London for First-Timers (Travel Lemming Podcast #12)

Planning a trip to London? Watch this before you go! Travel Lemming local creator Brooke Horrobin tells everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to London, UK. Brooke dishes her top attractions, where to stay, how to get around, travel tips, and safety in London.

Brooke also gives her top restaurants, pubs, and day trips that you can’t miss.

 

📰 Articles from Travel Lemming.com

-All London travel guides: 

-Things to do: https://travellemming.com/things-to-do-in-london/ 

-Where to stay: https://travellemming.com/where-to-stay-in-london/ 

-London Restaurants: https://travellemming.com/restaurants-in-london/ 

-Itinerary: https://travellemming.com/london-itinerary/ 

-Safety: https://travellemming.com/is-london-safe/ 

-When to visit: https://travellemming.com/best-time-to-visit-london/ 

-On a budget: https://travellemming.com/london-on-a-budget/ 

-Day trips: https://travellemming.com/day-trips-from-london/ 

#London #LondonTravel #LondonTips #UK

Segment Timestamps

00:00:00 – Teaser

00:00:39 – Introduction

00:03:13 – Why London Is Special

00:04:17 – Who Will Love London

00:05:59 – Sports Culture & Events

00:08:06 – Common Misconceptions

00:10:17 – Sights & Attractions

00:21:03 – Top Restaurants

00:23:10 – Best Bars

00:24:55 – Favorite Pubs

00:26:10 – Easy Day Trips

00:31:02 – How Long to Spend in London

00:32:50 – Sample Itinerary

00:36:34 – Neighborhoods to Stay

00:38:49 – Hotels

00:42:22 – Budget Tips

00:46:41 – Getting Around

00:50:24 – Best Time to Visit

00:52:23 – Safety Tips

00:55:05 – Common Mistakes & Etiquette

01:00:16 – Final Advice & Outro

 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
If you're planning a trip toLondon, you're going to want
to listen to this podcast.
Here's a 30 second teaser of this episode.
every restaurant likes toact like it's exclusive.
So basically if you want to gosomewhere nice, You have to look to
book it two weeks to a month in advance
I think trying to get a bit ofa local experience, goes a long
way and really helps you ingrain,your experience in the culture.

(00:22):
I think London is a very safe city.
One thing I will say to reallylook out for is, there's a lot
of phone crime in the touristareas I wouldn't hold my phone out
while I'm walking down the street
Tipping is actually not really part ofthe culture here, which I know very, is
very different from what we're used to.
All right, folks.
So I'm joined here by Brooke Horbin.

(00:42):
Brooke is Travel Lemming's localguide for the City of London.
She moved to London about five years ago.
You're from Canada, is that right, Brooke?
Yep.
From Windsor, Ontario.
Amazing.
Well, we're happy to have you here today.
I, before we get into it, Ijust want to ask you real quick.
What, after five years inLondon, what, what surprised
you the most about the city?

(01:02):
This might seem actually a bit obvious,but, I was really surprised by how
great the transport system is here.
So, coming from Canada, a lot of,even our bigger cities aren't super
well connected, and people oftenend up driving to a lot of places.
But the great thing about Londonis, if you don't drive, or if you
don't want to drive, there's somany different ways to get around.
Like, you can take the train, youcan walk, you can take the bus,

(01:25):
there's an overground and underground.
And yeah, I think personally the cityis best seen on foot, in my opinion.
But, if you are in a hurry, there arelots of other options for transport.
Yeah, that's good.
I mean, especially for Americanswho are used to car culture, one of
the attractions of traveling acrossthe Atlantic is being able to kind
of experience that different urbansystem where you do have so many

(01:47):
transportation options, so, very cool.
So, Brooke, tell us a bit about yourself,and a bit kind of about moving to
London and about writing for Travelon.
Yeah, so I moved to London,about five years ago.
Actually, I just had my five yearanniversary in January and, I
initially intended on staying fortwo years when I moved, but ended up
falling in love with London and now.

(02:09):
have stayed well past that time.
I come from Windsor, Ontario andCanada originally, and I've lived all
over Ontario just for university andthen starting my career in Toronto.
And I had always kind of had adesire to live abroad because I'm
really into traveling, but yeah,I had always wanted to experience
living, in a different country and.
I'm experiencing a different culture andI found London was a good fit because

(02:32):
I'm quite a city gal myself and it isjust a really easy city to adjust to.
Yeah, and so, you've now gotdozens of guides to London
for the listeners at home.
If you're planning atrip to London, just go.
Go to your favorite search engine,search travel lemming london,
and you'll find brooks guides.
I think in particular you have areally epic list of things to do.

(02:55):
A great list of restaurantslike you've been to.
I think it's worth over 70 restaurants orsomething and a guide to where to stay in
London, which is really important becauseLondon is such a big city and there's
so many different places to stay andwe'll get into that later in the podcast.
But if you're listening to this andyou're planning a trip, search Travel
Lemming London, go find those guides.
And I know Brooke, like you've helpeda lot of travelers in the comments,

(03:17):
especially on that where to stay guide.
Where they're planning theirtrip, and you're just kind of
giving them advice on that.
What would you say to someone who ismaybe, they're thinking about going
to London, but they have alternatives,there's many places they can go.
What specifically do you thinkmakes London a special destination?
Yeah, so I think London is justsuch a unique city in the sense

(03:38):
that it has so much history.
So, if you go somewhere likeNew York, you get, obviously New
York's an amazing city as well, butit's just a very different vibe.
Like, it's more of a concrete jungle,I find, and same with Toronto, and a
lot of other big North American cities.
So London, has so many historicattractions, and I think it just has
a very diverse range of things to do.
Like, I think It really appeals toso many different types of people.

(04:02):
Even if you're not someone who typicallylikes big cities, I think that you
could still find things that you likebecause there are some areas, obviously
that are a lot more touristy butthere's other areas that are, are a
lot more kind of remote feeling and itdoesn't feel like you're in a big city.
And I think, kind of spilling intothat, the fact that each neighborhood
is so different and unique, justgives it its charm and character.

(04:25):
So what what type of travelersdo you think in particular should
maybe consider a trip to London
Yeah, so I would say, peoplethat enjoy history and museums.
So, London is such anamazing city for museums.
They have museums and galleries on prettymuch like any topic under the sun, so.
If you want to learn about, the WorldWars, if you want to see modern art,

(04:48):
if you want to see, more historic art,if you want to learn about design and
architecture, like, there's literallyeverything that you can imagine.
And another great thing about that isthat a lot of these museums are free, so
they have options to give donations, andstuff just to keep them, refurbished, but,
that's a really great option for somethingto do if you are on a budget as well.

(05:10):
Another type of traveler, I would say,that would really enjoy London is foodies.
So, London is reallywell known for its food.
It's a very, very multicultural city.
So, there's cuisines for prettymuch every nationality that you
can imagine, that you can try.
There's always new restaurants popping up.
Like, I'm constantly, goingon TikTok and social media and

(05:33):
seeing all these new restaurants.
And that's actually my favorite, guideto update because Pretty much any time I
try a new restaurant, and I only, I onlyinclude the ones that I really like and
I've tried every single restaurant onthe list, but I find that there's just
so much good food here and then also atthe food markets, which is a whole other
experience because you can go with like afriend or a partner or your family and try

(05:56):
out a bunch of different cuisines at once.
so foodies history lovers Yeah, oh,
lovers as well.
London, I think football cultureis actually probably one of the
biggest sports cultures in the world.
And that was actually anotherthing that surprised me when I
moved here because I know how bigNorth American sports culture is.

(06:16):
And it's very differentin North America as well.
Because football fans are theirown kind of breed of person, so,
people get very, very into thefootball and, very dedicated.
Sometimes it gets a little bit rowdy even.
But yeah, football, rugby, and cricket arethe three most famous sports in the UK.
And then also, obviously, you haveworld class events like Wimbledon,

(06:37):
which everyone knows about,especially if you're a big tennis fan.
So definitely a destination for peoplethat are into sports also, luxury
travelers, I would say it's a great spot.
London definitely has a lot of veryhigh end establishments, so everything
from, private members clubs to luxuryhotels, they have some of the most
gorgeous luxury hotels in the world.

(06:58):
And also, a lot of really greatplaces to shop if you are looking
for your next design or purchase.
So, if you're looking to splurge alittle bit as well, it's definitely
a nice destination to visit.
Lots of reasons to go to London.
I go every year.
I was just there most recently in Novemberfor the annual world travel market.
And I think London is a really goodentry destination, specifically for

(07:21):
Americans and especially like Americanfamilies who have never traveled abroad.
Like if your passport has nostamps in it, London is a good
one to consider traveling to.
There's lots of connections.
They speak English.
It is.
A sort of good entry pointto international travel.
So, okay, so now let's talk about we geta lot of families that travel to London or

(07:41):
people who travel in groups and, you know,when I've gone, sometimes I get pushback
from folks about London as a destination.
I mean, there are people willsay like, oh, it's it's rainy or.
You know, it's, it's like, sojust gloomy like maybe London
is considered as overpriced.
Like, what would you say, if you have askeptic, if you're at home, and you're in
a family or you're in a group, and there'ssomeone who's just kind of not on board

(08:05):
with London, what would you say to that?
so that's actually funny that youmentioned the weather because I think
that's what a lot of people think ofwhen they think about where they're
going on holiday in Europe and that wassomething when I decided to move over
here a lot of my friends and family whodidn't want me to leave were like, are
you sure you want to move to London?
Like the weather is so rainy and gloomybut I think, honestly, and I can say this,

(08:28):
like, very, very honestly, after livinghere for five years, the city is just so
great that, like, even if the weather, ifyou're having not the best weather day,
you'll still manage to find things to do.
And I think the vibes of thecity are still so good that
it just, it makes up for it.
And I think in terms of the weather stuff,like, it's not, it's actually less rainy

(08:50):
than I thought it was going to be basedon what everyone said when I moved here.
We do get some reallynice time in the summer.
The winters are a lot milderthan other places as well.
So even if it is rainy, sometimesit will just rain for like patches.
So you're not gettinglike a full day of it.
And Yeah, I think, like, when theweather's good, London is, like, the

(09:12):
best place in the world to be, like,it's so vibrant, and you really see
that come to life, especially in thesummer and the autumn times of year, and
then, again, around Christmas, which iswhen, like, all of the lights go up and
everything, and they have all these,like, wonderful festivities, but I think
it just has this character to it that,that really makes up for it, so I think,
Don't get scared away by the weather.

(09:32):
Don't let it deter you because Ithink that you will still find that
you'll have a great time regardless.
Yeah, I, you know, my first visitto London, I didn't, it wasn't my
favorite right out of the gate.
And every time I've gone back, I've cometo appreciate it a little bit more as I
pull back more of a layer of the city.
Okay, so let's talk next.
I want to get into how to plana trip and we're going to go

(09:54):
over later in the podcast.
Things like how long you should plan for.
We'll kind of go over an ideal itinerary.
We'll talk about whereto stay in the city.
Budgeting issues, how tosave money, when to go.
Safety.
All of those trip planning things.
But first, let's just gothrough the favorites.
The essential experiencesand places to visit.
So, maybe right out of the gate,what would you say for someone

(10:16):
who's never been to London?
What are the essential placesto go for a first timer?
Yeah, so I think this, I'll startwith like a very obvious answer, but
I think the sites and attractionsare definitely worth visiting.
And this is somethingthat you could easily do.
In a day, just, by foot, so a lot of them,conveniently are located near each other.
So, like, Big Ben, BuckinghamPalace, Westminster Abbey, St.

(10:37):
Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge.
All of these are kind ofwithin walking distance of each
other, which is really great.
So, depending on where you're staying,you can either take transit down to
that area, I would say generally likeWestminster area, and wander around.
And I would really highly recommendwandering around these attractions by foot
or on a bike, because I just think thatthat's the best way to see everything.

(11:00):
And there's also some great hop onhop off bus tours as well if you did
decide that you wanted to take transitand you didn't want to walk as much.
I would also say anotheressential, that I would highly
recommend is visiting the market.
Market culture, it seems to be a bigthing in, in London and they have
markets on all different kinds of things.

(11:21):
So they'll have food markets,Borough Market is a very famous one,
located also near London Bridge.
So you could even Go around LondonBridge, Tower Bridge, and wander your
way over to the Borough Market andtry some of the very viral, food, like
the chocolate covered strawberrieson TikTok and, some other things.
And then there's also, marketsthat have lots of great, like,

(11:43):
antiques, vintage clothing.
So Shoreditch is actually,a wonderful area.
And I have a guide to that, on travel.
I mean, that goes a little bit deeperinto things that you can do in Shoreditch
if you decide to spend your day there.
They are known, that neighborhoodis specifically known, for having
like the best vintage stores ever.
It's like a wonderland forpeople that, love to thrift, so,

(12:03):
that's a great option as well.
And then I would also say, coming forevents that are like world class, so,
One that I've been to that I really loveis called Royal Ascot, so that's one
of those horse races events and you getdressed up for it, it's a nice day out.
Whether you decide that you want to betor not, I actually got really lucky and I

(12:25):
won my first bet, so if that's anything togo off of, it's definitely a fun day out
with a big group of friends, enjoy somepims and just watch the horse races and
What's PIMS?
Oh, Pimms, okay, so that is a very,famous drink in London, or actually in
the UK in general, and it's basicallythis liqueur, and it's it's kind of
fruity, and they mix it with lemonadeand mint and fresh fruit, so it's

(12:49):
a really, really nice summer drink.
It's kind of like, a British versionof sangria, I would phrase it
Interesting.
So they've got the Kentucky Derby hasthe mint julep and you've got Pimms for
Yes, exactly.
And that's also, very famousat Wimbledon as well, which
definitely highly recommend going.
I've been twice now and it'sprobably my favorite sporting

(13:09):
event that I've ever been to.
I think whether you're a tennisfan or not, it's, it's incredible.
And so sort of describe Wimbledonfor those who aren't tennis fans.
Yeah, so Wimbledon is like arguably thebiggest, um, tournament in the world.
And maybe people that are fans ofthe US Open would debate that, but
this is World renowned tennis event.

(13:30):
All of the big stars arethere and it's really great.
So there's a couple optionsthat you can do for Wimbledon.
You can enter the ballot.
So getting tickets To go to CentreCourt is actually quite challenging,
and I think that's almost what makesit more special if you do end up
getting the tickets, because it'svery exclusive, it's very, kind of
luck of the draw to get these tickets.
And then the other option is gettinggrounds tickets, and it's actually like

(13:52):
super affordable, and it's kind of likepart of the experience as well, so, I
believe the tickets are around 40, andyou do have to wait in a queue, and,
another very stereotypical thing aboutthe UK is that they love a queue here,
so this is like basically a big line ofpeople that you wait in, and they give
you a card with your number on it, and,they have like a bunch of food trucks
and like coffee stations and stuff set upso you can like Have stuff while you're

(14:16):
waiting in the queue, but that's justkind of like part of the experience.
And people go really early in themorning so that they have better
chances of getting in earlier.
So people typically show up, honestly,like probably as of like maybe 2,
3 a. m. I wasn't that dedicated.
I went out around 6 a. m. and I was stillwaiting for like five hours, but don't
let that, scare you off because it'sjust, it's It's such a good experience.

(14:38):
And then once you do get in, theyhave all these like really great brand
activations going into, the event.
And then you can go into all of theother, so the grounds tickets give
you access to all of the courts otherthan center court and, court two.
So basically you can watch.
A lot of matches, and then if youwant to watch the ones with, the
most famous tennis players on themain two courts, you can sit up on

(15:00):
the hill, with the pims and have aview of, the big screens from there.
So it's, it's such a fun day out.
And what time of year is that?
That is in July, so itruns for two weeks in July.
What are any other essentialexperiences you'd recommend to folks?
Yeah, so I think another thing that'sgreat about London and something
that's unique, to it that maybe someother big cities don't have is there's

(15:24):
a lot of really big green spaces.
So, the parks in London are phenomenal.
There's so many of them.
Some of my favorites are Battersea Park,which is in Southwest London, Greenwich
Park, which is in Southeast London.
And Greenwich is also quite afamous historic area as well.
So you could spend a whole dayarguably in that neighborhood.
And, Hampstead Heath is a really lovelypark, based in North London, and it

(15:48):
has a view overlooking all of London.
So It's, yeah, it's, I think every parkis unique and they're all quite big, so,
grabbing your friends and getting somebikes and just biking around the park,
or maybe if you go in the summertime,bringing a picnic and sitting up on the
hill is just such a lovely experience.
So last time I went, I saw a show,on West End for the first time.

(16:09):
I know theater is like quite a thing.
There's a ton of shows or strangerthings and a bunch of like big
brands that family would like.
Any thoughts about that?
yeah, honestly, West End shows are sucha good, activity to do in the evening.
So.
There's actually a lot of restaurantsaround Soho, which is like central
London, that offer theatre specific menus.

(16:30):
So they have, menus tailoredto people that are going to be
going to a show after dinner.
So you can kind of find somegood deals around there at, a
lot of really good restaurants.
And they have these likethree course set menus.
And then, that's like quite anice evening is to go for dinner
and then go to the show after.
So.
They have, different plays.
I know it kind of rotates based on,what shows are currently in town

(16:50):
and they usually have quite a fewdifferent, varieties of shows on.
So, there's a Harry Potter oneI know that's really popular.
There is Book of Mormon, which is acomedy, which is probably one of my
favorite musicals I've ever seen.
Yeah, it's a great one.
I, for listeners at home, you know, I was.
It was partially raised in thecommunity, so it's definitely
an interesting show to go watch.

(17:10):
Yeah, I think you learn a lotabout it as well, if you didn't
know before from going to see it.
I also saw Come From Away, whichis, about 9 11 and it's a true
story, it's about people that, gotstuck in Newfoundland in Canada.
And it was very heartwarming, likeit was, comedy, but there were
also some quite emotional parts.
And then we've had Wicked here, obviouslythat's It's the talk of the town right

(17:32):
now with the movie, coming out recently.
Hercules is coming out this year,as a brand new musical in London.
So that's, definitely onethat is worth checking out.
But there's so many, differentkinds of musicals that you can
go see that I think would tailorto lots of different audiences.
Like I know my dad isn't huge intomusicals and like we convinced
him to go with us when he was intown to visit and he loved it.

(17:54):
So, it is a really fun activity to do.
Yeah, it's a fun experience.
Okay, so anything else thatcomes to mind that you would say
to put at the top of your list?
Yeah, I would say, honestly,this sounds quite simple, but
just checking out the pubs.
So, pub culture is avery, very big thing here.
I would say not even just in London,but just in the UK in general.
And if you're Australian or you'vebeen to Australia, you know that

(18:17):
cafes are a big culture there.
So it's kind of the samething, but with pubs here.
The English people do love a drink.
But even if you're not a big drinker,I would say I would heavily recommend
visiting the pubs just because theyhave a lot of character to them and,
being from Canada and living in Toronto,I know that we had, some pubs, like
English pubs there, but they weren'tat all the same, when you finally

(18:38):
visit London, it's just so different.
But yeah, they're very charming.
And I think, especially in the winter,it's a great shout to go, to a pub.
and cozy up on like a Sundayafternoon and get a Sunday roast.
So that's like, a really traditionalmeal that a lot of families in
the UK have every single Sunday.
And you'll be able tofind this at every pub.
And it's just, it's a veryhearty, like heartwarming meal.

(19:02):
And, yeah, it's just a fun little place.
You could go, bring some games, playwith friends for a bit, watch the game.
They always are broadcasting whatever likebig sporting events happening at the time.
And yeah, there's just suchan atmosphere about the pub.
So I would definitely recommendmaybe doing a little pub
crawl while you're here.
very cool.
What about afternoon tea?
Any, I know that's a thing that a lot ofpeople sort of associate with Britain.

(19:25):
Yes, afternoon tea is another big one.
So actually fun fact about this is thatI think it comes across as it's just
this like light meal or tea, but youactually end up leaving extremely full
So you definitely got your money's worth.
I would say Typically afternoon tea isa little bit more on the high end side.
So If you're someone that the finerthings in life and maybe you consider

(19:48):
yourself a bit of a luxury traveler,I would highly recommend experiencing
this, and doing it properly.
So I'd say that means going toMayfair, which is one of the more
bougie parts of London, I would say.
And going and experiencing it atone of the five star hotels there.
So, my favorite place togo for afternoon tea is the
Dorchester, and it's in Mayfair.

(20:09):
It's a gorgeous hotel, and the servicethere was probably the best customer
service I've had since I've lived here.
And You get unlimited sandwiches,unlimited tea, and then you can
add champagne onto it and you getthese like really fancy little
cakes at the end as well, so it'sjust a lovely experience, to have.
Yeah, if you're interested, it remindsme there's an episode of The Office

(20:30):
where they have the Finer Things Cluband they do tea and they bring in,
you know, when they serve the tea,I don't know, they, on the little
tiered thing, they bring it all out.
It's such a, it's such a presentation.
So, an interesting one.
Okay, so we've talked abit about the essentials.
Now I just want to go over and justkind of quickly run through some
of your own personal favorites.
Places that you like, as someone who'sactually lived there for five years.

(20:51):
Restaurants, bars, I'll ask you,pubs, maybe like day trips, parks.
So, but let's start with restaurants.
I mean, you've got a guide to like over70 restaurants and you've got photos
from having eaten at all of them.
But if you had to narrow itdown, what are your faves?
All right, I'll narrow it downto three, all very different.
So I would say my number one absolutefavorite restaurant is called

(21:11):
Manteca and it's a pasta restaurant.
It's, nose to tail, so they cureall of their meats in house.
All of the pasta is made fresh.
They have a rotating menu, so theysometimes change out the different dishes
and, have a great wine selection as well.
And I would say.
It's really good to go with agroup of friends or with a partner.

(21:32):
It's quite a romantic atmosphere as well.
So it's a really, really lovely date spot.
And that's based in Shoreditch.
And then my other two favorites area restaurant called Baron Jack's.
So they actually have two locations.
And this is a Persian restaurant.
I had actually never tried Persianfood before going here, but I'm
a big fan of Middle Eastern foodand the portions are enormous.

(21:53):
So basically, the way that itworks is that you got to pick
a they have this tasting menu.
That's super, goodvalue for money as well.
And you can pick a starter and then amain and then they give you a bunch
of sides with it as well, and if yougo with a bigger group it's even better
because then you can try out all ofthe different items on the menu and
share everything because it's quite bigportions, so, and it's really high quality

(22:15):
food, the atmosphere is really, reallylovely as well, and then my other one,
it's actually a vegetarian and veganrestaurant called Bubbala, so, they have
two different tasting menus as well, Ithink last time I went it was about 40
pounds, so, they It's a person, which Ithink is for London is very reasonable.
You also get a lot of food with this.
And one thing that I love about,vegetarian and vegan restaurants is that

(22:37):
because you have less to work with interms of the meat, I find the flavors
of the food is always phenomenal.
Like they always do it so, so well.
And this is in Israeli restaurant.
And kind of like Mediterranean vibes.
So like a lot of like dips, a lotof, like different vegetables and
different variations, but with likereally tasty sauces and flavors.

(22:58):
And it's just, yeah, it's just amazing.
I love it.
And there's two, that onealso has two locations.
Okay.
So, I've eaten at acouple of those places.
Maybe I want to get a drink.
As a local living in London,where, what are your favorite bars?
Yeah, so, I would say I love awine bar, and that's something that
London does really, really well.
So, there's a specific neighborhoodactually in Islington, which is in

(23:21):
North London, that's super trendy.
It's kind of a street of just barsand restaurants called Exmouth Market.
And it's a great area to go out.
I think they cater to alldifferent types of drinks as well.
So there's, Ken's Wine Bar, whichis one of my favorite spots.
That actually only opened,I think a year or two ago.
So it's still relatively new, but it hasthis kind of like rustic charm inside.

(23:43):
Great selection of wine, and theyalso have some So if you wanted to
go for dinner, that's also an option.
And then you can makeyour way down the street.
There's McKellar bar, which isactually, a popular Scandinavian bar.
It started in Copenhagen, but theyhave a location in London on the street.
So if you're a big fan of craftbeer, that's a great spot to hit up.
There's Cafe Kick, which is kind of alike divey, bar on the street and that

(24:06):
they have all different kinds of drinkslike cocktails, beer, wine, but it's
kind of just like a cool understated bar.
And then there's also the X SmithArms, which is just a traditional
pub, but it's always like buzzing.
So you really get a wholetaste of different types.
of venues just by going to Xsmith market.
There's also a bar that has, they havea few locations in London called Archer

(24:26):
Street and this is a really fun spotif you want like a proper night out
and you want to have a little boogie,have a little dance with your friends.
Because they have, people thatactually are performers on Broadway
get up on the tables and sing.
So, lots of live music.
It's like such a fun time,such a night, fun night out.
It's definitely a little bit more chaoticthan going and sitting at a bar, just

(24:47):
having a conversation with friends.
But it is fun if you want to have a dance.
Okay.
So now after five years living in London,surely you've discovered some pubs.
What are your favorites?
Yeah, so this is, this is a veryhard one to narrow down just because
there are so many amazing pubs.
So I'll give you a few thatare very different from each
other in different areas.
So one that I love that's like a veryold pub, and a very authentic London

(25:09):
experience is called the Counting House.
So that is located in, the City ofLondon, which is where kind of all
of the finance finance district is,and that's a great spot to go for a
drink, during the after work rush.
It's always really busy,especially Thursday nights.
And it actually used to be a bank.
So they've converted, an old bank intoa pub, which is a really cool, idea.

(25:30):
And then another spot I love,my favorite Sunday roast is
at the Pig's Head in Clapham.
So this is just a lovely.
Atmosphere.
It's great.
It's a great restaurant.
Even if you went for dinneron a different night, the
food there is just phenomenal.
And it's quite romanticas well and quite cozy.
So definitely recommend that.
And then another one that Ilove is based in Notting Hill

(25:51):
and this is called the Pelican.
Also phenomenal food.
Just very trendy, very kind of,understated, and yeah, just like a really,
that's a bit more of like a fancy pub,I would say, than the other ones, but it
is just a lovely place to go for dinner.
And you mentioned earlier that parks arelike one of your favorite things there.
Any, what, what specific parks?

(26:12):
Yeah.
So I would say, HampsteadHeath and Primrose Hill are
two that I love for a view.
So if you're going in the summertime andyou want to have a picnic with friends
or you want to have a couple of drinks,with a group or watch the sunset, I would
highly recommend going to one of those.
Because I think those two have probablythe best view of London out of any park.
Greenwich Park is also amazing.

(26:33):
So that's in southeastLondon and it's massive.
And it's also near, theuniversity in Greenwich.
So you can kind of make a dayof it, go to the market, go to
the park, explore that area.
Battersea Park, is my favourite, and I'm,I am biased because I do live in this,
kind of in this neighbourhood, but it isjust a great, place to go in the summer.

(26:54):
There's this, cafe in the middle ofthe park called the Pear Tree Cafe, and
they do live music in the summertimeon Wednesdays through Saturdays.
And everyone's there for drinks.
You can go for a coffee.
You can go for a little run there.
Like it's just always busy, alwayshas the best energy and it's actually,
walkable to Battersea power station,which is, a converted, shopping

(27:14):
center that opened only a few years ago.
So it was a power station for, andthat had been closed for several
years and they just closed it.
Reef did a complete refurb on it andturned it into a shopping center.
So that's a great spot to go Ifyou want to do some shopping or go
for lunch or something like thatThat's definitely worth visiting to
So lots of options.
Okay, so
there's a lot to do within thecity of London and you could

(27:36):
spend all your whole trip there.
But let's say I have an extra day and Iwant to take a trip outside of London.
I want to take a day trip somewhere.
I know you've got an article,Brooke, on travel lemming with
a whole list of day trips.
And listeners, you can find thatby searching travel lemming.
London day trips.
But if you had to narrow it down,what are a few favorite day trips?

(27:56):
If I only have time forone or two or three.
all right, yeah, I'll give you threedifferent types so Box Hill in Surrey
is a great spot to go for a hike So ifyou're into hiking and you're not looking
for something like crazy strenuous.
This is like the perfect place to go.
So it's about an hour outsideof London on the train.
You can get there directly onthe train, which is also great.

(28:18):
No need for a car.
It's super well connected.
And they have a few differenthiking routes, so you can kind of
choose your own adventure with that.
And it has a great view, over likethe, the Surrey Hills, which is lovely.
And along the, one of my favouriteparts about it too is that on the
way during the hike, there's a publike right in the middle of the hike,
so you can stop there for a quickdrink, and some libations on your way.

(28:40):
Okay, bye.
It is such a lovely little,scenic, nature y day trip.
If you're into academia, Iwould highly recommend going
to either Oxford or Cambridge.
So obviously those two have, like, worldclass universities, they're rival cities.
I would say Cambridge I prefera little bit, but I think
Oxford is lovely as well.
And, you could tour aroundthe university campuses.

(29:02):
There's some, like, really, reallynice historic buildings there.
Lots of great coffeeshops and lunch spots.
You can go punting, which is thisspecial kind of boating on the
water, where, you have this likebig oar in the middle of the boat.
And usually you havesomeone do it for you.
You can also try and attemptit yourself, but I would highly
recommend having someone do it foryou, because it's quite challenging.
But yeah, that's also a great option.

(29:23):
Those are both about like 45 minutesto an hour outside of London, also
directly accessible on the train.
And then, if you go in thesummer, The UK has a lot of really,
really lovely coastal towns.
So, if you want something a little bitmore of a beachy, waterfront vibe, the UK
is not particularly known for its beaches,but these coastal towns are very scenic

(29:44):
and very beautiful and, I would highlyrecommend either Brighton or Margate.
They both have a lotof charm and character.
Brighton's quite hipster, hasa lot of really cool, like,
unique independent shops there.
Margate is also lovely.
So yeah, definitely the coastaltowns are very, quaint as well.
All right.
Well, so you've got optionsto get outside of the city.
But if you want more things to do inLondon, Brooke has a whole guide, with,

(30:08):
I don't know how many is at this point.
It's getting really long, and, andBrooke constantly is adding to it.
Just search, things to do in Londontravel lemming, and you can find that.
She's also got a London itinerary,and a bunch of other guides.
We've talked about what to do inLondon, but as someone who lives
in London, is there anywherein London that you would avoid?
Yeah, so actually, this mightsound a bit controversial because

(30:29):
it is one of the most popular,places that's visited by tourists.
But I think one of the, also one of theappeals with Travel Lemming is that we do
like to provide a lot of, Places that areoff the beaten path or hidden gems, that
you wouldn't just find if you, googledthings to do in London, for instance.
But, I would say avoiding Oxford Circus.
So that is like central London,Oxford Street, High Street.

(30:52):
Probably what you see in all ofthe photos, with like the buses and
everything, but it's just so chaotic.
And so, I personally think that there's alot of other great areas that offer all of
the same things, like amazing restaurants.
Wonderful places to shop, museums,any other attractions that don't have
that many tourists, in that area.

(31:12):
It can be quite a congestedand, overstimulating area.
So I think it's worth seeing maybefor a little bit, but I would say
I would definitely recommend otherneighborhoods over, over that.
Okay.
Well, and in a minute here, we'll runthrough your favorite places to stay.
That maybe is a good segue to ournext segment, where I want to talk
about how to plan a trip to London.

(31:33):
So if you're sitting at home planning yourtrip to London, and you're just trying to
kind of map it out, maybe it's as part ofa broader trip to Europe, or maybe it's
just a visit, to, to London specifically.
One of the first questions people oftenhave is like how long do I need to
kind of allocate for this destination?
What's a good amount of time to make surethat you can really discover London?
Yeah, I would say, you could probablydo a lot of activities in like a long

(31:57):
weekend, so maybe like three to five days.
But you could also, like, there'sso much to do here that you could
also spend a couple weeks here.
So I think it's very, dependent, Iguess, on the priorities of things that
you would like to do while you're here.
But I think it's definitely doable tokind of get a high level picture of
London in, as little as three days, butalso you can feel like you've really

(32:19):
experienced it in a couple weeks too.
So I think, yeah, I think depending onhow much, your budget is and how many days
that you have available, that would be therange I would recommend is like anywhere
from three days to a couple weeks.
And so, okay, let's thinkabout how to plan an itinerary.
So, Brooke, you've, on the website,you've got an itinerary for five
days, which is a common kind ofmiddle ground, period of time.

(32:41):
Let's say I had a week.
Let's walk through, how youwould spend seven days, in London.
Understanding, of course, dependson the person, depends on things.
But if you had to plan it, Howwould you spend the seven days?
What would you start with on day one?
Yeah, so I think you can allocate,each day to a neighborhood.
So London kind of operates in regions.

(33:02):
So they go north, south, east and west.
That's kind of the way that everyonecategorizes the city and then central.
So central is kind of the main, downtown,what you would consider downtown.
No one calls it that here, but,the main event kind of thing.
And then, yeah, so I, I wouldsay the first day I would start
with the sites personally.
I think.
That's a really greatintroduction to London.

(33:22):
That's probably what you've imaginedwhen you think about coming to
London, like seeing Big Ben,wandering around, getting lost.
I feel like Not, you don't reallyeven need to necessarily have a plan,
for the sites other than just gettingyourself over to that area, because
I think you can just wander aroundand you will stumble across them.
So I think, yeah, maybe goingto a couple pubs, taking in

(33:43):
the culture and the sites.
And then I would go, specificby neighborhood, because I think,
London is quite a large city.
So, it typically, everyone jokes here thatit takes 45 minutes to get everywhere,
which, I would agree with, actually, afterliving here for five years, I think the
average travel time, to get anywhere isabout 45 minutes, because it's just such
a big city, and it's quite spread out,so I would say When you are going to a

(34:07):
neighborhood, if you really want to makethe most of it and really, see kind of
that region of London, I would recommendspending a whole day in each of them.
So, I would do one day in NorthLondon, one day in South, one
day in East, one day in West, andthen also a day in Central London.
So, you can kind of hitall the five main regions.
And actually on our, we recently revampedour restaurants list on Travel Lemming,

(34:30):
to tailor it to each of the regions.
So, if you're looking for recommendationsof restaurants, while you're in
those neighborhoods, I recommendgoing back to that list, checking
out some of my suggestions for that.
And then if you have the full week, onday seven, I would then recommend going
and doing a day trip somewhere justbecause, it's really a luxury the fact
that there are so many amazing places inthe UK and it's all accessible by train.

(34:55):
So, you can find, you could go to like areally quaint little town with cobblestone
roads, and like one corner store in like45 minutes from being in the big city,
which is quite special to be honest.
So I think.
Definitely seeing another regionof the UK, because then it kind
of makes you feel like you've goneon more than one trip as well.
So you can take away a littlebit more of the UK culture in

(35:17):
addition to being in London.
Yeah, and that's a goodreminder, by the way.
I want to shout out a coupleof our other creators.
So if you're going to Scotland, Louisehas some really good guides up there.
And then actually, if Walesis on your list, it's a bit
of a hidden gem in the UK.
But Ruthie has some incredible guides.
I got lots of reallycool castles out there.
So, if you're going further afield,if you're traveling, continuing your

(35:39):
itinerary onto the UK, be sure tocheck out those travel lemming guides.
If you're just planning yourLondon itinerary and you're
like I just want to gut check onwhether or not this is too much.
If I'm biting off too much with thisitinerary, or if, or if you have
any other questions, you can GoogleLondon itinerary travel lemming.
And then if you leave a commentthere, Brooke, I'll, get back to you.

(36:00):
Okay, next up, let's talkabout where to stay in London.
I mean, this is one of the biggestdecisions when you're planning
your trip, because London is sucha huge city and it's spread out.
And yes, you have the transportationthat can enable you to get around.
But as you were just saying, asyou're going through that itinerary,
you know, it's kind of best to takeit neighborhood by neighborhood
because of, how large it is.
so first off, you've got a guideto where to stay in London,

(36:22):
which everyone should check out.
I mean, I think it's probably one ofthe best guides that we have on all of
travel, I mean, like, really recommendreading that thing top to bottom.
But what would you say, give methe short version, what would you
say to someone who's trying tofigure out where to stay in London?
Yeah, so I I think when you're figuringout where to stay, it can feel very
overwhelming just because like Nate justsaid, there's so many different options,
of neighborhoods that you can be in, sobased on what I said earlier as well, I

(36:45):
think I would avoid, tourist traps, soI think staying somewhere central that's
not right in the middle of the action, iskind of the best of both worlds because
then you're in close proximity to a lotof, attractions and restaurants and shops.
without being in an areathat's heavily congested.
So one of my favorite recommendationsfor that is an area called Marlabone.

(37:05):
And Marlabone is just a gorgeous area.
It's, located in central London.
It's actually not far from Oxford,Oxford Street and the West End.
It's actually technicallypart of London's West End.
So, it's close distance if youwant to go to, a show or a play.
And it's just a very beautiful,like, well done area.

(37:25):
It's very high end.
And there's a great selectionof hotels over there.
Another region, that I wouldheavily recommend is Victoria.
So this is in southwest London,and, it's also very central.
It's walking distance to Westminsterand a lot of the main attractions.
So if you wanted to stay overthere specifically, You can do
that and then walk to those areas.

(37:45):
There's also a train station in Victoria.
A great hotel in this area that I wouldrecommend is called the Claremont.
So it's actually connectedto Victoria train station.
So it's super convenient in that way,but it's a really beautiful hotel
and it's also Great value for money.
So it's, it feels like a luxury hoteland like more high end, but the price
is actually quite reasonable for London.

(38:07):
It's, definitely on the mid range side, Iwould say, but it's, a really lovely spot.
And I actually linked to that in myguide on where to stay in London.
So if you are interested in checkingthat out, you can go back in the
article and you can find the link there.
And then another area that I wouldrecommend, would be Hampstead.
So, West Hampstead is, a really,really pretty part of London.

(38:28):
That's where Hampstead Heath is, oneof the parks that I had mentioned
earlier that has a really great view.
And there's a lot of famous pubs aroundthere, and a really nice high street
with lots of shops and restaurants.
It's a big family area, so Ithink it's quite safe as well.
If you are visiting with family, it'sdefinitely, a nice area to be in.
So in addition to the ones that you'vementioned, what hotels in London would
you recommend to someone visiting?

(38:49):
Yeah, so I think, London has quitea range of hotels to be honest, they
have everything from budget friendlyoptions, to, like, really, really
high luxury hotels, so, if you arelooking for something that's budget
friendly, and isn't Going to breakthe bank, but it's still a nice hotel.
There's a line called Citizen Min London, and that is definitely

(39:10):
on the more budget friendly side.
But still a really nice place to stay.
They have, a few differentlocations in central areas.
I would also recommend, if youare looking for something more
luxury, The Savoy is pretty muchan institution in London, so it's
a really, really famous hotel.
And that's also a very famousspot to go for afternoon tea.
Also mentioned earlier, the Dorchester, isone of the most beautiful hotels I've ever

(39:32):
visited, and also has a great afternoontea, so that's a really good spot as well.
And The Standard Hotel, if you're, I knowthat actually that's a brand that they
have in some places in the US, I knowthat New York has one, but that's quite
an edgy kind of cool hotel, I think ifyou're a solo traveler I would really
recommend going there because I feellike they have some really cool bars

(39:53):
inside where you could just like sitwith a cocktail or a book and maybe end
up winding up in a conversation with,other people that are there, but, they
have a rooftop, so that's nice in thesummertime, and it's located in Kings
Cross, which is, a really fun area.
Okay, cool.
So go check out Brooke's guide to whereto stay in London on travel lemming.
And she's got hotel recommendationsin all of her top neighborhoods.

(40:15):
I go to London every year.
As I mentioned, I've stayedin a couple unique hotels.
I'll mention quickly.
One is Marriott County hall.
So that is on the riverright by the London eye.
And it's in the old county hall building.
It is an older hotel.
It's very much an older hotel.
But if you like classic hotels, a lot ofthe rooms have views of the London eyes,

(40:36):
you can see it right out of your window,or some of them will have a Big Ben view.
And you can also get breakfast in I thinkthey called the library below both the
restaurant and the bar there, which youcould just go into the bar have sort of
sweeping views with Big Ben right in it.
So that's Really great.
If you just want to have those views.
The Westin over by St. Paul'sCathedral is a super nice modern hotel.

(40:58):
I just really loved it because I love thelike super clean nice hotels and it has
an indoor pool that is like really good.
And so that might be a nice oneespecially for like business
travelers or anything like that.
And then my personal favorite so farhas been the Bankside Hotel which is a
small autograph boutique in Bankside.
So it's not in necessarily the bestneighborhood because it's a lot of

(41:19):
like, Offices and stuff like thatand it does tend to kind of attract
a bit of a business traveler crowd Iwould say it's either for like Solos
or young professionals or maybe forcouples, but it is one of the nicest
hotels in the sense of it's supernew It's very well put together.
It's super clean.
i'm a bit of a clean freak I stay ina lot of hotels and you see some stuff

(41:40):
after after time and it's Like one of thecleanest and I have very high standards.
Like everything is spotless and theyhave lots of really cool, unique things.
Like they put a big T thing inthere, they put a little art.
set inside of your room for whereyou can like draw or do things.
They have water in the hallway.
If you like boutiquehotels, check out Bankside.
So those are, those are acouple of my three favorites.

(42:02):
Okay.
So we've talked about what to do.
We've talked aboutplanning your itinerary.
We've talked about where to stay.
Now let's get a few other Of the commonquestions that people have out of the way.
First off, let's talk about budget.
I mean, one of the major objections toLondon is just it's expensive, right?
So what do you say about that?
And what can you kind of expectat different price points?

(42:25):
Yeah.
So, I will agree with that.
London can be very expensive.
I think.
It does range.
Like I think there are so manygreat free things to do here.
And I think that is one, one definitely,a huge bonus, about coming here, even
if it is more expensive for certainthings like going out to eat, I think.
You can definitely manage iton a budget if you do plan.

(42:46):
So, I would say like also thepound is, is high value right now.
So I think that also makes it a bittrickier, especially as a Canadian
is almost double the Canadian dollar.
But I would say if you're ona budget and so let's do it in
the sense of coming for a week.
So, if you're on a budget, Iwould say you could probably
do it in around a thousand.
Dollars for the week and that's includingaccommodation so you could probably find

(43:09):
something if you wanted to stay at likea hostel or something like that, for
about 50 a night then food, if youspent, maybe like around a hundred
a day tops for like all of the meals.
And also actually one thing I'd liketo point out is that there's some
great apps that you can download.
There's a couple of apps calledNeotaste and Too Good To Go, and
those are both budget friendly foodapps where, you can get discounts.

(43:32):
So, definitely worth checking thoseout, to save on some food, and I know
that they have it all over the place.
city as well, locations on there.
And then if you are looking to, maybeexperience a little bit of a higher end
experience, But still not break the bankso you're not looking maybe to stay at
like a five star hotel But you are lookingto still say it may be like a four star
or something like quite nice Go out forsome nice meals do some attractions that

(43:56):
do have a cost to them I would say I wouldbudget around 2, 500 for the week And
then if you do want to splash out a littlebit and you're looking to do have a taste
of luxury, stay at the nicest hotels, dosome shopping in Mayfair, go to afternoon
tea, I would, I would say you couldend up spending like around up to 10k.

(44:18):
So I think it really varies here.
And I would highlyrecommend with all of this.
Regardless of what budget you're on,to plan in advance and do, research.
And, like Nate mentioned, I'vewritten guides on so many different
topics, related to London.
But doing research and figuring outwhat you want to do in advance, and I
think that is the easiest way to budget
it all
any other money saving tips tohelp me save a pound or two?

(44:41):
Yeah, so, another great and easything to do is, taking public transit.
So, Ubers tend to be quite expensivein London and also just not nearly as
efficient as taking public transit.
Like, there's been times where I'mlike, oh, I'll just grab an Uber
because it's easier, but it's actuallynot easier a lot of the time, to
be honest, because of traffic.
So, the bus and there's alsoreally great transit links between,

(45:03):
like, the bus and the tube.
So, like, say you're going somewherethat requires taking the bus and the
tube, like, they're directly connected.
or the trains.
If you're under 30, youcan get a rail card.
and it, it costs 30, which actually,like, even if you're just visiting
London, it might even be worthit if you're planning to do some
different trips, around the UK.
But a rail card gives you30 percent off all trains.

(45:26):
So if you're under 30 years old, that'sa great option to purchase that.
It's only 30 for the ticket, so you couldeven, er, for the card, so you could
even make it up on a couple tickets.
And yeah, taking public transitis also like better, much better
for the environment as well.
So that's, that's a wholeother added value to that.
Biking, walking where you can,like sometimes, some neighborhoods.

(45:47):
Like, for instance, I live, in southwestLondon, around this area, it's really,
really beautiful to just go out andwalk around and see all of, like, the
gorgeous, like, houses and everything.
So that's a great way to savemoney and also see the city.
But yeah, I'd say those are probablymy top tips are, looking for the
budget friendly attractions or the freeattractions, and taking public transport.

(46:09):
And for listeners at home, Brooke's got awhole guide to doing London on a budget.
So just search London on a budgettravel lemming and she talks about
activities, places to stay, where toeat, all of it, everything you need.
If you're a budget traveler,you got to read that guide.
Okay.
So you talked a bit about public transit.
It is one of the thingsthat's so great about London.
I mean, we mentioned at the beginning, yousaid it's one of the ways to save money.

(46:31):
Tell me a bit about kind of how is howyou recommend getting around London.
I mean, you mentioned earlierthat that walking is a great way.
What should I'm planning a trip?
How should I plan to move about the city?
Yeah, so I think honestly, I wouldrecommend trying out like all
of the different types of publictransit just because it's fun to
experience the different offerings.
But one thing I would highly recommendactually is an app called City Mapper.

(46:54):
So this is a godsend when itcomes to figuring out where to go.
It gives you updates in real time.
Obviously, Google Maps and Apple Maps alsohave, when you're looking up your journey,
it tells you what transit to take, but Ifind it's not always updated in real time.
So, City Mapper lets you know about anydelays that are going on, when the next
trains are coming, what exact transitlinks you need to get to your destination.

(47:18):
So, like Where I live, a lot of the time,I'm very closely linked to buses, but
then I'll often have to connect to a tubeif I'm going, to other parts of London.
And it will tell me exactly what busesyou need, what time they're coming
at, it gives you all of the optionsand all of the the amount of time.
that each of them takes, so youcan make an informed decision.
It also shows you how long it would taketo walk, bike, or take, a car share.

(47:41):
So, definitely, heavily recommenddownloading CityMapper, for all of
your transit journeys, and, yeah,seeing what the best and most,
like, most realistic options are.
Yeah, one thing I love about theLondon system is that you can just.
Tap with your credit card,like most credit cards, you
can just tap in and tap off.
And I think it also workswith like the Apple Pay or the

(48:03):
phone pay things, which
I don't use.
But I see people just, you know,putting their mobile phone.
And so I find it so stressful havingto figure out like the new card every
time I'm trying to reload something.
And on London, you canjust get in and get off.
It's super seamless.
And you don't, it's not like back inthe Oyster card days when you need,
the first time I went and you hadto go and get a card and load it.
figure out how much
Yeah, I had to do that too.

(48:25):
Yeah.
So it's, it's, it really is the tube.
Don't be scared of the tube.
It's it makes a lot of sense.
And certainly, you know, it's in English.
So it's one of the mostaccessible public transit systems
in the world for Americans.
That makes a lot of sense.
Sometimes people ask about renting a car.
What do you think about that?
Honestly, I think it's so unnecessary inLondon, just because traffic is quite.

(48:46):
So I think if you rent a car, well, firstof all, they drive on the opposite side
of the road and opposite side of the car.
Secondly, it is actually a lotharder to find an automatic car here.
So if you don't drive standard, that mightbe a bit tricky or might be a lot more
expensive than getting a standard car.
And it's just, yeah, I don't think.
Typically, it's as enjoyable of anexperience to drive in London just

(49:08):
because it's really busy, you endup waiting a long time, and it's
not as affordable either, it's notas, good for the environment, so
I think, if you're planning tostay within London, I definitely
wouldn't recommend renting a car.
I really don't think it's necessarybecause even if you don't want
to take public transport, youcan still get Ubers or cabs.
And then, if you are doing day tripsoutside of London, I think for the most

(49:30):
part as well, especially if you'renot, if you're, if you do have a shorter
trip planned and you're only goingto be doing maybe like one or two day
trips, there's so many places that areaccessible within like max two hours.
Like I could name probably 10.
Different places off the top of my headthat are like really great to visit That
are only like an hour or two away onthe train If you do want to extend your
stay in the UK and go to some of theseother places like Nate was mentioning

(49:53):
earlier like Scotland or Wales Or go tolike the Lake District if you're really
into hiking I would recommend getting acar for those just because Once you get
a little bit further out, it's not quiteas well connected, and it does take a
lot longer, so it is nicer to obviouslybe able to do that on your own time.
So I think that's the one instance whereI would recommend renting a car, but other

(50:13):
than that, I don't think it's necessary.
For the Americans listening at home whoare used to car culture, you can do it.
It's part of the adventureof getting out there.
Okay.
So if you're planning a tripto London, what time of year
would you recommend visiting?
so I think, the best times of yearactually I would recommend would be, kind
of the shoulder months of the summer.
So, either June or September.

(50:34):
Typically we actually get, from myexperience living here at least, we've
gotten the best weather in September.
That just seems to bequite a lucky month here.
And I feel like our summer isalmost a little bit delayed.
And we end up getting it in September.
So I think September is a great time.
And I think especially because A lotof people don't think about that when
they come, so we get a lot of touristsduring the peak, summer months.

(50:54):
And not as many in September, so that'skind of an advantage you would have.
You would likely have the betterweather, and then also, it would
probably be a little bit more affordableto fly at that time, because it's
not as popular of a time to come.
But it's still such a nice time to visit.
Same with June, obviouslythe intro to the summer.
And even May, I think sometimes we do getsome rainfall in May, but, May typically

(51:15):
tends to be quite a nice month and whenthe weather starts getting nice here.
So those three months Iwould highly recommend.
And then if you're really into theholidays, I would definitely recommend
coming around that time as well.
December obviously gets superbusy so that's our next like
probably highest tourist periodis around Christmas in December.
So in that case I would saycoming end of November is the

(51:38):
trick of the trade here because.
Again, you'll probably end up findingcheaper flights during that time.
I know American Thanksgiving, thatmight be a good time to come just because
if you get a couple days off of work,because we don't have that holiday
here as well, so I don't think it wouldaffect the flight prices here as much.
But the Christmas decorations andall of the like beautiful lights and
festivities usually start around midNovember, so you're still getting

(52:02):
all of that at the end of Novemberwithout having the price tag of coming
a little bit closer to Christmas.
Well, for more on when to visitLondon, it sounds like the answer is
it depends and you should really read.
Brooke's full guide to the best timeto visit London on Travel Lemming.
I also want to talk about anothersubject we get a lot, which is safety.
And you also have a guide tosafety in London on Travel Lemming.

(52:23):
But after five years living there,what's your take on the question
of whether or not London is safe?
Yeah, honestly, I thinkLondon is a very safe city.
Like I think, the securityhere is really high.
So I think they're always vigilant.
And, I will say like, I've, there'sbeen very few times in the five years
I've lived here where I've felt unsafe.

(52:44):
I definitely think there's a lot of thingsthat you can do as well, to kind of,
like feel as safe as you possibly can.
And so a few tips that I would have forthat is, avoid walking alone at night.
So, because it's an older city, Ifind some areas aren't necessarily
as well lit as, some, some of ourlovely cities in North America.
So, definitely I would say bring afriend, bring a buddy, a partner

(53:08):
if you're going for a walk at night.
I mean, London is a beautiful cityto walk at night and there are some
places that are very well lit up.
But I think.
For the most part, I would tryand avoid walking alone at night.
In the winter months, especiallywhen it gets dark earlier.
Another great thing to do isto store your valuables in the
safe at your accommodation.
So if you're staying at a hotel andthere's a safe there, I would say

(53:29):
keep your passport there, like don'tbring it out with you during the day.
Pickpocketing can be a thing here,especially in busy areas, especially
in, the high tourist areas on the Tube.
Areas where you're reallyclose to a lot of other people.
Also, I think any kind of valuables or,personal belongings like identification,
unless you absolutely need to have it, Ithink storing it at the hotel is the best

(53:50):
option, just to make sure that it's safe.
And then I think also this one mightsound like common sense, but just
being aware of your surroundings at alltimes, so kind of just like, Seeing,
what's going on around you, like,making sure that you're surrounded by,
like, other people, and just, yeah,like, kind of being clear on that and
paying attention, like, paying attentionwhen you, when you cross the road.
One thing I will say to really lookout for is, there's a lot of phone

(54:13):
crime in the tourist areas as well,so a lot of people that steal phones.
So definitely, like, I wouldn'thold my phone out while I'm walking
down the street and, and look at it.
Yeah, I would.
Every time that I'm walkingdown the street with my phone,
I have it in both of my hands.
Because this is actually quite acommon thing where someone on a
cycle, on a bike, will come by andsteal it out of people's hands.

(54:34):
It's happened several times.
It's been on the news many times.
So I think that's very avoidable.
You just have to make sure that you'relike paying attention, and being aware.
Okay, very good.
I mean, again, you know, Brooke's gota whole guide on safety in London.
You can go read.
Now we're coming into our lastsegment and this is just assorted
tips, kind of all the other stuffthat you would tell someone.

(54:54):
And I just want to start off with,are there any like common, you know,
as you're helping people who haveplanned their trip to London on
travel eming, are there any commonmistakes that you see people making?
Yeah, so I would say, oneof the biggest ones is Not
booking restaurants in advance.
And I know it sounds very simple,but as someone who's a foodie, I did

(55:16):
learn this very quickly living here.
London is a place where every restaurantlikes to act like it's exclusive.
So basically if you want to gosomewhere nice, You have to look to
book it probably anywhere from twoweeks to a month in advance, at least.
Like some places only releasereservations one month in advance.
So if there's places that you've seen onmy guide or like on TikTok or something

(55:38):
that you're like dying to try, I wouldheavily recommend just taking a look, on
OpenTable, and looking to see when it'savailable because otherwise you're going
to get stuck with like going at 10 p.
m.
or going at 4 p. m. orsomething like that.
So I think Booking restaurants in advanceis a huge one that I would recommend.
Another thing is just planning in advance.
So I think because there's somuch to do here, it's almost like

(56:00):
a blessing and a curse in a way.
Because, it can be, it is one of thoseplaces where you can be spontaneous
because you will find something to do.
But I think if you have certain things inmind that you want to do and want to see,
kind of mapping out your days a littlebit, and this kind of falls back into,
Like, the itinerary and planning yourtrip maybe by neighborhood, is a great
way to go about it because then you canmake sure that you're making the most of

(56:23):
your trip because I think, it can, it canend up getting really overwhelming with
the amount of things to do and figuringout what you want to do and you might
end up wasting time while you're here.
So I would definitely say, Hey, doing thatin advance and then the last thing that
I would say is, dressing for the weather.
So London is, the weathercan be unpredictable here,

(56:44):
even in the summertime.
So I think bringing, checkingthe weather before you come and
also bringing a range of options.
So maybe bringing a couple ofpairs of pants, even if it's the
summertime and a light jacket.
And making sure that youhave different options.
There's also certain restaurants,and private members clubs and
events that have dress codes.
So bringing maybe a couple outfits thatare a little bit nicer if you want to

(57:05):
go to one of those types of venues.
But definitely, yeah, dressingfor the weather and planning
your packing accordingly.
Well, if you need help packing, rememberthat Brooke has a London packing
list which you can find by searchingLondon packing list travel limit.
Okay, what about like local culturaldifferences or etiquettes or things
that, you know, the Brits are aboutas close as you can get, apart from

(57:27):
the Canadians, from us, you know,from Americans, but, like, what, any
particular quirks or etiquette thingsthat folks should watch out for.
Yeah, so I would say, a big one iswhen you're taking public transit.
So the Brits are very polite.
And I think really good etiquette whenyou're taking the tube is to wait for
people to get off before you get on.

(57:47):
Because I think people get really lostin the hustle and bustle of the city.
And then.
There's like sometimes maybe ifsomeone's a bit older or something
like they, it takes them a bitlonger to get off the tube.
And so you want to make sure that you'relike respecting everyone around you and
not just like rushing on because I thinkit can be easy to get lost in translation.
So being kind.
And being patient and waitingfor people, goes a long way.

(58:10):
Also, just being polite topeople, opening the door.
I know that Americans are alreadyquite polite as it is, but I
think these little things are justlike greatly appreciated here.
Tipping is actually not really part ofthe culture here, which I know very, is
very different from what we're used to.
So you're not going to go to a cafe andbe given the tip option on a coffee.
But, restaurants have startedimplementing service charges on bills.

(58:32):
It's, it's usuallyaround 12 to 15 percent,
And does that like already doesthat like already come on the bill
or do I need to add something or
it comes on the bill, so, you don't addanything, you pay whatever the number is.
And actually, on the heels of thattoo, one thing that I absolutely
love about living here is thatthe tax is already calculated.
So when you go to a store and you'rebuying a shirt, you already know exactly

(58:54):
how much you're paying at the register.
You don't have to do the mathin your head, figuring out the
percent of adding the sales tax.
I know some states, have thatas well, but in Canada, we
don't have that, unfortunately.
So, it is nice.
, any other must know or essentialtips for visiting London?
Yeah, so I would say, I woulddefinitely make a point of,
trying the local delicacies.
So I mentioned Sunday roast.

(59:15):
Pies are really popular here.
The afternoon tea is really popular.
Trying all of the local beers.
If you're a beer drinker thatwe have, there's a lot of
great breweries in the UK.
But yeah, I think definitely tryingthe local delicacies and trying
to immerse yourself in the culturea little bit, like get around the
pubs, chat to some English people.
They love talking about sports, so youcan definitely get them chatting if

(59:35):
there's a game on or something like that.
And just getting to actually likelive the culture, because I think.
Very similar to what Nate said earlier,when I had come to London for the first
time ever, I was only here for threedays, and I did basically, I didn't
really plan accordingly, so I didn'ttake my own advice that I'm now giving,
but, I was quite young, and I didn't planaccordingly, and I did all of the very

(59:56):
touristy things, and I definitely didn'tfall in love with London after that trip.
It was definitely, Me comingback and experiencing it more from
a local's perspective that mademe fall in love with the city.
So I think trying to get a bit ofa local experience, even if you do
only have a few days, goes a long wayand, and really helps you ingrain,
your experience in the culture.

(01:00:16):
If you've given London anythought at all, just go for it.
I think You can really have a greatexperience here regardless of your budget,
regardless of what you like to do, likethere is something for everyone and
it's definitely a city worth visiting.
All right.
Thank you so much, Brooke and listeners.
Thank you so much forlistening to this podcast.
Please be sure to like, and subscribe.
It really helps us out.

(01:00:37):
Leave us a comment.
If you have any questions, and if youlike this podcast, you probably would
like the episode that we did aboutParis, travel lemming has a local
guide, Rachel, who lives in Parisso go check out that episode next.