24 Hours in London

How to see the highlights of this fun and diverse city!

When coming to London from the US, you typically take a red-eye flight with the intention of sleeping and landing fresh-eyed and ready to seize the day. I rarely sleep on the plane, even when I had a rare first-class seat that one time.

Landing in London for this trip was no different. It was midmorning when we got to that chaos that is Heathrow, and the trek from the plane to customs felt never-ending. But alas, you make it, and the excitement of being in England is pushing endorphins to your brain and somehow keeping you awake.

After walking through customs like a breeze thanks to being a US Citizen, grabbing the Lizzie Line into London proper was next on the agenda. I don’t care what anyone says, London’s Tube system is just superior. Within minutes, it feels like you can get absolutely anywhere, all with Apple Tap Pay. I love not having to get an actual ticket and just breezing through.

My hack is staying near train stations so you don’t have to lug your huge luggage over old European cobblestones, and the bonus is that rental car places are typically within walking distance if needed!

After dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we made a pact to stay awake no matter what in hopes of beating the jet lag. So instead of slowing down, we jumped headfirst into the city. First up was a delicious Italian place right near our Paddington hotel for lunch. The bruschetta was seriously some of the most perfect garliccly taste, and the arancini were moist and so good. Shout out to Bizarro on Craven Rd., just down the way from Paddington Station.

After getting our energy boosted with full stomachs, we then did the classic tourist thing and grabbed seats on a double-decker bus tour, which ended up being the perfect way to take in London in such a short amount of time. There are about 100 million options of tours, so find the one that best suits your needs with routes that go by places you want to see. They can be quite pricy, but we thought that seeing the city highlights from the top deck, weaving through streets lined with history, felt a little surreal after such a long flight.

We hopped off around Tower Bridge and walked across just because we could! We grabbed some fish and chips because you absolutely have to when you are in London, and there are chippy’s all over the city.

Every corner of this huge city seems to hold another landmark, another story, another beautiful old building you suddenly recognize. On a previous trip, I visited Hyde Park, Mayfair, Buckingham Palace, and the V&A Museum, and I still recommend these as wonderful additions to the itinerary to anyone heading to London.

There’s never enough time to see everything, but somehow the city always leaves you feeling like you experienced something unforgettable anyway.

At this point, you will probably be like me and ready to crash. But don’t fret, the UK road trip is just beginning. Next up on the journey is the Cotswolds in springtime.

xx- Sami

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