Transportation:
Landed: London- Gatwick airport Train: Gatwick Express to London $25 US (about 30 minutes)
Planning Your Itinerary:
To use your time wisely – it’s better to plan your trip by proximity. However, you don’t have to follow your itinerary completely, if you spend more time in one place, you can decide to skip the next attraction. Use Day 1 to relax, have dinner, explore near by, and learn how to get around.
The Tube: You can purchase Oyster passes to use the underground stations (metro, aka the tube); these can be purchased by zone and length of stay. Oyster passes are reusable (you can add money as needed), and therefore, cost an additional 5 Euros to buy the card. If you are only traveling to touristy places, I recommend the Oyster pass with 1, 2, and 3 zones. You can purchase Oyster passes inside any underground station. Underground stations are easy to find thanks to the LED lights and are very clean (when compared to Paris). I felt completely safe traveling solo!
Tube: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube
Oyster pass: https://www.londonpass.com/
Tips: It’s worthwhile to see attractions in the day but also in the evening (some of them light up at night). Museums are free in London! London is also not crowded in November, therefore, you don’t need to buy attraction tickets in advanced. This gives you the flexibility, especially if you get lost or decided to ditch an attraction for something else. Nevertheless, in Paris, I recommend purchasing all tickets because it’s still crowded in November (waiting can last up to an hour). Use the London Pass website to visually see where each attraction is located- https://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/
Itinerary Sample
Day 1: Arrival
You will be jet-lagged! I recommend staying up until 10pm or drinking tea to help you sleep at night. I wasn’t able to sleep and stayed up until 3am. I was really tired the following day!
| 1:24pm -2:30pm | Gatwick, London |
| 2:30pm- 3:00pm | Check in |
| 3:00pm-4:00pm | British Museum |
| 4:00pm-5:00pm | Sherlock Homes Museum |
| 6:00pm-7:00pm | Rock n roll street |
| 7:30pm-8:30pm | Dinner |
| 8:45pm-9:45pm | SOHO |
Day 2: Westminster
| 8:00am-9:00am | Coffee + Breakfast |
| 9:00am- 10:00am | Buckingham Palace State |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | Big Ben |
| 12:00pm-1:00pm | London Eye |
| 2:00pm-3:00pm | Lunch |
| 3:00pm- 4:00pm | Westminster Abbey |
| 4:00pm -5:00pm | Place of Westminster/House of Parliament |
| 5:30pm-6:30pm | Dinner |
| 6:45pm-9:30pm | Big Ben |
| 9:30pm | Explore |
Day 3: South of Whitechapel
| 8:00:am-9:00am | Coffee + Breakfast |
| 10:00am-11:00am | Marble Arch |
| 11:15:am- 12:00pm | Tower of London |
| 12:15pm-1:30pm | Tower Bridge |
| 1:30pm-2:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:15pm-3:30pm | St. Pauls Cathedral |
| 4:00pm- 5:00pm | Explore |
| 5:30pm-6:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm-8:00pm | Tower Bridge |
Day 4: Full day trip with TripAdvisor
| 8:00am-8:00pm | Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Bath and Pub Lunch in Lacock; about 112 euros |
| 8:00pm-10:00pm | Explore |
FYI: You can visit Windsor Castle straight from London. The Paddington Station (rail station), takes you straight to the castle.
Trip Recommendations:
If short on time, I recommend the Marble Arch, St. Paul’s Cathedral (go all the way up to see the view, it will be narrow, but it’s worth it!), Westminster Abby, and seeing the tower bridge at night. I would make time to see Stonehenge and Bath- it was magical! If you can, I would stay longer at Bath, a day or two. If you like art, check out the Camden Market- delicious food and interesting art work (have tea at The basement Tea Rooms). See a play at Shakespeare’s Globe (plan dinner accordingly).
Places to stay:
London is pretty expensive, so check out your options. Airbnb, hostels, or hotels. In regards to location, that depends on your itinerary. Where do you want to spend most of your time? Where are your attractions located? I stayed near oxford street, everything was 15 to 30 minute Tube ride.
Food:
Below are a few places to eat that I recommend for delicious food and great service! Though, my biggest regret was not making time to look for restaurants. Don’t forget to download YELP!
- SOHO
- Mango Indian-I recommend making a reservation beforehand.
- Caravan Restaurant
- Camden Market – very unique; shopping centers, art, and delicious food
- Borough Market
- Bread Ahead- I don’t like donuts, but these donuts were a game changer! You can also take classes too. https://www.breadahead.com/
Female Traveler 