Alyssa L Media

Welcome to my newest travel post! This week’s destination was London, England. I can honestly say that of all the places in Europe that I’ve visited so far, London is my favorite. With the weather, the sights, and the general atmosphere, I was enchanted from the moment we flew over the city.

If you’ve read my Italy post (linked here), then you already know how this one will go. I’m going to break down what we did each day, and offer some hopefully helpful tips for anyone who might plan to visit London (or anywhere else, for that matter) in the future.

So, without further ado, here’s my trip to London!

Thursday

We took a late flight out of Alicante to London on Thursday evening. Because we got to our hostel around midnight, we didn’t actually see much of the city that night. However, I do want to take this as an opportunity to give some advice about traveling both in Europe and in London.

1. Make sure to check in for your flights more than two hours in advance, because some airlines will charge you a fee if you check in too late. Some fees can wind up costing more than your flight itself.
2. Research public transportation and look at a map of the city you’re visiting before you go! Figure out the cheapest way to get around, whether it be buying a day pass for the buses, or buying a compound ticket that takes you through each station until your final destination. Google Maps is a great resource for figuring out how to get to where you need to go, but it doesn’t always show you the most convenient pay options. I would recommend searching online for different ideas before you go.
3. Wear. Weather. Appropriate. Clothing. This is a big one. I get cold very easily, so in rainy London in November (which is beautiful, by the way), I was constantly freezing. Make sure you pack according to the weather, with some versatile options and layers. I would also recommend things like gloves, a scarf, a hat, and extra socks. They’re worth it.

Now, let’s go back to the daily breakdown. I might add some more tips later, but for now those are the big three!

Friday

When we planned our trip, we made a tentative list of things to do each day based on location. Our plan for Friday was pretty hefty, although we didn’t realize it at the time – we wanted to visit the London Eye, Big Ben, the National Gallery, and Westminster Abbey, because they were all *relatively* close to each other. (I realize that London is extremely large, but as we only had one weekend to travel, we tried to see as much as we could in 2 ½ days.) So did we wind up following the plan? Not really. The thing is, we wanted our trip to be as stress-free as possible, so we could just be in London. I think this philosophy is what made our trip so fun. We stayed open to different options, and followed our plans more as guidelines. Even so, I do have some recommendations when it comes to planning your sightseeing.

4. Plan based on geography. If you look at a map of London (pictured below), you’ll see that many of the major sites are along the River Thames. The places I have marked include Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, the London Eye, the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge. Our hostel was about a 30-minute walk south of Shakespeare’s Globe. We enjoyed walking through the city every morning, but it did make it harder to take breaks from sightseeing during the day. When you choose a hostel or Airbnb, take into account the *walking* distance from sites.

So, what did we actually wind up doing on Friday? Well, we started with breakfast at our hostel, where we decided to go on a “pay-what-it’s-worth” Harry Potter tour. If you don’t already know this about me, I’m a *huge* Harry Potter fan, so this was a great start to my day. We walked from our hostel all the way to Leicester Square to meet for the tour, which was nice because we got to see a large part of the city (and take lots of pictures) on the way over.

After our tour, we stopped at a pub to get some traditional pub food. I had cottage pie, and my friend ate bangers and mash. Then we decided to head to the National Portrait Gallery, where the entry was free (yay!), and we stayed for a while. We walked around a little more, and then on the way home, we stopped at a Christmas Market for some curry chicken. We ended the night watching a Netflix movie, as we were wiped out from all the walking.

Saturday

Because we hadn’t really followed Friday’s plan whatsoever, we bought tickets that night to visit Westminster Abbey on Saturday. In the morning, we woke up, visited a cute brunch place for pancakes, and then set out for the Abbey. It was beautiful. Inside, we received audio guides and walked around, exploring all of the architecture and history. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip.

After our visit to the Abbey, we headed to our next stop for the day – the London Eye. Now, I’m not great with heights. So, understandably, I was nervous to get on the huge Ferris wheel. I didn’t let my fear get the best of me, though, and it ended up being so, so worth it. The Eye was so slow and steady that I barely even noticed that we were moving. The views were gorgeous, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We rode the wheel in the afternoon, when it was pretty overcast, but I think seeing London from that height at any time of the day would be an unforgettable experience.

By the time we had gone around the Ferris wheel, we were famished, and it was raining. So we decided to go find a restaurant to simultaneously eat and stay out of the rain for a bit. We got some burgers, and then proceeded to walk all the way back to our hostel. When we arrived, we agreed that afternoon naps were in order, which was a smart idea. It’s easy to forget to rest while you’re traveling, because you’re fueled by the excitement of being in a new place, and seeing everything while you’re there. So, that being said, my next piece of advice:

5. Take care of yourself. Drink lots of water, get lots of sleep, and relax. Traveling is incredible, but it can also wear you out. You’re not going to enjoy yourself on a trip if you’re constantly worrying about seeing everything and going everywhere. Let yourself enjoy just being in a new place. Sure, not getting to everything on your list can be disappointing, but don’t let that ruin your trip. Just enjoy where you’re at, and make good memories that will last you a lifetime!

When we woke up from our *well-deserved* naps, it was already dark outside, so we just decided to take a stroll past all of the bridges on the northern side of the Thames. Turns out, there are quite a few of them. And they’re pretty far apart. And it was raining, and it was freezing. See where I’m going with this? We still had a wonderful time, despite our poor planning. We were just so excited to be in London that nothing, not even being splashed with water by a passing car (ugh), could dampen our moods. However, by the end of the night, it’s fair to say we were more than ready to get back to our warm and dry hostel.

Sunday

Sunday was our last day in London. As we had a morning check-out and an afternoon flight, we had to carry our backpacks around with us. (This brings me to my last tip – pack light.)

6. Packing light is essential for weekend trips. If you’re traveling for a longer period of time, it might be harder to achieve. But even so, reassess and see how efficient you can be. Traveling light can save you money, and it can increase your mobility. If we had brought suitcases along with our backpacks (I’ve finally figured out how to fit four days’ worth of stuff into my backpack and I’m extremely proud of myself), we wouldn’t have been able to walk around on Sunday before our flight.

So, with our backpacks on, we made our final trek across Westminster Bridge, and proceeded to the Cenotaph to attend the National Service of Remembrance, as it was Remembrance Sunday. This service is held to commemorate those who serve and have served for their country, and includes a religious service, a wreath-laying ceremony, and a march-past of veterans. It was very moving, especially as Veterans Day back in the U.S. was the next day.

We had to leave the service early, in order to catch our flight, but we made a quick stop at Hyde Park before we headed to the Underground. The park was where I finished my Biscoff donut – best donut I’ve ever had by the way, it cost 4 £ and probably weighed the same – and where a squirrel ran up my leg. (Apparently squirrels do that in Hyde Park. Needless to say, it freaked me out.)

Anyway, we headed to the Underground after our short stop at Hyde Park, and proceeded to the airport. Once we arrived, we got some food, I read up on my tiny book of monarchs, and then we headed home.

---

London was incredible. It will probably go down as one of my favorite trips ever. I don’t know if it’s because I had no idea what to expect, or because we went in with a stress-free mentality, but I loved every second of that trip. And hopefully you got something out of this blog, whether it be an idea of where to visit the next time you’re in London, or a new travel tip.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next time!

For more photos, click here to access my Photo Gallery, or find the link on the menu at the top of the page. Also, be sure to check me out on Instagram @alyssalmedia for posts about study abroad and a Story Highlight about this trip!