Day 1 – Arriving to London

We arrived in London from Philly at 10:30am. We each got only a couple hours of sleep, but were ready to start our trip. Our Airbnb was flexible with us dropping our bags at 12pm and would let us know as soon as the room was cleaned so we could officially check-in. We took the Tube from Heathrow on the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon station, then walked 8 minutes to the Airbnb. Google Maps mapped out our route from the airport, so it was not difficult to navigate. We used tap-to-pay on our phones the entire time in London when using the Tube.

While we waited for our room to be cleaned, we were starving and I was craving ramen. We ate at Noodle Brat a few blocks from our Airbnb. 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, and 2 meals was £56. Once our room was ready, we each showered and took a 2 hour power nap. Waking up feeling rejuvenated, we made our way to Chinatown- this would be a frame of reference we used the rest of our time in London.

Chinatown > Covent Garden > Trafalgar Square > Westminster > Theater District

We did so much dilly dallying to get familiar with the lay of the land. We also saw how diverse the food options were and would indulge in so many different cuisines throughout our time here. After a coffee at Joe + The Juice and snacks, we needed dinner. We ate at Gerrard’s Corner Restaurant for Chinese food and spent £88 for a variety of dishes. It was a bit touristy and overpriced, and the food was just okay. We walked around after to the Lego store, M&M store, and TWG Tea. We walked briefly past Big Ben and saw the London Eye across the Thames River. And of course, the iconic red telephone booths.

Day 2 – Full Day

Our first full day started with ticketed entries to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We took the Tube to get closer to the Tower of London and had breakfast at Joe + The Juice for £23. Our tickets were for the 10am entry for the Tower of London with access to the Crown Jewels. I slotted 2 hours here before heading to the Tower Bridge at 12pm. These tickets were $131 total and booked as a pair- the link is listed below. We walked across the Tower Bridge, over the glass floor, and saw the engine room once we got to the other side, and ended by 12:30pm.

We got some Starbucks and headed to Leadenhall Market to grab lunch. We ate at Pizza Express and got 1 drink, 1 appetizer, and 1 pizza for £41. While eating lunch, we purchased tickets to see Back to the Future the Musical that evening per the recommendation of a friend. From there, we walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We didn’t go in, but we wanted to see the outside of it. After all this walking, we figured we should reward ourselves with some pints and ended up at The Rising Sun.

We still had some time before dinner and went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. This is free entry at your own pace. We aren’t much for art exhibits, so we really just walked around in there for 30 minutes before we had had our share of seeing art. We ate at Burger & Lobster and got 2 entrees for £86. This was a pricey meal and wasn’t that good, so I don’t recommend eating here- though the aesthetic is very eye-catching. We got to our 7:30pm show and watched from the top balcony. We were incredibly surprised at how great this musical was, and I highly recommend getting tickets! Tickets were only £56 total and we were able to buy them a few hours before the show.

Day 3 – Full Day

We didn’t have any tickets booked for this day so we didn’t have any time constraints. We slept in a little bit and found breakfast that was a 15 minute walk from our Airbnb in a college town. We ate at Barbican Cafe for £44, which included 2 coffees, a shared plate, and 2 entrees. The food was so fresh and the quality was great – I 100% recommend if you’re in this area. We walked to the station and took the Tube to Westminster. We walked across the bridge to get a great view of Big Ben and the House of Parliaments.

We spent awhile here getting pictures and videos and embracing the area. We walked to Westminster Abbey, but they were closed so we couldn’t go in. We kept walking and ended up at Buckingham Palace followed by Hyde Park. Hyde Park is massive- we spent a ton of time here walking around the various gardens, to include Princess Diana’s Memorial Walk. During this time, I purchased timed tickets to Kensington Palace which was only a 20 minute walk. We got fish and chips at Goat Tavern just before we had to arrive to Kensington Palace.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kensington Palace because they had a special exhibit, called Dress Codes, that included royal clothing over the centuries. We ended at the Sunken Gardens just outside the palace and enjoyed the peaceful scenery. We spent £50 total for the tickets. We wanted to continue eating different cuisines, so we got Indian food at Maharaja of India near Chinatown. We got a lot of food for £53, and our server was so kind. He gave us complementary desserts, as well.

We ended the night seeing the Lion King Musical at Lyceum Theatre for £110 total. We were stoked to see how cheap it was compared to seeing it on Broadway in NYC, so we took this opportunity to see it here! The show was incredible, and I can’t recommend it enough if you have the time. After 28,700 steps, it was time to pack up our suitcases, because we were leaving for Dublin the next morning.

Day 4 – Leaving for Dublin

Our flight to Dublin from Heathrow was at 12pm, so we didn’t have to wake up super early. We walked toward Farringdon Station and grabbed a quick snack at Pret before hopping on the Tube toward Heathrow. The Tube was about 40 minutes and got us right to the airport. We navigated to our check-in desk to drop our bags and go through security. We got more Pret at the airport and waited for our 1 hour 25 minute flight to Dublin!

Last Day Before Flying Home

We flew back to London for one night after Scotland to catch our flight back to Philly. Chris collects travel tattoos, so he had an appointment at Seven Doors Tattoo. After this, we tried for a 3rd time to eat at Dishoom for Indian food and finally was able to! We waited 35 minutes for a table, and it was definitely worth the wait. Food = impeccable. Vibe = outstanding. The bill for 5 plates and 2 drinks was £98, and worth every penny. We walked around Westminster one more time before we had to say farewell to London.