Travel Guide October 11, 2018
The Gal Meets Glam Ultimate London Travel Guide
London is, by far, one of our favorite cities. If you can name a more Gal Meets Glam-esque city, I’d be amazed and would book our flights there immediately! Happily, we’ve spent lots of time in London over the last few years, and while we’ve shared dozens of posts documenting those trips, we’ve never put together a master London travel guide. When I think about going somewhere new, I get most excited about long walks through parks and beautiful neighborhoods, unique activities, shopping, delicious meals, and exquisite hotels. While there are still many more things we’d love to experience in London someday, this guide highlights the sites of our most memorable London moments from the last five years.
Favorite Neighborhoods
A great neighborhood has it all: beautiful homes and architecture, plenty of walkable streets to explore, cafes, restaurants, shopping, and most of all, its own unique character. Our favorite neighborhoods in London have all of these features and more.
Notting Hill- Our favorite neighborhood in London is the type of place that will have you dreaming of picking up your life and moving there. With pastel buildings, delightful shops and markets, and perfectly manicured gardens, every street is more charming than the last.
Primrose Hill- Almost as colorful as Notting Hill, Primrose has plenty of charm, nice restaurants, a beautiful park with great views, and a family-friendly vibe. Grab a bite to eat along Regent’s Park Road and then make your way over to the actual Primrose Hill for a relaxing afternoon looking out over London.
Marylebone- When it comes to hip neighborhoods, you’ll likely not find us anywhere nearby. Marylebone, with its interesting boutiques, hip restaurants and cool hotel, Chiltern Firehouse, is one exception. Chiltern Street is not to be missed. The Wallace Collection is a nice museum in the neighborhood. And Marylebone is on the edge of one of our favorite parks, Regent’s Park.
Favorite Parks
London has some of the best parks of any city we’ve ever visited. When we are in London, a stroll through a park is pretty much a daily occurrence. Here’s a list of our favorite parks in London.
Regents Park- This is an all-around great park that offers so much to its visitors. Our favorite spots in the park are Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, which is spectacular in full bloom, and St. John’s Lodge Garden, which is a little nook hidden from the rest of the park. Rent a lawn chair from one of the many rental locations and spend the afternoon simply lounging.
Kenwood House- On each of the two trips we’ve made to Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath, we’ve been blown away. On our most recent trip, we arrived to find peak rhododendron blooms that were absolutely stunning.
Richmond Park- When you visit Richmond Park, you’ll quickly forget that you are still in the city. Richmond Park is massive and pretty far removed from Central London, so if you are visiting, do so with a plan in place. One thing to be sure to include in that plan is lunch or a snack at Petersham Nurseries–while you’re there, you can drool over all of the amazing garden furnishings.
Kensington Palace Gardens- Located on the west side of Hyde Park are these beautiful gardens. While you are there, check out the nearby Orangery Restaurant for tea or a light lunch as well.
Kew Gardens- Kew Gardens is breathtaking. It’s the only park on our list that requires an entrance fee, but that fee is well worth it because you could spend an entire day there. We shot our July Gal Meets Glam Collection dresses at Kew Gardens!
Favorite Places to Eat
Our friend Rosie is the best in the business when it comes to London food recommendations. Luckily for us, she’s always willing to play tour guide when we come to town. Here are some of our absolute favorite restaurants that we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy.
Dishoom- Multiple locations across London for incredible Indian food. They don’t take reservations, so plan on arriving early so you don’t have to wait in line for too long.
Sketch- If you have an Instagram account, you’ve probably seen Sketch–its pink velvet tea room is a one-of-a-kind destination. We’re frequently asked if Sketch is worth going to, and if you want to do a tea when you are in London, this is the first spot we’d recommend.
Bob Bob Ricard- Much like Sketch, the fun elements of Bob Bob Ricard, such as the “Press for Champagne” buttons at the tables and the opulent decor, get lots of social media appreciation. We’re happy to report that the food matches the atmosphere. Everything we ate was delicious, especially the lobster mac and cheese, which hit the spot on a cool London day.
Granger- “Fresh” is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this Australian restaurant that’s great for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Don’t miss the avocado toast.
Colbert- This restaurant is all about the Parisian-inspired ambiance, but the delicious food backs it up. It’s a great spot, especially with friends.
Maggy Jones- When you are visiting London, it’s possible that at some point, you’ll find yourself walking distance from Maggy Jones, which is minutes from Kensington Palace. The menu is full of hits that warm the soul.
Other restaurants we have our eye on, but have not visited yet, include Sabor, Gymkhana, Roganic, Hoppers, Quality Chop House, and Spring.
Where to Stay
We always want to feel at home when we’re visiting London, so we frequently book our accommodations through One Fine Stay. For traditional hotels, though, here are our top recommendations.
Rosewood London- We are big fans of Rosewood properties. The Rosewood London is gorgeous and the service is impeccable, so we always enjoy our time there.
Chiltern Firehouse- While we’ve never actually stayed there, we’ve been inside and like the elegant, historic vibe. It’s located in Marylebone, one of our aforementioned favorite neighborhoods.
All the very wonderful places to visit Londres … this guide is beautiful!
🍂🌸🍁ROSES FOR FRIDAYS 🍂🌸🍁 | by mia | A Creative Lifestyle Blog
Wow what an incredible post filled with a wealth of knowledge about London! Definitely bookmarking for the future – thank you so much for putting this together and sharing with us!
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.louellareese.com
A wonderful guide, and I am in love with that blue car at the top of the page.
We stayed at The Gore! The breakfast and tea rooms are both perfect for a fall shoot.
Love the city I now call home! Tip: you can book lunch reservations at Dishoom – so good!
Love the post Julia! Thanks for sharing! London is somewhere we’ve been wanting to visit! When are your favorite months to visit?
Thanks! Xo
I think you’ve colored all the best bits London has to offer! x
chevrons & éclairs
I love the GMG guides so much! London is such a beautiful and special city. Thanks for sharing such an in-depth guide to an amazing place Julia!
Happy Thursday!
Michael
https://www.mileinmyglasses.com
Thanks for this amazing guide! The photos alone are inspiration for anyone to want to travel to all of your recommended spots. What is your favorite month to get the most out of the trip?
Hi Deirdre! Thank you so much! I personally love the summer months, as they’re not too hot, but perfectly warm and beautiful out. All of the flowers are blooming and the parks are a dream- all you’ll want to do is be outside the entire time. We visited this year at the end of May, but June is also a great month. x Julia
Great post – how I love London!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Hi Julia,
Thank you for putting this together! When do you think are your favorite times of the year to visit? For all the pretty flowers and foliage we’ve seen on your photos.
Thanks!
A
Nice post dear! :)
http://www.evdaily.blogspot.com
I really want to go to London! This guide will be so helpful!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Thank you so much for sharing this guide! London is sooo beautiful, and it’s one of the cities that I’ve been dying to visit for the longest time now! Definitely bookmarking this! <3 :)
XO, Elizabeth T.
http://clothestoyouuu.com
So many beautiful photos! This post made me miss London so much – especially all those amazing foodie spots. I especially really want to visit Maggie Jones, it looks like such a cosy place!
Laura // Middle of Adventure
I love your travel guides and wonderful pictures! I’ve only been to London once and would love to go back. I will definitely consult your guide when I do! btw I had tea at Kensington Palace Orangery and loved it!!
❤ Pansy
http://www.mustloveroses.com
Love this guide! Cannot wait to utilize it while visiting London this coming summer!
Love this post! And do I spy a rose latte from Farmgirl?
London is definitely somewhere I plan to visit repeatedly. I actually missed most of the spots you mentioned on my first trip and will be glad to visit them the next time I go.
Kathrin | Polar Bear Style
I am DYING to go to London! <3
BlondieintheCity.com
I lived in London for three years one block from the Chiltern Firehouse ( back in NYC now). I highly recommend the following restaurants the next time you are in London…!
Honey & Co – amazing middle eastern
The Palomar – great Israeli food
Barrafina – best Spanish food in town (original Dean St location is tops)
La Petite Maison – gorgeous French food in buzzy atmosphere
HIX Soho – modern British
Kanda-Ya – the best ramen
London is on my bucket list of places to travel, I’m definitely going to come back to this post if I get the chance to go anytime soon.
~Kimberly | Along For The Ride
you found some neighbourhoods that seem to come out of another era…wooooow I will pin it for when I will go to London
http://7-sevendays.blogspot.com/
Beautiful photos in London! I can’t wait to go back and do some more exploring. I’ve so much about the restaurant Sketch, it looks so cool
xx
http://anoddgirl.blogspot.com.au
This is a great guide indeed. Don’t you find Peggy Porshen cakes cute?
http://www.docdivatraveller.com
Last time I was in London (studying abroad) my friend and I stayed in an Airbnb in Kensington and it was so fun! I’m dying to get back and see all those parks. Lovely photos as always.
xoxo Logan
http://www.habitsandhues.com
There are so many beautiful spots in London!
https://www.upyourvlog.com
Hi,
Do you have any suggestions for where to travel outside of London? We will be there for 1 week and want to travel around as well! Any suggestions would be great. thank you!