Our first time going to London was together. We arrived extremely jet lagged with zero sleep due to the overnight flight and the time change. We learned a lot in those first few hours about the do’s and don’ts of London. The are the tips for London that we found most helpful. Follow along to make your first experience great!

Itinerary

Creating an itinerary is such a fun part of planning a trip. For this trip, we had many locations written down but little detail about each location. This led to walking 11.5 miles our first day while exhausted because we hadn’t planned ahead. We found ourselves often doubling back or wishing we had stayed in one location because we realized that another spot on our list was where we had been earlier in the day. So before you go, look at a map and determine a general route. It doesn’t have to be perfectly mapped out but it helps to have an idea of what sights are in each area. I like to create a My Guide in Google Maps for each city that we are going to. This also minimizes possibility of missing a top activity.

Transportation Tips

This is a perfect lead into the next topic, transportation. I had a lot of confidence when we first arrived. Don’t get me wrong, Ross handled this like an absolute champ and we always made it where we wanted to go. I would recommend getting more familiar with which tubes are in the locations on your itinerary. You can do that by going here — https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/ or by utilizing apps for the busses like CityMapper — https://citymapper.com/?lang=en. Transportation isn’t took expensive if you plan to take the tube multiple times throughout the day. Having a general route in mind can help you avoid the mistake of having to either sit in the rain or find a random covered spot while researching how to get to the next place. We use the tap in and tap out method with our credit card. If staying longer, looking into an Oyster card could be a good option.

We talked about this in one of our Instagram reels and a lot of people came into the comments discussing using an Oyster card vs tapping in and out with a credit card. Our understanding was that after £8, it was capped and wouldn’t charge you again in one day. What we read said the Oyster also works as charging the same amount per trip as the credit card. Check with your bank as well regarding extra fees. I think this is a situation where each person will have a different experience based on bank utilized, length of time staying, and how often you plan to utilize the metro.

Clothing and Accessories

Ahhhh, I love when all the steps keep falling into place. Along with not wanting to sit outside in the rain, at times it will happen. Bring a good rain coat (like this packable rain jacket) and warm enough clothes. I found myself taking my thin rain jacket off and on about 100 times earlier in the day but then wished I had even more layers by the afternoon. I carried only my small purse and Ross had just his pockets. Looking back, I would recommend carrying a day pack. In the day pack we could have brought at least one extra layer and an umbrella. I refused to pack one because I was trying to save space. Well, we made it halfway through our first day and I wished I had one. Along with the umbrella, pack a hat or make sure to bring something to pull your hair back with. It was so windy, halfway through the day I had to braid my hair back. If you know you will be doing a ton (and I mean a ton a ton) of walking, make sure to bring comfortable shoes and thick socks. Also be prepared for those shoes to get wet.

Other Bits and Bobbles

A big thing to consider is how you plan to map your route and take your photos/videos. If you will be doing it all on you phone, make sure it is fully charged before leaving your accommodation and bring a battery pack. Do all the silly, touristy things and don’t feel bad about it. It is fun to see all of the well-known sites. It is also fun to get off the beaten path too. Keep an eye out for our upcoming post about those options!

We hope you found these tips for London helpful! Planning to go to London soon? Tell us about it! Interested in other tips for London and other experiences? Click here – Magical Experience of Stonehenge from London.

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