How To Make The Most Of Your 5 Day London Vacation
A London vacation has been on my bucket list of places to travel for some time now and Scott and I were able to go this September to commemorate our 30th birthdays. Traveling in the fall instead of summer was our ideal plan because it is cooler weather-wise and also worked well with our schedule. We spent 5 full days in London and after, took the TGV to go spend 5 more days in Paris. Here is a full breakdown of where we stayed, what we ate, and what we did for 5 days in London.
London Tips
The best thing about visiting London is how easy it is to get around because of the English language but also the convenience of the tube! There is so much to do and most likely you won’t have an opportunity to see everything in one short trip. So, pick out your top few places and plan for backups in case you have more time than anticipated. The city is large and one tip I would suggest is to plan out your daily activities in one area to save time for more sightseeing rather than travel.
Clothing
Check out my packing guide for London (coming soon). I cannot stress enough the importance of bringing comfortable shoes. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong socks with one of my boots and had blisters all over both of my heels on the very first day! It was unpleasant and a pain, to say the least! Don’t be like me and think about your shoes (and socks) because you will be walking more than you know.
Dreary and rainy weather in London is common, so bring an umbrella and plan an outfit accordingly. A hotel might let you borrow an umbrella for your stay so be sure to ask if you don’t want to pack one!
Currency
One thing we learned last year from traveling to Paris and Rome was not to convert money and use a credit card instead. My biggest suggestion when traveling anywhere is to open a credit card that has no fees for currency conversion. We used the Wells Fargo Autograph credit card. This will save you some money and also the hassle of cash and trying to exchange it. Nowadays, credit cards are widely accepted across most places. My favorite part was that the tube and the double-decker buses made it easy to travel by just tapping a credit card. This was so convenient and honestly shocking that other places do not use the same system.
London pass
Last year when visiting Paris, we bought the Paris pass and thought it was well worth it! London has a similar option and the pass can be purchased from one to up to ten days. When planning your itinerary, make sure to check which tourist sites are included and plan accordingly.
Traveling To/From the Airport
After arriving at Heathrow, we opted to ride a black cab because it was easier to transport our luggage. It is not a flat fee but is a fair price depending on where you are staying. There is a taxi service right outside the airport and is easily accessible when following the signs.
Where We Stayed
We chose to stay at the Treehouse Hotel London in the Marylebone neighborhood. The tube was about a five-minute walk and there were many shops, convenience stores, and coffee shops like Starbucks just downstairs from the hotel. Our room faced the BBC News building and had a panoramic city view. I love the earth-friendly concept behind the hotel and we have stayed in 1Hotels Central Park so we were familiar. Our other option was finding an Airbnb but had a great opportunity with Treehouse and were not disappointed.
Food
You probably heard of Bib Gourmand if you’re familiar with Michelin-star restaurants. I suggest using their guide to choose all of your meals. The guide is such a great tool to locate quality food without breaking the bank. This is what we used to plan out all of our meals and we were so happy that we did that. If it’s on the guide, there’s no way the food could be disappointing.
Day 1
On our first day, after settling in, we ventured out to Neal’s Yard and had dinner at Home Slice. We tried the CURRIED MINCED LAMB, SMOKED BURRATA, TARRAGON PESTO, WILTED SPINACH, PICKLED CHILLIES & CRISPY BROAD BEANS pizza and I highly recommend it!
We saw the mesmerizing window display of cakes and pastries at L’eto dessert after exploring, so we decided to stop by for some coffee and dessert late at night.
Day 2
We toured Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and Trafalgar Square, using the London pass. For lunch, we had a front-row seat at Michelin Bib-Gourmand restaurant, Bancone, and enjoyed the freshest pasta! After, we stopped by Buckingham Palace and later enjoyed dinner at KOL, a one-star Michelin restaurant.
Day 3
The itinerary for day 3 was the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and a spontaneous Cat Café visit. Later we dined at a three-star Michelin restaurant, Sketch the Lecture Room & Library.
Day 4
The plan was to visit Victoria and Albert Musem but we ended up not going and shopping at Harrod’s instead. For lunch, we went to one-star Michelin Elystan Street and two-star Clove Club for dinner.
Day 5
I highly recommend visiting Churchill War Rooms but keep in mind that it is not included in the London Pass. We could not leave London without trying afternoon tea at The Goring. We also had to try McDonald’s and had a fun time comparing the taste to what we are used to at home.
Our next stop was Paris and we were excited to try the super-fast TGV train.
TGV: Train From London To Paris
Booking and riding the TGV with Eurostar from London to Paris was an easy experience! The train station has a lounge that is accessible with the purchase of a business class ticket. The price of a train ticket was about the same price as a plane ticket. Fewer people occupied the seats, the seats themselves were spacious and comfortable, and the airline provided a meal. Service was great and it only took about 2 hours and a few minutes to arrive in Paris. If I had to do it again, I would always choose to travel by train.
Overall, I loved our London vacation and had the best time exploring the beautiful city! The itinerary we planned was perfect for us and we did not feel overwhelmed at all. If you plan to go or are in the early stages of planning let me know if you have questions! Thanks for stopping by to read!
Click here to see more travel and here for Michelin experiences.
