5 Days in London for First-timers

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Having attended a British international school for six years, I’ve always wanted to visit London – this summer we finally decided to do it, making the bustling city the first stop on our two-week summer vacation! Read on a recap of our 5 days in London.

Day 1: South Kensington and Belgravia

Dress | DVF via Rent the Runway, Sandals | Laiik Sofia Sandal, Bag | Marc by Marc Jacobs – sold out but similar here and here

We arrived in London mid-afternoon on a Tuesday and eagerly took the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington station, and then a cab from Paddington to our hotel. Did you know that London cab drivers have to pass a special test to ensure they know the city back to front? Our cab driver was equal parts friendly and knowledgeable, and unlike other cities where I only take Ubers (Bangkok, Paris…) we thought London cabbies were fantastic.

Our good friend and professional travel advisor Mackenzie Peyser arranged all our accommodations for this trip – it was wonderful to not have to do our own research and leave it in the hands of an expert! She booked us a room at The Kensington Hotel, an elegant boutique hotel only a couple minutes’ walk from the South Kensington Tube station.

We were greeted by the sweetest team of staff who plied us with fresh-squeezed juices and coffee while we checked in. The concierge was even able to get us a last-minute reservation for tea at Sketch the next day.

After unpacking a little and settling into our room, we took a stroll down through Chelsea to Belgravia’s picturesque Elizabeth Street, where it seemed like every other storefront boasted a display of faux-floral lushness – cue photo op!

We saw a pub packed full of people so we stopped into The Thomas Cubitt for our first drinks and some light appetizers. The calamari was quite tasty and the lively atmosphere was energizing. For dinner, I made us reservations at a local pub near our hotel that was well-rated, The Anglesea Arms, which didn’t disappoint. An enormous crowd on the patio faded into a more mellow scene indoors, and the food was nice-but-no-nonsense – exactly what the doctor ordered for two weary travelers. We had the fish and chips which were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and a tart berry cobbler for dessert.

Day 2: Natural History Museum, Sketch, Regent St., Sky Garden

5 days in London - tea at Sketch — Sketch’s quirky art.

Shirt | Pippa collection, Coat | Barbour Isobar Waterproof Jacket

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we strolled over to the Natural History Museum and got in line with what seemed like every tourist in the city, especially ones with kids. The wait in line was about an hour, but free wi-fi helped pass the time. Inside, we made a beeline for the impressive dinosaur exhibit (enjoyable, though packed with children), and then on to the fascinating human evolution exhibit. We were especially looking forward to seeing the human skull carved into a drinking cup, but almost missed it – it’s somewhat unceremoniously tucked off to the side of the exhibit.

Afterwards, we hopped on the Tube with our Oyster Cards and made our way over to Sketch for afternoon tea in their adorably hipster pink parlor.

Full on tea and pastries, we wandered down Regent St. for a spot of shopping, partly because I was foolish enough to trust the weather forecast for our trip – despite reporting sunshine every day, we got cold rain almost every afternoon.

I picked up a pale blue Barbour coat which (at the time) I couldn’t find on U.S. websites, and Reed found a beautiful Aquascutum wool blazer on sale. The delightful salesman there tipped us off to a handy trick if you think you’ll be doing any shopping in London – download the WeVat app in advance and plug in your information so it pre-populates on all your VAT refund paperwork. That will save you the trouble of having to write out everything on each individual receipt.

In the evening, we made tracks to one of the three Barrafina locations for dinner – the London tapas chain doesn’t take reservations, but came highly recommended to me by Helene, co-founder of the cool new D.C.-based brand of handcrafted sandals, Laiik. We were not disappointed! Despite being ready for a wait, we were seated immediately at the Adelaide St. location and thoroughly enjoyed every plate we ordered – so much so that we went back again on our last evening in London.

We ended the night at Fenchurch Terrace, Sky Garden for drinks. I made reservations online in advance so we skipped the line and went right up. The view and vibe were great with live music, lots of people dancing, and tasty gin cocktails.

Day 3: Sky Garden, Buckingham Palace, Gymkhana, Savile Row, Notting Hill

5 days in London - Sky Garden — Breakfast at the Sky Garden.

5 days in London - view of the Shard from the Sky Garden — Breakfast at the Sky Garden.

Dress | J. Crew – sold out but similar here, Coat | Barbour Isobar Waterproof Jacket

I almost canceled our breakfast reservation at the Sky Garden, but I really wanted to see it during the day too so we popped back over the next morning for smoothies and a stroll through the gardens. While pretty, I think our experience the evening before was more fun!

Afterwards, we made our way to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. The ceremony was slated to start at 11:00 am so we got there at 10:30 and still managed to be three or four people away from the gate. It was definitely something to check off our list, but it was very crowded (and in the end I don’t think it’s a must-see).

5 days in London - lunch at Gymkhana — A gin cocktail before lunch.

For lunch, we walked up the street to Gymkhana which was highly recommended to me a couple friends, including the lovely Laleh of A Day in the Lalz. I adore Indian food, though Reed claims to loathe it – but I convinced him we had to have one Indian meal in London. Let’s just say this meal changed his entire perspective about Indian food. From the amazing cocktails to our succulent three-course meal, each dish was a masterfully done and we oohed and aahed over each one. At the end we packed up our leftovers too!

5 days in London - statue of Beau Brummell — The statue of Beau Brummell.

Dress | Amanda Uprichard Montibello dress, Sandals | Laiik Sofia Sandal

After lunch we walked up to Savile Row where I drooled through the window at all the basement-level artisans in the process of creating bespoke suits. We walked down Jermyn St. to see the statue of Beau Brummell as well – the grandfather of modern men’s suiting.

We stopped at local pub The Lyric for a drink and then made our way over to Notting Hill for an evening stroll and a stop at The Shed for a light dinner. Despite being highly rated and very cute, we though the food was somewhat forgettable. What was actually delightful was going back to our hotel and polishing off our leftovers from Gymkhana (delicious even cold) and then getting a few drinks at The Kensington’s gorgeous hotel bar.

Day 4: Sandeman’s free tour, Borough Market, Tower of London

5 days in London - Covent Garden — Covent Garden

Our last day in London, we took advantage of Sandeman’s wonderful free tour of the city that starts at Covent Garden. Our knowledgeable tour guide Robin took us down around St. James’ Palace to the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster. The 2.5 hour tour was totally worth the time and the pay-as-you-like structure encouraged us to be extra generous. There’s absolutely something to be said for having a local share the context and history of a place. My only regret was not booking this tour for our very first day!

Afterwards, we took the Tube to Borough Market for lunch where we were met by an impressive number of food stalls, but also an impressive crowd and lots of long lines. Reed and I split up – him to the German burger and sausage stall, me to the Chinese stall for a hoisin duck wrap that hit the spot.

After lunch, we walked across the Thames down to the Tower of London (buy tickets online in advance or using their free wi-fi for 15% off). We enjoyed traipsing around the castle to the various historical exhibits, but ended up not waiting in line to see the Crown Jewels – it looked like at least a 2 hour wait, and we decided it wasn’t quite worth it.

In the evening, we ate at Barrafina again, and then had a last drink back at the hotel.

Day 5: Victoria & Albert Museum

5 days in London - the Fashioned by Nature exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum — A delicately embroidered man’s silk waistcoat.

With just a little time to spare before catching our train to Paris, we ducked into the Fashioned by Nature exhibit at the Victoria and Albert museum around the corner from our hotel. The Tube-level entrance was so handy on a rainy morning.

The exhibit took us through all the different natural materials clothing has been fashioned from over time – from wool, silk, linen, and cotton, to more adventurous and less sustainable materials like beetle wings, and ostrich feathers, to the sustainable materials of the future, like plant roots and mushroom leather. It was a fantastic special exhibit; well worth the 12 pounds entrance fee (the rest of the V&A museum is free).

We felt like we only scratched the surface in terms of what there is to do, see, and eat, but 5 days in London made for a fabulous first taste of the city! What are your favorite things to do and places to visit? Someday I hope to go back, so let me know in the comments!