A Travel Guide: LONDON, ENGLAND

In this guide, you will find tips on:

This travel guide is for beginners and first-time tourists to London.

– Where to stay in London,

-How to get around the city

-The must-see sites and tourist spots

-What to Wear While Abroad in London

-Additional Tips and Things you Need to Know about Traveling to London

Where to Stay in London

Airbnb for Couples

We highly recommend using AirBnB for your accommodations! Hostels are a cheap route if you are staying by yourself or in really large groups (bigger than 8 people). However, most AirBnB’s run about the same price for a traveling couple, plus they offer added amenities and securities! We loved staying near the Archway Underground Rail Station since we could walk to the store and the metro. If you use this link, you can get $40 off your first AirBnB trip!

Hostels for Singles or Large Groups

As mentioned above, if you’re traveling by yourself or in a group of larger than four, staying in a hostel might be for you!

How to Get Around London

Buy and Oyster Card for the Tube

Just like in our Barcelona, Spain guide, we would say that using public transit is the way to get around while in London! The metro pass is called an Oyster card. It looks like a credit card that you fill up with cash to use on rides around the city. The card itself costs money, but it was around $8 (USD) and we put 20 pounds on the card, to begin with. The nice part of the Oyster card is once you hit 6.50 pounds a day on the same rail line, the card will no longer be charged for the remaining expenses. Do note that if you go out of certain rail districts, the 6.50 a day pertains to that area as well. London was definitely the most expensive place we visited in terms of getting around town, but “the tube” and buses were fairly clean and such an experience, and definitely cheaper than an Uber!

Walk in High-foot Traffic Areas

Skipping around town is easy and safe, and while sight-seeing, you should expect to walk about 14,000 steps a day! You cannot expect to walk everywhere in London, as it is just too big! Walking is supplemental to having a metro pass or using taxi services, but it is also a must to fully enjoy the city and get around in heavily trafficked areas like Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. Although we walked around once we got to the approximate area of what we wanted to see the public transit got us to wherever we wanted to go downtown.

Bike Through London to see the Sites Quickly

Biking is another option and one that we took advantage of for sight-seeing, and is a perfect way to get a taste of the London sites quickly! Spencer and I went on a three-hour bike tour starting at Gabriel’s Wharf. The tour we took is called the “Love London Bike Tour” through the London Bicycle Company! They have group tours and individual tours, but either one will be fantastic! We had an amazing guide named Olly (ask for him if you go) that kept me laughing the entire time. He even told us about some of London’s dark pasts, such as how the term “hangover” came from people feeling sick from partying the night of a public hanging. We were able to hit all the big tourist spots in the city on bikes much quicker than walking, plus, we had insider knowledge from a local! This tour doesn’t include any indoor seeing but is worth it for an adventure to get to know the town. I would recommend going on the first day you’re there! They have tours in other cities as well, which can be found on cycle-cities.com. Use the code tour-de-happy for a discount!

Must-See Tourist Sites in London, UK

There is so much to see and do in London, you could spend weeks there, and not run out of interesting things to see and do! Like mentioned above, going on a guided tour is a great way to see a lot of the big tourist spots in the city in a short amount of time. Instead of going through it all, I will tell you our favorite places to go, see, and do during the trip!

Tea Time at Sketch London

Hands down our favorite meal during our stay in Europe! Spencer and I didn’t know exactly what we were getting into when we booked our reservation here! In fact, Only I wanted to go and begged him to say yes, because of the cute pink walls. Sketch is a fine dining experience for those looking to have afternoon tea! Not only is Sketch London located in the heart of an art district, thus having exquisite decor, but the food was delicious. We had a 90 minute dining period filled with endless tea, caviar, eggs and soldiers, finger sandwiches, and cakes. The service was out of this world, the food was divine, and the setting was world class. It’s a little expensive (about $80 per person, 58 pounds) and you need to book in advance (at least 3 weeks), but it is SO WORTH IT. Do not miss it whatever you do, it is a must see and was a highlight of our trip.

People watching at Convent Garden

If you are looking for a fun day of shopping, museums, people watching, and music, Convent Garden is the place to go! I took this cute swing set photo in front of the Chanel store located around the area. We also ate there! Being at CG is kind of like being near a boardwalk in California where there are tons of markets and street performers. They say that before Ed Sheeran became famous, he would perform here to gather change in his instrument case! This is one of the heavily foot-trafficked areas where some walking is required, so dress comfortably.

Shopping on Oxford Street

If you head to Oxford Street, Carnaby, or Bond Street you will find yourself in the midst of the world’s top retail brands. This is by far the busiest part of London and reminded me of Times Square in New York City. We visited Zara and Primark for hours. We also fell head over heels for the Topshop flagship store that was stories high. YOU HAVE TO GO SEE IT! They even had a nail and braid bar, hair salon, and bistro. We loved seeing all the original storefronts as well, they are very old and preserved for their unique architecture and historical significance!

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

We actually only went outside the palace, but it was a fun experience! Contrary to what I had previously thought, there are no longer guards with fuzzy hats that you can go take photos with. You can see those guards in red and fuzzy hats during the Changing of the Guard, which is a “parade” of sorts open to the public, complete with a live band! You can also buy tickets to go to the state rooms of the palace and see gifts that have been given to the Queen over the last 65 years.

Birds-Eye View of the Thames from The Shard

If you are looking for the best view of the city, look no farther than the View from the Shard! This allows you to go to the 72nd floor and get a 360 view of the entire city! There is no time limit for how long you can stay during the open hours. Snacks and champagne are available at an extra cost. This is a bit pricey for the overall experience that you get, but if you are dying to see the city, and want to take a short rest from the rest of your site seeing this is definitely the place for a takes-your-breath-away breather! Pro Tip: London is usually cloudly, as best you can, plan to visit the shard on a day with clear skies since you’re paying for the view you may as well have the best view available!

Visit Platform 9 and 3/4 at Kings Cross Station

This was not actually a part of our original itinerary, but Spence and I were on the rail and I saw the next stop was King’s Cross Station, which isn’t just a made up Harry Potter thing if you didn’t know, but an actual busy metro terminal! I was so excited that I made us hop off the train and have a look around. I knew that there would be a Harry Potter attraction would be there! They have a fun and free photo booth experience (ran by huge HP fans, with Disney-level friendliness) and a store to buy some of the wackiest Harry Potter fan memorabilia! This made for a fun, touristy thing to do while we were in transit to other sites, and only took about 45mins all told.

Walk Across the Tower Bridge (Not the London Bridge!)

As it turns out, the London Bridge is actually this super normal and unspectacular bridge! If you look down the river, you will see Tower Bridge, with its magnificent blue railings. It’s actually often confused, or even purposely used, as the London Bridge in mainstream media (such as Fergie’s music video). It’s worth taking a walk across, and it is free to do so! It’s also located close to Borough Market, which is a great place to get produce!

Have a Pint at Sky Garden Bar

Another venue with a spectacular view is the Sky Garden! This is best for those looking to have a drink, a business meeting with food, or a night out with friends to chat. There is an actual garden in this rooftop venue. It is naturally ventilated and has a roof overhead, so no need to worry about rain, but do dress with layers. It offers a fun atmosphere and a great view, especially during the sunset hours! They offer mixed cocktails, juices and of course pints!

What to Wear While in London

Dress in Smart Layers

Since we were taking various flights while in Europe, we both only packed a carry-on bag and a small backpack. This meant that I often re-wore the same outfit! I wore my Chicwish white dress a lot, my Levi’s skinnies, my high waist mom jeans from ASOS. Everywhere we went, I took my denim jacket or cardigan for layering in case of a temperature drop!

July is the hottest month in London, reaching 66 degrees F and the coldest month is January, with temps around 41 degrees F. It rains often, but October is the wettest month. Definitely plan for temperature changes throughout the day when choosing outfits!

Things to Know about Traveling to London

– Bring an outlet adapter, type “G”. This should work almost everywhere, just make sure you have the correct wattage on your appliance to handle the current.

– The currency is the Brittish pound, because it is worth more than the dollar, London can feel very expensive.

– Expect to pay for bags at the grocery store. Bring your own instead!

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this guide check out my other travel guides!

Have you been to London, England yet?! I would love to hear about any places I should add to this guide or visit on my next trip! Let me know in the comments below.