London || less touristy guide from an American
Our Trip Details
Know Before You Go
▪️First thing, landing in London. Make sure you know that the Heathrow airport is actually about 50 min outside of the major city.
▪️Don’t be intimidated by the public transport.
As long as you have Google maps, you’ll be fine! For both the bus and trains, if you have a credit card that allows you to tap, that’s how you can enter and pay at the stations. No need to purchase tickets in advance.
▪️You can also purchase an oyster card, but we didn’t find that necessary. Along with tapping in to board the train, you must “tap out” when you exit the train station as well. In our experience, you can only tap your credit card once when entering these transport options. I used Pauls credit card and handed it to him so he could tap in on the bus and it wasn’t allowed – he had to use a different card.
▪️ Apple pay on your phone works too! Although we were told it’s sometimes touchy.
▪️ Uber is also available, and we used it twice with no issues. Overall, the trains and bus felt super safe and easy to use. I could see it being difficult with larger luggage bags though, it did get pretty crowded on a few of our rides.
▪️A lot of places do not accept American Express credit cards, so make sure to bring a backup. We didn’t need any cash so you should be fine with only credit cards.
▪️Download the TFL (transport for London) app. It provides real time updates and options for your journey and helps you get to where you need to go.
▪️Airbnb is frowned upon in London (maybe all of England? I’m not sure) because it hurts their economy.
▪️Go in the off season! We went in January, and we were told a lot of people take dry January very seriously, so the pubs were pretty empty, which was nice!
Where To Stay
We stayed in Richmond for 2 nights at the Richmond Hill Hotel.
Richmond is just west of the central part of London. It’s between the Heathrow airport and London. I can’t recommend it enough! We are so happy we stayed in Richmond for a bit of a more unique destination vs. London. I would absolutely recommend Richmond and specifically this hotel – It was in a really beautiful location.
Why Visit Richmond?
Visit Richmond for a more unique and less crowded stay! It’s an easy 20-minute train ride into most parts of London. The train station in Richmond about a 15-minute walk from the Richmond Hill Hotel.
There are so many things to do in Richmond, you’ll be busy for a few days! Walking around in Richmond felt extremely safe and clean. There were nice public restrooms in some areas, and I even saw a lot of women running by themselves, headphones in, unbothered. If you’re a woman in the US, you unfortunately know that means it must actually be safe.
Also, if you’re a Ted Lasso fan, Richmond is a must!! This is where a lot of the filming took place. Stroll around in the charming alleys that you see in the show (pictured above) and grab a coffee or lunch at one of the local cafes. To get to those alleys, just type in Google maps “Chango Empanadas Richmond”.
Things to do in Richmond
Visit the Princes Head, which is the pub where Ted Lasso hangs out! This whole area is so idyllic and was exactly what I pictured.
▪️Try the cafes! Dharma Coffee, Kiss the Hippo and Ivy Cafe Richmond are all on my recommendation list.
▪️Walk along the Thames River and maybe you’ll end up at Eileen’s at Buccleuch Gardens Cafe! We had lunch here and really enjoyed it. The owner is extremely nice, and the food is delicious and very reasonably priced.
▪️Try the Indian food!! Indian food is a staple in the UK and it’s a must try. We wound up at Chatora for dinner, about a 25-minute walk from our hotel. It’s really good modern Indian cuisine but honestly, I think it’s a tad overpriced for what it is – still worth a try.
▪️Go to the Hollyhock Fairtrade Cafe. It’s a vegan cafe and I think this was our favorite cafe of the whole trip. I would highly recommend if you just want to hang outside (indoor seating available too) and enjoy the nature views!
1 Day in London
After some research, we learned about the afternoon tea at the Shard from Jess from Love and London. The Shard is located right next to the Borough Market so we went there first! Even though we came during “off season”, it was still very busy. Bring your appetite, there are a lot of good food options!
▪️For Tea at the Shard – Make sure you book a reservation at the Ting (tea restaurant located in the Shard) in advance! I don’t know what to compare the price to, but I’d have to guess this is one of the most upscale experiences for afternoon tea.
▪️You can choose to include champagne or not. If not, here’s what is included: unlimited tea – you can order as many different kinds as you want, finger sandwiches, pastry puffs, a scone (each) and a tower of dessert which also included the Christmas bread. This is subject to change of course depending on when you go but that’s at least a sample!
Also obviously included are the views!! We had a direct view to the Towers Bridge. Our reservation was at 2pm and we stayed until 5pm to watch the sun go down. Honestly it was well worth it in my opinion, especially for the view.
After that, we walked about an hour to see Big Ben and the London Eye. Again, feeling very safe on our nighttime walk in this big city
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