48 Hours in London, England
London has a special place in my heart. My first international experience occurred on a solo flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow. Even though I’ve been to London a few times, I’ve never explored too much of England. This is the only international destination that I embarked on in 2020. If I knew Covid was going to happen, I would have stayed longer. I am glad that I got away even though it was a blissful short two-day stay.
Table of Contents
Must Know Before You GoWhen to Visit: Summer shoulder months (March- April, Mid September – November) are the best time to visit due to mild temperatures and fewer crowds. Visas: US citizens and most western countries do not need a tourist visa for visits under 6 months. A passport must be valid for the duration of stay. Language: English. Currency: Pound Sterling. This is the currency exchange as of February 2020.
Credit Card vs. Cash: Card can be used in most establishments in England. ATMs: ATMs can be easily found throughout England. Tipping: 10-12% is customary in many dining establishments. UNESCO World Heritage Site: There are 33 UNESCO sites in the UK and British territories. This includes Stonehenge, City of Bath, Tower of London, and Blenheim Palace. An extensive list can be found here. National Parks: There are 15 national parks in the UK. This includes Broads, Darthmoor, and Exmoor. Full list can be found here. |
Getting Around:
There are several ways to maneuver around London but the most iconic method is via the Underground Tube. The Underground Tube is London’s transit system that runs underneath the city. If you’re worried about tackling the city via Tube, the touristy attractions are in close proximity to each other that you can walk.
Where to Stay:
Park Plaza County Hall
There are so many great properties in London depending on where you want to stay. During this trip, my friend and I stayed at Park Plaza County Hall Hotel for $151 a night. It was difficult to find the hotel since there are so many Park Plaza in the area but I was escorted by a security guard working at another Park Plaza hotel. The room was quite spacious. We booked a studio that sleeps up to four people. The room comes with a queen-size bed and a pull-out queen sofa. In addition, the staff provided us with a wonderful goodie bag with fruits and chocolate and a bottle of house wine. We had a wonderful stay here.
Itinerary
| Day | Date | To Do | To Eat |
|
1 |
1. Arrive in London 2. Explore London |
Dinner in London: Ita Vegan and Veg → O511, Copacabana, Bolivia Cute spot in front of the lake. 5% charge when paying with a card
Pub in London:
|
|
| 2 |
Feb 2, 2020 |
Tour 1. Stonehenge 2. Averbury 3. Lacock Abbey 4. Bath |
Dinner in Bath: Indian Temptation
|
| 3 | Feb 3, 2020 |
1. Explore London 2. Fly home |
|
February 1, 2020
Evening: Explore London
I arrived in London in the late evening. Upon arrival, we decided to explore a little bit of London. We visited the Trafalgar Square and Westminster.
Dinner: Ita Vegan and Veg
For dinner, we at the a hip vegan spot called Ita Vegan and Veg. My friend is a vegan and so my food options were limited here. The food was surprisingly delicious even for a meat eater like myself.
Pub: Tattershall Castle
A trip to London is not complete without a visit to a local pub. This place was everything that I imagined an English pub to be: cozy, beer on tap, and every seat occupied.
February 2, 2020
We traveled to London specifically for a day trip to the Stonehenge. We decided to do a full-day tour, which included visiting Stonehenge, Bath, Lacock, and Avebury from London.
Morning: Stonehenge
The tour started at around 8:30am. We departed to Stonehenge and arrived about 2.5 hours. Stonehenge was quite windy but we were lucky that it did not rain on us considering that we are in the middle of dead winter.
Afternoon: Avebury and Lacock Abbey
After exploring Stenedge for about 1.5 hours, we headed to Avebury. It was about a 40-minute drive. Avebury is a neolithic henge monument and stone circles located in southwest English. The Avebury circle is believed to be older than Stonehenge. Here, we also visited the wishing tree. People tie red ribbons on the wishing tree with wishes written on them.
After Avebury, we drove 30 minutes to Lacock Abbey. Locock Abbey are stone houses with stone slated roofs. Harry Potter was filmed at Locock Abbey.
Evening: Bath
After Locock Abbey, we drove 1.5 hours to the city of Bath. The city is known for its Roman-built baths. We had time to explore on our own. The city of Bath is part of the World Heritage Site. The city is beautiful with its rivers and architecture. A must see.
Dinner: Indian Temptation
For dinner, we went to an Indian place called Indian Temptation. They are a vegan and vegetarian restaurant, yet we did not know it at the time when we entered. I have to say that despite it being a vegetarian place, I love their tikka masala. I never had anything like it. It was full of mixed bell peppers, onions, and carrots. The sauce was nice and creamy. This dish blew my mind. After dinner we headed to the bus to head back to London. The drive took about 3.5 hours.
February 3, 2020
Our flight departed in the late afternoon. We woke up early just to sightsee a little before we took the tube to the airport.
Morning: Explore London
We visited Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park.
Afternoon: Flight home
We headed to the airport around 11:30am. It was a quick visit but we got to see a lot. Thank you London. Until next time.
Expenses for 3 Days:
| Type | Cost (Pound) | Cost (USD) | Conversion | Per Person |
| Hotels | 302 | 248.50 | 151.00 | |
| Tours | 193.90 | 193.90 | 96.95 | |
| Transportation | 12 | 15.06 | 15.06 | |
| Food | 34 | 42.66 | 42.66 | |
| Total | 305.67 |