London / Tips and Tricks

During our girl's trip to London, we explored a lot, ate a lot and just had the best time. We went to many restaurants and saw as many sites as we could fit into four days. After our few days there, we were able to make a list of our "musts" in London. Heading to this beautiful city soon? Wondering where to explore? Where to eat? What to see? Read on!

Where to Stay
We stayed at the Hilton London Islington and were very pleased with our stay. Spacious, clean, comfortable and an amazing breakfast. Obviously, I do not have any others to recommend but I can say we would recommend this place in a heart beat. It was in a great location, a tube station was about a 5 minute walk away-which we took every single day- and a Chipotle was right across the street. I mean does it get any better??

Where to Eat
We ate a ton on this trip and let me tell you every single calorie was worth it.

• Red Lion- This is your traditional London pub and it was delicious. It was recommended by a friend and did not disappoint. It is right by Big Ben and Westminster, so it is the perfect place to stop after site-seeing. I highly recommend the Chicken Chorizo pie with mash. Yum. 
  
•  Rock Sol- When in London, you have to get fish and chips. After  research, it seemed like this was the place to go, so we tried it and I must say it lived up to the hype. Even if you are not a huge fish and chips person like me, I would still say try this out- when in London!
  
• Cos- This is the cutest little french bistro with some delicious food. It is right by the Tower of London and sits on the water providing a beautiful view. We enjoyed a lovely lunch here and would say it is a must!
• BEN'S COOKIES- Do you see the caps?? I know my friends are laughing right now because they understand just how obsessed I was. These cookies are ah-mazing. There are quite a few locations and I am a firm believer a couple of stops is a must. SO GOOD.
  
• The Orangery- This is a beautiful little place in Kensington Gardens. We made reservations for afternoon tea here and it was wonderful. Our tea was at a later time, so it was dark most of the time we were there. It was great but I would highly recommend going when it is still light outside and the sun is flooding into this beautiful, huge-windowed building.
  

What to See
So many sites to see! Here are a few that you can't miss...

• Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and House of Parliment. These sites are all next to one another and are all beautiful. My favorite was Westminster, by far... it is gorgeous. Don't let the long line fool you- it moves really fast and has a reasonable admission fee. We used the audio guides to tour and really enjoyed it. Big Ben and Parliment you can admire from the outside and get some fun pictures. 
• Thames River is very close to Big Ben. We took a little boat cruise that ended at The Tower of London and The Tower Bridge.You can purchase tickets at many different stalls right by the river. The cruise was a great way to see London, enjoy the Thames and get all the way to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge without having to walk since we were on a time crunch. I have also seen many people recommend a walk along the river- so if you have time, you might do that rather than a boat cruise.
  
• The Tower of London and The Tower Bridge are right beside one another and both incredible. We were not able to do a tour with The Tower of London and I really wish we had the time to, every review I've read said it is a must. So after you admire the the Tower Bridge, do a Beefeaters tour at the Tower of London. Next time this will be a must for me!
  
• Buckingham Palace obviously! We went for the changing of the Guards and it was quite the experience. It was very, very crowded and a little nuts but we all thought worth it. You just need to get there early and be prepared to fight a little for a spot. We got there around 11 and it was already packed. 
  
• Hyde Park- This is another we did not get to explore as much as we would have liked. But it is a must and so beautiful. 
• Harrods is right by Hyde Park and just lovely. It is definitely a tourist spot but so fun to go in and buy yourself a pretty goodie from London. 
  
• Kensington Gardens- This is where The Orangery (our tea spot) was located. We got a little lost trying to get into the Gardens and then locked in trying to get out since we were there past closing time- which made for some fun moments. FYI you can't climb over the fence;) But, like I mentioned go during the day, walk around, soak in it's beauty and then enjoy afternoon tea at The Orangery.
• Trafalgar Square- a lively square and fun area of London!
• And then check out my post here- 2 other things we did in London and loved...a West end show (Wicked!!) and some Harry Potter fun.

Neighborhoods to Explore
One of the best parts of London is all the gorgeous neighborhoods.

• Covent Gardens is just beautiful. It is such a fun area filled with shops, restaurants and people. This was one of our favorites!
  
• Soho- yes, yes, yes! 
  
• Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square- such a unique and lively area.
  
• Oxford Street is the ultimate shopping street. I think it has every store you could think of and it is so pretty!
  
• Notting Hill- we did not make it here and I am so sad. Next time! Because I think it would be so wonderful. 
• South Kensington- very pretty and very chic. 

How to Get Around
The tube! London is huge so the tube is a must and very easy to figure out. You can also take the above ground buses but we always used the tube since we heard it was the fastest. Download the "London Tube" app to make your daily transportation easy-peasy.

And there ya have it! I hope this is helpful to all you future London travelers!

Check out the rest of our trip...

London: The Main Sites

London: Three Musts

London: A Different View

And then our time in Paris!

London / A Different View

London is one of those places you could spend months and months in and never get bored. There is so much to see and do and so many areas to enjoy. I firmly believe that it would be such a fun place to live, at least for a year or two. Think I can convince the husband?;)

On our girl's trip we wanted to explore as much of London as we could. We saw the main sites, enjoyed afternoon tea and a show and the on our last full day (before our Harry Potter Tour) we got lost in Harrods (name the movie!) and enjoyed a boat ride to see London from a different view.

It was a such beautiful day to be on the water. The tour allowed us to see and learn about areas of London we had yet to discover.

We decided to purchase the one way ticket which ended at the amazing Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Due to time, we did not visit the Tower of London...that just means I will have to return one day. Fine by me!

After we admired the Bridge and made a wifi stop in Starbucks, we stopped and ate at the cutest French restaurant on the water. French food in London? Yes and so good. But you are going to France the next day, right? Yes but we couldn't help ourselves, it was so cute and did I mention, delicious?? Next week, I am going to share all of our London tips, including this can't miss restaurant.

Please, if you find yourself in London visit the beautiful Tower Bridge and maybe even a boat ride. Also, I can't forget Harrods, we would recommended an hour enjoying it's loveliness as well...

After Harrods, make the short walk to Hyde Park and explore your little heart out. We only saw a tiny portion of it so once again an excuse to go back (woo!). Next time London, next time.

This place, well I just cannot say enough good things. It is one of those cities were you are filled with awe the entire time you are there. You are able to explore a new culture that is much like your own and yet so different. It is bustling, packed with places to enjoy and is filled with the perfect mixture of beautiful scenery and city lights. And you are surrounded by the sweetest accents...it is quite the experience.

Remember, I have still yet to list all the restaurants you must eat at (I am still dreaming about the most amazing cookie),  jaw-dropping neighborhoods and much more. Us girls put together a list for all of you future London travelers. Come back next week for our tips and we sure have a lot you don't want to miss!

For the rest of our London Trip...

The Main Sites

Three London Musts

Check out my full list of Travel Adventures here!

 Linking up with Annie, Natalie and Joey

A Girls Trip / London: Three Musts

Let's continue with our Girl's Trip, shall we??

These three London "musts", in my opinion, were some of our favorite times during our trip. Planning a trip to this marvelous city anytime soon?? Read on!

ONE / TEA TIME
One afternoon, we enjoyed Afternoon Tea at The Orangery in Kensington Gardens. It sounded like such a fun (and delicious) British tradition so we knew we had to try it. And we were so glad we did, it was such a lovely time! The finger foods were fabulous and the tea was out of this world. Plenty of teas to choose from, finger sandwiches, biscuits, little desserts...it was all so very good. There are many amazing places to get tea in London and the Orangery is no exception. We got lost on the way there and lost on the way out, so it isn't the easiest to find (since it is inside the gardens) but it was well worth it and we passed our walking time jamming out to a little 1D and TSwift ;)

TWO / WEST END
After tea we then hopped in a taxi and made our way to a highly anticipated show...Wicked! This was probably what I was most excited for and it certainly did not disappoint, but exceeded our expectations. It is a must to enjoy a West End show while you are in London and I would highly suggest Wicked. It was incredible. Afternoon tea followed by a show was the perfect opportunity to get dressed up and enjoy a different and lovely side of London. It made for one fabulous night!

THREE / HARRY POTTER
I did not read the Harry Potter books or see any of the movies until I was in college. But as soon as I started reading I was hooked. So what do three Harry Potter loving girls do when they got to London? Visit Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio of course! You have to be dedicated because the studios are about an hour outside of London and the tour is not quick...but it is so neat and so worth it! You are completely immersed into Harry Potter world and it is pretty dang cool. Let yourself be a kid and soak in all the wonder this studio has to offer. This place is where much of the movie was filmed and it truly is very magical. We took a bus with this tour and it included the roundtrip ride and admission ticket, which is all you need.

Also, once back in London, make sure to stop by Platform 9 3/4! It is located at Kings Cross Station.

These stops were all London highlights for us. Of course, you cannot miss the main sites but please treat yourself! Explore another side of London while enjoying one of these three London musts. I know we did!

Linking up with Shanna and Morgan 

A Girl's Trip / London: The Main Sites

At the beginning of this month, I had the privilege to meet two of my best friends on the other side of Europe. Our girls trip started with 4 nights in London and ended with 4 nights in Paris. And it was wonderful. We were able to explore these 2 amazing cities and have plenty of girl time...a perfect trip in our book! 

Prepare yourself for way too may pictures and way too many details. But, this is like my journal and I want to be able to come here and remember each moment. Hopefully, it will help those of you too who might be planning a trip in the future as well!

Our first full day in London was packed full but in the absolute best way. We started our morning off with the hotel breakfast and then made our way down to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards. This was a really neat and crazy experience. There are people everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There is a lot of pushing and shoving going on...it is a little insane. Even though we only arrived 45 minutes beforehand we were able to get a decent spot and see parts of the ceremony. It is a very big ordeal as you can imagine and it was worth the time and crowds you have to endure. And Buckingham Palace? Well, it is just beautiful.

Meet my travel buddies and incredible friends, the beautiful Lauren and Holli...

Afterwards we made our way to Big Ben, the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey (my fav!). It is so nice that these are all right next each other and it is such a beautiful area! Before our first stop, we of course had to take a picture in the traditional phone booth....

And the whole time I couldn't get the Parent Trap out of my mind, well really the whole trip. Anyone else?? I associate that movie with London and since I was a little girl have dreamed of visiting. So to actually be here...it was a pinch me moment, for sure.

After admiring Big Ben, we then made our way into Westminster and oh my goodness it was spectacular! So, so beautiful and intricate. We did a little audio guide tour through the Abbey and really learned a lot. One of my favorites was walking where Kate walked when she married Will! I know I should say the history and beauty was my favorite part (and it was incredible) but I would be lying if I said seeing where Kate and Will got married was not pretty darn cool.

Once we finished admiring Westminster...we made our way to lunch. We went to a pub (you have to eat pub food in London!) recommended by a friend and had amazing "pies" (think savory deliciousness) and mash. It was so good and just what we needed after a long morning of site seeing!

The rest of our afternoon was spent walking around incredible neighborhoods like Soho, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus. And we happened to stumble onto Oxford Street which is so fun and filled with the best shops.

It was New Years Eve so that night we made our way to a pub and then club to ring in the New Year!

Thanks to a new friend, at the stroke of midnight we were out in the streets of London to watch the fireworks...they sure put on an amazing show.

Whew! Day 1 was a long one and definitely our most busy...but oh so good!

Along with the rest of our trip, later in the week I will be sharing my tips and tricks for London as well. Our favorite restaurants, neighborhoods, where we stayed and so on. So stay tuned!

Linking up with Bonnie.