When Geoffrey suggested, on a whim, that we go to London over Thanksgiving break, I was apprehensive. We’d been in France just a few months prior, it’s our busiest time of year (both personally and professionally), and the idea of not being with my mom and dad for the first time during the holiday made me sad. But G found a deal so good (via this travel newsletter, which he subscribes to/swears by!), it meant that we’d not only be able to pay for our flights, but my parents’ as well, all with points. We’d previously booked a trip to London in November 2019 and had to reschedule, so this felt like all the stars were aligning and we finalized our plans that night. We were there for one week and it was, hands down, my favorite trip. Here are some of the things that made it most memorable, what I wore/packed, the best things we ate, and my top recommendations for London!
I received countless recommendations (thank you!!!) for the best things to do in London. While we barely scratched the surface, here were some of my takeaways:
1. Do all the touristy things if it’s your first time (or if you’re there with kids)! While I don’t always find this to be the case – for example, I’ve never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge – it certainly held up in London. Our first day we went to The Tower of London, which we all loved, walked to Big Ben another afternoon. Sloan hit up the zoo with my parents, The Natural History Museum, and saw The Lion King. We also took countless walking detours while strolling the city to experience more Christmas lights, since they’re so magical.
2. Embrace the London Underground. As someone who’s never lived outside of California, I’ve never gotten too comfortable with subway systems. But I have to say that the London Underground was not only so easy to use (it was my first time traveling outside the country to a place where English is the primary language, so that certainly helped), but significantly faster than cabs/walking, and a fraction of the cost. We never got around to one of the hop-on hop-off buses, but that also came highly recommended.
3. Carry an umbrella with you, always. We seriously lucked out with weather, anticipating rain pretty much the entire time and somehow only experienced it on our last day. That being said, everyone recommends carrying an umbrella with you at all times, which we did, and using Met Office (instead of the regular weather app) for much more accurate forecast. We were also correctly advised to pack and wear lots of layers, which kept us cozy without feeling overheated.
How we planned the trip
This was definitely the best itinerary we’ve made for a trip and I think we found a nice balance of having things scheduled, which created structure for each day, while allowing room for flexibility. We had a loooong list of recommendations (which I condensed and saved in an Instagram Highlight titled ‘London’) that we added to a Google map, so all of the spots we were interested/open to trying were easily accessed. Because everything revolves around food for us, that’s where we began, and would then add activities that made sense, before or after, that were in the same general vicinity of the restaurant. Each day we made sure to have at least one thing that was specific for Sloan (ie zoo, theater, museums, etc) so we all felt like we were getting to do things we loved.
Highlights/Recommendations:
Dishoom. This deserves top billing because it was easily one of the best meals of my life. They only take reservations for tables until 5:45pm, so we ended up going for lunch, allowing us to avoid the blocks-long lines that (deservedly) wrap around each location during their busiest hours. We went to the Carnaby location, but you can’t go wrong at any of their spots.
Marylebone. It pains me that we didn’t make it to Notting Hill or Shoreditch, two of the places at the top of my list (next time!), but Marylebone did live up to all the hype. We found ourselves in the area on several occasions, from a great brunch at Chiltern Firehouse (Sloan is still talking about her fluffy, souffle-like pancakes), to admiring lights, and visiting cute shops.
Mayfair Chippy. I didn’t even know I was a fish ‘n’ chips person until this lunch. The fish was light, crispy, and fall-apart-delicate, with equally delicious tartar sauce, mushy peas, and gravy.
The Barbary Next Door. Another one of the most memorable meals I’ve had in a while. We weren’t able to get into their main restaurant, but were thrilled to have our own table outdoors, under magical lights (and a heat lamp). The menu is filled with incredible bread and dips, with shockingly refreshing salads and flavorful fish.
Sketch London. Everyone insisted on afternoon tea while in London and while there were countless options, we settled on Sketch London, which was a lovely experience. The atmosphere was 10/10, with a string quartet playing in the corner, a ballerina that glided past our table, and bathroom pods that were even cooler in person than all the pictures I’d seen online. They were lovely with Sloan, who enjoyed several juice refills and the tea sandwiches, but wasn’t as big a fan of the desserts. The tea was excellent, the food…not so much, but we had a great time and Sloan left with a new teddy bear they brought to close out the meal, so she was thrilled.
Liberty London. Even more charming than I’d imagined – sort of like if Barneys (RIP) were part of an English fairytale.
London Bridge. The bridge itself is simple (though the view was not), but I’d be remiss to not include this picture of Sloan and my mom there, who were excited to be accidentally twinning.
The Langham. We stayed at The Langham, which was gorgeous, kid-friendly, and central for a lot of our outings. We chose it because of how Christmasy it feels (and that we were able to use points) and while it was a great experience, I’d be open to trying out a new spot for our next visit.
Holiday lights! One of the main reasons we were so excited to visit London during this time of year is how big they go for the holidays. Nearly every store, street, and tree was decorated beautifully and the angels on Regent Street were so gorgeous in real life that it made up for how busy the street was at all times.
Borough Market. Everyone insisted I’d love this market and they were correct. It was filled with the most darling vendors, from chocolates and cheese, to olives, and mulled wine. I’ve heard it can get overwhelmingly busy, but we managed to luck out at an off hour since it wasn’t crowded at all. Make sure to bring a tote along to lug back all of your finds because the options are endless.
Buckingham Palace (for the changing of the guards). I’m not one of those Royals-obsessed people, like a good amount of my friends, but I was still looking forward to visiting Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. Maybe it was the jet lag or perhaps the sound of a forlorn bag pipe, but hearing the band play while being surrounded by such history, was really moving.
Hamleys. Buckle up, since this seven-story toy store is a massive undertaking (and quite overwhelming for those of us who can feel easily overstimulated), but a necessity if you’re traveling with kids. We gave Sloan a base amount that she’d get to spend there at the end of our trip, which we kinda/sorta used as leverage the whole time. While she could never go lower than the agreed-upon number, she could have the opportunity to “earn” more with good behavior. It was not only a nice motivator for her, but while we walked through the store, she was responsible for adding up each toy/art supply and staying under her limit, so yay for math!
Brown’s. Super well curated with an impressive perfume collection (my mom and I both came home with new scents)!
Choosing & Keeping. An exquisite stationery store with some of the most unique paper goods I’ve come across. I returned home with the best gifts, ranging from neon-lined envelopes, bow-shaped wax seals, scalloped strawberry cards, and a bunch of other cute things that felt decidedly British.
Bar Termini. While I might have a tendency towards hyperbole, my husband does not, so you know it’s legit when G claims a bar is “his favorite in the world.” Bar Termini is a tiny, unassuming spot, that’s known for their Negronis, which they serve in tiny coupes alongside a big, beautiful bowl of olives. I’m grateful that my parents watched Sloan so we could have a fantastic time at this bar (before heading to Nopi, an Ottolenghi restaurant within walking distance).
The Savoy Grill. G booked Thanksgiving dinner at The Savoy Grill so that we’d have a special meal lined up for the holiday. While there was no turkey and stuffing to be had, we were quite pleased/blown away with the Beef Wellington and the rest of the meal.
Mr. Fogg’s. I can’t believe our luck that we were in London for the England vs US World Cup match. G had booked us a table at Mr. Fogg’s in advance and we had the best time watching the match with martinis in hand while chatting with locals (bonus: it was only a short walk to our dinner afterwards, at The Barbary Next Door).
Omotesando Koffee. When we found out there was a %Arabica in London, one of our favorite spots we discovered in Kyoto, we made a beeline to the shop on our first morning. It was so good that we went back twice, but also loved Omotesando Koffee and Old Spike equally.
