London Bucket List

/ Yale Wanders

When I announced I was moving to London, I could not have been more excited.

If you know me, you know I’ve had serious heart eyes for London since visiting the city for the first time as a college freshman. 

And like any major city, there’s no shortage of ways to fill your time. London is a place that takes months- even years- to truly explore and appreciate.

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Having only lived in London for a little over a month, I’m already falling hard for the city I’ve loved getting to know on previous trips. I’m excited to explore more of this city, England and surrounding Europe.

I have a feeling my ‘to-do’ list while I’m here will be ever-evolving, but here’s what’s at the very top in this moment.

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To-Do in London

  • Afternoon tea at a few different places
  • Try out a bunch of yoga studios until I find my favorite
  • Fully embrace pub-culture, including Sunday roast
  • Wander London’s different neighborhoods
  • Discover the best vegetarian restaurants this city has to offer
  • Go on a self-created street art tour of Shoreditch
  • Tour the state rooms at Buckingham Palace
  • Embrace my inner nerd and tour the Harry Potter studios
  • Visit Borough Market as often as possible (I’m only a 15 minute Tube ride away, no reason not to), and check out other markets I have yet to visit, like Druid Street and Camden Market
  • Visit the city’s best museums (British Museum, National History museum), and check out some of the city’s art galleries
  • Determine a few English traditions to take part in- like soccer matches
  • Do all of the touristy things and love every minute of it. With so many friends planning visits to see me, I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the classic tourist activities- like the London Eye, Westminster Abbey and seeing a show or two in the West End
  • More to come!

To-Do in the UK

  • Plan day trips to visit some of England’s castles, I’ve already been to Windsor and Hampton Court, but want to revisit both
  • Head to Mayfield to see the Lavender fields
  • Spend a weekend at a spa in the English countryside
  • Stonehenge!
  • Weekend trips to: Bath, Canterbury, Oxford, Brighton, Leeds, Cardiff, York, The Cotswolds, Cambridge and Dover
  • A road trip around the Scottish highlands, visiting whisky distilleries and perhaps with a stopover in Glasgow

To-Do in Europe

I want to travel throughout Europe (and Asia!) as much as possible while I’m in the UK. With flights being shorter and cheaper, weekend trips are going to become my new favorite thing.

Here’s a short (okay, medium) list of the places topping my list- it’s a mix of places I’ve been and cities I have yet to discover.

  • Ireland: Dublin
  • France: Paris, Colmar, Monaco, Strasbourg, Caen
  • Switzerland: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern
  • Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville
  • Italy: Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi
  • Greece: Athens, Mikonos, Santorini
  • Croatia
  • The Faroe Islands
  • Iceland: Time to do that proper road trip around the country
  • Austria: Vienna
  • Germany: Munich, Frankfurt
  • The Netherlands: Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam
  • Sweden: Malmo, Stockholm, Gothenburg
  • Norway: Oslo, The Lofton Islands
  • Findland: Helsinki
  • Portugal: Lisbon
  • Czechia: Prague
  • Poland: Warsaw, Krakow
  • Denmark: Copenhagen & the Danish countryside

And, outside of Europe, places that I’ll be a bit closer to: 

  • Marrakesh
  • South Africa
  • The Seychelles
  • Bali
  • Thailand
  • Cambodia
  • Vietnam
  • Japan
  • Hong Kong
  • Philippines
  • Australia

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2 thoughts on “London Bucket List”

  1. Thanks love, these recommendations are awesome! And, I may have to hit you up for recommendations on Colmar and Strasbourg- both are on my list to visit while I’m here 🙂

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  2. If you haven’t already been, the Saatchi Gallery (nearest tube: Sloane Square) is well worth checking out – a pretty eclectic mix of modern art and free entry. In terms of English traditions… come late June, it’ll be all about Wimbledon, Bonfire Night (5th Nov.) later in the year is not to be missed (assuming you’re still in the UK then) and there’s also days celebrating the patron saints (doubtless you’re familiar with St. Patrick’s Day, but you may find events for St. David’s Day, 1st April, St. George’s Day, 23rd April and St. Andrew’s Day, 30th Nov.) If you want any tips on Leeds, Colmar or Strasbourg, drop me a line – I studied in Leeds so know the city pretty well, and spent my year abroad in Colmar with regular trips to Strasbourg.

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