London | A Travel Guide

In April 2019, my husband and I spent some time in London. We were in the UK for a work conference for me which took place in Glasgow. After Glasgow, we headed to Edinburgh (you can read about that, here) and finally on to London.

Here is our experience!

DAY 1

This morning we had breakfast at a café next door to our hotel, then grabbed an Uber to the Waverly Train Station. There we boarded a train to London.

After a long train ride (some minor delays) we arrived at London King’s Cross station. From there we took to Tube to Greenwich where we checked into Hotel Novotel Greenwich. The hotel was nice, but I was a bit disappointed with the cleanliness and need for updating. Important to note, at the time of our travel the hotel was going through a renovation, so this could have contributed to that.

For dinner, we walked to a nearby restaurant and had “Tex-Mex”.

DAY 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we greeted the beautiful sunny day and traveled via the Tube to the city center to collect our London Pass.

Our first stop was the Tower of London. This was a very popular attraction, lots of lines, which would have been miserable if the weather wasn’t as gorgeous as it was. We skipped the guided tour and decided to walk around on our own.

Next, we walked to Tower Bridge where we were able to climb to the top, watch a short presentation about the bridge’s construction, and walk across the upper level which included glass flooring - so we could see the street below!

We grabbed some lunch on-the-go before meeting our group for a Historic Pub Walking Tour of London. This was a great experience. Again, our group was small, and our guide was very knowledgeable and presented the information in a very interesting way. We made our way through London’s fascinating past which included stops to four historically charming pubs. Our guide made recommendations for beer choices and we purchased our samples. The tour took us through the London Bridge area, Fleet street and Holborn.

After returning to Greenwich, we had a delicious plate of Pie and Mash at the iconic Goddards of Greenwich. Absolutely delicious. Extremely unhealthy.

DAY 3

Our first visit today was to the Churchill War Rooms. Both being very interested in WWII history, this was a priority for Tom and me during our visit to London. We waited in line for a bit, not long. Any wait would have been worth it. The underground War Rooms, some of which hadn’t been touched since the end of the war, give visitors an eye-opening authentic view of what life was like as Great Britain’s top officers ran the war from underground. In addition to the rooms, there was a very informative museum that takes visitors through the life of Winston Churchill. Audio guides came with our tour which were very helpful.

Continuing on the theme of the day, we went to the Imperial War Museum. Here we made our way through fascinating (and heart-breaking) exhibits that told the story of WWI, WWII and the Holocaust.

Next, we did something I swore I would never, ever do. I rode the “Hop-On-Hop-Off” bus and looked like the most cliche tourist ever - which is something I hate doing. (No offense to those that like this sort of thing, it’s a great way to see a city!) Tom wanted to see Buckingham Palace, and this was the best way to do it. After he got his pictures we wandered around (which included a closer look at the London Eye) before making our way back to Greenwich. Tonight, we had a quiet dinner at the nearby Greenwich Tavern.

DAY 4

Today was by-far the most beautiful day weather-wise. Over and over we kept saying to each other how blessed we were with the weather on this trip. 

We grabbed Starbucks and sat outside in the warm sun in Paternoster Square. There were several beach chairs for public use and we took full advantage. Then we went to St Paul’s Cathedral. I especially wanted to pay a visit to see the American Memorial Chapel, which pays respect to Americans based in the UKD10079 who lost their lives in WWII.

We walked around after this for a while, enjoying the beautiful weather. Later in the afternoon we made our way to Convent Garden for some last-minute shopping and afternoon tea at the Crusting Pipe. Afternoon tea was delicious and something you must do when in London. So many places offer it and there are a wide variety of experiences to choose from!

We ended our day (and our trip) with a river cruise down the Thames. Although extremely touristy, this tour gave us the perfect view of some of London’s most iconic sights.

DAY 5

After breakfast, we took the tube all they way Heathrow. We flew non-stop to Chicago and  had some downtime at Union Station before boarding the Amtrak back to Grand Rapids. We arrived home shortly after midnight.

What’s crazy about travel, for those that are passionate about it, is that a visit to an amazing place is never enough. If anything, instead of quenching your desire to see it with your own eyes, a visit to a new place that you knew you would fall in love with only strengthens your desire to return and experience it all over again. This is exactly what happened to me with the United Kingdom, as I knew without a doubt, it would.