London Travel Guide
London Travel Guide
Buckingham Palace, The Beatles, lazy afternoons in a pub, Big Ben, Harry Potter, the Tube – London is the first stop for most visitors traveling to England. I was lucky enough to get to spend some time in London for work, with a few weekends for exploring and site seeing! It’s a massive city with something to offer for everyone.
See below for my London Travel Guide including recommendations on where to stay, what to do and when to visit
Jump To:
- *Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Pick for Drinks With A View*
- Where to Stay in London
- What to do in London
- When to Visit London
- Getting Around London
- Safety for Solo Female Travel in London
Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!
*Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Pick for Drinks With A View*
Drinks at the top of The Shard in London are an absolute must for getting drinks with the best view in London! The Shard has several bar & restaurant options depending on whether you just want casual drinks or a fancy dinner. Details for all options can be found here
Where to Stay in London
London is a large city composed of multiple neighborhoods. The main tourist attractions are spread out, meaning there is not one ideal neighborhood for tourists to stay to be near everything. That being said, the London Underground is expansive and makes getting to any part of London easy and fairly quick. Also, a lot of the neighborhoods are pretty walkable to other areas of the city.
I stayed in Marylebone, a neighborhood in the West End of London. It was a cute area with lots of little restaurants and pubs, and cute streets to walk around. It was also really accessible to the rest of London. I love walking when I travel and found it very walkable, but there was also a Tube stop right across the street from my hotel, which was ideal for coming back later at night and not wanting to walk far. The area felt super safe.
It was walkable to Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, The Sherlock Holmes Museum, & Madame Tussaud’s. I even walked a bit farther to Buckingham Palace (about 40 minutes) and Abbey Road (about 30 minutes) because I think walking is the absolute best way to explore as much of a city as possible!
In, Marylebone, I stayed at The Landmark Hotel. It was absolutely stunning, but it ranges a bit on the pricy side. There are definitely cheaper options in Marylebone if you’re looking for something a bit more affordable!
What to Do in London
London is such a large city, there are essentially endless things you can do to fill your trip, not to mention day trips from London to discover other parts of England. Since I was there for work, I had to prioritize my time to try to see and do as much as possible. Here are some of my favorite (and not so favorite) things I did:
Double Decker Bus:
I know this is potentially the most touristy thing you can do while in London, but honestly I definitely recommend, especially if you’re trying to see as much as possible in a short period of time! These busses stop basically everywhere you would want to go and allow for hopping on and off, so you can explore any areas you’re interested and hop back on later to get to the next spot. Aside from the highlights (Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Bridge, The Tower Bridge, etc) I recommend getting off and exploring South Bank, a cool area near the London Eye that’s great for walking around and exploring. There’s also a lot of awesome food and pub options, making this a good spot to grab lunch. Book your bus ticket ahead of time here
Pub Crawling:
I highly recommend you carve out some time for a bit of afternoon pub crawling! There are so many quintessential pubs, like literally one on every street corner. They’re each so charming and cozy you have to make sure to visit at least a few. You really can’t go wrong with pub crawling in any London neighborhood, but starting in Marylebone & Mayfair, making your way through Soho, and then ending up in Covent Garden is a great way to see a variety of pubs in some top neighborhoods. Also, if you sit at a table you still need to go to the bar to order (food or drinks) there is no server that will come over to you 🙂 I recommend skipping a tour and putting together your own pub crawl, but if you’re interested in joining a group tour there are definitely options
Roast:
Sunday Roast is an absolute must on your trip to London. Think afternoon brunch, but no breakfast food. It’s a roasted meal; beef, potatoes, vegetables, bread, drinks. And it’s delicious, but definitely leave yourself some downtime after Roast. It’s a heavy meal and you’ll want a little time to chill We went to Cora Pearl in Covent Garden and it was amazing. I’d definitely recommend making reservations for any Sunday Roast you plan on trying!
Piccadilly Circus:
Wandering around Piccadilly Circus at night (and if you can swing it, seeing a show) should absolutely be on your London itinerary. I saw Book of Mormon a the Prince of Wales Theatre and bought tickets just a few days before!
London Eye:
If I’m being totally honest, I found the London Eye disappointing overall. I had booked specifically for sunset and found the whole thing a bit underwhelming. I should add that most of Big Ben was entirely covered in scaffolding, and Big Ben + the Parliament of Westminster are the closest monuments to the London Eye, so it took quite a bit away from the view. It’s really popular, so this might not be the most popular opinion. If you’re interested in giving the London Eye a shot, certain bus tours (recommended above) have an upgrade option to add a London Eye ticket. There are a few other spots I’ve heard offer better skyline London views, one being The Shard. I had multiple coworkers who chose this over the London Eye, and all had positive reviews. Another interesting option is Sky Garden, which is free and looks stunning, but there are a limited number of tickets available daily so book ahead of time!
Abbey Road:
I can totally say how people would say you can skip Abbey Road. It’s a bit underwhelming, as well as being out of the way compared to other major London landmarks. BUT that being said I’m a massive Beatles fan and felt compelled to venture over there, and am glad I did, despite the lack of overall excitement once getting there.
Changing of the Guards:
At Buckingham Palace – to me this is just a ton of pomp and circumstance, and the crowds make it harder to see Buckingham Palace. I recommend going and walking around not during the changing of the guards.
When to Visit London
I always feel like when to visit a place is super dependent on your personal preferences. Do you value good weather over avoiding crowds? Are you ok with paying top dollar for flights and hotels to visit peak season? Depending on what you’re looking for London can be visited any time during the year.
Summer – Summer is peak tourist season for England (as it is for most European countries) Temperatures in London are mostly comfortable, averaging around 70 degrees F, although certain weeks can get very hot (avoid the Tube, if possible, during the extreme heat) Prepare for big crowds and high hotel prices in return for the ideal weather!
Fall – The crowds start to thin out as September comes around, making September, October and November ideal times to visit London. Temperatures will drop to the mid 50’s or so around this time
Winter – December, January and February are the coldest months in London, generally. Although, snow is rare. Christmas brings lots of visitors to London, so you’ll see crowds and prices go back up for the few weeks around Christmas. January and February are great times to visit if you don’t mind the cold and are looking for less crowds and lower hotel prices.
Spring – Spring starts to bring visitors back to London as temperatures creep back into the 50’s and flowers bloom. Despite a slight increase in rain, Spring is still a popular time to visit London, particularly late spring as peak tourist season starts up again.
Getting Around London
The Tube: London has an extensive and easy to use Metro system that makes getting anywhere via public transportation easy and cost effective. The Tube is busy so you don’t have to feel unsafe travelling at night in my experience.
Uber/Taxis: Ubers and Taxis are both readily available in London, but London is an expensive city and Ubers and Taxis are no exception. So be ready to pay a lot for this option over public transport.
Safety for Solo Female Travel in London
4 out of 5
I felt safe traveling solo in London. There were several nights I came back to the hotel late via the Tube from other parts of the city. Just be careful walking alone and pay attention to the area you’re walking around in and you should feel safe and comfortable traveling solo!
