Greetings from the Home of Big Ben
A London Travel Diary
Hello from London!
More often than not, London is associated with incredible museums, thrilling pubs, and a diverse culture, all of which have served to transform the city into one of the most-visited places in the world. It’s a non-negotiable in any travel itinerary, from luxury vacations to backpacking trips and brief holidays.
London was a stop in our itinerary too, and it was honestly one of our trip’s highlights. The four days that we spent exploring the city may be short, but they were definitely no less sweet!
Monday – Day One
We were so excited to go see the city’s sights that we set off for Trafalgar Square right after dropping our stuff off at our hotel. We had booked a stay at The Landmark London after hearing rave reviews from several of our friends. It’s a luxury hotel, so our rooms were a little pricey, but they were definitely worth it!
Once we finished freshening ourselves up, we went out and ate lunch at a pub called The Larrik, where the bartender explained to us that “chips” were thicker and chunkier than your run-of-the-mill McDonald’s fries.
Feeling stuffed from our Fish & Chips, we decided to spend a few hours walking the beautiful hallways of the National Gallery, which is arguably one of the most famous museums in the entire European continent. While the crowds inside made it a bit tricky to fully explore the different sections, I was still able to see Van Gogh’s A Wheatfield with Cypresses, so I was pretty pleased by that.
Of course, a day of London sightseeing won’t be complete without stopping by the Houses of Parliament and its iconic main bell, Big Ben. We arrived here just as the sun was setting, which made the view even more incredible
After walking around some more, we had a late dinner at Jai Krishna, which is a modern Indian restaurant that is famous for their vegetarian dishes. Their Moong Dal Paneer Curry was to die for!
Tuesday – Day Two
The following morning, we woke up bright and early to hit London’s most popular tourist sights. Our first stop was Buckingham Palace, where, fortunately, we were able to catch a few seconds of the Changing of the Guard before it ended. It was cool to witness this age-old old-fashioned tradition, but I personally don’t think that it’s worth lining up hours for.
Afterward, we strolled over to Westminster Abbey; we were initially planning to go inside, but admission was around $25 per person, so we decided against it. The church was still breathtaking from the outside, though, so definitely no regrets.
For lunch, we chose to go to Borough Market, which is famous for its incredible food stalls that feature a wide range of international cuisines. We had trouble sticking to one stand, so we tried several of them. They were all absolutely delicious, but the French Le Marché du Quartier and their duck confit burger was my favorite!
The theater scene in London is renowned all over the world, so I was adamant that we were going to catch a performance in the West End. Having to decide between Miss Saigon and Les Miserables was difficult, but we ultimately went with the former, due to the rave reviews that the current cast has received.
Wednesday – Day Three
Our third day in London was reserved for satiating my inner nerd, so we spent the entire morning on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter. It was super cool to catch a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes of my favorite film franchise, and I daresay that I had more fun on it than the ten-year-olds who were there too.
I enjoyed every minute of our time there, and I even came away with a few Chocolate Frogs in my pocket! Alas, I ended up with three Dumbledore’s and one Rowena Ravenclaw, so if anyone wants to trade a Salazar Slytherin and a Godric Gryffindor, then hit me up!
We were pretty tired from the studio tour, so the afternoon was spent chilling at Battersea Park. This is one of the city’s best-kept secrets and is filled to the brim with incredible wildlife, including a ton of Herons and Cormorants.
For dinner, we wanted to go somewhere fancy for a taste of London’s high life, so we to a restaurant called Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. This spot is famous for its new take on historical British cooking. I was initially a bit iffy about this, but I found myself doing a complete 180 after the first bite of my Plum Meat Fruit dish!
Thursday – Day Four
Our train out of London was scheduled for early afternoon, so we were both feeling rather blue when we woke up on our fourth day in the city. While we originally planned to spend the entire morning shopping for souvenirs, we decided to hit another popular tourist spot instead.
Since our Airbnb was located a few minutes away from Winston Churchill’s War Rooms, we headed straight there. And, I’m so glad we did because it’s seriously one of the coolest museums that I’ve been to. It’s hard to explain what exactly the exhibit consists of, so I recommend planning a visit and seeing them yourself.
When we finished the tour, we grabbed a quick lunch at Nando’s, which is a fast-food chain famous for its flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Then, it was time to say our final goodbyes to the home of Big Ben.
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The four days that we spent in London were a blast, and I can’t wait to go back to explore the city some more. Next time, I’m hoping to walk around the legendary Notting Hall and having tea at Harrod’s, both of which will undoubtedly set me back a pretty penny. They’ll be well worth it, though!
