Now, this is of course not a full guide to London – because let’s face it, London is huge! But here I’ll give you an idea of where to eat in London, where to stay and hang out in general. I’ve been to London countless times, and I will never get tired of this busy city.
Where to stay in London
This time I stayed out in Canary Wharf, but only because I was visiting a friend – I won’t recommend it as a tourist. Normally I try to either stay in Camden or closer to Victoria and in the city centre.
Saw the most beautiful sunrise above Tower Bridge. Made it worth it to get up at 6 AM.
Camden Town
This to me is one of the best places to be in London. Camden is a district in the northern part of London, known for the eccentric and alternative houses and decorations. Camden is most known for Camden Market, which is a big market (actual several melted into one) happening every weekend. Most stalls are also open during the weekdays, but most is happening during the weekend.
Take a stroll through the old stables, browse through all the small quirky stalls, take photos of all the funny house decorations, and grab a cup of coffee by the small canals. Camden is such a cozy place, where you can easily spend most of your day.
The Northern line goes straight to Camden Town from the central part of London, so if you’re staying here it’s easy to take the tube into other parts of London, and it only takes around 10-15 minutes.
Covent Garden
Cutest little district of London centre. It has a lot of pedestrian areas, and cute cobblestone streets with even cuter cafes. Haha, can you hear my excitement for this place?
Here, you’re also in close walking distance to all the main landmarks, such as London Eye, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace and so on.
Soho
Another cute part of London, packed with the best restaurants and cafes! Super centrally tucked between Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, and Covent Garden – it really doesn’t get much better!
Southwark
Southwark is (as you can hear) on the south side of the river Thames, and if I should recommend a place to stay on this side, this is it. Southwark is the area between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, so you’re again in perfect walking distance to some of the most famous landmarks.
Furthermore, you’ll be staying close to the Borough Market, which is packet with some of the most hip restaurants and bars in London, and offers a thriving night life!
Took a boat trip down the Thames, and it resulted in this stunning view of Tower Bridge!
Where to eat in London
Now, I’ve only tried a few places in London – and not even half of the ones I had in mind! So this is just my favourite places in London, that I feel I can truly recommend.
Boro Bistro
Located just on the edge of Borough Market, Boro Bistro is a cozy little place, that had me eating twice my own weight! They mainly serve French food and cheeses, but also has burgers, a kids menu and lunch. AND if you ask for it, they have a lot of vegan food!
Their drinks are also really good – you can tell that they really care for both their beer and wine, and if you only want to go for drinks, they have the cutest outside gardens with a lot of lights, heaters, and blankets!
Address: 6-10 Borough High Street, Southwark
Inamo Covent Garden
This place probably wins the title as the most interesting place, I’ve ever eaten at! You can play GAMES and order your food on the table! Yes – ON! The tables are interactive, and comes with a small “remote”, so you can play different games, order your food, change the table cloth, and other things. It’s so cool!
Inamo serves Asian fashion, and everything there tastes so good! And if you come on your birthday, you get free chocolates after dinner!
Address: 11-14 Hannover Pl, Covent Garden
Here you can see the interactive tables! It was such a cool experience!
Haozhan
Okay, it might be the same as all the other places in China Town, but I went to Haozhan because they had one of the biggest selections of dumplings. And my love for dumplings is indescribable.
It’s super Chinese, so everything on the menu is also super good! I ordered enough food for two people, and I was only me, but I simply couldn’t decide, haha. And you know it’s a good place when it’s packed with Chinese people.
Address: 8 Gerrard Street, China Town
Muriel’s Kitchen
If you make your way to South Kensington, I can highly recommend Muriel’s Kitchen for breakfast or brunch! They serve Instagram-friendly food, drinks and everything is super yummy!
The only bad thing I can say about this place, is that they’re so full, that they want you to pay quite quickly after you’ve eaten, which can seem a bit rude. You know, time is money, We didn’t let it bother us though, so we just stayed until we felt like we wanted to leave.
Address: 1-3 Pelham St, Kensington
Cute interior right? Everything is super Instagram friendly!
Boxpark Shoreditch
Another cool place to hang out in London is Shoreditch. Here you can also find Boxpark Shoreditch, which is a big collection of yummy street food. They also have an area with fashion, but it’s only open during the day.
Here you can try out everything from Greek, Italian to burger, and everything in between, and flush it down with some really good quality beer.
Address: 2-10 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch
This is how the outdoor area of Boxpark in Shoreditch looks like! Super cozy!
Bill’s Soho Restaurant
In the beginning of Soho, you can’t help but notice Bill’s. It stands out as a super colourful and beautiful cafe, and once you peak inside, you can’t help but taking a seat! The interior is just stunning, and you will feel right at home. I felt so at home, I spent 6(!) hours there, just working, drinking coffee and eating their delicious food.
There’s more than 10 Bill’s located over London, so keep an eye out for their colourful awnings and quirky looks.
Address: 36-44 Brewer Street, Soho
Shot this photo from my little cozy window seat. Loved the style at Bill’s!
TY Seven Dials
Finishing the list with what is probably my favourite cafe in London! TY Seven Dials is the PERFECT spot for Digital Nomads – and it shows! You have to be there quite early to even get a seat, even though it’s in two floors. Don’t worry, they serve delicious breakfast and cakes!
Here you can find plenty of desks, cozy armchairs and plugs at every table! Every one is working, so there’s a cozy vibe of creativity in the air without it being too hectic.
Address: 7 Upper Street Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden
This is only what you see when you walk in the door. There’s another part behind the bookcase, and even more downstairs.
What to see in London
Of course, you can’t be in London and not see any of the world famous landmarks. There’s many things to see, but here’s the ones I find most important. And as a bonus, I’ll throw in some tips to where you can get the best Instagram photos!
London Eye
Starting off with the famous London Eye, which is a huge Ferris wheel standing on the edge of the Thames. Skip the line and buy your tickets beforehand, or if you know you’re coming to London twice within a year, you can save money by buying the annual pass.
Taken at Westminster Pier – you see how the view is better here?
Where to get the best Instagram photo
Instead of trying to stand underneath London Eye or fighting the crowds at Westminster Bridge, go all the way across the Thames and post at Westminster Pier instead! It’s without the crowds and with a much better view of the wheel.
Big Ben
Okay, before you get too excited about Benny-boy… He’s under construction, and will be covered until 2021! So until then, it’s kind of useless, but you’ll see it with your own eyes, since it’s right next to London Eye and Westminster Abbey.
This is how sad Big Ben looks now, and for the next couple of years. (btw don’t know what the black thing is, but I think it’s a bird)
Tower Bridge
This majestic piece of architecture has always been my favourite thing in London. Tower Bridge is without a doubt the most iconic bridge in London, and would might have been in the world too, if it didn’t had to compete with Golden Gate Bridge.
Where to get the best Instagram photo
My photos from here are taken at 7 AM – which is one of the best Instagram tips to get photos without any people in it, and with the best sunrise light. It’s almost impossible to get a bad photo with Tower Bridge, but my favourite spots are on Southwark Pier and on the bridge itself.
How gorgeous is this Tower Bridge? If you want to see my photos from other angles, head over to my Instagram!
Piccadilly Circus
The British answer to Times Square, and quite recognisable with all the bright billboards, lots of people and shops. This is where you can count on doing most of your shopping.
Camden Market
As I already mentioned in where to stay, Camden Town and Market is probably my favourite place to spend a day in London. You can find anything here, and easily use most of your day strolling through the many stands and cute areas.
Natural History Museum
This might sound underrated, and to be fair, if I hadn’t seen photos of the Natural History Museum on Instagram, I’m not sure if I would have went. But it was a really good museum! I’m just always super unlucky, so of course my visit clashed with all the elementary school kids getting their fall vacation and going there, so it was drowning in kids. But as long as you go on a normal weekday, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Where to get the best Instagram photo
This photo is amazing. To get it is not that difficult, as it’s one of the first things you see when you get in (if you look up). So simply walk up the stairs, and all the way around, and if you stand right in the middle, you’ll end up with a shot that looks like this. I took this with a wide lens, and it’s definitely something I’d recommend.
Still gagging over this blue whale skeleton! So majestic!
I hope you enjoyed this little guide, and have enough inspiration to your own trip to London. I know it’s not a full guide, and that it’s missing a lot, but my most recent trip wasn’t as I expected, so I didn’t explore as much as I’d wanted. If you want to see more photos from my trip, head over to my Instagram! And if you’re going to any other European cities, you can check out my other guides here.