One Week In London Itinerary For First-Timers

My husband and I just got back from an incredible week in London and we are already dreaming of our next trip back! London has been at the top of my bucket list ever since I was a little girl (The Parent Trap was an influential movie from my childhood 😉) and it was the most surreal, wonderful experience to explore the city. The architecture, food, shopping, and major landmarks were all incredible! We stayed at the Marriott Hotel Park Lane which was perfectly situated next to Hyde Park and within walking distance to so many of the popular tourist attractions and neighborhoods. We have nothing but amazing things to say about our first visit to London and 6 full days felt like the perfect amount of time to fit a lot of things in without feeling too overwhelmed/exhausted every day. I’m going to take you through our exact itinerary and share all of the things we did during our time there, as well as some tips we’ll take into consideration for next time!

Travel Day

We took a red eye flight from LA to Heathrow Airport and arrived in London the next day around 5pm local time. We were pretty exhausted from the long travel day so by the time we got to our hotel around 7pm we were in no position to do much of anything! We showered and hopped Into bed so that we would be ready for our first official day of sightseeing.

Day 1

  • Afternoon Tea at The Goring Hotel

  • Check out Buckingham Palace

  • Walk through Hyde Park

  • Dinner at the hotel

The high tea experience was amazing and the perfect way to kick off our time in London. The veranda room at The Goring was so charming and we were seated right next to the window with a view of their lawn/garden area. The tea was exceptional as were the finger sandwiches (my favorite was the smoked salmon) and mini desserts. It was such a relaxing 2-hour experience which was much needed and allowed us to ease into our day. After tea we walked to Buckingham Palace which was only 10 minutes away and popped into the gift shop where we bought some souvenirs (the chocolate bars are SO good!) Seeing this historic landmark in person was quite the experience; we also happened to be there a couple of days before the London Marathon so there were some ropes/stadium seats set up in preparation for that. Afterwards, we walked through Hyde Park back to our hotel and I absolutely love that park! It’s massive and so peaceful. There’s tons of benches to sit on where you can take in all the beautiful trees and it’s fun to see so many runners going for jogs as well.

Tip: Don’t try to squeeze too much in on your first day. Depending on how far you’ve traveled, you’ll probably still be feeling out of it due to jet lag, so use this down time to soak in the sights of the city and don’t make plans to walk 10 miles around the city. Grab some coffee, go sit on a bench in Hyde Park, and let it sink in that you’ve arrived!

Day 2

This was arguably my favorite day because I finally got to see Big Ben in person after dreaming about it for so long! Our initial plan for this day involved starting out at the Churchill War Rooms since it’s near Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, but we had to take an almost 2-hour detour due to the marathon route (there was a kids run taking place) and decided to put this on our agenda for another day. We were hoping to see Westminster Abbey as well, but there were some protestors right outside so we earmarked it for another day. Instead, we grabbed coffee and pastries at GAIL’s which was right near the London Eye. We purchased the fast track ticket which allowed us to skip the long line (especially on a Saturday) and for about 20 more it was worth it for us! I don’t love Ferris wheels so I was pretty nervous about going on the London Eye, but it was incredibly tame and didn’t move fast at all (there were times I barely noticed we were moving at all) so I felt very safe being on it.

As soon as we got off we walked alongside the River Thames and passed under Westminster Bridge until we were directly across from Big Ben ❀ I highly recommend this picture spot! It’s not too crowded and you won’t get any people in the background of your photos. I took at least 100 photos while we were there and have zero regrets! After that we walked over to Regent Street and New Bond Street for some shopping. It was so fun checking out all of the beautiful designer boutiques! After a loooong day of walking we were starving and ready for dinner. Freddy found this amazing sushi restaurant called Chisou Sushi and Izakaya - we loved it! Their rolls were so yummy and we got there right before the dinner rush so the restaurant was very quiet.

Tip: If there are major events happening during your visit there, try to look those up in advance or talk to your hotel’s concierge once you arrive to plan around that as best you can. Had we known that a kid’s run was taking place this day and several roads would be closed, we would have steered clear and planned our day for a different area of the city.

Day 3

We started our day by walking to get some croissants and French pastries before our 11am brunch reservation at The Ivy. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it until 11 without a little snack 😅 Philippe Contincini had super yummy croissants and it was the perfect treat to hold us over until brunch. Our walk to The Ivy took us right past Bywater Street (I may have planned this 😉) which features a row of colorful homes that I just had to see in person! It was so fun walking down this enchanted street and taking photos of the rainbow row of homes - although I don’t think I’d want to live there with the parallel parking and the dead end street lol. Brunch at The Ivy was delicious and the interior provided such a fun ambience! After we fueled up we walked an hour to the Notting Hill area and depending on how comfy your shoes are I may recommend hailing a black taxi instead. We actually didn’t mind the long walk and enjoyed taking in the scenery/architecture, but we were definitely tired at the end of the day. We had dinner at The Churchill Arms pub which was so much fun! The exterior of the building is so cool with all the flags and florals. They serve Thai food here which is a fun change of pace compared to traditional pub fare.

Tip: If there’s any mention of rain in the daily forecast, bring your umbrella! While it might be annoying to carry it with you all day, it’s a much better alternative to wet hair/clothes.

Day 4

This was my “Parent Trap” day as we spent majority of our day in Harrod’s, but first we had to get some more French pastries and Richoux blew us away! Freddy found them on Instagram and their “cruffins” (croissant + muffin) were to die for đŸ€€ They’re filled with a delicious creamy custard and I could have eaten 10 of them. After that we were in need of some coffee and stumbled upon a coffee shop inside the Ralph Lauren store on New Bond Street. It was okay
not our favorite coffee in London lol but it served it’s purpose. From there we walked to Harrod’s and I so wish we had allotted more time to spend here because it was HUGE and I wasn’t prepared for how amazing it was going to be! It’s 6 floors of pure shopping heaven and we didn’t even get to explore all of it, but I fell in love with the parts that I did see. I could have spent an entire day there!

Only a 10 min walk away from Harrod’s is the house (23 Egerton Terrace) where they filmed parts of The Parent Trap so I absolutely had to see it! It was such a surreal moment being on that street and I took loads of photos in front of the house - I was in my happy place ❀ From there we walked back to our hotel to change our clothes for dinner at sketch. This dining experience was so unique and I highly recommend booking a reservation here! The ambience was incredible and the food was even better; we ordered a couple of starters, 2 entrees, and multiple side dishes because it all sounded so good! We were so full afterwards and I was glad we walked back to our hotel afterwards to help digest all the yummy food.

Tip: If you’re a fashion lover like me, plan accordingly and allow yourself at least 3 hours to spend in Harrod’s! They even have multiple restaurants and a cafĂ© inside so you could have a meal there if you wanted.

Day 5

We took advantage of finally acclimating to the time change and slept in. Once we got dressed and ready we grabbed coffee at Lali. Freddy found it on Instagram and it’s the cutest little coffee shop down a small alley with delicious breakfast options. As we made our way to the Churchill War Rooms museum we stumbled upon The Mall which worked out perfectly because I wanted to see it at some point on our trip. It’s the street lined with Union Jacks that leads right to Buckingham Palace and it was open for pedestrians to walk on. Such a great photo spot! The Churchill War Rooms was absolutely incredible - probably the best museum we’ve ever been to. We spent a good 3 hours there taking it all in and Freddy was in heaven being the history nerd that he is. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s a must-do for your first trip to London! After we wrapped things up there it was close to dinnertime, so we turned the corner and gave a quick wave to Big Ben and then ordered room service back at our hotel to keep things easy.

Tip: Sometimes ordering room service is a nice alternative to eating out at a restaurant. I know I might sound crazy since it’s London and there’s tons of amazing restaurants, but at this point in the trip you’ve been out sightseeing for 5 days straight and let’s be honest, getting cozy in your pajama’s and eating in bed is a great way to unwind!

Day 6

Our last full day in London was a leisurely one where we spent majority of the day in Hyde Park and it was so nice! I loved walking through that park and if I lived there I’d spend almost every day taking in the peaceful scenery 🌳 We first went to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and it was not what I was expecting (I envisioned a traditional tiered fountain) but it was incredibly moving and serene. I’m so glad we got to see it and have a moment of silence to remember her. Then we headed to Guillam Coffee in Kensington and we unintentionally saved the best for last. We both got mochas and they let you pick which % of chocolate you want to put in it which I thought was so unique and different! Then we walked back through Kensington Gardens to find the Peter Pan statue. It’s a 1912 bronze sculpture of J. M. Barrie's character Peter Pan, whose stories were inspired in part by the gardens.

We made our way back towards Kensington Palace where we explored the ‘From Crown To Couture’ fashion exhibit and it was so amazing!! My inner fashionista was in heaven seeing 18th century gowns and prior Met Gala red carpet looks all in the same space. This wasn’t a planned itinerary item; we stumbled upon it and I’m so glad that we did. It's running through the end of October and I highly recommend it! We had our final dinner at an Italian restaurant, Jacuzzi, and we had been looking forward to this meal all week long! This was another Instagram find and it did not disappoint. We came for the truffle pasta served inside a cheese wheel and WOW it was the best pasta we’ve ever had. Also the best tiramisu we’ve ever had
do I need to say anything else?? Just book a reservation - you won’t regret it!

Tip: Go out with a bang and save your best meal for last! It’s a great way to commemorate the amazing week you’ve had in London and to reflect on your favorite moments. As a general tip, pick out a few restaurants you know you want to go to and book reservations at least one month in advance. Things book up quickly, especially during peak season, so it’s best to get ahead of it so you don’t miss out.

Cultural Differences

There were a few cultural differences that we noticed on our trip that we weren’t expecting and found super interesting, especially as this was our first visit to Europe!

  • You are not asked nor expected to tip while dining at restaurants. There was a service charge added on to almost every meal that we ate restaurants, and this was so unusual for us because we are accustomed to tipping for every meal we eat out in the U.S.

  • You have to ask for the check when you’re finished with a meal, otherwise you’ll just sit there waiting for a long time for your server to come back to your table. In the U.S. it’s common for servers to bring your check once they’ve cleared your plates and confirmed whether or not you want dessert, so in London it was a new experience for us to outright ask for the check.

  • In London it’s common for most restaurants to allot you a 2-hour timeframe for your table, and we got the sense that eating out is a more leisurely experience in London. It’s pretty rare for us to spend a full 2 hours at a restaurant back home, and some London servers even made comments to us that we ate fast 😂

  • Restaurants also have different service periods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, sometimes with different menus for each! We showed up at a restaurant at 5pm looking for a table for 2 and they asked us if we wanted lunch or dinner. I replied “dinner” since it felt closer to dinnertime than lunchtime, to which the gentleman replied that they wouldn’t start serving dinner for another 30 minutes. I asked if we could order from the lunch menu and be seated now, so we got a table. It was so odd to me because I’m not used to restaurants having defined meal periods or asking me what type of meal I want
I just want to eat! 😂

  • London is a very walkable city so you’ll see pedestrians everywhere, but we were wrong to assume that we would have the right of way with cars. Anytime we approached a side street with no crosswalk signal and were about to cross, a car would come speeding up with no intention of stopping. We always had to walk behind cars instead of in front because they were always in a hurry and paid no attention to pedestrians. I’m not sure if this is because we were in the heart of London and with it being such a big city; it’s possible that it’s different when you’re out in the countryside or a smaller city.

When we were initially planning our trip we thought 6 full days would be enough to fit everything in, but there were still some things we didn’t get to see/do like Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, and Abbey Road. I guess that just means we’ll have to go back and visit
bummer 😉 Is there anything else you would add to this itinerary? Let me know in the comments!

Chantelle BallesterosComment