Location: London
Day 1 - 27 Mar 2022
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: Checked into our hotel near Hyde Park - highly recommend, the staff were so sweet and found us a room early so we could check in and nap!
Smashing Plates
Content: Absolutely delicious Greek food steps from The Shard - and not overly expensive considering the location!
The View from The Shard
Content: Book your tickets in advance! I used the GoCity app and pass for my London activities - and you save some money this way! Tip: be ready for there to be a LOT of people, especially at sunset!
Hyde Park
Content: Took the tube from The Shard (London Bridge station) to Hyde Park (Queensway). Make sure you walk to Round Lake to see the swans!
Location: London
Day 2 - 28 Mar 2022
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: Breakfast at our hotel! We paid a little extra for a full breakfast buffet every morning and it was SO worth it! It had eggs, beans, a toast station, ham, sausage, fruit and cereal bar. Def recommend!
Hop-On Hop-Off
Content: We booked our tickets through GoCity pass, and started our journey at the Marble Arch stop and road on the bus for about 1.5 hours before getting off for our next activity. Tip: we booked with BigBug via the GoCity pass and I highly recommend it! The BigBug company is the only one we saw with an open top deck, which was so fun! Ps. If you book via GoCity you will need to redeem your online pass for a paper ticket. We did this at the Marble Arch bus stop with one of the BigBus workers that were hanging around.
London Eye River Cruise
Content: We booked our River Cruise with our London Eye ticket (discounted this way) and we loved it! You start at the London Eye pier and it does a loop, passing under numerous bridges (until Tower). Tip: You’ll need to book a time slot when you buy your ticket online, so make sure you’re there early as there will likely be a line!
Pret a Manger
Content: Lunch @ Pret! We found a spot to sit in front of the river for great lunch views before heading back to the London Eye area.
lastminute.com London Eye
Content: Take in the views of Big Ben and the Thames at the top of the London Eye! Honest opinion: great for your first time to London and taking overhead photos, but the River cruise offered more up-close views of Big Ben. If we had to pick one - it would have been the cruise!
Buckingham Palace
Content: We hopped back on the Hop on Hop off bus for the afternoon and got off at Buckingham Palace! Make sure you grab a map and download the BigBus app to make your bus journey simpler! Tip: head to the Queen Victoria memorial fountain for pictures instead of being right at the gate!
Hyde Park
Content: Walk through Green Park to Hyde Park from Buckingham Palace. We followed the trails to Kensington Palace grounds and around the Serpentine Lake.
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: We had dinner at our hotel - which turned out to be really tasty! I had the veggie lasagna and it was 10/10.
Location: Lacock
Day 3 - 29 Mar 2022
Lacock
Content: Took a day trip to Lacock in the Cotswolds: - Train with GWR to Chippenham station, and then bus X34 to Lacock town Center
Lacock Abbey
Content: Start at the Lacock Abbey: - Start with the Talbot museum to learn about the birth of modern-day photography! - Walk through the Cloisters which were previously used in the Harry Potter films as parts of Hogwarts! - The rest of the Abbey is also part of the tour, you’ll learn about the history of the Abbey and get to visit some of the preserved rooms. - DO NOT MISS walking through the grounds of the Abbey. They’re absolutely beautiful and include a walking trail, a greenhouse and beautiful outdoor views of the Abbey.
Lacock Shop & Deli
Content: Stop at the Shop & town Deli for lunch (we got the caramelized onion & Brie quiches!) and shop some locally made goods.
Barty's of Lacock
Content: Visit the town shops and explore the small streets! - Barty’s Eco Shop - Choco Chemistry (we brought home lots of chocolate from here!) - Church Street
Location: Chippenham
Day 3 - 29 Mar 2022
Chippenham Station CP1 Car Park - Chippenham | APCOA
Content: We took the X34 bus back from Lacock to Chippenham and then our train back to London. Note: for the local bus to Lacock, you can pay contactless on the bus with the driver. Get a return ticket for the day and you can use it on whichever X34 bus the same day.
Location: London
Day 3 - 29 Mar 2022
Taste of India
Content: We took the train back to London, rested our feet and then had the BEST Indian food I’ve had at a restaurant in a really long time. Def add this place to your list if you like Indian food - I got the Chana Masala and my boyfriend got the chicken tikka masala and they were both delicious (he’s picky with Indian food too so this is a solid endorsement lol).
Location: London
Day 4 - 30 Mar 2022
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: Breakfast! Again, super worth the extra fee to have a breakfast buffet every morning.
Stamford Bridge
Content: Visit the Stamford Bridge stadium in the West Brompton area if you’re an FC fan! Sadly forgot to take pictures here, but we weren’t even allowed to get past the gates to take pictures (a guard stopped us).
Natural History Museum
Content: Tickets to the museum are FREE but you need to book in advance online and have your ticket (printed or electronic) scanned at the door! Tip: pack a lunch and be prepared for a lot of people, especially school groups!!
South Kensington
Content: We got lunch at Pret again (Old Brompton rd) and walked around the beautiful south Kensington area. Tip: most of the parks in this area are privately owned for the surrounding tenants, so you’ll have to find somewhere else to sit and enjoy your lunch!
Emirates Stadium
Content: Visit Arsenal’s stadium (this one you can go up close!) and shop at their enormous FC shop.
Kings Cross Station
Content: If you’re a Harry Potter fan you’ll want to visit King’s Cross station! - Get a photo at the Platform 9 3/4 display - Visit the shop with lots of Harry Potter merch! - Take the station escalators to the top floor to get a view of the train platforms, like in Harry’s first time to King’s Cross when Hagrid gives him his ticket 🥹
Piccadilly Circus
Content: Take a walk around Piccadilly Circus (theatre district) and visit some of the shops! Tip: Take Self-guided tour to see the city’s theatres (if you have the time). Also! Restaurants in this area will be $$$ so maybe consider eating outside of this busy area.
Notting Hill
Content: - Take the tube up to Notting Hill to see the famous colourful houses on Lancaster Road! Tip: enter “Colourful Notting Hill Houses” in Google maps to find this stretch of homes.
The Castle
Content: If you’re in Notting Hill and need some cozy comfort food, definitely head to The Castle! I had a veggie burger (A+) and my boyfriend had the southern style fried chicken and he said it was unreal.
Location: London
Day 5 - 31 Mar 2022
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: Daily breakfast buffet!
Location: Liverpool
Day 5 - 31 Mar 2022
Liverpool Lime St Station
Content: We did a day trip to Liverpool from London and it was super easy! - Took the train with Avanti West Coast directly to Liverpool’s train station
Anfield
Content: Visit Anfield Stadium, walk along Anfield Road to find the Shankly gates and then visit the FC Store! The store is two floors and has sooo much Liverpool merch. Note: we took the 26 bus to the stadium, but it’s almost more work than it’s worth - take an Uber if it’s not to expensive!
Liverpool ONE
Content: Liverpool’s open-air mall - We actually ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner here at the Pizza Hut because we were ravenous 😅 it was good though! - Would have been more fun had it not been raining, snowing AND hailing that day 🙃
Queen Avenue
Content: The Diagon Alley of Liverpool! Queen Avenue is an adorable, narrow street in the downtown area, fairly close to all of the shops. Note: We came in late March 2022 and half the street was under construction so there was scaffolding on one side 🥴
Liverpool Waterfront
Content: I’d say this is my #1 thing to see in Liverpool! - Visit the Maritime Museum - Walk along the waterfront for sunset (it was magic) - Add a lock to the Love Locks along the waterfront (the souvenir shops nearby sell locks for this!) - Visit the Royal Albert Dock for restaurants, shops, bars and views of the city’s docked boats!
Location: Albert Dock
Day 5 - 31 Mar 2022
Peaberry Coffee House & Kitchen
Content: It was really poor weather the day we went, so we stumbled upon this cafe serving the biggest and tastiest hot chocolates with cream and marshmallows 🥹 - The cafe itself is beautifully decorated with wood benches, comfy couches and plants with a view of Albert Dock, it was such a good find!
Location: Watford
Day 6 - 1 Apr 2022
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London
Content: We booked our tickets with GoldenTours UK, and it provided transfer to and from the studio tour. Expect to spend 3-5 hours at the studio, and 1.5h by bus each way here. Tips: - there will be a ton of people there regardless of the time you go, but we went for 10am and it looked much more packed in the afternoon! - If you book with transfer by bus, you’ll have a set bus you have to come back on (set time). We were able to get an earlier bus back, we just had to ask the driver. - Pack a lunch or grab lunch from the outdoor food truck instead of the indoor cafes, it’s much less busy!
Location: London
Day 6 - 1 Apr 2022
Taormina
Content: We were SO hungry by the time we got back to our hotel from the tour, that I didn’t even take pictures of the restaurant but it was SO good! It’s a very small authentic Italian restaurant with delicious food, and you can tell that it’s a family-run business. We got the Tortelinnis and the pesto gnocchi and we absolutely loved it. Recommend!
Location: London
Day 7 - 2 Apr 2022
Lancaster Gate Hotel
Content: Our last hotel breakfast!!
Tower of London
Content: We used the GoCity pass to access the Tower of London and spent about 1.5 hours here (you can spend as long as you want). Tickets otherwise are about $50 CAD. Very very cool place to visit, it’s a castle in the middle of bustling London with SO much history.
Tower Bridge
Content: Walk on the Tower Bridge! One of the best free things to do in London for sure! You can access the bridge on either side, but we climbed up from the Tower of London side (steps away from the tower). Tip: We didn’t have time to walk on the top of the bridge, but you can also book a tour to go on the top platform of the bridge with a glass bottom!