Now I’m definitely not the best person to advise on the best places to visit, where to eat, drink, shop, have fun, whatever when it comes to London, Lily is your gal for all that. She even has a whole category dedicated to it! So check out those parts before reading on. Mark and I have recently been spending a lot of our weekends in Birmingham or Brighton with friends and family, but when we are in London come a Saturday or Sunday we like to spend at least one of those days doing some city-based and exploring our surroundings. We’ve lived here for almost three years now, so I thought I’d sum-up some of the best days out we’ve had at the weekend and give you a bit of inspiration if you’re heading to the big smoke soon…
1. Get a Boris Bike or Just Generally Go Outside. The day that Mark and I got a Boris Bike was one of the most hilarious days of my life. They say you never forget how to ride a bike. Well… Despite almost falling in the river it was a good laugh. The Regent’s Canal is a nice place to ride along. If you fancy a nice walk then Hampstead Heath is beautiful and gives you an amazing view of the city. I love Victoria Park as well, especially the cute cafe, Pavilion, in the middle of the park where you can watch the ducks in the pond while having amazing salmon and scrambled egg on toast.
2. Be a Tourist. Being a tourist in your own city is a good thing to do sometimes. I used to do it with Mark when he came to visit me in Brighton and ended up seeing things I had never even seen before despite living their all my life. Some of our best weekends in London have been spent looking round museums and local attractions. If you find yourself in the Covent Garden area then the British Transport Museum is a good laugh (if a little pricey). The Science Museum is huge and would take you days to see it all, but is well worth the aching legs for. The Cutty Sark and the surrounding Greenwich Village is a great place to visit (plus there’s a nice market with an amazing sweet shop there too!).
3. Mooch Around Soho. Mark and I did this a few weekends ago and had a great time perusing the streets of Soho. There’s just so much to see and do. We ended up browsing the Made Showroom (who knew they had a showroom?) and grabbing some lunch to go from Muriel’s Kitchen which we ate in Golden Square, before having one of the best cinnamon buns I’ve ever had in my life from The Nordic Bakery and wandering around Carnaby Street. If you fancy some dinner after all that mooching then Jackson + Rye is where you want to head.
4. Visit a Market. Markets are great fun, even if you don’t buy anything. Though it’s practically impossible to walk through a not pick up a freshly baked doughnut. In terms of food and homemade knick knacks I love Broadway Market which is on every Saturday in Hackney. Portobello is another great one too to visit on Saturday’s, but just be prepared for things to be a little more packed. On Sunday’s Columbia Road Flower Market is where it’s at. Again, it’s busy but if you can wedge yourself down the crowed narrow street then there are some real flower bargains to be had. Pop to Long White Cloud afterwards for a bit of brunch.
5. Food Glorious Food. Now this is a paragraph that could probably go on forever. Even on weeks where we don’t go out much we still try and sneak in a date night somewhere. In terms of breakfast Riding House Cafe, The Breakfast Club and Greenberry Cafe are my favourite. Lunch at any of the Ottolenghi Deli’s are unrivalled and for dinner I love Patty & Bun if I’m in the burger mood, Homeslice for pizza, Polpo for Italian and Casa Negra for Mexican. But there are more recommendations here and check out Lily’s London foodie video for loads of suggestions. Bon appétit.
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