A long time coming, I finally have a mini travel guide to London! Or at least my favourite things to do in London. Also, look at how pretty this post is. It maybe have taken a full week (over the course of a few months, because seriously, it took two days just to figure out how to make a text box) to figure out the coding, but it was well worth it, don't you think? Either way, let me know what your favourite things to do in London are? Or any misses? WestJet seems to be having seat sales there every fall, so you can bet I'll be going again (maybe I'll even make it to London Fashion Week this time). KLM is also having a flight sale to Amsterdam right now... I'm so tempted.
1. GO TO AFTERNOON TEA
Quintessentially British, afternoon tea is not to be missed in London. There's a ton of options at varying price points, so don't worry if you're on a budget. My friend and I went to Muriel's Kitchen, which was a reasonable 17 pounds for a ton of food. Go on an empty stomach, trust me, you'll need all the room you can get.
For lighter fair, try cream tea (it's usually just scones, clotted cream, and tea – but that's all you need in life!).
Quintessentially British, afternoon tea is not to be missed in London. There's a ton of options at varying price points, so don't worry if you're on a budget. My friend and I went to Muriel's Kitchen, which was a reasonable 17 pounds for a ton of food. Go on an empty stomach, trust me, you'll need all the room you can get.
For lighter fair, try cream tea (it's usually just scones, clotted cream, and tea – but that's all you need in life!).
2. SEE THE HORSE GUARD
Forget the Foot Guard and their marching – go see the Horse Guards! Every morning there's a changing of the guards at the Horse Guards Parade (11:00 am).
When we went, there were only two foot guards at Buckingham Palace, but after an hour of searching for each other and snapping pictures of said guards, we were surprised by the mini parade. It starts at Whitehall, but goes all the way to Palace (not that that's very far).
Forget the Foot Guard and their marching – go see the Horse Guards! Every morning there's a changing of the guards at the Horse Guards Parade (11:00 am).
When we went, there were only two foot guards at Buckingham Palace, but after an hour of searching for each other and snapping pictures of said guards, we were surprised by the mini parade. It starts at Whitehall, but goes all the way to Palace (not that that's very far).
3. LOOK AT SOME MUMMIES...
And see what Cleopatra really looked like! Just kidding, the British Museum only houses the mummy of Cleopatra of Thebes, not the famous Eyptian queen.
The British Museum is free to get into, and has exhibits for everyone's interests. I went for solely for the mummies (anyone else facing their childhood fears in 2016?), but there's so many exhibits that caught my eye and resulted in me spending the better part of the day there (and I didn't even come close to seeing them all!). Bonus, there's free wifi, so you can try and catch a Mr. Mime while catching up on Instagram.
And see what Cleopatra really looked like! Just kidding, the British Museum only houses the mummy of Cleopatra of Thebes, not the famous Eyptian queen.
The British Museum is free to get into, and has exhibits for everyone's interests. I went for solely for the mummies (anyone else facing their childhood fears in 2016?), but there's so many exhibits that caught my eye and resulted in me spending the better part of the day there (and I didn't even come close to seeing them all!). Bonus, there's free wifi, so you can try and catch a Mr. Mime while catching up on Instagram.
4. SHOP ALONG OXFORD STREET
Oxford Street was definitely one of my favourite haunts during my first trip. It was easily walkable from King's Cross Station (about 40 minutes) and has the biggest Topshop I know of. There's half of a floor dedicated to shoes, and another half for repurposed vintage items. Definitely not something you want to miss!
A new find was & Other Stories, a brand I've only heard of through the European bloggers I read. I quickly fell in love with their store and minimalistic designs. Please come to Canada!
Oxford Street was definitely one of my favourite haunts during my first trip. It was easily walkable from King's Cross Station (about 40 minutes) and has the biggest Topshop I know of. There's half of a floor dedicated to shoes, and another half for repurposed vintage items. Definitely not something you want to miss!
A new find was & Other Stories, a brand I've only heard of through the European bloggers I read. I quickly fell in love with their store and minimalistic designs. Please come to Canada!
5. GET LOST
London is a beautiful city, and there's no better way to explore a new place than to get lost... or at least walk everywhere now that Google Maps works offline. I stayed close to King's Cross, which allowed me walk nearly everywhere I wanted to go within an hour. I also chose to take a different route every time, despite usually ending up at Oxford St. or Soho.
You'll be surprised at what you find – like the Horse Guard, Platform 9/4, or a theatre showing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I'm a fangirl, I know.
London is a beautiful city, and there's no better way to explore a new place than to get lost... or at least walk everywhere now that Google Maps works offline. I stayed close to King's Cross, which allowed me walk nearly everywhere I wanted to go within an hour. I also chose to take a different route every time, despite usually ending up at Oxford St. or Soho.
You'll be surprised at what you find – like the Horse Guard, Platform 9/4, or a theatre showing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I'm a fangirl, I know.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Whatever you do, don't eat the croissants! They're not croissants, I swear. I don't know what they are, but they are not croissants (or my favourite, croissants au beurre). Trust me, you're better off booking a Eurostar ticket into Paris, the boulangeries are worth it if you want a good croissant (and good coffee). Stick with the scones and tea in London.
Whatever you do, don't eat the croissants! They're not croissants, I swear. I don't know what they are, but they are not croissants (or my favourite, croissants au beurre). Trust me, you're better off booking a Eurostar ticket into Paris, the boulangeries are worth it if you want a good croissant (and good coffee). Stick with the scones and tea in London.
