The longer John and I are together, the more we realize surprise trip is the best gift. Over the past five years, we’ve surprised each other with a trip almost every year but this surprise was by far the most exciting! John bought us tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London!
Our Plan
Anyone that knows me knows I love English history. I studied the Reformation in college so a trip to London is a history buff’s dream come true. We began looking up places I wanted to go a month beforehand, dropping pins on Google Maps to help decide where to go (see the map here!) After saving over 50 places, we decided the only plan to have was no plan at all..
We decided to save every interesting place possible on a shared map and discover places according to neighborhood. This approach helps immensely when buying transportation tickets, especially in London where tickets are sold according to “zones”. Harry Potter & The Cursed Child is a 4-hour play that spans over one or two days, depending on when you buy the tickets. John and I had shows on Thursday and Friday night, otherwise our time was ours.
Unlike other cities, this trip featured a lot more tourism because of my nerdy needs. I wanted to see the Tower of London more than anything, plus Victoria & Albert Museum was free! Big Ben was under construction, the Kensington had a meh collection on display, and my most desired modern exhibition had just closed. These limitations meant we could dedicate our time to more local experiences as we enjoyed our tourism. John and I hit the streets the moment we arrived.
Wandering Around
No matter where you go, wandering around to see a new city is the best part of any trip. Unlike our new home, London is enormous and spread out; knowing good neighborhoods to wander ahead of time is recommended. Soho, Camden, and Northern Hyde Park are the perfect places to start. Hyde Park is an incredible place during the day, take a long stroll to see the Princess Dianna Memorial Fountain, the Marble Arch, and Speaker’s Corner (a famous spot for poets, protests, and artists), plus Kensington Palace. Camden is an insane calamity of killer style, chaotic shopping, and mind-blowing food that deserves its own section. Soho is an amazing neighborhood with endless retail stores, restaurants, pubs, and clubs.
Museums and Cultural Centers
London is obviously bursting at the seams when it comes to cultural opportunities, but few know that many of these sites are free! British Museum, National Gallery, Museum of London, Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum are all FREE to visit! While most of major museums are free, nearly none of the palaces and castles are free so plan accordingly. Unfortunately, we were only in London for five days.
The Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria & Albert Museum was built by Queen Victoria (my 4th favorite queen) and her beloved husband Albert to proudly display the world’s applied arts and sciences. Today it’s the world’s largest collection of art and design with over 2.27 million objects spanning over a time period of 5,000 years; the museum itself stretches a total of 12.5 acres with 145 galleries. Needless to say, it was impossible to see everything.
Unlike other museums, this place had an energy of excitement that seemed to encourage everyone to be part of the collection. While all typical museum rules apply (NO TOUCHING), visitors are free to wander around, learning and enjoying the museum in their own way. Artists are in every corner, drawing on stools provided by the museum. Children are playing with dress up clothing in the center of exquisite clothing hundreds of years old. Cast stone statues as tall as buildings fill galleries, like walking through pages of history at the same time. You can get close enough to see every detail. The A&H museum has a rousing atmosphere that ensures every person has something to love. Due to the size of the place and our time constraint, we stuck to the history I was familiar with and it still took over five hours!
Camden Town
Camden Town is an infamous market in Northwest London–home to famous writers, artists, and musicians through the ages including Amy Winehouse. The area itself is a cacophony of street vendors peddling everything from punk-AF clothing and souvenirs to rare comics and jewelry. From the moment you exit the tube, you know you’ve entered a special place.
It’s nearly impossible to see or try even half of Camden in one day; we failed to see half after two days! The best part of Camden is the people. Every person here is an individual, dressed to perfectly convey their personality. Camden is littered with colors and languages, food and wares for every type of person. Leather-clad, liberty-spiked punks line the streets harassing tourists and filling the air with music and rebellion. Food vendors dance in their tiny huts, playing music from different genres or lands. You can easily imagine disappearing here, living on atmosphere and free samples; it’s no wonder this place has been a home to so much famed artistic influence.
Camden Market
Camden market itself is a winding maze of shops that lead in dozens of directions. The Lock Market is a notable food stand area that follows the canal. More than anything, we came to this area for the mind-blowing food, including Mac Factory and Burger and Beyond. We had one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, they offer even more at their brick-and-mortar store just outside the market; the buffalo chicken nacho fries with Doritos are also incredible. Stables Market is another maze-like area with over 450 shops, including a delicious and affordable afternoon tea in the Basement Tea Room ( €25 tea for two with scones, sandwiches, and sweets). You can also find the Amy Winehouse Memorial Statue here.
I struggle to describe how important this trip was for us, but I personally checked three things off my bucket list! John and I walked an average of 6 miles (9.7 km) a day, a total of 31.5 miles (50.7 km) in just 5 days…nearly impossible to see more. Every moment was unforgettable, the Tower of London and Harry Potter play both deserve their own articles (coming soon!!) London completely blew our expectations out of the water! We loved every second of our trip and we’re already planning how to get back.
Did you have a great time in London? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below or through social media down below!
