Two Days in London, England

Two Days In

London, England

            Going to London was one of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad in Europe. Ever since I read the Harry Potter series and learned who the Beatles were, it was my dream to go to London. Since then I have fallen in love with many other British things including English accents, The Smiths and fish & chips. Sadly, I had only two full days (and one afternoon/night) to experience everything London has to offer.

Afternoon / Night one went like this:

- 3pm: Walk to the London Eye (did not go up).

- Found a late lunch near the London Eye.

- Took the tube to Buckingham Palace.

- Dinner at an English pub with a friend of a friend who was studying abroad in London. (Had fish & chips and a cider).

- 10pm: Bar with friends.

- Sleep.

 

Outside of Buckingham Palace

Outside of Buckingham Palace

  

Day one went like this:

- 8:30am: Kings Cross Station (Platform 9 ¾).

- Camden Market.

- National Portrait Gallery & Trafalgar Square.

- Tour of Kensington Palace and tea at The Orangery.  

- Abbey Road.

- Harrods/Topshop.

- Dinner with friends.

- 11pm: Piccadilly Circus.

- Sleep.

The tube (subway) was our best friend that day. The London tube is so easy to navigate and CLEAN. This was the best way to get around London because all the things we wanted to do were spread out across the city.

Going to Kings Cross Station to visit Platform 9 ¾ at 9am was a great call. Almost no one was there and we waited in line to take a photo for about two minutes.

CamdenMarket was a great place to pick up unique souvenirs. There was a lot of handmade jewelry and different clothing.

I had to make a quick trip to the National Portrait Gallery to view the portraits of Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, Paul McCartney and Anna Wintour.

Tea at Kensington Palace (Kate Middleton’s house!!!!) was something I had never though about doing, but the week before I left for London, a friend of mine in Florence said that it was the best experience, so I couldn’t pass it up. With my tea, I also had a burnt lemon tart with homemade raspberry sorbet (delicious). The tour of Kensington Palace was also really great. It was so interesting to learn about the history of the palace and the Royal’s who have lived in it. 

Outside of Kensington Palace

Outside of the Orangery 

I couldn’t leave London without going to Abbey Road. I’m a huge Beatles fan and I cried when I saw Abbey Road Studios. Tears were streaming. I stupidly went at 5pm (rush hour) so there was a lot of traffic and a lot of other tourists trying to get the exact same picture I was.

Trying to be cool at Abbey Road 

Taken right after a small cry session

            We made it to Harrods just in time for it to close (6pm)! So we went across the street to Topshop and I bought a great gold chain-link watch that I now wear almost everyday.

            I don’t remember where we had dinner, but I remember eating a BBQ chicken sandwich and all of a sudden really missing American food. But then I went back to Italy and everything was fine because of the pizza and gelato.

            After dinner we decided to swing by Piccadilly Circus and experience the nightlife. And by experience the nightlife, I mean we just walked around for 30 minutes, went into a gift shop and then went back to the hostel to sleep.

Day two went like this:

- 10am: Half of a walking tour.

- Harry Potter Studio Experience.

- Dinner at an English pub (Had fish & chips and a cider).

- Big Ben, the London Bridge and Westminster Abby (around 11pm).

- 12am: Bar for 20 minutes.

- Sleep.

            I booked my trip to London through a student travel agency called Bus2Alps and with the trip came a walking tour. I could only stay for half of the tour because I needed to catch a bus to Watford for the HarryPotter Studio Tour! If you are a Harry Potter fan, I highly suggest this tour. Although expensive, the experience of seeing the sets, costumes and learning how the special effects were created for the films is incredible. It takes up most of the day but if you are a Harry Potter fan, you won’t regret it.

At Buckingham Palace (right before I left the walking tour!) 

Number 4 Privet Drive. A perfectly ordinary house on a perfectly ordinary street...

            Try to see Big Ben, the London Bridge and Westminster Abby during the day. Seeing them at night wasn’t the best and we got lost a lot while trying to find them.  

I had to!

Westminster Abbey

The London Bridge

Have you been to London? What are your best tips for having a great time in the city? Let me know in the comments below! 

“Keep Calm and go to London”