I feel like I always gravitate towards travel bloggers guides to cities over anything else. Sure I can go to Tripadvisor or some professionally curated websites about travel, but I like the candidness and passion you only get from travel blogs.
Earlier this year I did a solo backpacking trip around Europe. I hopped around from Barcelona to Rome, then Prague, and ended up in London. I do like to sort of wing it when I travel, but that doesn’t mean I don’t devour information to be ready.
When I was researching my London leg of my trip I started getting worried that my computer was going to crash from all of the tabs I had open in Chrome. The majority of the tabs where different travel bloggers takes on London. It was kind of a mess, but I got through it. The list below is the organized list of things to do, travel guides, where to eat, etc. for London that I wish I found when I was planning a trip to London.
Eventually, I’ll write my own post about visiting London, for now, I just have my travel story of my Tinder date in London. For now, I’ll just give credit to all of these amazing travel bloggers for helping me have an amazing time in London.
Best London Itineraries
London Itinerary – 1 Day – Finding the Universe
It only took Laurence and Jessica about 2 paragraphs before they dropped a Game of Thrones reference on Finding the Universe so I obviously love them for that. They hit on all of the must-see places in London so you plan your short trip around that. They mention taking a few guided tours which I think might be aggressive if you’re only in London for a day, but I think a self-guided tour of these areas would be perfect.
London Itinerary – 2 Day – Angela Travels
Angela from Angela Travels has a great two-day guide that is very similar to FindingtheUniverse.com’s 1-day itinerary except she baked in some experiential stuff since you’ll have a bit more time for that. I pretty much mimicked this travel itinerary when I was in town. I chose to go on a date to Covent Garden instead of her suggestion of going to see a show in the theater district. I don’t regret the date, I just wish I thought to take her there!
London Itinerary – 3 Day – Jetsetting Fools
Three days in London means you get to relax a little bit more and take your time. It also means that you risk spending a lot of money in this very expensive city. That’s why I like Sarah and Kris’ 3-Day London Itinerary on a Budget post over at Jetsetting Fools. London can destroy your frugal traveling plans, so this is a helpful guide to see a lot of the city without breaking the bank. They even have some handy links to their maps for each day of the trip.
London Itinerary – 4 Day – Bucket List Journey
I really like Annette’s strategy for her itinerary on her Bucket List Journey blog. She has a really aggressive to-do list, but she planned out each day around different neighborhoods in London. If you haven’t been to London yet, you should know that London is a huge spread-out city. It’s a little like Los Angeles in that you could be over an hour away from someone else and still be in the same city. Annette’s itinerary was posted before her trip, unlike some of these other blogs listed that went over how they spent their days. I still think that this is one of the best itineraries for 4 days though.
London Itinerary – 5 Day – The Kittchen
Kit, from The Kittchen, did the one thing that not a lot of people thought of on their travel blogs. She added an extra “Rainy Day” plan to her itinerary. London isn’t exactly a year-round 75 and sunny like San Diego. There is always a chance that you’re going to get a day where the rain keeps you from doing a lot of the fun outdoor things in London. That happened to me, and I just got soaked in front of Buckingham Palace, but I’m an idiot.
London Itinerary – 1 Week – We3Travel
I wish I had 7 days in London when I went. This sounds like the perfect amount of time to hang out in the city. The Grubers at We3Travel has a perfect 7 day London itinerary. I feel like around 5-7 days is when it makes sense to take a day trip from London. They had planned on the last day of their trip to take a day trip to Stonehenge. That would probably be my choice as well…because I’m a nerd.
Things to Do and See in London
Solo Travel Guide to the Best Things to do in London – Solo Sophie
Sophie over at Solo Sophie put together a perfect list of things you can do when you’re traveling to London alone. Lots of the things on the list are the typical things you’ll find on most things to-do lists, but if you’re traveling alone it helps to see what are the good places for that.
London After Dark – The Best Things to do in London at Night – Untold Morsels
Katy Clarke forms Untold Morsels has an amazing night time list of things to do in London. This is way more than just the typical nightlife of going out drinking and partying. She put together some beautiful scenic walks, night time food tours, and some other fun things you can do when it gets dark out. Next time I’m in London I’m taking her advice and signing up for a Jack the Ripper tour.
50 Free Things to do in London – Budget Traveller
Have I mentioned before how much I love when things are free? This is just an exhaustive list of things that you can do for free in London that can keep you busy for days. There are a lot of things I never would have thought about on this guide like visiting Speaker’s Corner or catching a free comedy show at Angel Comedy Club.
Love Science? 18 Places You Have to See in London – Trip Memos
This is for all those science geeks out there, and I mean that affectionately for I am one of you. I didn’t realize how celebrated the scientific history of England was until I read this post from the Moss family at Trip Memos. Top of the list for my next time in London is definitely to visit Charles Darwin’s home.
44 Fun Things To Do in London 2018 – Hostel Geeks
There are some seriously amazing things on this list. When you’re done with the museums and seeing historical locations, let loose with some of Hostel Geeks’ recommendations. I feel like I’d have to really work up my courage for a visit to the Prince Charles Cinema, but that sounds like a ton of fun.
14 Cities Outside of London That You Need To Visit In The UK – Hand Luggage Only
Sure, London is a pretty amazing place with a lot to see and do, but there are also so many great places to visit outside of the capital city. If you have an extended stay in London and looking for a day trip or a weekend getaway, there is a great list here of some other places to explore in the UK.
Where to Stay in London – Neighborhoods, Hostels, and Hotels
31 Best Hostels in London – The Broke Backpacker
Like most of the posts that Will puts up on his site, this a well thought out article. He shares plenty of information about all 31 of the hostels on his list, but the most useful part is that he broke them down into what hostel is best for each traveler type. So if you’re a solo traveler, traveling as a couple, or looking for a party, he breaks it down so you find the best London hostel for your travel plans.
My Favourite Budget Places to Stay in London – Budget Traveller
It took me all of 10 minutes in London to realize how insanely expensive the city is, and that’s from someone who lives in Los Angeles. This list from Kash at the Budget Traveller will help you figure out where to stay so you can at least be budget conscious on your hotel or hostels.
Boutique on a Budget: Affordable Luxury Hotels in London – On the Luce
I love how Lucy says that her tastes and budget for places to stay traveling “lie somewhere in between dorm rooms and five-star luxury.” My first night in London I panicked and booked a place for $180 for one night and it was a horrible experience. Lucy’s post could have saved me if I planned ahead for that first night with her budget-friendly luxury hotels.
Best Areas to Stay in London – Anna Everywhere
I’ll admit that I was a little overwhelmed with how spread out London is and all of the neighborhoods. Each little part of the town has a distinct style and energy. Anna’s post is extremely helpful for sorting out these neighborhoods. It’ll help you with both finding a place to stay as well as figuring out where you’ll want to go for different things when you’re visiting London.
Hotel Indigo London Kensington – Earls Court Review – Trouveler
I’d be remiss not to share my experience with a hotel a really enjoyed. And no, they are not paying me to say this. I just really liked the hotel and the location. It’s a bit pricey for the budget travelers, but I was able to fully pay for my room with credit card rewards points.
Where and What to Eat and Drink in London
11 Amazing Restaurants To Eat At In London – Hand Luggage Only
Yaya and Lloyd at Hand Luggage Only are from London, so they have some good insight on places to eat in London. This isn’t going to be your budget-friendly guide though. It’s a list of unique restaurants and some mouth-watering menu options in the area.
Foodie’s Guide to London in 24 Hours – A Side of Sweet
Kelly at A Side of Sweet has the most Instagram worthy photos of London food on her blog here. It looks like she had a marathon trip to London tasting some amazing dishes. I feel like most of the things on this post are genuinely just for food porn, but I know a lot of people love going places specifically for the gram.
The Best London Boroughs for Nightlife – Trip and Travel Blog
Sometimes it is easier to figure out where to go out at night in a city when you can just point to a specific nightlife neighborhood. Trip and Travel Blog gives you a pretty good breakdown of what the nightlife is like in 4 different neighborhoods of London and gives some good recommendations for specific places to go in those neighborhoods.
5 of the Best Luxury London Nightlife Spots – A Luxury Travel Blog
I generally don’t spend much time in luxury nightlife spots, but this is a pretty good little list of places worth checking out if you want a boujee night out in London. So, no you won’t find any budget bars on this list, but instead a fancy night out at the Ritz or the Playboy Club and Casino.
London for Foodies – Trouveler (Me)
Well, I didn’t actually write it myself. Someone who loves the food in London reach out to me to write up an amazing post about the great food scenes in London.
Travel Blogger Stories in London
Renting a Car in England: A Comedy of Errors in the Cotswolds – Alex in Wanderland
Technically this story only starts in London, but it’s still a funny article about the trials and tribulations of Alex’s experience renting a car in London. It is a long post, but worth sticking around for some entertainment and an idea of what you can see by venturing out of London. I’m also very upset with Alex’s boyfriend’s description of Stonehenge.
London Travel Tips from Bloggers
Top 10 Tips for First Time Travelers to London – Ladys Travel Blog
As an American traveling to London, I thought it would be easy to adjust there simply because I spoke the same language. Turns out I had an easier time in Prague where they barely even use vowels. Stephanie’s quick top ten list will give you some good guidance for preparing a trip to London.
17 Top London Packing List Items + What to Wear & NOT to Bring – Asher & Lyric
Guys are usually pretty easy to figure out what to pack for travel compared to women. Still, we do need some guidance. Asher and Lyric have a really good packing list here that has tips for men AND women all on one page.
How to Get Around London: A Guide to Public Transport in London – Finding the Universe
With London being such a big spread out city, you should really figure out how public transport works here. Luckily they have a good system so you don’t have to rely on Uber and Taxis. Laurence put together a stellar guide to all things public transportation in London. From the Tube to riverboats and rails to biking, he’s got you covered all around. This is a must-read.
Affordable London: 32+ Free and Low-Cost Tips – Solo Traveler World
Janice apparently does a lot of walking. I’m on that team. This is a really good list of ways to keep with your budget while in London. She gives you plenty of options for things to do and also cheap accommodations and budget-friendly food places.
(AirBnb price range)
How to Visit London on a Budget: The Essential Guide – Bright Nomad
Because you could always use more budget travel tips, I’m adding a second one here from Bright Nomad. This post is more for budget travelers in their 20s or 30s. There are also a lot more options on Bright Nomad’s site about finding cheap, and sometimes free, places to stay in London.
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