London: Travel Diary & Itinerary

Finally crossed this one off the bucket list with Olivia! I could seriously pack a bag and go live in London that’s how wonderful it was. Here is a list of the things we did, food we ate, places we explored, etc. We kind of went into it with a “bare bones” kind of plan to let the wind take us. I hope this helps with your research of next plan to visit London! I have broken this down into a diary style inside look at what we did each day followed by a bulleted list for you to pull what you need for your visit! <3

If you visit my Tik Tok I have an entire breakdown of what we did each day vlog style! 🙂

Day 1: We decided to stay over in Kensington. Hearing so much about how awesome and reliable the tube was we decided to go for the cute neighborhood that wasn’t in the thick of the tourist stuff. We absolutely loved it. The architecture over here was breathtaking. We stayed at the Xenia and it was so cutie. It was definitely smaller than we had thought but it was nice to each have our own bed and not spend a ton of $ on a place we were truly only sleeping in. After waking up and getting ready each day we were out and about ALL day! It was also nice to feel more secure in a hotel and to have your bed made, fresh towels, room service if we wanted etc. Not knowing the different neighborhoods we felt this was a safe and easy option. My next time in London I would definitely explore the airbnb option now that we know our way around and the vibe of each neighborhood. I think being in a cool flat would have been awesome!

After arriving in Kensington off of the red eye we changed and went out to explore. We stopped at a spot called Egg Break which would have been fantastic if we ordered right. Olivia and I probably got the most wild orders. But the food around us looked divine! We also grabbed a coffee from Kuro coffee across the street.

Then we ventured over to Portobello Market to window shop! This was a big day of exploring our area and just walking around and taking it all in. It was a beautiful sunny day so we kind of just walked around without much of a plan. We walked back to our hotel after lots of walking and stopped to get some food at a bar called Builders Arms. We adored this spot. They have live music and the food was perfect. Liv and I decided to carb up so we legit ate bread, potatoes, and a veggie burger…the waitress looked concerened but hey we didn’t do lunch. People were sitting with books, laptops, dogs, some sitting to a birthday dinner! The vibe at night is definitely more of a bar scene!

Day 1 Itinerary:

• Arrive in Kensington & explore the neighborhood
• Breakfast at Eggbreak and a coffee to go from Kuro
• Walk to Portobello market to window shop – lots of street vendors and food
• Kensington pics
• Food at Builder’s Arms
• Back to hotel for a little nap
• Cocktails & bites at the Ivy
• Home for a face mask and sleeeeep

Day 2

We woke up and got a little coffee and breakfast from a spot called Gails – seemed to be a chain. After that we were off! P.S. the buses and tube were incredibly reliable and easy to navigate. Having lived in New York City it was easy to get the hang of the system.

First we saw St. Paul’s Cathedral and explored that area. After this we went over to Borough Market. Rookie mistake – it was a Sunday so they close around 3. We thought they would be open regular hours until 5. The food looked absolutely amazing. We were able to get a quick little bite and some gelato. Then we stopped in to grab some tea at a local shop for a treat for pals back home.

Walking time – the weather was a bit cloudy and misty but we were up for seeing the Tower Bridge so we walked along the water and did the Queens Walk. This walk had some cool stopping spots as well and we got to take some pictures in front of the bridge. We decided to do a loop and cross over the bridge and see the older ruins across the way. Then we went over to Covent Garden for a bite. By this point we were a bit chilly and hungry. We were on the hunt for pub food – aka fish and chips. We stopped in at and got some fish and chips with raspberry sodas. This was a looooong day so we stopped to get some facemasks and beauty things. By this point it was already around 8 so we decided to head back for a long shower and chill face mask night to recharge after a full day of walking.

Day 2 Itinerary:

• Morning coffee – Gails
• Head over to St. Paul’s Cathedral & go into the church and explore the grounds
• Borough Market – food and exploring the market and area around it – their famous strawberries and seafood!
• Queens Walk & Tower Bridge – looped around over the Tower Bridge to see the old buildings
• Covent Garden – walked around and got food at a pub!
• Home to sleep

Day 3

The next morning we slept in a little and wanted to do tea and biscuits and all that jazzzzz! But we were not about to rock the price tag for cucumber sandwiches. So we went to a local Kensington spot called the Muffin Man. It was perfect for what we wanted, nothing too fancy – we got Oj, two different teas, eggs, biscuits and scones, and some cucumber/cream cheese sandwiches. Liv and I were over the moon about our food. It was perfect to do “the tea thing” without having to do something super fancy. We also fell in freaky love with scones, cream, and jam…stay tuned.

Then we were off to explore! We decided to head over to the Chelsea area and shop/walk around with a little coffee treat. After that we stopped at this adorable bakery called Birley and got an entire loaf of bread…yes an entire loaf. We decided to keep it with us for our troubles and also because by the time we needed to find a food spot we were already very hungry typically. On this stroll we also saw Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher so that was super cool. After walking around Chelsea we decided to do the big sight seeing stuff. We made our way over to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Big ol’ Ben! It was so awesome to get to see all of the beautiful places in real life. We sat in a little park and ate the rest of our bread. Then we decided to take some park pics under the gorgeous cherry blossoms.

After that we made our way over to a bar that I had saved called The Alchemist. On our venture to the bar we walked through Telfgar Square and stopped to admire the beautiful squares and fountains. Once we got to the Alchemist it was perfect. The bartenders were amazing, vibe 10/10 and drinks were like nothing I’ve ever had! It just felt like the perfect spot to have a great time. Olivia really likes a bar that they can get crafty with the cocktails so it was the perfect place for the bartenders to work their magic and craft up something fun you are sure to love!

Then after this we were hungry girls! We went off to this place called Nac for dinner. I had seen this spot on instagram and the food looked amazing. We got the popcorn chicken, quinoa salad, and the burrata. This filled us up but if I could do it again I would definitely get the vodka pasta. We were able to chat with some really sweet girls at the table next to us. They gave us amazing recommendations for the rest of our time so we were really excited to connect with them. Then it was time to head home!!

Day 3 Itinerary:

• Breakfast & tea at Muffin Man
• Exploring Chelsea
• Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben
• Telfgar Square
• Cocktails at The Alchemist
• Dinner at NAC

Day 4

Day 4 we decided to go back down to Chelsea because we loved that area so much. We stopped at a cafe called Amar Cafe for a delicious latte and sat for a chat. The staff working here was adorable! So kind and chill! Then we followed our noses to Birley Bakery for some quiche and sweets.

After our food we decided to go over to Harrods. It was cool to browse around at the fancy things and get out of the rainy weather for a little but we definitely could have skipped this. I’m not a big department store shopping person so it wasn’t for me! I really just detest in person shopping in general, especially when I know the price tag is too high, so this felt like something better suited for the shopaholics of London! It was still fun to see such high end brands and cool designer pieces but it was also crowded!

Then we were off to Covent Garden again to really explore this area a little more. We went over to Neal’s Yard, after that we decided to head over to Dishoom which was a recommendation from the sweet girls from the night before. This place was simply amazing for Indian food. We had heard London has great Indian food and we were struggling to find a sweet spot that wasn’t gonna break the bank or wasn’t gonna be a complete shot in the dark. Also neither of us having Indian food we were just a bit unsure! We had an amazing waiter help us mix and match what to get with really thoughtful recommendations. It was such a treat! Go early before the 5 PM dinner rush we walked in with no reservation and got seated right away but by the time we came out the line was wrapped around the block! Could not recommend this place more!

After this it was time to go visit Olivia’s friend who lives in London. AH!!! We were so excited to get to see her and chat. We explored her neighborhood in Primrose Hill and went to her favorite spot called Princess of Wales. We got delicious cocktails and I got the gnocchi because I was hungry again! We didn’t really drink all to much on this trip which was nice but when we did everything we got was delicious & finally it was time to head home!

Day 4 Itinerary:

• Latte chill in Chelsea
• Window shopping & bakery visit at Birley
• Harrods – browsing
• Covent Garden walk Neals Yard
• Food at Dishoom – amazing!!!
• Primrose Hill – exploring the neighborhood and food/drinks at Princess of Wales

Day 5

This was our last full day in London so we wanted to make the most of it! We went up to explore Notting Hill which was an absolute favorite of mine. We stopped at a place Liv found called The Cheeky Scone. She was loving those scones baby! So we got tea with scones cream and jam and relaxed a bit. Then we popped all over shopping and exploring. We stopped in at a lot of vintage/thrift stores. The shopping was awesome! We walked a ton this morning and then we stopped in for a coffee at Guillhouse. The coffee shop scene here was overall really unique in London.

I got some amazing clothing finds from the thrift we found. I was determined to have an “I got this in London” clothing piece. Then we went to see Kensington Palace through a park. Somewhat underwhelming from the outside. If I could go back I would have loved to do some guided tours of these famous spots. I love knowing the history of things and the few guided tours we passed sounded incredibly interesting. Then we did some more walking to Churchill Arms and got to see the inside and outside of that. It was soooo cool! A good spot to stop for a beer!

Then we were off to the Soho area – finally!!! We were so excited to get to see this area. I wish we had gone earlier to be honest! We dipped into a little Greek spot could not even tell you the name because we were ravenous. I think we HOUSED this plate of Greek food in under 5 minutes. It was absolutely delicious. We had lamb meatballs with rice, tzatiki with bread, and a fresh greek salad with Feta. We split the plate to hold us over for later and because I was hanggggry! Pro travel tip – don’t start looking for a place to eat when you’re already hungry…hanger will win every time! Then we went shopping at a spot called Glassworks. The girls in there were sooooo sweet and helped us find perfect pieces. By this point it was dark and I was holding two shopping bags lol but we went over to Archer Street. This was a highlight of our trip. We sat at the bar and got some delicious spritz cocktails. This was our first “going out” kind of night. Olivia’s friend came to meet us and the bar had live singing which gradually turned into a more energized performance, I’m talking table top dancing. We got pizza and a cheese board and then the night got carried away into some blissful dancing. The one thing I didn’t love about this was perhaps we came on a specific themed night and the music was oldies that we just were not rocking with. Then it was as if our pumpkin carriage called and the tube was waiting for us!

Day 5 Itinerary:

• notting hill
• coffee stop – Guillhouse
• cheeky scone
• Kensington Palace
• Churchill Arms
• Soho area – shopping and explore – glassworks
• Archer Street

Day 6

Our last day!! We decided to go up to Hamstead this day. We got the crepes and walked around and did a little more shopping! Then we explored the countryside! It was a great last day and easy access via tube but I must admit unless the weather is gorgeous I wouldn’t do this again. I think we both would’ve preferred to have been in the city! It was still fun to window shop and see another part of town!

When we got back we had to stop at Camden Market. I’m so happy we did for the food! It was great to stop in at the little vendors and grab little bites here and there. We got this insane corn dog and mac and cheese. On our last night we went out for some mocktails and icecream!

Day 7 – homeward bound!

We got up early and we were on our way home! It was nice to be able to head to bed and chill. This was a travel day and it was nice to have it be in the morning because I think anything in the afternoon we would have just been anxious about our flight for later! It was misty and the perfect day to head out!

I absolutely loved London and I hope that this travel diary and itinerary is helpful if you have an upcoming trip. I can also attach my google maps list here if you want to add it! There is soo much to do and it was one of my favorite cities. <3

Some tips & tricks

• bring comfortable shoes, inserts, etc – so much walking!
• bring a closed bag that can be close to your body – ie a fanny pack
• bring a mini umbrella with you – the weather was very temperamental in the spring for us!
• bring a portable charger – like traveling anywhere we were out and about all day and this thing came in handy!
• get used to the tube and bus system – when you arrive at the main train station head over to information to pick out the pass that will work best for you!
• do a guided tour if you’re into that!
• bring good airport snacks!

trip highlights & favs:

• soho area – super fun and great night scene – loved archer street
• dishoom for indian food
• tea time
• doing the touristy classics
• visiting the thrifts – some absolute gems I’m talking Ralph Lauren, Burberry, etc.
• borough market

To be able to see another corner of the world is truly something I will never take for granted. If you’re traveling to London I hope you take one of these recommendations! <3

Always,

Madison