Get the Oyster card. Tube is super simple, easy and safe. Here’s a list of recommendations we got from a friend who just wrapped up a semester abroad in London. As you’ll notice, she’s very excited and apparently there are multiple life changing events and foods . . . I will say, have lunch or dinner at NANDO’s. Mozambique style chicken. AWESOME. Oh, and the Chocolate Strawberries with Cream across from Disney at the Bond Street tube stop are pretty amazing.

PLACES
- High Tea (the cheapest place I found was Kensington Gardens- SO FUN & such a good London experience)
- Kensington/Buckingham palace
- London Eye- I didn’t do this with my parents because it’s really pricey & we didn’t book tickets ahead of time, but it’s definitely an iconic thing to do. Book tickets online ahead of time!!
- St. Paul’s- My favorite cathedral & my all-time favorite view of London. Make sure you get there with plenty of time to climb to the top!!! BOOK TICKETS ONLINE AHEAD OF TIME to avoid lines 🙂
- Churchill War Rooms- If you want to do a museum, this is my recommendation (it feels the least like a museum 😉). It’s the war rooms that were used by Churchill during WWII & really inspiring. BOOK TICKETS ONLINE AHEAD OF TIME!!!! We got kind of screwed & had to wait in a looonnngggg line. Also, this is right around where Parliament, Big Ben & Westminster Abbey are, so you can walk around & see everything before you go into the museum.
- Sky Garden- A really cool, free view of London but it’s normally booked up
- Hyde Park- So fun to rent bikes & ride through the park if it’s a nice day!!! The first 30 minutes are free & then after that it’s super cheap
- Covent Garden- A great place to shop & lots of yummy places to eat. Also BEAUTIFUL flowers!!
- Portobello Road- a must if you’re there on Friday or Saturday. Lots of street vendors with really cool items. If you walk to the very end of it there’s WAY good food
- Harrods- a huge department store that is really iconic in London. Very high end, I always skip to the dessert 😉
- Tower of London- If you have time to tour anything, this would be my recommendation!! The Beefeaters give great tours with lots of interesting information & the Crown Jewels are inside. If you don’t have time to tour, there are places to take great pictures with the actual tower in the background. BOOK TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME, tourist season is upon us!!

FOOD
- Bond street strawberries- this is my all time favorite treat I had in London. If you take the tube to bond street and pass the Disney store, there’s a fruit stand. You’ll be able to see the beautiful strawberries from a mile away. Get the £5 cup with strawberries drizzled with Belgian chocolate & whipped cream!!! Life changing.
- Bubblewrap waffle- If you see any shows, it will probably be close to Chinatown. Chinatown is really awesome but my favorite place is a bubblewrap waffle dessert place. Lots of options & a unique snack to have. Google it!
- Amorino- Yummy gelato! It’s a chain all around London
- Nandos- This was my parents favorite place they ate! It’s really yummy portuguese chicken & the best sides (get the peri peri fries!!) Also a chain that’s all around London
- Dashum- The most well known & best rated place to eat in London. It’s life changing Indian food, but unfortunately everyone knows about it so there’s always a wait. Get there early or be prepared to wait a little bit. Very worth it if you like Indian food!
- Fish & Chips- You need to just Yelp the best pub around & order this!! A London must for sure
- Granger- Really yummy place to get breakfast. A little pricey, but their pancakes are to die for!
- Ben’s cookies- A perfect snack if you’re in a hurry! This is a chain all over London, but their cookies are life changing.
- Butchies- Their chicken sandwiches blow Chick-fil-a out of the water. So yummy!! There are only a couple locations & they are in kind of weird places, but it’s well worth it
- Tesco- I pretty much lived here. They are literally everywhere in London but it’s the perfect place to buy candy, soda, snacks... Anything you would get at a convenience store in America. A frequent stop for us because it’s one of the few places to find Dr Pepper 😉
- Borough market- A must!!! In my opinion this is some of the yummiest food in London. Street vendor style so there is anything you can think of. Try to avoid going on the weekend because it is crazy. Only open around lunch!!
- Franco Manca- BEST pizza in London. Sourdough & delicious. My parents loved it!!!