My guide to a first trip to London, England with only 36 Hours.

I had a short amount of time to experience London. My mentality for travel is getting to experience a lot the first time I visit a place to determine what I would want to spend more time doing upon a second visit. It also helps in case I don’t know if I can do a second trip – it makes me feel like I have set out to see what I really wanted.

Day 1

2 pm – 8 pm

Afternoon Tea in London

I took the train in from Paris via Eurostar and arrived at St. Pancras International Station. It was an easy ride and was able to charge my phone and read a book. once I arrived in London I got settled at the hotel and then made my way through Piccadilly to get to Fortnum and Mason. I highly recommend booking an afternoon tea appointment in advance. We opted for the Diamond Jubilee Room and got there early so we could shop and explore the multiple floors of Fortnum. The afternoon tea absolutely should replace a full meal. You get a pot of tea and then a tower of your choosing – ranging from Gluten Free to Savory and more traditional afternoon teas. One thing I learned which I had no idea was that once you ate all of something on your tower you could get a refill of that item like more scones or sandwiches. You can also take your stuff to go if you get too full!

 

 

 

 

 

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St. James Park and Buckingham Palace

After tea, we spent some time walking around St. James Park, Buckingham Palace exterior, and The Mall. I wanted to attend the changing of the guard which was a top recommendation but typically only happens around 10 or 11 am which conflicted with my arrival/departure and other activities. You can also check times here to see when the approximate change will take place.

We also spent some time walking around Westminster to take in Big Ben and surrounding sites like the River Thames and the London Eye.

Day 2

8 am – 10 am

English Breakfast and Harry Potter Studio Experience

The next day I decided to get as close to a full English breakfast as I could before my travel to Leavesden for the Warner Brothers London Studio Tour. I went to The Buttery in Belgravia which was right near Victoria Coach Station which is how I got to my Harry Potter Tour. Most people go from King’s Cross when booking directly through Warner Bros. London Studio Tour. Even 3 months in advance all tickets for the tour were booked out so I had to go through a third-party tour group which is a great alternative if you can’t get a ticket through Warner Bros. Sometimes tickets do open up if you check daily but it is no guarantee and I felt better booking through the site. One thing I didn’t do which I would have liked to try is booking the afternoon Harry Potter tea. They only accept reservations otherwise they have other food options available on site.

10 am – 5 pm

It can easily take 3-4 full hours to experience the Harry Potter Studio Tour. This was a priority for my trip since I love Harry Potter and wanted to experience the sound stages and things I couldn’t see in the United States. You do a self-guided tour however you can rent headsets for audio. You can also stop as you walk through and listen to the various guides around the sets. After I walked through I made sure to get a Butterbeer and treacle tart to try food that was true to the series. They also have an extensive gift shop which is great for souvenirs.

5 pm – 10 pm

A Proper Pub

After the Harry Potter Tour I went to explore Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre as well as Millennium Bridge. From there I went to Harrods to check out the insane shopping available in London. After a little shopping, we made our way to a pub – the Churchill Arms. It is near the Notting Hill neighborhood. We opted to have dinner there (Thai food) and made a reservation in advance. I highly recommend having a fun pub on your list to experience London. We also noticed dogs were allowed inside some pubs like the Churchill Arms which was so cool!

Day 3

9 am – 12 pm

Tower of London and Chelsea

This was my travel day so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to take in sites. I opted for coffee at a cute local shop in Chelsea called Amar Cafe.

Once I was caffeinated I went to tour the Tower of London right when it opened. There can definitely be a line and I recommend getting your ticket in advance and going when they open. This is chock full of history and got to see everything from crown jewels to the moat in full bloom with poppies.

Borough Market

After that, I made my way to Borough Market which I have to say was one of my favorite things I did in London. Borough Market has a wide array of unique food and drink vendors. I tried the TikTok famous chocolate-covered strawberries, paella, donuts from Bread Ahead, and a bagel with smoked salmon.

London Museums

After my foodie adventure, I went to the Natural History Museum. This museum and others in the area offer free entry which is fantastic and a great way to save some money while experiencing the city.

From the museum, I went to my hotel to grab my luggage and took the tube to Heathrow for my flight. I opted for an Oyster card which I bought in advance for my trip but now you can actually tap to enter using any major credit card so not necessarily a need. Additionally, I recommend getting some pounds in advance to use for small purchases and tips on tours.

Happy Adventuring!