London Travel Guide: What we did and most importantly, where we ate

Our Itinerary in London

First Day: 

Lunch at the Ivy Tower Bridge

Tour the Tower of London and see the Royal Jewels

Hop on a Big Bus Tour to see all the major sights of London

Back to South Kensington for dinner at Wright Brothers

This is just outside the Ivy Tower Bridge where we ate lunch on their pretty outdoor patio with a perfect view of the Tower Bridge.  

Just around the corner from our hotel, this was a great restaurant.  

Second Day:

For the boys... the Harry Potter Experience (see note below)

For the girls...
Peggy Porschen's 

Harrods

Have lunch in the Food Hall at Harrods

National Gallery

Walk to Tea at Fortnum and Mason

Getting lost in Harrods is a London must-do.  The food halls alone are worth spending some time wandering through. 

The National Gallery.  I spent so many hours here in college.  Loved sharing it with my girl.  

I spent a lot of time deciding on where to have our one tea experience in London.  There are so many amazing choices, you really can't go wrong.  I ended up going with Fortnum and Mason's for a few reasons; it was a quick walk from the National Gallery, their shop downstairs is so much fun to browse and great for gifts to bring back home, and finally who doesn't love being surrounded by Tiffany blue all afternoon?  It was a lovely tea and I would definitely go back.  

Dinner at St. John restaurant

This restaurant came highly recommended by a food blogger I love and it did not disappoint.  It is considered "nose to tail" dining and that is exactly what you can expect with some more exotic offerings.  The kids and I, who are a bit less adventurous, had fish dishes that were all incredible.  Preston had the chicken liver and it was amazing.  Apparently.  In my opinion, St. John is seasonal British food at its best.  

For all Harry Potter enthusiasts, this is truly something not to be missed.  The boys took a coach from Victoria Station to the Warner Brothers Studio Set.  They spent about 3 hours touring the actual sets from the movie including the Great Hall, Dumbledore's office, Hagrid's hut, and Diagon Alley.  My son who is a true fan had the best time and even my hubby who wouldn't know Malfoy from a Weasley was very impressed and loved the tour.

Third Day:

Tour the Globe Theatre 

Walk across the Millennial Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral 

Tour St. Paul's Cathedral 

Lunch at Spring Restaurant at Somerset House

From lunch, walk to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment on to St. James' Park

Walk through St. James' Park to Buckingham Palace

Stop in at the Queen's Gallery gift shop (great place for souvenirs)

Taxi back to the hotel for a quick rest

The London Eye 

Dinner in Covent Garden at Wagamama

Spring Restaurant

 Our lunch spot that was so pretty I didn't want to leave.  

The London Eye
We did the VIP Experience and I highly recommend it.  Truthfully it wasn't that much more money and we never had to queue up.  We checked in at the VIP desk and went upstairs to a beautiful lounge where we sipped champagne and the kids had mocktails.  Then we were escorted onto the capsule with our small group of other VIPs.  Once inside we were all handed more champagne and orange juice for the kids.  Cheers to that!

 Covent Garden is a London must, especially on a beautiful summer evening.

Wagamama.  When Preston and I lived in London we would often go on dates to Wagamama.   You sit at communal tables, slurping noodles and I just love it.  I had forgotten how good the food was too.  We actually went twice during our stay because we all enjoyed it so much.  There are several all over London and luckily for us, there are a few in New York.  

Fourth Day:

From our hotel walk to the Natural History Museum

Walk to PJ's Bar and Grill for lunch

Take the train to Hampton Court

Tour Hampton Court Palace

Dinner at Hart's Boatyard on the Thames

Having lunch at a proper British pub is pretty much required when in London.  We wanted to take the kids to one that didn't have a veil of smoke as you walked in.  Not so easy to come by we found out.  We are from California and therefore are off the charts revolted by cigarette smoke.  Anyway, after attempting a few pubs and walking out we ended up at PJ's in South Kensington.  A very short walk from the Natural History Museum.  It was exactly what we wanted; fish and chips, pints of beer, and smoke-free.  

My nephew is British and told us that the Natural History Museum was his favorite place in London.   After visiting it I totally see why.  The architecture is stunning to look at and the exhibits are fabulous.  After having been to a many Natural History Museums throughout America, this was by far our most favorite.

When we lived in London I loved bringing my family to Hampton Court.  It's a beautiful castle where Henry VIII lived.  There is a lot of interesting history embedded in those castle walls and the gardens are beautiful, especially in the summer. Knowing we would only have time for one castle on this trip, there was no question in my mind that Hampton Court would be the one.