What To Do On a First Time Trip in London

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some of my favorite things I did during my time in London. London is such an amazing city because it has so much history, but is also very modern. If I had more time there I would have liked to explore Shoreditch, the Tate Modern and Camden Lock Market, which means I'll have to go back someday!

1. Walk from Buckingham Palace, to St. James Park, to Trafalgar Square, to Big Ben

London is a huge city so taking the tube was necessary at times, but there's some areas that are also very walkable! I used the app Citymapper and it made taking the tube so easy! One of the easy walks that allowed me to see the major sites was from Buckingham Palace, to St. James Park, to Trafalgar Square, and finally to Big Ben. I spent an hour walking around St. James Park and even returned there on my last day because I loved it so much. It was autumn so the trees were beautiful, and you can see the London Eye peeping up above them.

2. Explore Notting Hill

Notting Hill is a lovely area of boutiques, cafes and pastel-colored houses. I found a cookbook shop and could have spent all day in there! 

3. Go shopping on Oxford Street

This bustling street is full of all the major stores you'd want to shop at! I stopped at Topshop and Mango since I never see them in the states.

4. See the crown jewels at the Tower of London

After seeing the crown jewels, walk along the Tower Bridge which is right near it. From there, I walked to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where I took a tour, and then continued along Bankside -- a really modern area (with great food trucks) on the Thames.

5. Admire the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral

After admiring St. Paul's Catherdral's beautiful high ceilings, climb the many stairs to the top for a spectacular view of the city.

6. Eat at The Windmill Mayfair

There are so many cuisines to try in London that on my last night I realized I hadn't even had traditional English food yet! That changed when we went to The Windmill Mayfair. We ordered the lamb shepherd's pie, fish & chips and bangers & mash. So. Good.