13 Fun Things to do on a Long Weekend in London
A bad day in London is still a good day anywhere else. Lucky for us, we had 4 (and a half) GREAT days exploring London. London has been on my bucket list my entire life and I am so excited to say I finally got to spend some time in this crazy city! There is so much to do and see in London that 4 days didn’t feel long enough. Check-out our biggest stops from our trip!
Westminster Abbey
This is the church where all of the royal coronations and royal weddings happen! You can even see the coronation chair! But, it’s much more than that. Built in 960 AD, it’s the final resting place to more than 3,000 of Britain’s most influential people including kings, queens, musicians, authors, politicians and more. Entry to the Abbey is a little pricey, but we were able to take advantage of their “Wednesday Lates” which is a reduced rate entry (£10 instead of £22) that happens every Wednesday night between 4:30pm and 6pm.
Tower of London
I highly suggest this for anyone interested in learning more about the history of London. This castle is located right on the River Thames overlooking the famous Tower Bridge. Here you can take a guided tour or just explore the grounds yourself. You can learn more about the exotic animals that used to live at the tower, the history of the prison, the famous residents of the tower, and you can see the Crown Jewels!
The exit of the tower leads you straight to the river where you can take a closer look at the Tower Bridge!
Scenic Views of the City at Sky Garden
Unfortunately for us, the London Eye was closed for engineer work the entire time we were in London. But, lucky for us there are a few other great places for scenic views of the entire city. Sky Garden is a free, public garden resting at the top of a skyscraper. It’s completely free, but timeslots need to be booked in advance. There are a few restaurants and bars at the top, but they were a little pricey for us so we just explored around for about 20 minutes before heading back down into the city.
02 Arena
Our main purpose for visiting London at this time was because the NBA was in town. The New York Knicks played the Washington Wizards at the 02 Arena for the annual NBA London game. The game was a lot of fun (even though the Knicks blew it in the last few seconds!), but it was also just fun to visit one of London’s biggest stadiums!
Grab a Pint at a Pub
London is filled with a bunch of great pubs. We stopped in a few different places for a quick pint. Some of my favorites were Ye Olde Cheshire Pub and The Mayflower Pub. The Mayflower Pub was especially cool for me since it’s located on the river where the Mayflower Ship’s original mooring was located, and my hometown is just a short drive away from where the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, MA!
Abbey Road
As someone who’s dad could be considered the biggest Beatle’s fan of all time, I would be doing him a disservice if I didn’t wander over to the famous Abbey Road Studios. This is probably something I’ll NEVER do again. Tourists jumping into the middle of the road in front of cars just to replicate the Beatle’s famous “Abbey Road” album cover for a photo is craziness to me. I literally watched someone almost get run over because a frustrated driver didn’t even slow down at the crosswalk. However, there is the actual studio here and a little shop to buy some souvenirs. And, if you don’t mind patiently waiting for a clear road to cross and maybe a few other people photobombing you then you can get a photo crossing the road!
Camden Markets
I highly suggest carving out some time for a view over to Camden Town. The market is HUGE and filled with delicious street food options, restaurants, and vendors selling everything from used books to jewelry and souvenirs. The market is also a place where Amy Winehouse used to spend a lot of time, and they even have a statue to remember her there.
Camden Town Brewery
Local to London, Camden Town Brewery is about a half mile walk from the markets. You can take a tour here or just enjoy a flight at the bar. They offer discounts on flights of beer before 6pm, so make sure to check them out then!
Primrose Hill
This beautiful park is the perfect place for a stroll with your S.O or a group of friends. The park is also filled with doggies running around enjoying some fun! Plus, if you’re willing to take the walk all the way up the hill, it offers some great views of the city!
Tea at the Shard
The Shard is the tallest building in London and offers great views of the city. You are able to visit the top of the building for free (but beware the long lines) or you can book yourself a reservation for tea at one of their amazing restaurants. We booked a reservation for the Oblix, where basic afternoon tea costs £42 per person. Yikes! But, it’s unlimited refills on all of the finger sandwiches, scones, desserts and tea of course. Plus, it has amazing views. If tea in London is something that has always been on your list or you have a few extra bucks to blow, I would recommend a stop here!
Platform 9 ¾
For all the Harry Potter fans out there, make sure you get over to Kings Cross Station so you don’t miss your train to Hogwarts! Even though the line is LONG, you can get your photo taken with some luggage, a wand and a house-specific scarf to make it feel like you’re on your way to Hogwarts. They’ll take a professional photo for you but you can also take your own on your phone or personal camera. There’s also a huge Harry Potter shop here if you want to pick-up some magical souvenirs.
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Would it even be a trip to London if you didn’t try to visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace? While the Queen was in (her flag was there!) she unfortunately never invited us in for some tea. But, we did have the chance to watch the Changing of the Guard at the palace. We arrived an hour or so ahead of time, and even though that sounds ridiculous I’m glad we did. It gets packed. We opted for a spot on the fountain stairs so that we could see everything coming down the street and also in front of the palace. The whole event lasted over an hour. It was definitely something worth seeing once, especially if you’re interested in the royal family, but I probably wouldn’t go again.
Kensington Palace
While we didn’t do a tour of the actual palace, we did wander around the park around it. The park is home to some great walking trails but also some nice memorials such as the Princess Diana Fountain and the Albert Memorial.
Tip: Get an Oyster Card! We were there for 5 days, so we decided to get the 7-day travel card and load it onto an Oyster Card. This gave us unlimited travel around the city center for our entire visit. The card is a £5 deposit and then the 7-day travel credit was £35 but we made us of the tube multiple times a day making it worth it. They also have 1 and 2-day travel options. It is SO much easier to use the public transportation like the tube and bus rather than ordering expensive Ubers.
London has so much more to do and see. Lucky for us, we’ll be back this summer to check-out some of the places we missed like the London Eye, Beefeater Distillery, Harry Potter World and more!