London is a city which basically has it all. Spending a week-end in London means that your days will be packed with a lot of stuff to do. Here some tips to choose the best things to do and the best hotels in London, to make the best of your trip!

Getting around

Though London is a very big city, many of the places of interest are concentrated in one area, so you can easily walk along them. You can get off the tube at Hyde Park Corner, have a walk in Hyde Park (when the weather is sunny it’s so pleasant walking in the park), then keep walking to Oxford Street (it’s the best way to go shopping) up to Piccadilly Circus! You’re right in the very heart of the city! From here you can easily reach almost every main attraction: Westminster, Bog Bang, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge is just a bit further but can be reached on foot as well. Well you can also catch the subway and the buses as the public transport is quite good! You’d better to by a day pass. It costs 6£ and is from 9.30 am and lasts until 4.30 am next morning.

Things to do

Parks and Speaker Chair

It’s true that the weather in London is quite odd and changeable, but it’s getting better and sunniest so you can have more chances to stay in London in a nice day! In this case, there is nothing better you can do than hanging out one of the beautiful parks or strolling along the green alleys. St James park as well as Hyde Park are two big parks located in the center that you should not miss! In particular in Hyde Park Corner there is something called “speaker corner” every Sunday, where people gather to listen at someone standing on a stage and talking about whatever he wants. If you want the guts! You’re welcomed to get up there yourself.

Changing of the Guard

Try passing by Buckingham Palace at 11.30 am just to catch a glimpse of the Changing of the Guard as you will be surrounded by a crazy crowd! Don’t hold any expectations on the show, but if you get time it’s worth a look.

London Eye

Though it is one of the latest and most popular attractions in London I actually do not recommend it. Well it actually gives a great view over London, but it’s quite expensive and you usually have to stand in a queue for almost 1 hour before getting into!

Shopping

Oxford Street is the best place to go shopping!! There something for everyone here and for any budgets! If you are looking for something more refined and of a good quality, the shops in Regent Street will meet your expectation! Don’t miss Carnaby Street as well as Harrods. Perhaps you’d better to buy something very small if you don’t want to spend a fortune or just window shop around this historic shopping complex. If you are travelling with kids or want to give them a present once back in your hometown, pop into Hamley’s in Regent Street! It’s the biggest toy shop in the city.

Markets

London has heaps of markets. Small, big, famous and unknown. On Saturday morning going to Portobello market, in Notting Hill district, is a must. While on Sunday you can enjoy the sparkling atmosphere in Camden Market, one of the most rewarded ones not only for the the goods you can buy but for people you can meet and and the bizarre building you can admire! Have a lunch at the food market in Bricklane!

Where and What to eat

London is known not to have a typical dishes! Cuisine from all corners of the world can be found so make the most of it! Restaurants that are located out of the central areas are a bit cheaper. Streets around Kings Cross feature nice restaurants with good deals. If you’re fancy of Chinese cuisine, there is nothing better than try a restaurant in China Town in the center. To taste excellent Mexican food Chilingo is a great Mexican eatery located in 5 different places across the city: The most central ones is in Chancery lane.

Where to Sleep

As you’ll have a very busy week end, you’ll probably be completely drained at the end of the day! There is nothing better than choose a great hotel where you can easily pamper! London offers a wide array of hotels ranging from luxury to affordable that sometimes it could be hard to choose the one which matched your expectations. To help you a bit to get orientated in such a jungle, here you a list of the best London hotels to stay in different areas of the city:

Victoria Station. This area is great and very handy as it’s only 15 minutes walk from Westminster Abbey and Bing Bang and Buckingham Palace and houses one of the hugest railway station of the city. The streets of this district are lined with a lot of good pubs, shop and fast food and restaurants of any kind of cuisine worldwide. One of the best hotels near Victoria Station is the Grosvenor Hotel, suitable both for families and business travellers, with its 12 meeting rooms fully equipped.

Bloomsbury. Known as the districts of the artists as it housed the popular “Bloomsbury Group” created by the English writers and mentioned by Virginia Wolf. This district is noted for its parks and squares as well as for the British Museum located in this area. So if you’re looking for a good place to stay, Bloomsbury is the one that might suit you most as it’s located few steps from Covent Garden and is well connected with any other side of the city. If you want to book a hotel in this district and save money the Goodwood Hotel is a small hotel in London, run by a family and offering clean and comfortable guestroooms.

Hammersmith Located in West London, Hammersmith is a quiet district standing on the river shore; from its main bridge you could admire a great view of the Thames and the city. This area is packed with pubs, good shops and huge shopping mall as Westfield set a few steps away. A good hotel is Novotel Hotel featuring 360 rooms all equipped with great comforts to make the best of your trip. This London hotel stands close to Hammersmith tube station which serves the tube lines of Piccadilly, District and Circle lines.

It’s time to pack you bag, choose one of the several London hotels and a flight and enjoy a getaway in London.

Lifecruiser ♥ London