Even though I was really lucky to visit NYC this summer, I managed to book a little mini break to London at the start of August. And it was such a great couple of days. Me and my mum hopped on the train - which only took 4 and a half hours each way - and had a pretty jam packed schedule. So, today I'm sharing what I got up to during my 3 days in London.
If you don't already follow me on Instagram, I shared lots from my trip over on my Stories. But here's how I spent 3 days in London this summer;
Staying in Covent Garden
I may not have explored much of London but I just absolutely adore the Covent Garden area. There are also a couple of pretty affordable hotels, if you don't mind going no-frills, which allow you to be walking distance from all the beautiful shops, cafes and restaurants.
There are just too many lovely little touches and spots to explore in and around Covent Garden.
I mean, how cute is this little knitted post box topper?! This was also the view from our hotel, which definitely wasn't too shabby.
Walking across the iconic bridges
On our last flying visit to the capital, we never got a chance to do much. But thankfully the weather was on our side the afternoon that we got there and we made sure to do some serious exploring. We got in our steps (25,000 of them each) and walked over the Waterloo and Westminster Bridges, taking in the sights as we did so.
Shopping in and around Covent Garden
The first full day of our trip definitely made us feel like we were still in Scotland, as it rained pretty much non-stop that day. So, it felt like the perfect excuse to a bit of shopping in Covent Garden. First up was the two-level Space NK and honestly, I could have spent hours browsing the shelves.
WHAT I PICKED UP IN SPACE NK
I picked up a number of products that have been on my wishlist for a while, as well as a few new releases. It was also very exciting to see some of the latest brands to arrive at Space NK, such as K18 Hair, Saltee and Supergoop! in person.
I also popped into Glossier. I didn't buy anything but it's always nice to have a look around. I will say, I am very much looking forward to trying their new Stretch Foundation soon though.
We also had a look in Uniqlo, visited basically every TK Maxx in central London to look for their amazing Halloween decor and I even bought an adorable Pompompurin soft toy from ARTBOX.
Seeing Moulin Rouge
If you saw My (New) New York City Must-Sees blog post, you will know how much I adored seeing Moulin Rouge on Broadway. So, I simply had to get tickets to see the West End production on this trip down to London. And the London show was even better than in NYC.
The chemistry, in particular, between Christian and Satine was off the charts! It was also so lovely to share the experience with my mum.
Visiting Daunt Books
As a book lover, I have practically been counting down the days until I could visit Daunt Books. It's been all over my social media feeds and it was just as impressive in person. I had a lovely time browsing the shelves and had to talk myself out of buying all of the tote bags.
Having a wander around Selfridges
Again, I'd somehow never been to Selfridges before. But it was great to walk off lunch by having a good browse. They had a really fun Disney 100 x Charlotte Tilbury setup with photo opps and lots of interactive areas. It was also really interesting to see the hurr rental section, which had the most spectacular fashion pieces to rent. We are seriously lagging behind when it comes to things like that in Scotland.
I may have only come away with this little Pain Au Chocolat Jellycat. But let's just say, I need to win (and actually start playing) the lottery!
Enjoying the views at Sky Garden
Sky Garden has been on my to-visit list for a long time. And thankfully the weather was much better on our third day in the capital. Having just recently visited NYC, where all of the viewing platforms were ones you had to pay for in advance, it was so nice to be able to access one for free.
All you have to do is book a timed ticket (try to do this on the day that they release tickets for the week that you will be there). And you can spend up to an hour enjoying the incredible views.
Attending the Red, White & Royal Blue screening
As a freelance journalist, I tend to get quite a few invites to press events. But frustratingly 99% of them are in London. And obviously it's not the easiest or most cost-effective to travel down for one event. So, it felt like the stars had finally aligned when I just so happened to get an invite to the Red, White & Royal Blue screening when I was set to be in London.
It was held at the swanky May Fair Hotel and if you've not yet seen the movie, which is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, you are seriously missing out. I actually haven't read the book yet (my TBR shelf is overflowing at this point). But you definitely don't need to have read it to enjoy the movie. It was just such a lovely romance with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments too. Sarah Shahi's character was hilarious!
Meeting up with some PR contacts
Much like how I have to turn down invites to exciting events and press days, I normally have to do the same for meeting up with some of the PRs that I frequently chat back and forward with via email. So, it was so nice to be able to meet some of the PRs in real life on this trip. On my first morning I caught up with the John Lewis & Partners team to discuss all things homes and interiors for upcoming Ideal Home articles. And on the day that we travelled back home, I was able to fit in a delicious breakfast with the Capsule Comms team.
I mean, look at those incredible pancakes from Riding House Fitzrovia! I definitely need to make it more of a priority to get down to London when I can in the future.
If you've been to London, what are your favourite things to do? I know I probably missed so many. And are you a fan of a city break? If so, which one would you like to take next?
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