When I embark on a new journey anywhere, I often check out the NYTimes' series of 36 hours in [fill-in-the blank with the destination]. Here are the links to the London Guides from NYTimes.
I am no expert in all of the great neighborhoods in London and possibly the hot spots in London. I thought I would put my experience traveling in London to a good use and create an itinerary suggestion that will span over 3 days for anyone who is planning their trip in the near future to the great city of London. All photos are taken by me unless otherwise noted.
Fine Print: This is a guide primarily geared towards Art Lovers, and possibly second-time visitor as it excludes Buckingham Palace or the London Eye, but this can provide a guideline for even first-time visitors if you want to get off beaten road from the guidebook style itineraries.
And after all, this is just my personal suggestion and you can easily swap anything with your ideal way to spend time such as a proper British tea time or to reserve time for more shopping!
[Day 1]
Classic Museums, Piccadilly, Soho, All on foot
I normally like to get all the heavy lifting AKA giant museums out of the way so that the next days can be more relaxing. But this can change depending on how much traveling you have done (obviously if you had a long-haul flight, maybe reserve the big museums to the later days and go for other options for a lighter first day itinerary.)
I shall warn you. Have breakfast. This is very important to keep you safe and sound until lunch.
This is my version of breakfast, but it may not be sufficient for some others.
[10am] NATIONAL GALLERY
Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
If this is your first time in London, you might have to go to British Museum first. If you are more of a art lover and less of an archeologist, I would go with National gallery (and mind you, you can probably squeeze both in, but you might be dying from the tourist crowd. That is like going to the Louvre and Orsay on the same day or going to MoMA and the Met on the same day. Just do me a favor and do one or the other.)
[10 WORKS YOU MUST SEE]
In no particular order and in my humblest opinion.
This list does not do justice to the great collection at the gallery, but if you are running low on time, these are my personal highlights.
1. Johannes Vermeer, A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, 1670's
2. Paul Cézanne, Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses), 1894-1905
3. Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
4. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Madame Moitessier, 1856
5. Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin of the Rocks, 1490's-1500's
6. Raphael, The Madonna of the Pinks, about 1506
7. Rembrandt, Self Portrait at the Age of 34, 1640
8. Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-3
9. Diego Velazquez, The Toilet of Venus (the Rokeby Venus), 1647-51
10. Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, about 1485
Assuming 2 hours was enough to cover the National Gallery and also assuming that the National Gallery was not having a special exhibition such as the one now "Veronese, Magnificence in Renaissance Venice" or the one before, "Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna." You may move on to your next destination without fail hopefully by noon.
[12am] National Portrait Gallery
Well, if you have had good breakfast, you can handle this lovely portrait gallery before you head out for lunch and it helps very much that this is literally right next to the National Gallery. It has so many historic figures and I will skip putting must-sees on this one and let you discover some familiar faces and some strangers' portraits on your own. This is a beautiful museum to browse through more casually as it is far less populated than the National Gallery.
The Portrait Gallery hosts annual
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize on contemporary photographic works, so if you are visiting at the end of the year or at the beginning of the year, you should be able to catch the show.
[1/ 1:30 PM] Japanese Ramen for Lunch
Now that you walked through some wonderful museums, take a stroll down the Charing Cross Road or Saint Martin's Lane, or even roundabout to Piccadilly Circus to Soho for lunch.
Bone Daddies Ramen Bar, 31 Peter St, London W1F 0AR
Tantanmen £11 At Bone Daddies
I think Ramen is such a great hearty meal to grab, especially if you are craving some soup in the colder months. And also very quick, so you can spend more time exploring the neighborhood rather than waiting for your food to be prepared.
If you want a more classic and authentic Japanese Ramen, go with Soy, Miso, or Tonkotsu Ramen but they have some more creative menu such as Tantanmen which is more of a Chinese recipe but irresistible as you can see in the picture. Nutty and filling yumminess.
[2:30 PM] Wandering in Soho and Piccadilly
I found this charming bookstore called Koenig Books on Charing Cross Road. Amazing selection of covetable art books and also generally well organized bookstore that can be a great place to buy gifts as well.
80 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0BF
These are some of my choices from the bookstore, but there are hundreds of other interesting volumes.
Also have other locations:
Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA (7706 4907); Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop (managed by Koenig Books), 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX (7522 7897)
[3:30 / 4 PM] Proper British Afternoon Tea
Wolseley is a classic dining venue that is open for breakfast to dinner. You cannot go wrong with this high-ceiling fine dining scene if you want to treat yourself to a nice afternoon tea in London. And you can be sure you have been served well with the classic triple tier serving tray filled with scones, sandwiches, and sweets that will surely satisfy your britishness cravings.
160 Piccadilly , London, W1J 9EB
Photo credit: http://www.whatsoninlondon.co.uk/attraction/the-wolseley/
[5PM] Back on the streets in Soho and Oxford Street
And onto my favorite Department store in London: Liberty's. I really don't think this needs more discussion. You need to go to the wonderful textile section and also the great beauty section if you are a beauty junky like I am.
Liberty's, Regent Street, London W1B 5AH, United Kingdom
And the Ultimate pampering store Penhaligon's, also on Regent street, is also a must-visit for all fragrance lovers.
Penhaligon's, 125 Regent St London
[8 / 9 PM] Casual Dinner with Some Beer
Sure, there are so many options in Soho area but I suggest going with classic options that way you can never get it wrong. For a casual option that will still satisfy your gourmet search, you cannot go wrong with the classic venue, Burgers & Lobsters
Burgers & Lobsters, 36 Dean Street, London W1D 4PS
Clearly, you must make the decision of your lifetime: To Burger, or to Lobster. I opted for Lobster roll, and I left satisfied with my choice. But this is a decision and a burden you must take for yourself.
And that concludes the first 24-hours in London.
I will upload Day 2 and 3 within the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading and I hope it helps someone.
Catherine,
xx
[Notes and Tips]
This is a great App to use if you want a pretty accurate offline map system on your phone. Whenever you have wifi you can add tags and drop pins in the map so you can see all the places that you are interested in visiting. I also think it's nice to not carry a map and have it in your phone so you can avoid looking like a tourist :)
