Portobello Road, headed up to the market. It's just as picturesque as you can imagine.
(update: just went this week and this particular spot is covered by construction :( )

You'll find food, produce, clothing, leather goods and antiques up and down the length of Portobello Road. On Saturday and Sunday, it is a fully pedestrian market.

Colourful houses all around Notting Hill make for FAB photo op (this is on Lancaster road)

I can't help taking a run by this place any time I'm near Notting Hill Gate. Also, get some Thai food here :)



AFTERNOON TEA

sketch london
Sketch for afternoon tea - It's just off of Regent Street so there's plenty of shopping and transportation around.

Sketch London - Soho/Regent Street

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

If you go on Saturday, there are more food stalls up than during the week. GET THE CHURRO. Or don't. But do.

The Old Royal Naval College is now the home of the University of Greenwich. Even before it was either one of those things, it was home and favorite hunting ground of Henry VIII. He and Elizabeth I lived here (building marked near the river, not standing)

Take the time to head up the hill in Greenwich park to the Royal Observatory. Not only is it the home of time but you get this view!

FORTNUM & MASON
If you don't know this place, you should know a few of things:
1. This is where the Scotch Egg was invented (YUM)
2. Heinz Baked Beans were introduced to Britain for the first time here in 1886
3. F&M Hampers are historic and vary from gourmet to the most posh picnic you could ever have!
(here's some more if you want to see F&M's timeline)

A charming place where the banisters are covered in velvet and the biscuit tins are music boxes. And that's just the ground floor....

Walk around the first floor and fantasize about alllll the china patterns, find the beautiful Christmas floor and buy some tea/biscuits!

SUNDAY ROAST 
A British Classic
So far, my favorite Sunday Roast has been at the Grazing Goat! I love a good place for fish and chips but for a happy Sunday meal, go for the roast. Make a reservation directly on their site or Opentable.co.uk if you're into that.

The Queen's Walk
This walk takes you along the River Thames from Westminster over to St Paul's (similar to LGH-Part 1) But let me add pictures to entice you to go see Tate Modern (if you need enticing).


P.S. I smell a LGH Part 3 coming at you soon!

The Colombia Road Flower Market has the potential to be the most amazing place in London

but....

it's such a tourist trap now that it is actually painful to think about going. The crowds were unreal. The sheer number of bodies trying to get down the street between the stalls was suffocating. You couldn't actually stop to admire flowers or inquire about prices because you could get trampled.

It was not enjoyable.

I wouldn't go unless I got up at 4am to be there. And that's probably not going to happen.

But it's such a nice idea.

Hey friends! Boring but info-packed post on just about everything you need to know to about your travel itinerary to and from the multiple London airports.



While most major airlines will land you in London Heathrow airport, flying out of London on the handy Europe low-fare airlines will not take you back to good old LHR.

Here are some of the tips I have gathered for the best ways to get to and from London's 6 airports

HEATHROW INTERNATIONAL

Travel from Heathrow Airport to Paddington

Heathrow Express - takes 15 minutes, running every 15 minutes (price varies. Book ticket at least 14-days in advance for a discount!)
There are apps for everything these days. You can use your phone as a ticket once you've downloaded the Heathrow Express App

Heathrow Connect - takes 30 minutes, running every 30 minutes (£20.40/return)


Travel from Heathrow Airport to other destinations in the City

Piccadilly Line (TFL Underground) - to/from Terminals 1,2,3 and 4 - approx. 1 hour
Major stops include South Kensington (museums and Royal Albert Hall), Hyde Park Corner, Green Park (Buckingham Palace), Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Euston and King's Cross St Pancras.

P.S. be aware of Peak and Off-Peak times. You may not be able to avoid it but it could save you some $$ if you plan it right!

example of fares from Heathrow Terminal 1,2,3 to King's Cross Station:
PEAK: £5.10 (Mon-Fri from 0630 to 0930)
OFF PEAK: £3.10 (at all other times including public holidays)

National Express bus - Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station - approx. 1 hour £5.50 each way (Prices depend on when you get your tickets. Advance is always better. Cheaper fares will sell out.)



The smaller airports (low fare airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet fly from these destinations for CHEAP if you find the right dates and times)


Gatwick Aiport
Gatwick Express- from London Victoria Station £17.80 ONE WAY
National Express - from Victoria Coach Station to Gatwick (~£8 one way, depending on availability)

Luton -
National Express
Train/ThamesLink-

Getting from the station to airport- SHUTTLE BUS gets you from the airport terminal from Luton Airport Parkway train station in around 10min
Buses every 10 minutes all day between 5:00-midnight.

Fare for shuttle included on all tickets booked to Luton Airport (LUA), separate payment needed is ticket was booked to the Luton Airport Parkway (LTN)

Single: £2.00; Standard Open Return: £3.00

Children 5-15 travel half price, under 5s go free

CASH ONLY on this shuttle!

Stansted
National Express
Stagnated Express Train from Waterloo Over ground Station

London City
National Express
DLR

South-End-On-Sea
Train to/from London - London Liverpool Street Station (53 min), stop in Stratford (44 min) ~£14.90 one-way. This one is super small and 40 miles east of central London. But it exists!
National Express

...and finally...

Getting around London is easiest/cheapest on foot and using TFL Underground and Bus.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: You will not be able to use cash to get around any public transit. Cash is helpful but not necessary to take most London cabs*

Get a VISITOR OYSTER CARD that caps your daily spending to £6.50 and can be topped up (add credit) if needed. It's £3 for the card, non-refundable. Visit the site for all the info on how to get it sent to you BEFORE your trip, how to use it on the bus/tube/train and how to get refunded the balance on the card at the end of your trip! *This card cannot be purchased in London. Must be mailed to you before the trip.*

If you don't have time before your trip to get the Visitor Oyster Card sent to you, there are more options:


A one day unlimited zone 1-2 pass on a local oyster card (bus/tube) is £12.10 per adult or £32.50 for 7 days. If you buy an Oyster card, it requires £5 (refundable) as a deposit for the card.

If your debit/credit card is equipped with a contactless feature, it will work to tap in and out of the tube.

Trust me, it's WORTH IT to get some version of a travel card. You'll save your feet (the amount of walking you think you are prepared to do in London, double triple it. It's just the way it goes. You can't take a cab everywhere, it just doesn't make sense logistically) and see so much more if you can zip over on the Underground. Your feet and your travel-loving soul will thank you.

Important to know if there will be closures, should you choose to travel this way. Tube strikes can/will disrupt the whole city!

A couple of weeks ago, we found this interesting list of day trips from London while trying to drum up some reviews to help us prioritise our weekend adventures (we are getting better and better at making the most of Friday-Sunday trips and Saturday only day trips)

There is an ever-growing list of places we want to see and things we want to do.
It will never reach zero, ever. But we're working on it.

My favourite guy found some tickets to Henley on Trainline.com and with a little research discovered that we were only a week away from the annual Henley Boat Race!