Location: London, England
London is not your average European village. It is a huge, vast city with a ton to offer. It is almost impossible to explore over a single weekend, but the way our schedules worked, thats all we had and decided to make the most of it.
We ended up staying in the banking district close to the Tower Bridge and it felt like NYC with skyscrapers and posh bars and chandeliers galore on the 42nd floor of a building. I think it’d be the perfect area to throw on your favorite LBD for a fun celebratory night out with friends but on Friday night I was a little too hangry after traveling to enjoy it as I might normally would. : ) I have to admit, I am more of a quaint European village kind-of-girl so sometimes the sheer size of London can make me feel like there’s too much to do and too little time. Fear of missing out is always on my mind and somehow that makes medium-sized places more manageable to me! I was much more in my element in Notting Hill, the most picture-perfect colorful borough of London (I’m sure you remember it from the movie!). There’s plenty of boutiques in this pretty neighborhood, but London needs no introduction as a fashion capital of the world. Regent Street’s shopping is bar none in the SoHo area, and let’s not forget about Harrods! Add in the West End theatre district, and it makes for a jam-packed weekend. I think that’s the beauty of London, there really is something for everyone.
The view from our hotel was so beautiful looking over the bridge and the city lit up at night. No matter how many times you’ve been to London, you can’t deny the Tower Bridge is always stunning, night or day! I think the architecture is perfect.
The next morning we snapped a few pictures at the Tower Bridge and headed off to Notting Hill, which might be my favorite borough in London. On Saturdays the Portobello Market is buzzing. The street is closed to traffic and vendors line the streets selling goods and snacks. The entire borough is so charming with colorful houses and fun boutiques. I adored it!
The colorful houses reminded me of Charleston and I was happy to spend the day here, it was lovely. My favorite boutique I found was Jovonna. Their clothes are very on-trend and I ended up with two great finds! I also picked up a Scottish wool cape from the Highland Store to make for a successful outing. Make sure to enjoy Portobello Market and explore Notting Hill next time you’re there!
If you’re in the Portobello / Notting Hill area and have worked up an appetite, there’s a Mexican restaurant that does tacos and margaritas really well called Taqueria. If you live in Germany you’ll know how clutch this is (Mexican food basically does not exist here and is always my #1 food requirement when I go back to the states). Pictured below are the al Pastor tacos and were our favorite. 
After we had our taco fix, we headed to Regent street to the Ted Baker flagship store. Can you tell our theme of the day? ; ) The SoHo area decked out with lights galore and each street had it’s own theme. The decorated streets were just gorgeous! This is the place to be at night but we were headed to a concert at O2 Brixton (a very cool venue) and couldn’t spend a ton of time here.
Get there: Fly in to Heathrow, Stansted, or Gatwick. Remember you’ll have to go through passport control in London if coming from the Schengen Zone, which has always taken over an hour for me as a non-EU passport holder (for any of the three airports). Then take the express train to the city, which is usually 45 min – 1hr depending on which airport you fly into. Learn from my mistakes and make sure to eat a good meal before you fly, or be aware 😉
Stay: We stayed at the Hilton Tower Bridge this trip. There is a great rooftop area at the hotel with views of the bridge (see above). Stay here if you want the big city feel surrounded by skyscrapers. If you’re looking for quaint village feel, I’d recommend staying in Notting Hill!
I hope you enjoyed our quick trip to London! I know there’s tons more to explore in this city. What are your favorites?