Our London Itinerary & City Guide

To celebrate Jackson graduating law school, taking the bar, and the anniversary of our first year of marriage, we took a trip to London! We stayed at a flat in South Kensington which was the perfect area because it was walkable to several cute restaurants and shops.

Here were our favorite places I'd recommend if you're visiting. I've also listed out a 7-day itinerary below:

Restaurants:

• The Orange Public House | Belgravia
• Thomas Cubitt | Belgravia
• Coco Momo | South Kensington
• AOK Kitchen | Marylebone
• Delamina | Marylebone
• Carlotta | Marylebone
• Harry's Bar | Marylebone
• Isola | Marylebone
• Daphne's | Chelsea
• Ivy Garden | Chelsea
• Berner's Tavern | Fitzrovia
• Scott's | Mayfair

Pubs:

• Churchill Arms | Kensington
• Zetland Arms | South Kensington
• Hereford Arms | South Kensington
• Duke of Clarence | South Kensington
• The Queen's Arms | South Kensington
• Lamb & Flag | Marylebone
• The Grenadier | Belgravia

Coffee:

• Gail's | Almost everywhere (their iced lattes & sausage rolls are delicious)
• Peggy Porschen | Belgravia

High Tea (Be sure to make reservations far in advance):

• Brown's Hotel | Mayfair
• Claridge's | Mayfair
• The Goring | Belgravia
• The Corinthia Hotel | Westminster
• The Ritz | London City Centre
• The Lane | Covent Garden

Drinks:

• Amie Wine Studio | Belgravia
• The Goring | Belgravia
• The Italians Wine Bar | Marylebone
• The Connaught | Mayfair
• Isabel | Mayfair
• Duke of Clarence | South Kensington
• Churchill Arms | Kensington

Day Trips:

• Hampton Court
• Windsor Castle
• Oxford
• Bath
• Cotswolds

Activities:

• Shopping on Elizabeth Street | Belgravia
• Shopping on Bond Street (be sure to visit Fenwick)
• Shopping at Harrod's
• Go to a football match (we went to Craven Cottage to watch Fulham play)
• Victoria & Albert Museum
• British Museum
• Churchill War Rooms
• Tower of London
• Princess Diana Memorial Garden

After visiting, here is a 7 day agenda that I would use for London! This is based off of what we did, but I've changed a few things around! We left for Edinburgh, Scotland on Day 8, and I've linked our favorite Edinburgh spots here.

Day One:

• Arrive in London at 11:00 am and uber to our flat in South Kensington
• Lunch at Zetland Arms in South Kensington
• Grab coffee and dessert at Peggy Porschen (this was much needed after our flight and the time change lol)
• Shopping on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia. There's so much to see in this area so you can walk around for a v long while if you want :)
• We met our friend Maggie who lives in London for a happy hour at Amie Wine Studio in Belgravia. It's the cutest little wine bar!!
• Dinner at The Thomas Cubitt in Belgravia

Day Two:

• Grab coffee at Gail's
• Churchill War Rooms
• Grab Pret-a-Manger and eat at St. James's Park
• We knocked out most of the touristy things that day since I hadn't been to London before:
  • Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace
  • Tour Westminster Abbey if you have time!
• Return to the flat to change & freshen up
• Drinks at The Connaught
• Dinner at Isabel Mayfair

Day Three:

• Honestly Gail's was so good I would just grab it again lol
• Kensington Palace, Princess Diana Memorial Garden, walk through Hyde Park
• Bop in Harrod's
• Lunch at Daphne's
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Tea at the Goring Hotel
• Dinner at Berner's Tavern

Day Four:

• Take the train to tour either Hampton Court or Windsor Castle
• We toured Hampton Court and it was surreal to see everything. Absolutely loved it!
• Once we got back, we shopped around Bond Street.
  • Be sure to check out Fenwick and Selfridge's
• Dinner at Isola London or Harry's Bar (both are in Marylebone)
• Drinks at Lamb & Flag

Day Five:

• Brunch at the Ivy Garden in Chelsea
• Football match (We went to Fulham for the game at Craven Cottage. We went to a pub before the game and it was so much fun)
• Dinner and drinks at the Churchill Arms

Day Six:

• Take the train to Oxford
• Tour Christchurch College
• Lunch at The Grand Cafe in Oxford (according to their website, this is the site of the very first Coffee House in England)
• Radcliffe Camera, Blackwell's bookshop, Ashmolean Museum
• Tea at The Alice Oxford or beers at The Bear Inn (this pub is over 778 years old)
• Take the train back to London
• Takeaway dinner (Pret-a-manger or Franco Manca)

Day Seven:

• Tower of London
• Lunch at Borough Market
• Free afternoon to wander and explore
• Dinner at Hereford Arms in South Kensington
• Drinks at the Duke of Clarence Pub