Flying into London

Flying into Gatwick tends to be cheaper than flying into Heathrow. Once you arrive you can exchange your currency at the airport. There are several booths and you can purchase your train ticket to London. You can save money and a discount by booking your train to London ahead of time. 

The Best Time To Go

When I went during September, it was perfect fall weather. As you can tell from my photos, my coat wasn’t very thick and I don’t recall it raining so walking to different places was a breeze. 

Things To Do

Visit Buckingham Palace


Going inside Buckingham Palace was such a special experience. We got to see the Queen’s gifts. It was overwhelming what nations all around the world have given the Queen to represent their country over the past several decades. John F. Kennedy gave Queen Elizabeth an autographed photo of himself which represents America well. You can’t bring a tour guide inside Buckingham Palace so keep that in mind if you purchase a packaged tour.   

If you want to go inside Buckingham Palace, it’s only available to visit in September

See A Show in The West End

My mom and I saw Book of Mormon and Wicked. I was very impressed how the actors and performers of Book of Mormon spoke with Americans accents. I am not sure if the performers were American or British who mastered in American accent. Both performances were fabulous. Book of Mormon is my second to favorite musical of all time so of course, it was my favorite to watch.

Take A Trip Outside of London to see Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle

This is a photo from Windsor Castle’s defense walls. They have little nooks where soldiers would sneak in their guns to shoot their target.

I took Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford Day Trip from London. Given the short time period we were at Oxford, it made more sense to have done Bath instead of Oxford. Buckingham Palace has nothing on Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle was magnificent with what was inside, the architecture, and the magnitude. What stood out to me was Windsor Castle was used for battle and has little “nooks” where soldiers would shoot their guns for defense. Henry VII was buried at St George’s Chapel which is located at Windsor.

Have High Tea

The biscuits and sandwiches were so delicious, I didn’t get the chance to take a photo of the food during “tea time” because we ate it so fast. It was well worth it to have high tea like a Brit.

Take A Stroll Down Hyde Park and Stop at Kensington Palace 

Peter Pan statue

The fountain was more like a circle of water. I’m not trying to be rude but it definitely was not what I was expecting.

Westminster Abbey

Where The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got married in 2011. This was my favorite thing to see in London. At night Westminster Abbey and the atmosphere surrounding was so beautiful and peaceful. It gives me goose bumps thinking about the energy in the air and the taxis passing by. 

From Westminster Abbey, there is a great view of Big Ben and The Eye.

Shop

My mom wanted to go visit a bookstore so we picked a random shop and had an Uber drop us off. We were immediately confused because we could not find this bookstore we had googled. Naturally, we were looking for a storefront. After walking around for thirty minutes, we walked downstairs to notice a lake with a boat. This boat was the bookstore! It was so cute and definitely the most unique store I have been to. I got a photography book about Spanish nomads called “A Moment In Time Spain 1969”. Word On The Water.

I got tea from Harrods … right in my budget 😉

Culture Shock

The English are much more reserved than Americans. I originally took this for being rude but later realized The English are more self-contained than Americans.

Tip: Don’t take heavy luggage to the tube (face palm)


Not all stations have elevators. Being the genius that I am, I figured it would be a great idea to take the tube instead of a taxi. I was shocked at how many people helped my mother and I carry suitcases up several flights of stairs. That’s when I realized just because people in public may not be outwardly outgoing or friendly doesn’t mean they aren’t kind.


Funny story – There were times my mom and I were dumb founded at the tube, out of all of the times we stood staring at the map, we were only approached once by a lovely girl. I asked her why she approached us asking if we needed help because we have never been offered help before. Her response was “Oh, I’m Irish, honey”. 

Our phones didn’t work in England so we had to ask a few police men for directions. They were always super polite and lovely (despite being only a bit intimidating).

A Few Random Tips

  • Be prepared to pay to use the loo (Anyone have 30 pence?)

  • Tipping can be encouraged at certain restaurants. When I was reading about England, I was advised in England they don’t expect to be tipped at restaurants however, every restaurant I went to had an opt for tipping so it seemed odd not to. Because of this, I always tipped while dining.
  • When you are asked if you want your coffee “black or white”, they mean plain (without cream, black) or with cream (white).
  • Get a plug adapter. The plugs in England are different than The States. They’re shaped like circles rather than lines. Make sure your appliance fits in the adapter. I didn’t make sure my hair straighter was able to be plugged into the plug adapter so my hair was au naturel during my trip.
  • Book accommodation by a tube station. This will save you a lot of walking and a lot of stress if you are walking at night.
  • Pay for your Oyster card and any train tickets beforehand. This will save you an additional expense when you arrive in London and an save you an additional task.
  • Get familiar with the tube stops in London and the closest stations/stops to those attractions. This would have saved me a few panic attacks if I prepped myself a bit beforehand.

I am SO good at looking like a local!