UPDATED FEB 2020. London has it all. Not only does it have the easy to love three P’s – palaces, pasties, and parks, but it also has museums, lots of fun touristy sights, multicultural cuisines, and convenient public transport. It’s a great destination for anyone whether you are traveling alone, with friends or enjoying a family getaway. If you’re pinched for time, here’s a quick guide of how to spend a weekend in London with my recommendations on where to stay, how to get around, and things to do. If you have any questions, as always, leave them in the comments.
How To Spend A Weekend In London And Make The Most Of It
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Where to stay in London
I found Citadines Barbican London on Booking.com and jumped on it.
It turned out to be a great decision because I ended up with a nice room close to a train station and walking distance to most of the sights.
I got a studio that had a kitchenette so you can make your own food to save a little money – there’s also a Tesco down the street to get the ingredients.
Otherwise, it’s close to a lot of restaurants and takeaways of all different cuisines so you’ll have a lot to choose from.
How to get around
If you plan to use the bus, get an Oyster card either at a train station or from a news agency around the city.
It’s really important to know that you can’t pay cash for a bus ticket when you get on the bus. You need to have arranged it prior with the Oyster Card.
How it works is you a £5 deposit, and then however much you want to load on it for bus tickets. Whatever you don’t use and the deposit is refunded to you when you turn in the card which you can do at a train station before you leave.
If you stay at Citadines Barbican which I mentioned above, there is a newsagent a couple of minutes walk down the street and there are bus stops all along the street.
The buses are awesome, especially riding around in an iconic double-decker bus!
View from the double-decker bus
How to spend a weekend in London
Since we are trying to make the most of a short time in London, I figure you’ll be looking to do what I did and hit up a lot of the big sights. Here are a few of the must do’s that I liked.
Get a photogenic ice cream at Milk Train Cafe
It’s totally instagrammy and touristy, but what a fun ice cream it is.
Definitely visit the Milk Train Cafe and line up for soft-serve ice cream and make sure to get it surrounded by a cloud of fairy floss for the ultimate experience.
You can expect a lot of people walking out and taking a bunch of photos of their treat before they eat it, but come on when it looks this good why wouldn’t you?
Watch the Changing of the Guard
Of course, you have to see Buckingham Palace while you are in London.
Try to time your visit with the Changing of the Guard to add a little pageantry to the visit.
Check out the schedule here to know which day to go and make sure you arrive early because it’s a very popular event. I arrived at 9am and the front row spots were already taken.
For the best view, you either want to be front row behind the fence facing the palace or on the monument facing the palace – with a little bit of height to be able to see more.
Either way, it’s definitely worth seeing to make your visit to Buckingham a little more memorable.
Walk around the city
If you’re pressed for time while you are visiting, one cool thing to do is wander around the city to see all the big sights.
I spent a day walking all around and was able to see a lot of the big attractions including Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and the London Bridge.
If you only have a short stay in London, you probably don’t have enough to go through for tours of each, but seeing them is still a fun tourist experience.
It’s very easy to walk around the city too.
Visit a museum or two
I love to visit a museum in each place I travel to because I think it’s a great way to learn a little about the place you are visiting.
The Museum of London was an interesting one and only a short walk from the Citadines Barbican where I stayed. The most interesting sections for me to see where the exhibits about the Suffragettes who were fighting for women’s right to vote and the exhibits about the great fire in London.
The other I visited was the Imperial War Museum which was also an interesting one and both museums were had no entrance fee.
Stroll through Hyde Park
Park life is pretty big in London so it’s almost inevitable that you will find yourself strolling through one of the parks at some stage.
Hyde Park is one of the biggest in size and fame so try to make your way to walk through, perhaps after visiting Buckingham Palace.
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is located in Hyde Park along with a decent selection of other memorials.
Park views in London
Take a trip to Stonehenge
Visiting Stonehenge is an easy day trip away from London.
Take a train (not the underground tube) to Salisbury station, then once you exit the station and walk to the left you’ll see a green sign for the Stonehenge Bus which will take you to Stonehenge and include your entrance.
Make sure you have cash on you to buy your ticket when you get on the bus.
I like that the buses run often and they give you headphones to listen to information about the area as you drive through.
You can also get a combined ticket which includes Old Sarum Castle and the Salisbury Cathedral. If you only visit Stonehenge, you could combine it with a visit to Bath on the way back.
Eat fish and chips
Of course, you have to eat some fish and chips while you are in London.
I’ve wanted to ever since watching the Spice Girls movie. Side note: I’m still really disappointed that I didn’t see the Spice bus cruising around the city!
I visited a local spot called United Chip near the hotel and had a really good serving of fish, chips, and calamari. They didn’t use plastic, sourced sustainable fish, and all the packaging was biodegradable. I liked the eco-friendly elements, but also the food tasted great!
You can also find other fish and chip places all around the city so no matter where you are, you’ll be able to try some. Make sure you get the mushy peas too.
When it comes to how to spend a weekend in London, you have to try some fish and chips!
Other guides to help you plan a trip to England
Where To Stay In Bath England – Don’t Miss These Chic Apartments
Where To Eat In Bath, UK – Here’s What You Don’t Want To Miss
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Amazing blog, really interesting, please keep on writing blogs like this.
Enjoyable read! Your weekend in London sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing your adventures and recommendations!