My mom and I just got back from the most amazing long weekend in London. This has been one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and I’m so grateful for every moment of it. It was an incredible experience and it was so so special to spend time with my mom. London is by far one of my favorite cities. There’s so much to do and see, the shopping is incredible and best of all - they have Diet Coke 😅
We stayed at Claridge’s and I absolutely loved it. This iconic London hotel is beyond beautiful and the service was amazing. You never know what celeb you may run into here!
Here’s a round of up some of my favorite things:
What to Pack for Late Spring
Everyone dresses so nicely in London so I tried to pack some chic but also comfy outfits for all of the walking we did (20k steps a day).
Warm Coat: I brought a lighter winter coat with a hood (rain rain go away) and a second white wool coat for dressier teas.
Outfits: Dresses, black pants and sweaters. It was on the chillier side so I layered up and mainly wore pants. I wore a black dress for tea at the Ritz. I forgot to pack tights but trusty Primark had a 5 pack for a great price so I grabbed those.
Shoes: I packed short black boots, Chanel-esque flats (I get so many compliments on these, they are comfy and a great price!) and New Balance sneakers. I wore the flats for teas but sneakers for a majority of the trip for all of those steps we got in.
Umbrella: Make sure your hotel will provide you with an umbrella but if not I would bring one just in case. There were a couple of cloudy days (with no rain forecasted) that we decided to grab an umbrella from the hotel and I was so happy we did because it rained quite a bit.
Purse: I always bring a big tote bag that zips for traveling with a small bag I can pack inside of it. I love my MZ Wallace tote since it's light and I can wash it when I get home. Here's a similar version on Amazon.
Extra Bag: I didn't bring a carry on for our flight there but I had packed my weekend bag just in case and good thing I did! This was perfect to pack my treasures and use as a carry on the head home.
Compression Socks: These compression socks were a must-have for me being pregnant on this flight!
Shopping
My parents visited last fall and my mom told me that we were coming here without dad and now I can understand why. The shopping is incredible. The department stores are unbelievable and carry literally every beautiful and luxurious brand under the sun. Also, even though the pound is stronger than the US dollar currently, you can still save a bit on luxury goods. I picked up a LV bag for my SIL and it was a few hundred dollars less than if purchased at home in the US. Fingers crossed they will bring back the VAT refund some day.
Oxford Street
Selfridges: I was so surprised by how amazing this store was inside. I hadn’t heard of it previously and walking by I didn’t think it was going to be anything special but I was very wrong. Another glorious department store that’s like going through a maze of my favorite designers! I would gladly get lost in here.
Primark: Primark is a budget friendly option with lots of trendy options of women's, men's and kid's clothing. Another place I could spend a day in! I purchased some cute London onesies for the little one.
Marks & Spencer: I didn’t explore M&S as much as I would have liked to but the kids department had some incredible finds. I bought some Liberty-like floral bathing suits and jackets for the girls at a much better price than other shops. I would definitely go back here!
Regent Street
Liberty London: This is one of my favorite shops by far. I absolutely adore the floral Liberty prints. The baby and toddler clothes (Trotters) are beyond adorable and I couldn’t resist getting some treats for my girls. I picked up another trunk as my younger daughter’s memory box to store her special keepsakes. My mom bought all of the granddaughters matching Peppa Pig X Liberty dresses. SO CUTE!
Hamleys: Hamelys is like FAO Schwartz on another level. This toy shop has so many toy options and all of the London classics like Paddington, Peppa Pig, Winnie the Pooh and more.
New Bond Street: Literally every designer a girl can dream of… Dior, Chanel, LV, Cartier and more!
Knightsbridge
Harrods: Harrods is an iconic department store and London must-see. We spent probably half a day here exploring all of the different levels and found great treats to bring back to the family. Be sure to check out the Prada Cafe here as well.
Piccadilly
Fortnum & Mason: This is a foodies dream shop! I can’t get over the selection of teas, biscuits, chocolates and so much more. I’ve heard that the Royals shop here and pick up “hampers” which are the most beautiful gift baskets.
Food
We wanted to experience a few classic British teas so we didn’t get to try a ton of other restaurants during this trip. I must say that nothing disappointed.
Must-Try British Tea
Claridge’s: This was such a beautiful experience and the food was delicious. The service was all around great. A British classic!
The Ritz London: Another beautiful and delicious classic tea. It was very similar to Claridge’s but a bit more a London iconic afternoon. Everyone dresses up so nicely and certain dress code is required. I highly recommend for a birthday or special occasion.
Peggy Porschen: This was less formal than the other two but the cutest little spot. Again, the food was delicious and the desserts are so pretty. It would be so much fun to experience with girlfriends or to celebrate a birthday/shower! We went to the location in Belgravia which led to a beautiful walk around that neighborhood.
Great Eats
Breakfast at Claridges: We had breakfast at the hotel each morning. Everything was so fresh and delicious so we tried different things each day including the crushed avocados on toast, omelets, fresh fruit, French toast, waffles, and pastries. I'm missing this daily spread already!
The Golden Hind: I’m not a huge fish person but of course I had to try fish and chips while in London. Let me tell you, they delivered!
The Tattershall Castle: We were looking for a quick and casual lunch near the London Eye and found this spot literally on the water. I wasn’t too sure what we were getting into but the view was spectacular being right across from the London eye and the food was also great.
The Audley Public House: This was another great find! This is a pub recommended by our hotel. There's such a fun vibe. The food was delicious and probably the best chips (aka fries) that we tried while there.
Things To Do
Yes, even with all of the shopping grounds we covered, we still made it to the must-see London sites.
Getting Around: We bought 3 day passes for the Big Bus Tours. The bus takes you to all of the major spots and we were able to walk a lot in between. The bus is nice when you need a bit to rest your feet. They also provide headphones which gives a lot of great history and information as you drive through different neighborhoods. London is a huge city but we walked a decent amount and you can always take a taxi instead.
The bus ticket also included a one way boat ride down the Thames river which was really cool.
Buckingham Palace: We walked around and explored outside but note there are no tours until summer once the Royal Family is away on holiday.
Kensington Palace: We decided to do this tour last minute and I’m so glad we did. It was so cool to explore the inside of the palace and learn about the history of the royal family.
London Eye: This was another last minute visit but again, I am so happy we did this. We had a beautiful sunny day so the views were spectacular.
Bonus: If you go with the Big Bus pass, you can upgrade your ticket at the London Eye customer service for £17/person for tickets instead of £45/person.
Museums: We didn’t get to visit any during this trip but my parents went to a few last fall. My mom would have happily visited all of these again but we ran out of time.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Day Trips from London: Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do any trips since we ran out of time but a few suggestions if we could have gone:
Paris via Eurostar
I hope this helps with anyone planning an upcoming trip to London, safe travels! XO
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