling via the underground or bus throughout the city. We put approximately 20 pounds (not dollars) on each card and that lasted our entire trip
· Download the CityMapper app! This is so important! Coming from Nashville, we had no idea how to maneuver the underground system in London, as we have nothing like that here. This app was our life-saver! Literally, you plug in your destination and it tells you the nearest underground location as well as what exact train you need to get on.
· Be prepared to wait in line at sightseeing hotspots- we would try to get to each place right when it opened so we would be the first in line.
Hope you guy enjoyed this London review! I hope each and every one of you are able to make it over the pond and experience London- it really is magical! Thanks for reading and sharing! – A
