Heading to London is a bit like buying your first, real nice suit. It’s a worthy investment for most, but it takes some planning to get it done right. It’s an enormous city that you can easily lose your bank account to, so plan and budget carefully. Like, very carefully. A few suggestions on what to wear, do, eat and drink in London for the guy on a Dappered-Style budget follow.
Style
- Layers – Yes. Between the clouds, rain, sun, and hot/stuffy Underground, wear layers.
- Bringing your most comfortable pair of dress shoes – Yes. London is a town people walk in.
- Wearing your most expensive shoes – No. Old & uneven roads = lots of toe dings.
- Jeans & Cotton Blazer – 100% Yes.
- Feeling out of place because “smart casual” is rare – No. Londoners are either business ready or all hipster. Your inbetween look will stand out in a good way.
- A dual or world time watch – Yes.
- Looking at what time it is at home – Not for the first two days. You’ll kick jet lag if the time in London is the only time on your mind.
- Cutaway / extreme spread collars – Yes.
- Button down collars – No.
- Solid or micro pattern ties – Yes.
- Tieless – Yes. Lots of it over there.
- Pocket squares – No. Not as much.
- Cotton Chinos – No. Suit or jeans. As already stated, not much inbetween.
- Bright colored chinos – Double no. Keep that stateside.
- Close cropped hair on the sides, long on top – Yes. It’s a good look that Londoners pull off well.
- Wallet – No.
- Card Case – Yes. Lots of sitting on the tube.
- Carrying your passport everywhere – No. Not necessary for the vast majority. Keep it under lock and key. And make copies of it before you leave and hand those over to someone you trust that you can get ahold of in case it’s lost or stolen.
Comfortable lace ups on the Prime Meridian. Notice the toe dings on the right & left..
Travel and Accommodations
- Virgin Atlantic – Yes, if you can swing it.
- Expecting a quick entry into the UK at Heathrow – No. Plan for an hour line. At least.
- Browsing Duty Free Shops – Yes.
- Buying something from Duty Free Shops – No. You really want to lug your purchase around?
- Hotel for a longer stay – No
- Rental for a longer stay – Yes
- House sitting for a friend with a place in London for a longer stay – Oh hell yes.
- Cabs – No. Only when neccessary.
- The Underground / Tube – Yes. Buy an Oyster Card and top it up as you go. If you’ve got a crap sense of direction, it might take some getting used to. But after you get the hang of it you really can get around without much trouble.
- Downloading the Google Map of London to your phone – Yes. Your GPS should still work. (hat tip to Paul for that suggestion)
- Carrying a few 50 pence pieces with you for public toilets – Yep. Not free there.
- Calling your bank/credit card companies and telling them you’re heading overseas – Yes.
- Paying with cash – Yes.
- Paying with a credit card – Yes.
- Paying with a debit card – No. You’ll get dinged on international charges. Check your card agreements.
Lots of hotel rooms, all of them expensive. Try to get a rental and cook a few times to save money.
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Food/Drink
- Neighborhood Pubs – 100% yes. Places like The Fox, The Prince Arthur, etc…
- Checking to make sure they haven’t added items to your bill – Yes. Sneaky bastards.
- Drinking strong, heavy beers – No. They’re few and far between over there.
- Drinking a beer (or two) with lunch – Yes. A “strong” ale in London is anything north of 5%. Most are around 4%.
- “Real Ales.” – Yes. Look for this. That means they serve cask.
- Bishops Finger – Yes.
- Brick Lane for Curry – Yes.
- BYOB to Brick Lane for Curry – Yes (most places don’t sell alcohol but encourage you to bring your own).
- Having a destination restaurant picked out – Yes. And have a backup too. There are guys in other restaurant’s doorways trying to get you to go to their place instead, carnie style. Not all of them are good. Nazrul is though.
- Liquor – No. It’s expensive and they skimp on pours. Stick to beer.
- Ordering tap water with your meal – Yes. It doesn’t just show up. You have to ask for it.
- Tipping – Yes, but go easy. Service is usually included. So stupid Americans over-tipping is a real thing.
- Fish and Chips – Yeah, you gotta do it once. BUT JUST ONCE.
- Traditional English Breakfast – Hell no.
For the most part, the Pubs aren’t dingy. The beer, the food, and the atmosphere can be top notch.
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Other Activities / The Sights
- Taking a Thames Clipper up the river – Yes
- And grabbing a Whiskey and Ginger from Marks & Spencer before hopping on the ferry – Double Yes.
- The London Eye – Yes, if your friends are buying (it’s expensive, but you do get a hell of a view).
- The Tower of London – Yes. Clever ravens. The audio tour is a good investment at 4 extra pounds.
- Picadilly Circus – Mneh. You good with crowds? It’s the Times Square of London. Lots of people.
- The Tate Modern – No. It’s free though.
- The Royal Observatory – Yes. Pay the pounds to see the clocks that helped the expand the world’s understanding of itself. Especially cool for watch fans.
- Buckingham Palace From the street – Yes. Look at it, then move on.
- Buckingham Palace Tour – No. The lines are crazy. Can’t imagine they show you much.
- Taking the 1 hour train to Brighton – Yes.
- The borough of Hackney – Yes.
- The West End – No.
- Shopping – Leaning heavily towards no. There’s hardly any inbetween. It’s either Gucci, Burberry, or paying respects on Savile Row, or random store fronts that look like they were pulled out of Tijuanna. UPDATE: Check out apm’s comment below. He’s a London Dappered reader, and has basically put together a shopping guide to the city. Nice work and many thanks to him!
- People watching – Yes. Hard to do though since no one makes eye contact. London is a city of individuals.
- Car watching – Good Grief Yes. There are two types of cars in London. Micro compacts and high end luxury cars. Ferraris, Aston Martins, saw a Benz SLS, a Shelby in a deep forrest green…
The pods of the London Eye. It ain’t cheap, but it’s something you’ll remember.
Been to London and have some input? Live there now and as a UK Dappered reader want to add something? Leave it in the comments. Meanwhile, lots more to do in London over here courtesy of DrivingInertia.com
well, having been to London many times, I must say this is very biased guide, but I suppose what guide isn’t, eh?
Great suggestions. I could go for a real ale and a curry..
British Museum. You’ll never see all of it, but go see what you can.
well, having spent quite a bit of time on the internet, I must say this comment adds little of value, but I suppose what comment does, eh?
I’d also add the British Library. Gutenberg bible? Shakespeare’s manuscripts? It’s right next to St. Pancras Station and it’s free. Do it.
My list would also include:
– Cafes in SoHo. Flat White. Fernandez and Wells. Monmouth.
– *Not* Virgin Atlantic. Great marketing and the Clubhouse in Heathrow is cool but their in-air food and service are severely overrated. I’d stick with British Airways. (In business class. In coach cheapest is best).
– Food from Britain’s former colonies. London has some amazing Cantonese and Indian cuisine.
Love London. One of my favorite cities in Europe.
During last year’s visit in London, for me every day started with a full English breakfast. So delicious.
For a nice tour of a futbol (soccer?) stadium, go to the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) in Islington. Probably the best pitch in England, maybe all of Europe.
Second- the Parthenon stuff is definitely worth it. Incredible building and collections. British war museum, also cool
If you’re on a longer trip – I’d add take the train. British rail is great, and you can see a lot of stuff in a day trip. Ride from Paddington up to Oxford, or a bit further to see Warwick castle (cool town too). Windsor is a nice trip as is a ride south to Portsmouth. The Royal Shipyard down there is cool.
If you have the chance, or are travelling with a significant other, try going on the eye at night. Impressive.
Oh and for breakfast – bacon sandwich on brown toast with brown sauce….. Yes please.
First time in London and my hotel is right around the corner from the British Museum. I arrive really early after a bumpy trans-Atlantic flight and can’t check in for a number of hours. So I head over to the museum trying to take everything in, but jet lag hits me big time. I sit on a bench right in front of the Rosetta Stone (yes, THE Rosetta Stone). Here the greatest discovery of the ancient world is in front of me and I’m nodding off. Of course, I made a return trip when fully awake.
– London is great for shopping (go for English brands, not your Gucci’s), though it can be more expensive than the US.
– London is great for dress shirts, where you can get quality shirts for 4 for £100 on Jermyn Street. Check out TM Lewin, Charles Tyrwhitt, Pink, etc.
– London is great for suits. I love our suitsupply store just off Saville Row, highly recommend.
– Wear your casual slim chinos in London, especially the uniquely coloured ones. Brick red and dark tan are very popular here. Skip your jeans (unless skinny and going for the hipster look). If you want to pick up a pair, I recommend Ben Sherman @ Covent Garden.
– London is great for Made in England shoes. The best quality for value brand I’ve found is Barker (they have a store on Regent Street)
– Look for the tax refund sticker on shop windows – you’ll be able to claim back your VAT (20% sales tax built into the price) when you leave the country.
– If you like men’s fashion but don’t want to spend money, I’d suggest doing some window shopping. Start on Jermyn Street, head through the Royal Arcade, cross Picadilly Street and walk through Burlington Arcade, turn right and you’ll be at Saville Row. I wasn’t used to seeing so many men’s only fashion stores when I first arrived here!
– If you’re looking for lunch, try out Borough Market (Thursdays to Saturdays, till 5pm) near London Bridge station. Lots to explore near by.
– If you’re looking for a fun wine bar, try Gordon’s (at Embankment station) – my favourite. If you want a seat inside, arrive before 4pm, otherwise they have a great garden you can sit in.
~London Dappered reader
You nailed it with the haircut: short on the sides/long on top. Hadn’t seen that look before my week there this summer but matched with a european cut suit, it was a dapper look. Also: no sneakers! Even your pair of all-stars or Jack Purcells will be out of place. London is a great town but you won’t be doing your wallet any favors.
I really loved Westminster Abbey when I went. I don’t remember much else as it was 13 years ago and I was only 16. I also spent two days in London and a month in Plympton visiting family.
Haha – one can only recommend what one’s seen eh?
The history and science museums are well worth the visit as well. And they’re both free!
I’ve been a few times now. London is my absolute favorite city. Other tips:
-The cathedrals all have a daily Evensong service that’s really great to listen to the choirs if you are into that. I love it.
-There are some thrift/vintage markets where Barbours are aplenty and you can pick yourself up a deal
-If you want to check out a show, a lot of the theaters have student standby tickets for very cheap an hour or two before the show. I went to two musicals using this strategy.
-I think the guided tour at the Tower of London is really worth the money. You can learn a lot and the guides are Beefeaters, and many of them are pretty funny. It’s cheesy, but fun.
I’ve had great experiences on both BA and Virgin
I would recommend the big markets. Borough, Camden etc. if you have time. Loads to see and eat. Also the Covent Garden street performers. They’re awesome.
Btw, whats wrong with the English Breakfast? Its delicious and a guaranteed hangover cure.
And most of the public museums in London are free, too. The British Museum has incredible stuff from Mesopotamia, Egypt, medieval England, and more. The Royal Art Gallery is also amazing, and free. I like museums, so that’s up my alley though… I even loved Tate Modern.
Having spent quite a bit of time in London I agree almost wholy with this list. Very fun read!
A couple additions:
I actually recommend the Tate Modern to friends heading over. The building is beautiful in an industrial sort of way and it is enjoyable to walk across the Millennium bridge over the Thames if you’re coming from the old City of London area.
While I agree the underground is a FANTASTIC method of transportation when in London, I also recommend the bike rentals. You see them all over town and they are a great way to see unique parts of the city that you miss when all your traveling occurs in the tubes.
Thanks again, love the site. And, yes, not a fan of the English Breakfast.
I have one word for y’all: Primark. That store is like old navy+uniqlo+H&M combined, except that it’s even cheaper than all of them and frankly better than old navy and H&M. Products are surprisingly good quality as well.
I lived in London for close to 17 years – the one thing that made Americans stand out? They were alwmost always trying too hard, looking too conscious of the way they looked, too groomed.
Most Londoners look like they’ve just put on the first thing they found on the floor when they got out of bed. They didn;t of course – it’s a carefully cultivated thing. The secret is to not make it obvious.
Awesome tips! Full disclosure: I didn’t head there looking to shop, so it was sorta whatever I came across while heading to other things. Some touristy, some not touristy destinations, and I just didn’t run across anything other than the big names (UK or not) and the tiny stores.
Didn’t see any of the colored chinos while there. Maybe I’m so used to seein’ em now that they don’t register.
Shoulda gone to the SuitSupply store. Great call. Thanks again apm…
Oh man. If that look is carefully cultivated, then I’m glad I was “standing out.” in slim/straight jeans and a navy cotton blazer. Nobody really looked comfortable in their “my hamper puked on me” getups. Obviously not my thing, and just my opinion, but it looked awfully… well it didn’t look like they weren’t trying. In fact, a lot of it looked like they were a little too hard.
atmosphere kinda sucks though, that place just feels too big. IMO Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) was much better for that. Have heard White Hart Lane (Tottenham) is really good too
I could of really used this article back in May. I was traveling to London for work and had no clue what to wear.
I beg to differ on the Tate Modern. The top floor bar has a great view. Enjoy!
What’s wrong with the English breakfast? That picture you linked looks freaking delicious.
Good call on the Borough Market, and the area near London Bridge station. Fantastic food options, fun market to browse, and an all-around neat area to get lost in.
The Prince Arthur is an excellent pub. Also if you want to budget your money accordingly on food, they have a plethora of Preta Manger (sandwich shop) in London, very worthwhile. Yes to the British Museum, you could spend a whole day there without realizing it. Also, take the tube to Abbey Road, for all you Beatles fans out there. Like mentioned, the Oyster Card is a must for getting around London via the Tube, it is very quick and easy. Hike over to St, Pauls Cathedral as well if you want to get a very nice view of London (if you climb to the very top of the dome). One thing that I wish I had while I was there was a sense of style. I frown upon the things I wore back then. I am on the very right hand side.
I thoroughly agree about Borough Market. I would also strongly suggest the National Theatre. They do great work & tickets are sometimes as little as £5.
I have been to loads of matches at White Hart Lane. It is small ~25k but the fans are amazing.
If you have the time, a day out to Windsor is great; not just for the castle tour, but also to explore the small town there. And if you’re an aviation-nut like me, a day or half-day in the north of London at the Royal Air Force museum is worth the tube ride to the Colindale station and the 10-minute walk from there to the museum. Cheers!
I lived there for a few months. It’s a nightmare calorie-wise, but delicious and recommended at least once. Just run a little afterwards.
I work at London Bridge so know it well. I grab lunch at Borough Market most Thursdays and Fridays. It’s a pretty cool area to explore I think. You can pop out, see Tower Bridge and City Hall, take the Queen’s Walk past Borough Market, down to Tate Modern/Globe Theatre then end up at Southbank and Royal Festival Hall. For those with £’s to spend, I’d recommend trying a cocktail at Skylon (at Royal Festival Hall). They’re expensive (£11) but it has a great view of Westminster and some of the best cocktails in town (I go for Old Fashioned’s personally). It’s a bit fancy so dress up (you can very rarely be too dressy in London). If you want something cheaper, at that point cross Charing Cross bridge and try out Gordon’s Wine Bar (bottles for £15 to £20).
I’ve never been, but my cousin in London highly recommends Craven Cottage (Fulham FC) for matches. Much easier to get tickets and he said the fans are solid.
Also wanted to add that taking a train over to Oxford for a day trip is worth it too. Really scenic area.
Well said. Seems like “trying to hard” is more appropos for a carefully cultivated out of bed look than a cleaned up, polished look. Just my opinion.
The War Museum is pretty interesting, too, if you’re at all intrigued by WWI and II.
And I would disagree and say “yes” on the Tate Modern. You can get a great retrospective of the conversation right up to the point where it became pointless. The audio tour of the building itself I found to be especially interesting. And if you time it right, when you’re done you can go next door to The Globe for a show. Stand with the groundlings, Dapperedman.
I’d say yes to West End for at least one show. There’s a lot of great theatre in this world, Joe, don’t be afraid to advocate for it! Also, the Globe Theater is a neat sight if you find yourself in the area.
Why on earth is the Tate Modern a no?
I’m… not afraid to advocate for great theater.
London is brilliant, Mr. Bond.
I flew Vigin Atlantic and it was great. Westminster Abby, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and the London Eye are great places, in my opinion.
Most fitness experts recommend breakfast be the biggest meal of the day anyways. Worth a shot.
Great write-up.
Was talking with a London colleague last week, who stated that their business formal attire is almost a uniform across London.
– Black shoes (no brown)
– French cuff (no breast pocket)
– Navy/Charcoal suits
Nothing else. Pretty shocked. Thought the brown shoes and light grey suits would have been a prevalent
apm has it below. This is a very odd post for this site, which is usually informative. The bits about chinos, jeans, and shoes are way off. No Tate Modern? Well, sorry but if you get a chance to go to one of the finest modern art museums in the world, just go ahead and stop in. A lovely walk across the bridge to get there.
London fashion is far less groupthink than this post makes it out to be. Just don’t wear big pony polos and be a hospitable person. Done. Quality Londoners have a well-tuned radar for good conversation partners.
Also… treat your cabby well.
Oxford? No, far closer and more rewarding to hit the bus to Cambridge, which has an epic Reiss store off of St. Johns. Then head a few blocks over for the charity shops.
This was a very poorly conceived post that does not seem to have been born out of experience. Full English breakfast? Who doesn’t hit that? Fish and chips once? Nonsense. Work your way through Mayfair on fish, chips, and pies. Best time of your gustatorial life.
No mention of Harrod’s food court is the tip off here. Dappered does a good job on a few things, but there is some shark jumping going on in this post.
What about stopping by Taylor of Old Bond Street or Castle Forbes for a straight razor shave and shave cream or soap?
The War Cabinet Rooms are the coolest historical site in London. Hands down. And don’t tip. There’s no need, it’s not expected and not a matter of courtesy.
And I second the comment below about chinos. Jeans are rare outside of Americans, other trousers are far and away the usual. There are plenty of non-hipster, non-business types.
I love to see this post – I’ll be starting grad school there next year. From my trip there a few years ago:
– Go East, Young Man: some people say (at least before the Olympics) that East London is “scary,” 100 years of dilapidation + some riots. Ignore that. The best food and art is there.
– Street food is the way to go. Proper Restaurants are rarely as good of a deal.
– The London Eye: Only the first time you’re in London. I went, and it was fun. But if you’ve been to London before, just skip it.
– Uniqlo: Grab some stuff there if you’re from the midwest. I got a great flannel shirt there for 15 pounds and wish I had another.
– Pret A Manger: Why can’t we have more of these in the US?
– Meat pies: ditto the Pret comment. Waitrose, Mark and Spencer, and countless other places have great meat pies. Get them, but make sure they’re not the shitty kind.
– DON’T be enticed by the fact that things look exciting and British. A lot of British chains, stores, and food is just as bad as the bad stuff in the US. It just looks fancier and comes with an accent. I’m looking at you Nero and Costa Coffee.
Agreed!
I picked up a slim tie+ cufflinks on sale for £1 (Polyester but didn’t look it) that I wear all the time. 2 Pairs of dess pants with a fantastic fit for £7 each and 2 dress shirts for £4 each.
Yes, they’re something like a 80%Cotton 20% Polyester blend but they actually feel really nice and look fantastic (especially the pants). I’ve been kicking myself for the last year for not buying a slim-cut white linen suit for £50.
A bit of an unfair criticism given that Yes/No opinions are inherently subjective. Based on Joe’s experience, that was what he came up with. I’ve spent a pretty decent amount of time in London and agree with many of his points. Given I work in finance, I’d say the fashion sense (at least in the City) is pretty uniform. Dark suits, no tie, no belt, etc. While this most likely is not representative of the whole of British fashion, it is illustrative of the point that one’s experience will color (colour?) one’s opinion. Also, as a trip to London is usually subject to time constraint it makes sense to me to limit your intake of Fish and Chips – get some variety. There is a ton of great food in London. But a Full Breakfast is a must do at least once.
If you like modern art, sure hit the Tate. Personally not for me. I prefer the British Museum, Imperial War Museum, Royal Observatory, and the War Rooms. I second whoever else recommended East London, definitely worth exploring. Likewise, Cambridge may be great, but that does not take away from Oxford also being a nice trip. Enough things in London to suit every taste.
Or first visit to London was two weeks ago (9 days total)
– Had a awesome stay at the Bloomsbury hotel (walking distance to Soho, Covent Garden and Oxford). Next time we will rent a flat/apartment.
– We did not like the Tate museum but enjoyed walking over the Millenium bridge. Make sure to stop in Postman’s Park (a little hidden oasis where the locals go on lunch break)……… We liked the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum!
– We loved and hated window shopping on Saville Row (good lord, those Crockett And Jones shoes are nice). We came back to reality and bought shoes at Topman (a pair of house-brand Topman shoes, a pair of shoes by ‘Dune’ and another pair of shoes by ‘Berti’). I also bought a pair of Barker that was on sale at John Lewis department store. I bought an inexpensive but sharp blazer at Mark and Spencer. I also bought a few things at Primark (that place was insanely crowded though)
– We ate Fish & Chips at the Rock & Sole Place and another at the Golden Hind.
– London has the best Indian food ….. IMHO
– We took pictures of the London Eye but did not ride it, too long of a line. Instead, we took the touristy riverboat cruise from Westminster Pier to Greenwich (so glad we did) and had the best craft beers (Meantime Brewing Company for the win) and burgers at the Greenwich Union pub. Great beer ‘bible’ list, flights of beers, friendly staff, small beer garden. This was the best!
– The street food at both the ‘Sunday Up-Market’ (go on Sunday) and Brick Lane is amazing. My wife bought a nice pair of shoes at the ‘Old Spitalfields Market’. We also went to the Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill) and ate, drank and ate. (check out the Castle Pub)
– I brought with me dark jeans, blazers, 2 pairs of dress pants, brown/black brogues (rubber soles) and I was good-to-go for the trip. I didn’t see anyone wearing chinos/khakis. I did see quite a few men wearing brown shoes contrary to what others say.
– Eat at the Barrafina, it is delicious Spanish-Basque tapas!
– We did a “one night” in Paris and traveled from London to Paris via the Eurostar just to experience it. We wanted to go to Belgium but our budget did not allow for it.
– We had one English breakfast (well,I had ‘soldiers and eggs’, I guess that is traditional?). We also had one proper Sunday roast.
– Drink at the ‘Nightjar” in Hoxton, great cocktail bar (a little up-market though)
– Have beers at the ‘Spice Of Life’ in Soho: non pretentious, come as you are bar with good music. one of our go-to-favorites while we were in London.
– Have beers at the ‘The Craft Beer Co’, probably our favorite beer bar that we tried.
Other notables where we drank were the Draft House Tower Bridge, The Gunmakers, College Arms and the The Churchill Arms (the back of the pub has a surprise, a pretty damn good Thai restaurant)
Or first visit to London was two weeks ago (9 days total). We live in the USA.
– Had a awesome stay at the Bloomsbury hotel (walking distance to Soho, Covent Garden and Oxford). Next time we will rent a flat/apartment.
– We did not like the Tate museum but enjoyed walking over the Millenium bridge. Make sure to stop in Postman’s Park (a little hidden oasis where the locals go on lunch break)……… We liked the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum!
– We loved and hated window shopping on Saville Row (good lord, those Crockett And Jones shoes are nice). We came back to reality and bought shoes at Topman (a pair of house-brand Topman shoes, a pair of shoes by ‘Dune’ and another pair of shoes by ‘Berti’). I also bought a pair of Barker that was on sale at John Lewis department store. I bought an inexpensive but sharp blazer at Mark and Spencer. I also bought a few things at Primark (that place was insanely crowded though)
– We ate Fish & Chips at the Rock & Sole Place and another at the Golden Hind.
– London has the best Indian food ….. IMHO
– We took pictures of the London Eye but did not ride it, too long of a line. Instead, we took the touristy riverboat cruise from Westminster Pier to Greenwich (so glad we did) and had the best craft beers (Meantime Brewing Company for the win) and burgers at the Greenwich Union pub. Great beer ‘bible’ list, flights of beers, friendly staff, small beer garden. This was the best!
– The street food at both the ‘Sunday Up-Market’ (go on Sunday) and Brick Lane is amazing. My wife bought a nice pair of shoes at the ‘Old Spitalfields Market’. We also went to the Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill) and ate, drank and ate. (check out the Castle Pub)
– I brought with me dark jeans, blazers, 2 pairs of dress pants, brown/black brogues (rubber soles) and I was good-to-go for the trip. I didn’t see anyone wearing chinos/khakis. I did see quite a few men wearing brown shoes contrary to what others say.
– Eat at the Barrafina, it is delicious Spanish-Basque tapas!
– We did a “one night” in Paris and traveled from London to Paris via the Eurostar just to experience it. We wanted to go to Belgium but our budget did not allow for it.
– We had one English breakfast (well,I had ‘soldiers and eggs’, I guess that is traditional?). We also had one proper Sunday roast.
– Drink at the ‘Nightjar” in Hoxton, great cocktail bar (a little up-market though)
– Have beers at the ‘Spice Of Life’ in Soho: non pretentious, come as you are bar with good music. one of our go-to-favorites while we were in London.
– Have beers at the ‘The Craft Beer Co’, probably our favorite beer bar that we tried.
Other notables where we drank were the Draft House Tower Bridge, The Gunmakers, College Arms and the The Churchill Arms (the back of the pub has a surprise, a pretty damn good Thai restaurant)
I studied abroad in brighton, and honestly no other city has come so close to feeling so welcoming and home-y. The people are fantastic, so many varied bars, even the nightclub scene is great [for someone who cant stand that kind of thing.] its the place you just buy a huge box of fried chicken and a bottle of wine and sit on the rocky beach with some pals
I’ve been there several times as well! I love that the food that you purchase in restaurants there tastes completely homemade. That was a wild trip, I went with a large group of ladies
One place to check out is the Paul Smith sale shop on Brook Street. Selection is somewhat random but deeply discounted, usually great deals on cuff links and accessories.
On our recent trip we did quite well browsing the stock at a couple of TK Maxx stores – made some especially good buys at the one near the London monument. Also some good sports gear – clothes and shoes at great prices by comparison to Australia (maybe not so much compare with USA) – at Lillywhites – a huge 5 or 6 level store at Piccadilly Circus.