Pura Vida View
Planning a trip to London? London attracts around 30 million visitors from around the world each year. The city is well known for it's rich history, world-class museums, vibrant city life, beautiful parks, royal monuments, amazing restaurants, open markets, an award winning theater district, some of the best shopping, and much more. As you plan your visits to local attractions and tours, find inspiration and some great prices here or the London Pass is a great place to look for discounted tickets. Plan your next or first visit and get some inspiration from this jam-packed 5 day itinerary
Five days in London
We wanted to see and do as much as we could because for most of us, it was our first time visiting. We had nine people in our group, so the planning took quite a bit of thought and time. Since we rented an Airbnb vs staying in a hotel, our first challenge was what to do with all of our luggage all day until we could get into the house. This apparently is something many people face because all over the city are storage locations where you can pay by the hour or a flat fee to store you bags. Interestingly, they aren't actual storage facilities, they are various stores and shops that partner with storage companies such as LuggageHero or Bounce Luggage Storage. I chose a place just down from Borough Market because that was where we were starting our day. It is a bit odd to walk into a random store and leave your bags and trust they will be there when you get back, but we did it and it was fine. Our experience wasn't the best because we had to carry our heavy luggage down a narrow staircase inside a busy tea shop, however it all worked out and didn't cost much at all.
Day One
We arrived at the London Heathrow Airport at 7:45 am after a long overnight flight from Dallas. I had reserved two vans with Heathrow Shuttle. They were waiting for us with a sign and were reasonably priced compared to other options for a group our size. I would definitely recommend them and use them in the future.
We then went to the Borough Market area to drop our bags and explore the market. The drive took much longer than I had anticipated it would take. Traffic in London is so slow and busy.
Borough Market, established in 1756, is the oldest market in London and is rich with history and always growing and evolving. This large market is filled with fresh produce vendors, street food of all types, and many unique products. We enjoyed walking through and exploring and bought some produce for the house that was so fresh and delicious. It was busy and I think stays that way most days. The market is a charity, run by a board of trustees. Read their story
We walked from the Borough Market over to see the Tower and London Bridges, it is just a quick 10 minute walk and only 1/2 a mile.
Construction started in 1886 and took eight years to complete, the Tower Bridge is an iconic symbol in London and possibly the most recognized bridge in the world, but many (including me) confuse it with the London Bridge. The two bridges are located just over half a mile from each other.
I was excited to see the London Bridge but didn't realize the one standing today is just a few years older than me, and as mentioned above I was confusing it with the Tower Bridge. The existing London Bridge was opened to traffic by The Late Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. The original 600 year old bridge was bought by an American oil company and moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona where it still stands today.
Located right across from the Tower Bridge, this is a great restaurant with delicious Italian food with great city views. We shared and enjoyed the cherry tomato focaccia and the zucchini fritti both were very good. I had the Wild red prawn and sundried tomato tagliatelle (pictured here). Yum! Check out their menu
Our next stop was The London Eye
The London Eye offers the most spectacular views of the city from every direction. They offer several experiences from private group rides, couples romantic pods (cupid's pod), and champagne experiences. You can also book a river cruise in conjunction with your London Eye experience.
We walked across the river to have dinner at Tattershall Castle which is directly across from the London Eye, so we had great views of it while we sat outside on the deck and enjoyed dinner.
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Tattershall Castle is a floating pub and restaurant moored on the River Thames. It was once a passenger ferry from 1934 to 1973 across the Humber estuary until it was towed to London in 1976. The restaurant opened in 1982 and was further refurbished/repaired in 2015. It offers several locations for groups and dining. We sat at a reserved table on the outside deck. Outside you order at the bar, there is not a waiter serving you. They offer weekly comedy nights and live music. The food was okay not the best, but pretty good pub fare. It was very crowded when we were there, it's recommended that you make reservation in advance if you want to sit outside.
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Day Two
We spent the first part of our day at Hyde Park (Nicknamed 'The People's Park') which was a short walk from our house. I love this park. It is absolutely beautiful with so much to see and many places to relax and enjoy it all. Some consider it the greatest city park in the world. Kensington Palace is at the front of the park. There is a beautiful rose garden, Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, a large pond, the Serpentine, that you can swim in or take a paddle boat around, and so much more. There are also a few cafes and refreshment kiosks and there is the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen overlooking the lake where you can enjoy breakfast and lunch or grab something to go and have a picnic on the lawn. Don't miss this amazing park when in London! I could have spent all day wandering around here, but we had tickets to tour Kensington Palace
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Kensington Palace
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Kensington Palace, the birthplace of Queen Victoria was truly fascinating. Walking through the rooms and hallways of over 300 years of royalty was very interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Queen Victoria and while we were there they were having the Crown to Couture exhibition.
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The Sunken Garden located on the grounds of Kensington Palace created in 1908 at the direction of King Edward VII is absolutely amazing. I stood looking into the garden for quite sometime and felt a tranquility and peace surrounded by it's breathtaking beauty. Princess Diana was said to have loved the Sunken Garden during her time at the palace so to memorialize the 20th anniversary of her death in 2017 the garden was transformed into a white garden featuring white roses, lilies, gladioli and cosmos flowers among others. It stayed that way from the Spring of that year until September. Her son's Prince William and Prince Harry commissioned a statue to be built to honor their mother and to reflect her energy, warmth and positive impact on the UK. It was unveiled in 2021 on what would have been her 60th birthday. She is standing with three children, none of which are her own, but reflect her charitable generational work around the world. You cannot go into the Sunken Garden, but you can enjoy it from the beautiful "Cradle Walk' which surrounds it.
After touring the palace and gardens, we enjoyed afternoon tea at the Palace Pavilion. The Kensington Palace Pavilion overlooks the Sunken Garden and was the perfect place to experience their Royal Afternoon Tea, which is apparently the only place in London you can experience afternoon tea in a Royal setting. The restaurant also offers breakfast and lunch. You can make a reservation on Open Table or for larger groups give them a call.
After a perfect day of discovering the beauty of Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, we were very tired and headed home to get ready for an evening at His Majesty's Theater
His Majesty Theatre (renamed from Her Majesty's Theatre in April of 2023) is currently housing Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera, and it was spectacular. I had seen it a couple of times in New York, but it was so much fun to see it with my daughters and family. The theatre is gorgeous and rich with history, it could not have been a more perfect place to see such an iconic show.
After the show, my teenage girls thought pedi bikes looks like a blast, however, I wasn't comfortable sending them off on their own so we got one for them and one for us and had the best time riding through that part of the city. It was quite a ride back to our house, so not super cost efficient, but what a fun way to end a perfect day in London.
Day Three
Our third day in London was all about Harry Potter. All of the kids and some of the adults in our family are huge Harry Potter fans and if you are too, then a visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter is a must!
You must purchase tickets in advance and I would recommend you do it pretty well in advance. You can purchase direct or there are several tour companies to buy tickets from that will pick you up in a bus and bring you to the studio.
We used GoldenTours which I would love to recommend, but we had an issue with receiving one of our tickets once we got off the bus at the studio and the customer service handling that situation was horrible. It's too bad, because the bus was nice and it picked us up not too far from our house. They are their "preferred tour company" so you may want to consider them.
Here is a link to all of their Approved Ticket Distributors
All eight films were produced at this studio and this tour gives you the opportunity to step right onto the actual sets and see how the magic was made. It is a very cool tour and really gives you an appreciation for all that went into the making of the Wizarding World.
You should plan to be there at least three hours. There are two restaurants on the property and you can end your tour at a massive gift shop (of course).
We were there for the 'Discovering Hogwarts' summer feature where they brought scenes to life. We saw over 400 floating candles in the Great Hall, which was the first time since filming that they had that available to see. There were interactive experiences like they've never done or shown before. It was truly fascinating.
In the fall from mid September to early November you can experience the 'Dark Arts,' which is deemed a spookier experience with a darker Halloween themed studio. Learn more here!
In the winter and to end 2023 you can experience Christmas in the Wizarding World at their Hogwarts in the Snow feature.
Day Four
We booked a tour to visit Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath all in one day! It was a lot of driving and a very full day, but overall we enjoyed getting to see all three places. Otherwise, we probably would have not seen them all. If you have the time, definitely divide this into at least two days. Our tour guide, Nik, was absolutely the best and I would highly recommend this tour group.
They offer all types of tours from classic London tours, castle and palace tours to landmarks and beyond. They are very flexible and will even customize the perfect tour for your group.
We started out toward Windsor Castle stopping along the way for a quick picture on a bridge over the River Thames in the town of Windsor and we got a glimpse of Eton College which is where many royals attend school, including Prince William and Harry. Our guide shared some very interesting history about the school and it was fun to see it.
Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world and the oldest to be continuously occupied. It was said to be Queen Elizabeth's favorite of her three residences. It is a beautiful castle and quite large, so you need at least two hours to really take it all in. We walked from room to room and listened with our audio guide about the rich history of the ancient castle. Check out this list of things to do and see while there. St. George's Chapel was beautiful and has been the venue for many royal weddings and is where many monarchs are buried including Henry VIII, Charles I and Queen Elizabeth II.
Windsor Castle is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and some other times throughout the year, so plan accordingly. Get your tickets here.
After leaving Windsor Castle, we stopped along the way to grab some lunch to go, which we ate in the van as we made our way over to Stonehenge which is just over an hour drive. The most fascinating thing to me about seeing this ancient stone wonder of the world is that it dates back to 3100 BC and that there is so much speculation about why it was constructed and how. Our guide was so great about detailing the history and all of it's magic and wonder. Really makes you think.
Unfortunately, because we were cramming all three destinations into one day, we had the least amount of time in Bath. I would love to go back and even stay in Bath and really get to explore the area. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive from Stonehenge to Bath, and the town is beautiful. We had purchased tickets to tour The Roman Baths which we quickly walked through. It is a site filled with ruins and ancient baths dating back to 70AD. It was pretty fascinating, but because of our limited time there we didn't really get to full enjoy it. Jane Austen fan? She lived there in 1801-1806 and is said to have so loved the ancient city that she included it in two of her novels. You can visit The Jane Austen Centre which is a small museum dedicated to her life or book the Jane Austen Bath and History Trail tour where you can learn about the rich history of Bath, visit the Jane Austen Centre, see Bath Abbey and see several other popular landmarks.
After leaving Bath, we had a 2 and a half hour drive back to London. As you can see we spent a lot of time in the van, which is why it's really better not to try and see all of these places in one day, but I am still glad we did it, we had an amazing day! And, again, I highly recommend Kingdom Private Tours
That evening we had dinner at El Norte in Mayfair. It is a Spanish tapas style restaurant. The food was really good, beautiful atmosphere, and great wine. It is quite pricey though and the service could have been better.
Day Five
We had a free day on our last day in London and decided to go explore Camden Market. What a cool market and great place to shop and eat. We had so much fun walking through the maze of unique stores offering all types of products from around the world. We also had fun checking out all of the food vendors, you could find something for every taste and it all looked so good! We shopped and ate for several hours. It is definitely possible to spend more than one day there and not see it all.
We wanted to finish our London vacation with dinner at true British pub. The Victoria is a great London pub that is filled with history, delicious food and beer all within an old historic building. We had nice table upstairs in a semi private area. The staff was so beyond accommodating and the food was good.
Day Six
We took the train to Paris!
You can find great prices on train and bus tickets through Trainline
We traveled from London to Paris aboard the Eurostar
It was a two hour and 15 minute train ride from city center to city center. They have a bar and café on the train where we enjoyed delicious baguettes and champagne.
Can't wait to share our Paris Adventures here soon!