London tips

As requested here are some of my London tips. But although I’ve lived here for 6 months there are still so many places I haven’t been, and I often end up going to the same places… So if you have any London tips for me please leave a comment! =)

SHOPPING

Visiting a market is a must when in London! There are three markets I would recommend: Camden, Portobello Road and Brick Lane.

Camden market is great as its huge (well they all are). As its in North London the area is quite punk rock and this can be seen in the market. But no need to worry the market offers a lot of sweet dresses, jewelry, gifts++ And its really quite interesting visiting a different part of London. Buying food at Camden market and eating it by the canal is quite wonderful and to be recommended.

Portobello Road market is a antique market in lovely Notting Hill offering jewelry, art, silverware, and much more. It’s were I bought my beloved watch locket and cool leather backpack. Portobello road is also the home of Hummingbird Bakery, famous for their sweet and delicious cupcakes, and definitely worth a visit.

I only recently visited Brick Lane market and I was not disappointed. Brick lane is located in hip and trendy East London. As the other markets its huge and sells great food and gifts. But Brick Lane is also a great place to go for vintage shopping! The market offers a lot of vintage clothing and accessories and there are some great vintage shops in the area, such as Absolute Vintage and Beyond Retro.

Go to visitlondon.com for opening times.

Shopping on Oxford Street is another obligatory part of visiting London. Go to Topshop, River Island and H&M for dresses and trendy clothing, Zara for jackets and suits, Uniqlo and American Apparel for basics. These stores are all located around Oxford Circus. When there you should also take a trip down Regent Street. On Regent street you can find a lovely Burberry store, Apple store, and the famous toy store Hamleys.

Another store worth visiting is the department store Selfridges aka designer heaven! It houses Wang, Marc, Chanel and many other dreamy labels. You can find Selfridges near Bond street tube station.

If the crowds and buzz in the main street are a bit to much, then stroll down Regent street and take a left to Carnaby. Carnaby has great shops and is usually more quite than Oxford/Regent street.

Covent Garden is another lovely area to go shopping if you want great high street stores but want to stay away from the crowds on Oxford street. Here you can find Zara, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Oasis, and many more. You should also visit Lush soaps, a really cool store selling soap and shampoo in all shapes and sizes. Covent Garden also has a market offering food, gifts, posters and much more.

ENTERTAINMENT

A London musical should simply be experienced. I’ve seen quite a few, and a couple of my favorites are Grease and We Will Rock You. But you should definitely chose according to your liking, be it rock music, disney or opera. Tickets can be bought online or at ticket booths around Leicester square. You can often get discounted tickets at the ticket booths but as a consequence you may not get the best seats and may have to queue up for a while.

There are also some really good cinemas in Leicester square, and this is where the big movie premieres are held. If you love a good movie then catch one at Leicester square.

DINING

To be honest I don’t know of many great restaurants and cafes in London. I know they’re out there but I often end up at chain restaurants, such as Bella Italia and Wagamama. But that being said Bella Italia serves some great Italian dishes and Wagamama’s nuddles are delicious.

Do you have any restaurant/cafe tips for me?

OTHER ACTIVIES

If you’ve never been to London before then you should do some sightseeing. The best way to go sightseeing is probably catching a double-decker tourist buss. I’ve been on one twice. Bring your camera and make a day of it. =)

London also has many great museums. The fashion and jewelry collection at the Victoria & Albert museum is recommended for all fashionistas. And of course there’s the tourist favourite Madame Tussauds which is great fun.

I hope you find my tips useful and I appreciate any tips you have for me! =)

<3