An Insider’s Guide To Where To Eat, Stay and Play in Central and West London
London never gets old. The city’s charming neighborhoods, cobblestone streets, world-class museums, multicultural dynamism and electric culinary scene are just a few reasons to visit England’s capital.
You’ll likely be spending most of your time in Central and West London, where you’ll find the city’s most popular attractions, like Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben. These areas are especially great if you're a London first-timer, or if you want to check off the city's greatest hits from your bucket list. But Central and West London are also home to posh neighborhoods, each with their own distinctive feel. Unsurprisingly, you’ll also find many of the city’s best hotels here, where glamor (or rather, glamour) and luxury reign.
Witness the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, don your chicest ensemble for afternoon tea, rent a paddle boat on Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake, visit the city's world-class museums — immersive activities abound. But you should also budget ample time for wandering and serendipity, as London is full of hidden gems.
There's a lot to this worldly city. Luckily, I've done all the research so you can maximize your London vacation. Below is just a taste of what London has to offer, but when you connect with me, I'll craft an itinerary tailored specifically to your travel style and preferences — and budget of course. London can be pricey, but with the right planning and expertise, the city opens up.
Ready to head across the pond? Connect with me, and I'll design your dream London vacation.
The quick and dirty:
Currency: £, British pound sterling (GBP)
Language: English
Airports: Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted Airport (STN)
Public transportation: the Tube, London’s equivalent of the subway
Private transportation: hackney carriages, the famed black taxis, whose drivers are required to know the city like the back of their hand; in fact, to become a carriage driver, one must pass what is considered to be one of the world's most difficult tests, taken after years of intense study memorizing London's 25,000 streets and landmarks (!)
Best time to visit: April, May & June — and if you don’t mind the cold, the holidays are particularly magical
Ideal length of stay: 3-4 days is ideal for a stopover, perhaps as an add-on to a lengthier trip. However, if you want time for all the major attractions, 5-7 days is the sweet spot
Signature dishes: fish & chips, English brekkie, curry, Sunday roast dinner, shepherd's pie
Dress code: posh and preppy, and bring a raincoat
