I was born in London and spent the first years of my life growing up in Wimbledon, a suburb in London's southwest, famous for its tennis, before moving out to the English countryside. While nowhere really feels like home, every time I come back to visit London and other parts of England, it does feel a little bit nostalgic and it's always such a treat to rediscover the memories of my youth.
→ Read more about where I'm from!
I've written a number of blog posts already about visiting London and can happily say they are still very much useful and relevant, even though they were written a number of years ago. I won't duplicate what's been written in them; instead I recommend reading them as a supplement to this post so you can curate your ideal London trip!
→ Check out my guide with 30 things to do in London!
→ Check out my guide to spending a day in London!
My elementary school hosted its 80th anniversary in 2025 and invited all the alumni to attend a Sunday afternoon tea and school viewing. It was such a special opportunity so my partner and I decided to make a weekend out of it, including spending time exploring London and also heading up to Cambridge to visit my aunt, uncle and cousin. I feel so lucky to be able to have connections to so many places around the world.
Here is my guide to spending a weekend in London, knowing that there is enough in this city to keep you going for a lifetime!
By flight: London is serviced by three major international airports: Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton. My favourite is always Heathrow as its the easiest to get from there into the city. Check which of the airports you can fly into from your destination and make sure you know whereabouts in London the airport is located!
When you're leaving Heathrow headed for the city, avoid the signs for the expensive Heathrow Express; instead, take the regular tube and board the Piccadilly Line to reach the centre of London in under an hour.
By car: If you are traveling from elsewhere in England or would like to arrive from mainland Europe by car via the Channel Tunnel, of course you can visit the city with your own wheels. Just remember that in England, they drive on the other side of the road from the rest of Europe!
→ Learn about parking in London.
By train: London is serviced by a few major train stations with connections arriving from across the United Kingdom and further into Europe, such as with the Eurostar. The main train stations are Euston, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Waterloo and Paddington. I like to use trainline to book my train journeys; just pay close attention to which station in London your train is departing and arriving from!
By bus: FlixBus services a number of stations within London with direct connections from 105 cities!
Historically, the original City of London is just one square mile. Nowadays of course the city has boomed beyond that and Greater London is now made up of an additional 32 boroughs. If it's your first time in London, getting acquainted with all the different neighbourhoods and areas can be pretty overwhelming! Needless to say, I was born here and have visited many times and I still find it overwhelming.
Some of the most famous of the 32 boroughs of London include:
- Camden
- Greenwich
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Westminster
To get around in London, I'd avoid going by car; it's just really busy all the time, everywhere, and really hard to find parking. Instead, you'll want to walk for the most part where you can; for long distances, I recommend using the famous London Underground or a bright red double decker bus or by grabbing an Uber! You can get day passes for the London Underground on an Oyster card; perfect for a weekend visit and for hopping on and off as much as you like.
→ Find out the schedule, routes and ticket prices for the different lines of the London Underground.
When I spent a summer living in England with my aunt and uncle back in 2014, I did quite a few trips up to London from which I compiled my guide of 30 things to do in the city.
One of the things I recommended - and didn't do on this weekend trip but absolutely still encourage - was riding the Thames Clipper up the river to Greenwich from Embankment Pier in Westminster, right under the bridge next to Big Ben and the London Eye. It's such a unique way to see London from the river, plus visiting the meridian line at Greenwich at longitude 0° is a neat experience.
Riding the Thames Clipper to Greenwich in 2014
This is London, after all. You're going to find a gazillion options for places to stay ranging from the budget backpacker-style all the way to the ritzy and glamourous. We tend to choose boutique hotels rather than chain hotels as they're usually smaller, lovelier, independent and have much more attention to detail and to their guests.
After a long time spent doing research, we chose the Apex Temple Court Hotel set back off of Fleet Street. The staff were lovely, the location perfect with a tube station just ten minutes' walk away and the rooms super comfortable - especially the bedding. We didn't love the breakfast but otherwise I would happily stay here again, especially for the great price!
→ Book your stay at Apex Temple Court Hotel.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type.
Image via Booking.com
Fleet Street
You could probably spend a lifetime eating your way through London and still not even try half of what's on offer. London has such a beautiful mix of cultures from all corners of the earth, many of whom bring their recipes and flavours of abroad, so no matter what food you're craving, there's going to be something for you.
Here is everything we ate during our London weekend:
Breakfast at Drury 188-189
Drury 188-189 is rated as the best café in London so the moment we landed at Heathrow after our early morning flight, we beelined it here for brunch and were absolutely not disappointed. They don't accept reservations, so we did have to wait about half an hour for a table, but the food was so worth it! Plus, tons of gluten-free and vegan options, including pastries. Highly recommend.
Located at: 188-189 Drury Lane in Covent Garden
I recommend: vegan "eggs" on avocado sourdough toast and their melt-in-your-mouth brownies
Breakfast at Riding House Café
Having breakfast at Riding House Café is just such an iconic thing to do. We went to the original location in Fitzrovia, but they do have other locations now across London as well! The food is just pure comfort food and I swear I might have had one of the best coffees of my life here. They also do a weekend brunch menu.
Located at: three locations in Victoria, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury
I recommend: sourdough toast, grilled halloumi, oat milk latte, açai yogurt bowl
Coffee at Fair Shot
Fair Shot is a wonderful café in Covent Garden trains young people with disabilities so they can also have their fair shot at working and feeling successful in the professional world. It's so lovely.
Located at: 3 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden
I recommend: iced oat milk latte
Lunch at Farmer J
We spotted Farmer J locations all over London and it looked so fresh, healthy and good that we had to have lunch here. All food is made on site fresh daily and you can select a fieldtray of a few different things and BOY was it good. If I lived in London now, I'd be eating here multiple times a week.
Located at: this is a chain with tons of locations!
I recommend: all of it
Dinner at Pizza Express
Pizza Express used to be one of my favourite restaurants as a child growing up in England so it's just so nostalgic to find them all over London still serving up the best margherita pizza in town.
Located at: this is a chain with tons of locations!
I recommend: garlic dough balls, buffala margherita pizza
I've written a number of blog posts already about visiting London - given I was born here and have spent a lot of time here! - and can happily say they are still very much useful and relevant, even though they were written a number of years ago. I won't duplicate what's been written in them; instead I recommend reading them as a supplement to this post so you can curate your ideal London trip!
→ Check out my guide with 30 things to do in London!
→ Check out my guide to spending a day in London!
Below, I've included everything we did on our weekend in London as an idea of what you might want to get up to. There's enough to keep you going in this city for a lifetime so I promise you won't get bored!
Explore Covent Garden
One of my favourite neighbourhoods in London is Covent Garden, famous for its performing arts and its beautiful market. We loved going shopping here, wandering the market and finding the Royal Ballet School where I used to train. If you can, try get tickets to watch a performance at the Royal Opera House!
Visit Chinatown
London's Chinatown is a vibrant region adorned with iconic red lanterns above bustling streets of yummy food and shops.
Step into Fortnum & Mason
Dating back to 1707, this is one of London's most iconic department stores founded by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason selling gifts, treats and, most famously, tea.
See Clarence House and Buckingham Palace
Of course, the Royal Family is one of the most famous families in the world and seeing the royal residences and buildings is a must when visiting London. There are a few others across London - I also recommend Kensington Palace - but Clarence House and Buckingham Palace, which are next door to each other, are iconic!
You can also go for a walk in nearby St. James' Park, lining The Mall.
Visit the Natural History Museum
This might be one of the most famous and best museums in all of London, although there are so many more to visit (like the Victoria & Albert, just down the road!). With over 80 million items in its collection, the museum endeavours to share the magic of the natural world. Featured in a David Attenborough documentary, most of the museum is free to visit, with a few paid temporary exhibitions.
Spot Big Ben and the Palaces of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster is part of parliament where the House of Commons and the House of Lords meet. Big Ben is just the large bell inside the Elizabeth Clock Tower, although the whole tower is often commonly referred to as Big Ben.
For the best photos, there is a red telephone box popular for a photo just across the road; you might need to line up to get the perfect shot! Then, make sure you walk across the bridge and get the photos looking across the Thames.
Ride the London Eye
Right next to Big Ben and the Palaces of Westminster, you'll see the London Eye, one of the most famous landmarks of London. Right on the south bank of the River Thames, you can get an incredible view across London if you choose to ride it!
More time?
Here are some additional things you might want to check out in London:
- explore the colourful houses of Notting Hill, shop at Portobello Road Market, visit the Notting Hill Bookshop
- spend more time in different museums, such as the Victoria & Albert
- attend a theatre show on the West End; I went to Dirty Dancing a few years ago and loved it!
- go to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew
I wrote a big guide to London during my trip in 2014 and can happily say it is still very much useful and relevant, even though it was written years ago.
→ Check out my guide with 30 things to do in London!
It includes suggestions such as:
- Tower Bridge and Tower of London
- Monument to the Great Fire of London
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Trafalgar Square
- Harrod's
- Greenwich
- ... and more!
Tower Bridge & Tower of London
Greenwich
Trafalgar Square
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
