My sister and I went on our second (non-annual) sisters trip to London and Paris few months ago. We had a blast and I enjoyed spending QT with her. Since my move to the West Coast, I don’t get enough time to spend with her. Going on a sisters only trip every few years is an awesome way to keep the relationship strong and enables me use #sisters #sisterlove #bestfriend #travelbuddies #friendship #family.
We went to London and Paris for 10 days and planned our trip around the French Open. One of my goals as a Tennis lover is to go to all the grand slam tournaments – 2 down, 2 to go. I was excited to be back in London again after spending a semester studying abroad during my undergrad (my quick trip to London in 2017 exactly count as I didn’t get time to really visit the city). London reminds me so much of Manhattan that I feel at home amongst the tube riders and tea sipping Londoners. I love the public transportation system, although Londoners might disagree, the hustle bustle of a city environment, and the ability to walk around. Living in suburbia you have to drive around everywhere…I miss wandering down streets and exploring neighborhoods.
Here’s a quick guide to Exploring London in 3.5 days.
Day 1: After arriving at London Heathrow on flights within an hour of each others, we grabbed some coffee and sandwiches, stored our luggage at the terminal and embarked on our first sightseeing stop, Windsor Castle. The castle is located west of the airport so the best time to see it is on arrival or departure day if you have time. There isn’t a direct train to the castle, you have to transfer between lines and then walk from Windsor Central Station or Windsor & Eton Riverside. So the best way is to take the local bus (#8) directly from T5 to the gates of Windsor Castle. Make sure to book tickets in advance to save time standing in the queue.
After our Windsor Castle tour, we headed back to the airport, picked up our luggage and took the tube to our hotel. London is an expensive city so the more you can travel by public transportation the better! We were exhausted after our long travels so took a quick nap to refresh ourselves and visited the London Eye in the evening. Thankfully, there was no one in line so we quickly bought tickets and headed to one of the pods. Best view of London in my opinion as you travel 360 degrees on the Thames River. We got beautiful views of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben (apparently it started to tilt and didn’t want to compete with the Leaning Tower of Pisa so currently its hiding underneath scaffolding), and many bridges connecting the two sides of River Thames.
Day 2: My sister wanted to see the Westminster Abbey because well the Royals got married there, therefore a must see in her opinion. We had bought tickets online so were quickly whisked away to the front of the line. The abbey is much bigger than I imagined with lots of statues, crypts and the Poet’s corner which celebrates the literary greats. Make sure to leave enough time to see the abbey as there are quite a few small areas within the abbey that get backed up.
We met up with my Michigan roommate who happened to be visiting her sister in London at the same time. We grabbed a quick lunch at a traditional British pub. British food is well palatable but I’m glad they’ve adopted Chicken Tikka Masala as their national dish. After lunch we increased our step count by walking all around the city and saw The Buckingham Palace, St. James Palace, The National Gallery, and Trafalgar Square. The evening was fun as we had dinner with my one of my old co-workers.
Day 3: We took a hop on hop off tour. While these look cool and do cover quite a bit of ground they are slow and inefficient. If you’re someone with very little patience, like me, make sure you carve out enough time to catch the bus and go to your desired location. But these hop on hop off tours are a great way to see a city in a relaxed way. We got off at the Tower of London stop to see the historical palace that at one point also served as a fortress and famous prison. The crown jewels are stored here and the line to see them was super long. Apparently, the Kohinoor diamond is also visible but I must have blinked too many times as I missed it.
The tower is quite big so after spending a few hours we were starving and I introduced my sister to Pret a Manger (or lovingly known as Pret). I love this little sandwich shop where you can get fresh prepared sandwiches. There was a pecan bar that I became obsessed with while studying abroad but sadly couldn’t find it this time. After a delicious lunch we took a cruise down the Thames River. Very relaxing and beautiful way to take in the sights.
To top off our evening we went to London’s premier shopping department stores – Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Third day in London was action packed and so far we lucked out with warm and sunny weather.
Day 4: We only had a little over a half a day as we were traveling to Paris in the afternoon so we decided to stay close to Kings Cross station. We spent the morning at the British Museum. There are 1 hour or 3 hour guides to to see the main exhibits. We saw the famous Rosetta Stone (key to deciphering hieroglyphics), Shiva Nataraja, Assyrian Lion Hunt reliefs, Lewis Chessman, Royal Game of Ur, and Asian artifacts. London is an expensive city so the free museum is a must see.
If there is one thing the British get right, its Afternoon Tea. While expensive, this is the perfect #sisterstrip activity. We ate scrumptious scones, clotted cheese, jam, cute little sandwiches, lots of dessert (macaroons, cakes oh my!) and of course TEA. While this tea pales in comparison to chai, it was delicious.
We were lucky throughout the whole trip as it was sunny and warm. Unusual for London weather. There were a few rain showers on the fourth day. After stuffing ourselves at Bea’s at Bloomsbury we headed to King’s Cross. Now I wish I could say we had reservations on the Hogwarts Express but we did have tickets for the Eurostar. A quick 2.5 hour journey to Paris.
5 Days Later
Day 9: We arrived back in London just in time to grab lunch at a chic Indian restaurant, Dishoom, recommended by a high-school classmate whose now my mom’s work BFF. Next, we dashed into the British Library, to see some old texts and Beatles songs lyrics before making our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral to wrap up our trip. The cathedral’s architecture is one of my favorites and views from the top are amazing. We climbed 528 steps up and down in 20 minutes. Our last stop was some retail therapy on Oxford Street.
Our last night was bittersweet but alas vacation has to come to an end otherwise how will there be another one? Tears were shed at the airport but our #sisterstrip was amazing.
I loved visited London and experiencing the energy, history, culture, arts of London and Paris.
Stay tuned for a details on our Paris trip!
P.S. – Being back in Bloomsbury where NYU in London is located brought back so many memories of my study abroad semester. From drinking 50 pence teas to living in boxed housing at Nido to doing grocery shopping at Sainsburys to spending afternoons at Pret A Manger studying. London will always have a special place in my heart as my independence and love for traveling, for exploring new cultures really blossomed from my study abroad experience.
