London in a Day
Last week I returned home to Los Angeles after spending two weeks cruising through five countries. And the very next day I booked a plane ticket to travel to 6 countries over 8 days on a river cruise adventure in July with my dear friend, Michelle. We will be traveling to a different country almost everyday. I’m trying to prepare myself to pack as much as I can into our limited time everywhere we go! I know we’re up for the challenge because we took a quick trip to London earlier this year, and we only had one day to explore the city…so I thought I’d take you with me through our one day in London before we head off on our next adventure.
Full disclosure - After an 11 hour flight from LAX to Gatwick, I landed in London by 2 PM on Friday, and I flew back home at noon on Sunday…so technically I had almost two days...but doesn’t one day sound more exciting? 😉 Below you’ll see how I spent my very first trip to London...
Friday
3pm - Upon landing at Gatwick airport, I took the one hour taxi ride to our hotel, the No. 5 Maddox St. Our hotel was situated in the perfect spot for Michelle and me. Surrounded by plenty of shops and restaurants, I could’ve just moved in. We had a lovely two bedroom loft with a full kitchen and plenty of space...the only surprise was that we were on the top floor of a five story walk-up (surprise, no elevator) so we got our exercise going to our room...but it was fun to be right next door to one of the most Grammable spots in London, the Maddox Gallery.
5pm - After getting situated in the hotel, we started off on our first adventure of the weekend...a big red bus tour through London...I was a bit skeptical about this because I’ve never really had a desire to take a city bus tour anywhere. But upon Michelle’s recommendation, we walked the block from our hotel and hopped on to explore the city. I was pleasantly surprised with our double decker bus experience, and I would highly recommend this as a great place to start if you’ve never been to London. I loved that we had the option to visit many locations and landmarks at our own pace, hopping on & off, and rejoining the group whenever we pleased. Our tour guide was incredibly witty and knowledgeable, making our tour even more fun (we didn’t even want to hop off because we enjoyed his commentary so much)! We knew that with only one day in London we couldn’t see everything, but by spending time on this tour we got an overview of just about everything we would want to see…and it helped us determine where we wanted to spend more of our time Saturday morning. Plus it was an open air double decker big red bus, so of course it was just super fun and touristy!
9pm - It was time for dinner, and there are so many food options right outside our hotel. We actually opted for Indian food... did you know the Indian food is just as popular as fish and chips in London? And it’s super yummy too!
Saturday
7am - We headed out to find breakfast. We soon discovered that we love just about everything about where we are staying except for the lack of breakfast options that open before 9 AM on a Saturday! So after walking all around our neighborhood, we opted for a nice little café around the corner, and my latte did not disappoint!
9am - We had a hair appointment at a salon across the street from our hotel... hey, we are two girls heading out on the town for the day…and I just had an 11 hour flight...so no shame here! 😉
10am - The Tower of London. Truthfully, I think anyone could spend a whole day here with over 20 towers dating back to the 11th century. If you’re looking to experience some of the rich history London has to offer, then you’ve come to the right place here. Whether you’re touring the white tower, which features impressive armor and swords, or you choose to take a glimpse at the crown jewels, you’ll find yourself drinking in hundreds of years of history. Just be aware that the crown jewel exhibit can have a wait time of over an hour as the day goes on, so plan accordingly…and no photography is allowed inside this one exhibit, so enjoy those jewels in your memory and not in your iPhone photos. 😉
Michelle and I learned about the tower “beasts”... lions, elephants and even a polar bear that called the tower home at one point. We were even lucky enough to see one of the beautiful tower ravens close up before we headed onto our next engagement.
2 pm- We grabbed a quick bite to eat across the street from the Victoria Palace Theatre…then it was time for a show. I was SO excited to see Hamilton in London. There was something extra special about seeing this particular show with a (mostly) British audience. I enjoyed overhearing many local theatergoers saying how they learned so much about America through this show. The cast was wonderful, the audience was appreciative, and of course I cried!
6pm - After a wonderful show, we made our way to Buckingham Palace to enjoy sunset... it was a beautifully mild day, so this was a perfect spot to watch the sun go down.
8pm - We grabbed a taxi to Royal Albert Hall for dinner and our second show of the day. We enjoyed seeing Cirque du Soleil Totem in its final weekend in London. The next time I visit London, I definitely want to take a behind the scenes tour of this beautiful theater.
Sunday
7am - We started off early and walked to breakfast at The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont. It was fun to enjoy a proper English breakfast, including my first experience with black pudding (if you don’t know what this is, neither did I until after I tried it). 😂
9am - We visited St. George’s Hanover Square Church down the street from our hotel to enjoy the Sunday morning bells before worship. And we made time to visit a few of the local shops before I had to head to the airport.
12pm. - I hopped on my Norwegian flight back to LAX, and 12 hours later I was home snuggling my puppy.
So this was my London in a day experience...if you’ve been to London, what do I need to make time for on my next visit there?