I finally took the leap of going on my first solo adventure and London was the perfect place to get a feel for solo travel. I had never visited London before, always passing through to get to another destination. I visited over Thanksgiving break so it was shoulder season and the crowds weren’t as crazy as I’ve heard they are during the summer months, although tourists were still prevalent at all the hot spots.
I spent five days in the heart of London – my hotel was located in the Westminster neighborhood, making most of the highlights I wanted to see walking distance from me. Since I had only five days, I had to prioritize what I wanted to see since London is a massive city that’s very spread out. I went deep into tourist mode and hit the most iconic spots.
As a solo female traveler, I felt incredibly safe walking around alone with my camera gear, even at night. Since I stayed close to a lot of the government buildings, the presence of law enforcement was everywhere. Also, people in London were friendly and although I was traveling alone, I ended up having someone to talk to and hang out with during the day and at meal times. Some were locals and some were fellow travelers.
What I Saw
Day 1
I landed in the early afternoon and didn’t want to waste the sunny day, so dropped my stuff at my hotel and immediately went to explore and get a feel for the area I was in. I walked over to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, and Trafalgar Square. They had a small Christmas market set up here which was lively with Londoners enjoying the evening over a pint or mulled wine. I grabbed dinner and then the jet lag started to hit so meandered back to my hotel.
I love walking around a new city without a set agenda, it helps me get a feel of my surroundings and you never know what you might see on the way.
Day 2
I had booked a free walking tour through Sandeman which met at Covent Garden. On my walk over, I was surprised to see how many places to eat there are in London. And all the cafes and restaurants are so diverse. Even if I had a lifetime, I don’t think I could try all the food here.
This walking tour covered London’s highlights. We saw Buckingham Palace and St. James Palace where we experienced the changing of the guard. We also walked through St. James’s Park. A fun fact that I learned was that the park used to be part of the grounds of Buckingham Palace and was used to keep the exotic animals of the royal family. There used to be camels, crocodiles, and elephants. Today there are pelicans and various types of ducks.
The tour then took us to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. It was great to hear the history behind all these iconic monuments. It helped refresh a lot of the European history I learned back in high school.
After the tour, I headed over to the British Museum. All of London’s museums are free to everyone, so take advantage since London is home to some of the world’s most famous and consequential artifacts. The British Museum is massive. I wandered through the Asian and Egyptian sections. Their most famous item is probably the Rosetta Stone and it was so cool to see it in person after learning about it and its impact for most of my life.
Later that evening, before dinner, I visited Piccadilly Circus. As it got darker outside, all the street lights and Christmas decorations were lit up. It’s a festive vibe and the city goes all out for the holidays. I also walked through Chinatown. After dinner, I had to walk off the food coma so took a long stroll along the river. I saw the London Eye up close, which looked stunning at night and all lit up. I crossed the river and walked through another Christmas market. This one was packed and all the food stalls smelled amazing. I also walked past all the parliament buildings. The architecture looks amazing at night.
Day 3
I visited Westminster Abbey. I made sure to get there as they opened so I wouldn’t have to wait in a long line for tickets. As part of the ticket fee, you get an audio-guided tour that walks you through the church, giving the long history of this famous landmark and stopping at the burials of famous royal family members and well-known public figures. They also have the original coronation throne.
I spent the second half of the day walking through the Belgravia neighborhood and admiring the beautiful homes and gardens. I made it out to the Victoria and Albert Museum where I spent four hours admiring their collection. I could have spent more time here, but I got hungry. My favorites were the Indian jewelry collection and the Cast Courts where they had full-size plaster replicas of famous monuments such as Trajan’s column.
Day 4
I went to Buckingham Palace for my pre-booked tour. During the summer, the palace is open to everyone and doesn’t require a pre-booked ticket, but during the winter months, you can book a semi-private tour of the palace. I was part of a 30-person group with a palace tour guide and it was great to tour the palace without all the crowds, while also getting a detailed history of each room. I was amazed by the artwork collection here – some paintings dating back to the 1400s. I learned that the palace rotates what artwork is on display depending on who is visiting the royal family.
In the afternoon, I went for my second free walking tour. This one was of the Old City of London. I learned that this is the original London where the first settlers of the area lived and built their lives. We saw the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We also stopped at London’s oldest pub – Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.
Day 5
I visited the Tower of London which over its long history, served as a palace, a fortress, and a prison. The visit begins with an introduction and tour by one of the castle’s guards – a Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater. They give a brief history of the castle and tell stories of some of the famous prisoners held and even executed here. These guards have quite the personality and made the tour so much fun. The Crown Jewels are also housed here and displayed beautifully. The crowns and tiaras are incredible and date back so many hundreds of years.
After spending several hours at the Tower of London, I crossed the London Bridge and visited Borough Market. This food market is Instagram famous and there are so many vendors to choose from. Be forewarned, even in the off-season, it was very crowded. The lines for some of the well-known, insta-pic worthy stalls were way too long so I opted for a tried and tested vendor – The Ginger Pig – for their sausage rolls. And wow, the relatively shorter line was worth waiting in.
What I Ate
The London food scene is world-renown and for good reason. I didn’t have a single bad meal here, whether I stopped at a small coffee shop, went to a hole-in-the-wall African restaurant, or sat at the bar of a busy tapas place. It was all incredibly delicious and I still dream about some of the dishes I tried.
Visiting London for the first time, I had to try their Indian food so visited one of the most well-known Indian restaurants here – Dishoom. I visited the Covent Garden location and the décor takes you back to the old Parsi restaurants in Mumbai. I got the sheekh kababs with a roomali roti, which is an extra thin and delicate bread. It’s one of my favorites and Dishoom nailed it. I also got a side of okra fries. The kabab was spiced so well and had the perfect level of heat. I wish I had more room in my stomach, I would have loved to try all the items on their menu.
I had done some research before getting to London and had a list of hot restaurants to try. One of them is The Barbary, a North African restaurant in Neal’s Yard. Most of the restaurants in London were small with limited seating, but this one was even smaller. But the food was out of this world. Definitely worth snagging one of their limited seats. Also, you get to watch all the food being made since the bar seating surrounds the kitchen. I started with the naan and labheh za’atar dip. Their naan is freshly baked in their clay oven and comes out piping hot. For my entrée, I had the octopus which was grilled to perfection. And for dessert I had their hashcake, a heavenly sticky tart made with pistachios and served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Another restaurant on my list of places to try was Barrafina, a Spanish tapas restaurant. I visited the one on Adelaide Street. They had a board with their daily specials and the waitress/bartender was very helpful in choosing what to order. I had the razor clams, the prawn and piquillo pepper tortilla, steamed mussels, and a manchego Basque cheesecake for dessert. All the seafood was incredibly fresh and so tasty, but the highlight was the cheesecake. I’m still dreaming about it and would go back there in a heartbeat.
In London’s theater district, I tried The Palomar, a Middle Eastern restaurant. It had been a very long day with a lot of walking so I went all-in while ordering food. I started with their house-special freshly baked bread called Kubaneh and a trio of dips – hummus, baba ganoush, and labneh. My favorite was the baba ganoush, the eggplant had just the right level of smokiness. For my main, I had the octopus and a side of marinated cucumbers. At this point I was too full for dessert so instead opted to end the night with an espresso martini.
As I mentioned earlier, I had a sausage roll at The Ginger Pig in Borough Market. I highly recommend this vendor and go early since they sell out pretty quickly. The sausage was so juicy and spiced well and it was wrapped in the flakiest pastry.
Overall five days in London gave me a taste of this vibrant city and I would love to visit again and explore the other neighborhoods. The history of this city runs deep and is visible wherever you go. And the food scene is to-die for.
If you’d like any more information or have questions about my time in London, feel free to drop a comment or reach out to me on Instagram!
