How to Spend a Day in London

There are a million different ways to spend a day in the English capital – the possibilities are virtually endless. In May, just before we returned to Canada, we hoped an early morning Eurostar train from Paris – Gare du Nord to St. Pancras station, with return tickets for the same evening. A day-long isn’t enough to build a whole city guide around, so I’ve decided to share our itinerary. You never know when life may take you to London, and you might need some inspiration when you arrive…!

A Day in London

8:32 am – Arrive at St. Pancras Station and head straight to nearby Dishoom for breakfast. We’d heard nothing but good things about this restaurant, and it did not disappoint. I’m still dreaming of my bacon naan roll!

9:45 am – Buy an Oyster Card (or fill yours, if you have one from your last visit) and hop the tube to Oxford Street. It’s still early, with most shops closed, which means it’s the quietest time to wander around and just get a little lost. We took outfit photos on our walk, before the streets got too crowded.

10:30 am – Amble your way to Selfridge’s for a well-deserved browse through all the lovely things. I lingered far too long over a Smythson of Bond Street travel wallet but eventually came to my sense and left it behind.

11:15 am – Make your way back to Liberty of London. This might seem illogical but the flowers don’t get delivered to Liberty until about eleven in the morning and they’re one of my favourite parts of visiting the store, so I don’t ever go too early.

11:40 am – Next stop: Fortnum and Mason. The shop is a must-visit for me whenever I’m in London, and I always stock up on tea when I’m there. I am usually tempted to buy everything, but most often manage to leave just with tea.

12:00 pm – Take a walk towards Trafalgar Square, taking in the sights as you go.

12:30 pm – Lunch time. The restaurant we chose, sadly, does not even merit a mention it was such a disappointment. There are many great spots in London, choose one that catches your eye.

1:15 pm – Visit the National Gallery. Admission to most museums in London is free, so we choose a new one to visit every time we’re in the city. We love the British Museum best, but the National Gallery was certainly worth the visit.

3:00 pm – No visit to London is complete without a cream tea. We had a restaurant in mind, but plans went awry, as they sometimes do. In the end, we returned to Fortnum and Mason for tea at The Parlour. It was the cutest little cafe ever and the scones were a dream. No regrets.

4:00 pm – Take in the sights. I always visit Big Ben when we’re in London, even though it’s not new to me. We walked there, past the new Women of World War II monument, which I absolutely love.

5:00 pm – Walk to Convent Garden. This little area is slowly losing its character as shops like Laduree move in to homogenize it, but I still love to explore it – there’s always something lovely to see.

6:30 pm – Take the tube back to St. Pancras Station. Stop at Boots to buy snacks before hopping on the train back to Paris!