[TRAVEL] London, United Kingdom
To kick off 2022, my friend Kate and I traveled to London for about a week— we had gotten our tickets spontaneously at the end of last semester before the Omicron variant derailed our plans a bit. But alas, we switched our itinerary around and still made the trip out to Great Britain. It was one to remember!
Here, I will list my favorite places to visit/eat in my short stay in the city, while also sharing some takeaways from the culture and people that I met while on the trip.
As for my travel accommodations, we stayed at The Academy London, located in Soho right nearby the University of London Campus. It’s a Victorian style walk-up townhouse that was converted into a hotel in recent years—it had a really beautiful library and free breakfast service, with lots of Britain charm all around. Not only was it relatively affordable compared to other hotels in the area, it was also a 5 minute walk to a major train station and to other areas like center Soho, Mayfair, etc.
Food/Drink:
1. CORE by Clare Smyth
Detailed description of my meal + photos on @humansoftherestaurant here
2. Noble Rot Wine Bar
Detailed description of my meal + photos on @humansoftherestaurant here
3. Lyness
Located in a classy hotel in Southbank, Lyness was a modern bar catered towards young adults and the working population, which a super well-designed menu and cocktails that all revolve around 6-7 core ingredients unique to the bar. Oyster Honey was one of them, so I got a cocktail that blended Oyster honey with other fruity flavors, and the other two people I was with tried drinks with Fruit Furikake and Blood Curacao!
4. The Library Bar
A warm and intimate bar located in the first floor of The Lanesborough Hotel London in Knightsbridge, The Library Bar was a classic, contemporary bar with wonderful drinks and a museum-like ambiance. It’s one of the most popular destinations for spirits and cocktails in London, and is known for its 300+ year Cognac collection. The bar also offers small bites and afternoon tea in the morning, but I ordered the Belgravia Bloom for the night, which was a delicious sweet and fruity drink with St Germain Elderflower liquer and Belvedere vodka, shaken with grapefruit sherbet, raspberries and coconut water!
5. Roti King
Detailed description of my meal + photos on @humansoftherestaurant here
6. Dishoom
Detailed description of my meal + photos on @humansoftherestaurant here
7. The Borough Market
The Borough Market was a huge, covered farmer’s market with stands ranging from groceries, to coffee/tea, to fresh oysters. Most of their merchants on listed on their website, but we tried the classic English Fish & Chips and Argentinian Empanadas – both were delicious. I would recommend allocating more time than we did for the Borough Market and bringing cash in case certain vendors don’t take card. Borough is located on 8 Southwark Street, SE1 ITL and open 7 days a week from 10 AM – 5 PM!
8. Ralph’s Coffee and Bar
The flagship (and I think first) Polo Ralph Lauren store is located in London in MayFair. Attached to it is Ralph’s Coffee and Bar, which is the Polo Café, with a ton of vintage decorations and items to pay homage to the origins of the brand!
9. Franco Manca Pizza
For pizza and sourdough bread lovers, Franco Manca is a great budget option for lunch/dinner, with large personal pizzas under 15 GBP.
10. Fortnum and Mason
I had the best biscuits of my life here, and bought a ton of tins back for friends to enjoy. A classic!
Sightseeing/Experiences:
1. Buckingham Palace
2. British Museum (Free for Students)
3. Shakespeare’s Globe
4. Tate Britain & Tate Modern (Free for Students)
5. Kensington Palace
6. Oxford University
7. Tower of London
8. Stonehenge (Fee to Enter the Park)
9. Theatre (We saw Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre)
10. Tower Bridge
Shopping:
1. Regent Street / Old Bond Street
Both Regent and Old Bond St are great for high-end shopping, with tons of flagship luxury brands and the infamous Arcade – which is home to many classic European shops.
2. Foyle’s
Foyle’s is one of the largest and most well-known bookstores in London. Located in Soho, a walking distance from our hotel, I found a ton of books by old and new British authors, and bought 2 books: (1) Never Let Me Go and (2) A World History According to Color.
3. Camden Market
Camden Market is great to go for bustling nightlife, shops, cafes, and live music.
4. Oxford Street
Oxford Street was the busiest shopping area we went to, with over 300 + stores lining a mile-long shopping area, there were many boutique European brands, as well as American and other international brands like Zara, Topshop, Muji, etc.
5. Carnaby Street
Caraby Street was also very fashion-focused, but had mostly vintage shops in the area – I bought from a brand called Lazy Oaf, which had street-wear and collaboration pieces with brands like Doc Martin. I would definitely recommend checking out this area or the Shoreditch District if you are interested in more street-style clothing or prefer to shop second-hand!
Tips for those on a Budget in London:
- Take the train! London’s subway system is split up into zones, and you buy passes based on zone/day. To minimize your per trip cost, I would recommend getting an Oyster card – it allows you to use any of the three main public transportation services (bus, train, subway) with ease.
- Visit Museums, as they are free for college students with show of a valid ID! These include the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, British Museum, etc.
- Sign up for a Free London Walking Tour in advance – we didn’t get the chance to go to one, but I have heard they are super informational and great for those who like sightseeing on a structured schedule.
- Eat your way through Borough Market instead of going to a restaurant – there are a ton of restaurants in London, most of which are pretty pricey due to the high cost of living. Borough Market has lots of variety at a more affordable price, so if you’re hoping to get variety without breaking your bank, stop by for an afternoon and bring cash with you!
Ultimately, I loved London because it reminded me a lot of New York– a big city with lots of shopping, great fashion and tons of history preserved in museums and architecture all around downtown. One thing I will say though, is London is EXPENSIVE. Each subway ride cost 2.70 GBP, and meals averaged about 40-60 GBP per person – I could tell that many people commuted into the city for work, and those who lived in downtown London tended to be on the wealthier side.
I later also learned that it is a very British thing to create privileges, from the school system to ordinary peoples’ relationship with the Royal Family & Parliament – even at Oxford, the university is divided into separate colleges which are ranked by prestige. Therefore, only students of a specific college could enter its buildings and buy merchandise of that school.
The food? Wonderful. Stunning. London is where I had some of the best Indian cuisine in my life, and the seafoods (Scallops, Oysters) of coastal England as well as meats (lamb, venison, snail) of rural England were delicious to try.
The people of London were overall incredibly friendly, well-dressed, many of which were young people there to study or in their early career – the most packed areas on a Tuesday night were the Pret-A-Monger cafes. Once Saturday came around, however, areas like Soho and Shoreditch were full of groups of young adults enjoying themselves and their company at bars!
I’ll definitely be back to London once I am older and have more disposable income to spend, but this trip was an incredible one, as I was surrounded by new friends, history, marvelous food and spectacular sights the entire trip! To highlight and put into perspective some of the places I visited, I made a short video below to document the trip:
