explore it yourself:
The journey and accomModations:
We flew from Minneapolis on June 3rd and arrived in London the afternoon of June 4th, staying until the morning of June 7th. We arrived into Heathrow Airport and took the local transit to our hotel and we departed out of Saint Pancras Station.
Note: We were intending on taking the Heathrow Express Train to Paddington, but the train wasn’t running and neither was the Underground due to labor strikes. Ubers were quite pricy, costing about $100. We transitioned to the Central Bus Station in the airport where we bought bus tickets to Victoria. Once arrived at Victoria we took the local bus system to a stop near our hotel. When in doubt ask the airport workers for help!
Below is what AI recommended for accommodations to help provide the best 3 days in London:
1. Point A Hotels (Kings Cross, Shoreditch, or Paddington)
2. Z Hotels (various locations: Soho, Victoria, Shoreditch)
3. YHA London Central (Private Double Room)
4. Travelodge London City or London Central Southwark
5. Airbnb Studios or Private Rooms
We ended up selecting an easyHotel London Paddington here, because of the price. This is perfect for what we needed and we really enjoyed Paddington as our base, but note that these hotel rooms are tiny. I am really glad we chose this location, it was right next to the underground so it was easy to get around. It was also very clean and had good spots to bop around and eat at.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Arrival Afternoon- West London
Gardens and River views
- Lunch/dinner at ASK Italian* in Paddington – we were so hungry and asked for a recommendation of a casual spot. The interior was beautiful and the food was great.
- Walk through Kensington Gardens to Peter Pan Statue and
Serpentine Gallery(if interested in modern art). - Notting Hill – Stroll along Portobello Road (especially on Friday/Saturday for the market).
- Hidden Gem: St. Luke’s Mews – Insta-worthy street of pastel houses.
- Little Venice* – We discovered this from photos we saw in the restaurant and it is definitely a hidden gem worth visiting.
Day 1: Historic London & Westminster Wonders
Morning in Westminster
- Blank Street Coffee* – Famous for their iced lattes and matcha, one of our New York favorites!
- Westminster Abbey – Iconic Gothic church and coronation site. Note: This is around $35 per person to go inside, so we just admired the exterior.
- Houses of Parliament & Big Ben – Great photo op across Westminster Bridge.
Churchill War Rooms– Fascinating WWII underground bunker museum (hidden gem).
Tip: Arrive by 9:30 AM to avoid queues at Westminster Abbey.
Royal & Parkside
Lunchat- Riverside café near Southbank or
- OR St. Stephen’s Tavern (classic British pub).
- OR Tattershall Castle* (former passenger ferry with pub food)
- Note: We weren’t hungry at this time so we skipped lunch and just had an early dinner.
- St. James’s Park – Lovely walk through one of London’s most beautiful parks.
- Buckingham Palace – Catch the Changing of the Guard if it’s scheduled. This is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am.
- The Mall & Admiralty Arch – Stroll toward Trafalgar Square and the Household Calvary Museum* (we saw a smaller changing of the guard here which was awesome).
Culture & Dinner
- National Gallery (free, world-class art and free clean bathrooms).
- Hidden Gem:
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Crypt Café– Unique atmosphere beneath the church. - Piccadilly Circus* – Similar to Times Square in NYC but smaller and less chaotic.
- Chinatown* – Very cool area, we personally liked London’s Chinatown more than New York’s.
- Early dinner at:
- Grasso* – Soho American Italian spot with an incredible Caesar salad and zucchini fries.
- Grasso* – Soho American Italian spot with an incredible Caesar salad and zucchini fries.
- Shops in Soho* – We stopped at Primark (European version of Forever21) and Uniqlo.
- Note: All three of the neighborhoods above are next to each other so it is efficient to hit them all.
Nightcap in Paddington
- Maarten Baas’s Real Time Clock* – Art instillation showing the silhouette of a man erasing and re-drawing the hands of the clock every minute.
- Floating Pocket Park* – Calm oasis on the Grand Union Canal featuring plenty of lush greenery.
- Souvenir shops*
Day 2: The City & Southbank
Tower & Thames
- Breakfast at
Duck and Waffles* – We were recommended this by a local, but we were turned away at the door because they require close-toed shoes. - Leadenhall Market – Beautiful covered market used in Harry Potter filming.
- Tower of London – Arrive early to see Crown Jewels without long queues. This was also ~$50 to go to so we just viewed it from the outside and got a coffee from the Tower of London Cafe.
- Tower Bridge – Cross the iconic bridge and explore its glass walkway.
- Hayes Galleria* – We stumbled upon this walking to the Borough Market. It had an incredible interior.
You can take a short Thames Clipper (river bus) ride from Tower Pier to London Eye/Southbank later.
Lunch & Southbank
- Snack at Borough Market – Vibrant food market with gourmet street food and stalls. We tried the viral strawberries and chocolate from Turnips, 10/10 recommend.
- Shakespeare’s Globe (optional tour or quick visit). Also pricy so we just viewed from the outside.
- Tate Modern – Free contemporary art museum (amazing views from the top floor).
- Millennium Bridge – Walk across to St. Paul’s Cathedral (photogenic walk).
- Late lunch at Fountains Abbey* near our hotel – Tried the famous fish and chips (so good!)
Detour & Dinner
Sky Garden– Free public garden with amazing city views (book in advance).- Abbey Road* – We took the bus to Abbey Road where the Beatles took their famous album cover photo. We walked across the street, but note that it is an active street and the crossing time is short. There is also a queue, so it is difficult to get a moment to recreate the famous picture.
- Walk through the neighborhood of St. John’s Wood* – To get from Abbey Road to Primrose Hill we walked through the St. John’s Wood neighborhood. I found this to be one of my favorite parts of the trip, because it was cool to see a neighborhood of single family homes (example below).
- Primrose Hill* at sunset for skyline views (local favorite) – We were here when it was raining so the view was foggy, but I can see how a sunset would have been incredible with a view of the London skyline.
- Dinner at PizzaExpress* – Pizza chain in London.
final thoughts:
Overall Rating: 7/10, would be a little higher with better weather.
Would I go again? Definitely, such a great atmosphere. Upon arriving into London the public transit was really easy to use.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Notting Hill! I think this is my favorite city neighborhood I have ever walked through. It felt like I was on a movie set.
Parker’s favorite: Little Venice and the old pubs.
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s: Grasso
Parker’s: Ask Italian
Any surprises? I heard bad things about the food in London, but we didn’t have a single bad meal. Also there was a ton of greenery and flowers everywhere which was really pretty and made everywhere feel very quaint.
Anything we missed? I wish we could have gone to the Sky Garden. It wasn’t open at the time we were in the area then it didn’t fit into the schedule.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go:
Southbank Centre or OXO Tower Brasserie (great views, booking recommended).
For budget-friendly eats: Pizza Pilgrims or Wahaca (Mexican street food).
Average step count per day: 17,000 steps
How did ai do?
Nailed it:
AI did a great job of recommending interesting and worthwhile attractions in a fairly efficient manner, allowing for relatively stress-free navigation through the many expansive neighborhoods within London. Although we may not have gained ticketed entry to several of the attractions, we were very entertained with getting to each location and exploring the outskirts/surrounding scenery. It truly set us up for the best 3 days in London.
Needs work:
If you are prompting AI, have it include pricing. We found most of the attractions that were recommended carried a price tag $25-$50 per person to go inside. If you end up skipping this and just viewing from the exterior you will find yourself with more time to fill throughout your days (perfect for a quick nap). I think AI would have provided more hidden gems that I think were missed, if my prompting was clearer on our attraction timing.
Given the above, the timing of meals didn’t necessarily align with what AI gave. We found it was more efficient to eat close to wherever we got hungry or near our hotel.