October 21, 2025 • 31 mins
This special episode was originally recorded for the Germany Travel Planning Podcast, where Tracy joined Cate to share insider tips for making the most of a London layover.
Turn your short stop in London into a compact yet rewarding adventure. Learn how to plan 24 to 48 hours in the UK capital without feeling rushed, from choosing a central base to making the most of every meal and moment.
Discover how to stay smart, move efficiently and see a few essentials deeply rather than frantically. We cover where to stay, what to eat, and how to fit in the top sights while leaving time to simply enjoy being in London.
In this episode:
• Why Zone 1 locations make the perfect layover base
• Hotel and area tips around Covent Garden, the British Museum and Borough Market
• How to combine Tube, bus and river boat travel, plus when to book a black cab tour
• Food favourites: Borough Market picks, Pick & Cheese, Café in the Crypt and the V&A café
• Afternoon tea tips: traditional vs themed and when to book
• Must-see highlights: Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and the V&A
• Why Greenwich belongs on even short itineraries and the best ways to reach it
• Christmas in London: best lights routes, timing and warmth tips
• Pacing your visit, footwear and layers to stay comfortable
• Easy day trips from London, including Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury and Windsor
If you have enjoyed the show, please leave a quick review or send us feedback via text. We love hearing from listeners, and your comment might even get a shout-out in a future episode.
📝 Show Notes - Episode 172
Tracy was a guest on the Germany Travel Planning Podcast for this episode.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Planning a layover in London.
In this special episode, I'mjoining my friend Kate from the
Germany Travel Planning Podcastto share insider tips on how to
make the most of a shortstop inthe UK capital.
Whether you've only got a day ortwo, there's plenty to see and
do.
SPEAKER_01 (00:14):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK travel planning website,
Tracy Collins.
Each week, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
(00:37):
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
from picturesque countryside toseaside towns.
SPEAKER_02 (00:49):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of the UK
Travel Planner Podcast.
Today's episode is a little bitdifferent.
I recently joined my friend Kateon her Germany Travel Planner
Podcast to chat all about how tomake the most of a layover in
London.
Whether you've only got 24 hoursor a couple of days to explore,
we share lots of practical tipsand ideas from where to stay and
what to see to some of myfavourite food spots and ways to
(01:10):
make the most of your time.
So if you're flying throughLondon on your way to or from
Europe, this episode will helpyou turn that quick stopover
into a mini London adventure.
So let's dive into my chat withKate from the Germany Travel
Plan and Podcast all aboutplanning the perfect London
layover.
SPEAKER_00 (01:27):
Hi Tracy.
So excited to talk with youtoday.
SPEAKER_02 (01:30):
Hi, it's unusual for me to be on the other side of
the mic.
So it's uh it's lovely to seeyou again today.
How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
Pretty good.
Well, so let's start with yourintroduction.
Go ahead and tell us a littlebit about who you are and what
you do.
SPEAKER_02 (01:43):
Okay, so my name is Tracy Collins.
I'm the creator and writer andvoice behind the UK Travel
Planning website and podcast andthe London Travel Planning uh
website.
Uh so basically, yeah,podcaster, content creator, uh
lover of all things, UK.
As you can hear, I'm from theUK.
So um work with my husband,who's a train expert.
(02:05):
So we do a lot of uh work aroundtrains in the UK.
So yeah, we have a Facebookgroup and Instagram and YouTube
as well.
SPEAKER_00 (02:12):
Well, I'm so excited to talk with you today because I
have used your website becauseErin and I have spent quite a
bit of time in the UK recently,in the last couple of years.
And so I have used both of yourwebsites and I know I've asked
you questions, I've used yourFacebook group, and everything
is just fantastic.
So the topic for today is doinga stopover in London, because I
(02:35):
know a lot of people that a lotof clients that I've worked
with, um, they do a stopover inLondon either on the way to
Germany or on the way home.
I've done that several times.
So I thought, let's bring Tracyon to talk about London.
And um, you know, we're we'rejust gonna kind of go back and
forth and answer some questionsso that anyone listening who
(02:56):
wants to do a stopover, thiswill give you some ideas of
where you can stay and what youcan do, and get some insider
tips from Tracy.
SPEAKER_02 (03:04):
That sounds good.
Perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (03:05):
Okay, so the first question is
favorite area that you like tostay in in London, or is there a
favorite hotel that you like orrecommend?
SPEAKER_02 (03:15):
Uh, interestingly, we we tend to stay in different
parts of London, mainly becausewe're trying out different
hotels and different areas sothat we can give kind of
up-to-date recommendations.
Um, I used to live and work inLondon, so quite often when I'm
there for a longer period oftime, I do stay down in East
Putney because it's fairly easyto get up on the district line
(03:35):
straight into central London.
But I do recommend forfirst-time visitors or if you're
planning to do a lot in centralLondon, which I imagine that's
what you're going to be doing ifyou're visiting for the first
time or only there for a fewdays, um, that it's actually
easier to stay in zone one,which is kind of where all of
the main sites in London thatyou'll want to see, like
Buckingham Palace and Tower ofLondon and the House of
(03:58):
Parliament and WestminsterAbbey, they're all in that kind
of area.
So it depends really what youwant and what you're after.
So, you know, I my preferredarea if I'm going and I go on my
own and I'm up with Doug,actually with him probably as
well.
He'd say the same.
Is that we really like theCovent Garden area because it's
there's great restaurants,there's a great vibe, uh, it's
(04:19):
just there's some really goodshops, and it's just there's the
theaters in that area.
So it's a it's a really goodarea, and it's also obviously
well served by the tube andpublic transport, so easy to get
around.
So that's one of the areas thatwe do enjoy staying in.
SPEAKER_00 (04:33):
Yeah, I you know, I can I can recommend a couple of
hotels.
I think they're that I've stayedin some of those locations as
well.
I was actually making a listbefore this, and I was trying to
think of all the differentplaces I've stayed over the
years, and um, and it's been inlots of different locations, and
each one has had its pros andcons.
And um, and especially if you'rejust gonna be there for a couple
of days, staying like very, verycentral to where you can walk to
(04:55):
everything is so great.
I did that, I did that one timewhen I was in the UK for work,
and I stayed at the Lime TreeHotel.
I don't know if you've heard ofthat one, but um, it was really
great, and the location wasfantastic because um I could
walk to Buckingham Palace andeverywhere else, and it was just
really nice.
They had a really goodbreakfast.
And then uh recently we stayedat the Tavistock Hotel, which is
(05:16):
near the British Museum, and thehotel was great, except it does
not have air conditioning in thesummer.
We were there in January,February, so it was okay.
Um, we stayed there because wehad a lot of hotel points, so
our almost two-week stay wasfree.
So, you know, I really likedthat hotel because of that.
And the location was great, itwas a little bit quieter, and uh
we could still walk to a lot ofthings.
(05:37):
And then um, I guess actually,most recently, when we were
there for um the Christmasseason, we stayed in an
apartment near Borough Marketbecause we had never stayed in
that location before.
We've been to Borough Marketseveral times, and I really
liked that too.
But I wouldn't recommend it forjust a short stay because it
was, you know, it took us a lotlonger to get places.
(05:59):
But I loved being walkingdistance from Borough Market.
SPEAKER_02 (06:02):
Oh, yeah, that would be good.
I'd enjoy that too.
Um basically I I think you justhave to think about your your
travel style, your your what doyou need out of accommodation,
what do you want, uh, and thenlook at what you want to do and
see in London and then choosethat.
We do have an article which kindof can matches up like the areas
and what would probably appealdepending on, you know, if it's
(06:23):
if you're a family, if you'retraveling solo, depends what you
want, really.
Um the main thing that we doadvise is honestly is that you
stay in central London, that youdo not waste your time on public
transport getting in and out ofLondon.
It's just, you know, you don'treally want to be dealing with
the rush hour, getting into thecenter.
I know I don't enjoy that, so Iwouldn't recommend that you do
that, really.
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
Oh, yeah, yeah, completely.
And we've uh we've had timeswhere we've taken the tube
different places and we finallyjust left and walked because it
was so crowded during rush hour.
We could not get on the tube,and I'm very claustrophobic, so
that also is not great.
And we were like, no, we'll justwalk for 40 minutes, that's
okay.
So being within walking distanceis a really good idea.
(07:03):
And I, you know, you mentioneduh some guides you have on your
website.
I will link to those because youhave really, really great hotel
guides and lots of fantasticinformation um that will help
people narrow down where theywant to go, where they want to
stay.
And you also have a map that'ssimilar to the map that we have
in our Germany travel planner.
Do you you have hotels on thatmap, right?
(07:25):
Because you have one for London.
SPEAKER_02 (07:26):
Yes, yes, we do.
We have one for London, and thatdoes have hotels for and it's
also you can you can uh gothrough the tags of the
different areas and have a lookat what hotels are available in
that area with a kind ofwrite-up and have and have a
look at photos and and see ifthat that suits.
And also we've got publictransport so you'll be able to
see how close the tube isbecause I mean I am I'm nearly
(07:47):
60 and I don't this is an excuseon age, but I I'm happy when I
walk around London to do all thewalking all day.
Um, but by the end of the day,I'm starting to flag, and I just
for my feet, I just know that Idon't want to be spending an
hour walking back to myaccommodation.
So I always look for somewherethat is like five minutes from a
(08:08):
tube station because I just knowthat by the time and I've done
20,000, 25,000 steps in a day,which you can easily do in
London.
Um I just by that point, by thetime I get back, I just want to
get back to my accommodation andjust chill out.
And I don't want to be having toconsider how I'm gonna get back.
And I know we we often doconsults with people who and I
know London accommodation isexpensive, don't get me wrong, I
(08:30):
understand that.
But sometimes when you have toget back by an overground train,
not even the tube, and thenyou've got to take a bus and
then you've got to walk.
Believe me, it's not it's notfun.
Maybe if you're in your 20s andgot full of energy, but I just I
just know that's not somethingthat I want to do at this point.
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
Oh, yeah, totally agree, totally agree.
Like when we stayed in BoroughMarket, we thought we really
liked it because it was a littlebit quieter and we had we were
there for almost two weeks, Ithink.
So we had plenty of time.
But I definitely would not staythere for just a short stay
because you'd be spending all ofyour time walking and public
transit and that, yeah, andthat'd be not be as fun.
(09:06):
So we mentioned Borough Market,and um, I know uh we were we
were talking a little bit aboutthis before we started recording
about the fish and chips placethere.
And I'm not really a I don'tlove fish that much, but I
really like the fish and chipsat Borough Market.
We go back there anytime we'rein London to get the fish and
chips there.
So let's talk about food.
(09:26):
Um, do you have a favoriterestaurant?
Do you have uh favorite food?
Something you really like to eatwhen you're in London?
SPEAKER_02 (09:32):
Okay, this is a great question, Kate, because I
love talking about food.
So first thing I always do is Ihead to Mox and Spencer's Simply
Food and I'll load up on the thegoodies that they have.
I particularly like the cherrycake and the meal deals, which
are basically you can get asandwich and a drink and a fruit
or pack of crisp for areasonable price.
They're really good.
So we tend to do that.
But when it comes to eating out,um, there's a few places that I
(09:56):
really, really love, and I thinkthere's a bit of a cheese theme
going on here, but anyway.
So pick and cheese, which is atthe seven dials near um Comic
Garden, it's basically like asushi bar for cheese.
Honestly, it is the best.
I absolutely I always go backthere, and they pair the cheese
with the most amazing,different, different things.
(10:16):
It's like you you just can'tbelieve what they pair it with,
and it always works.
So I always have a glass ofport, and then I just sit and do
the the sushi train but withcheese.
So that's really cool.
Um, another one I really like isCapacasin, which is in Borough
Market, uh, which is uh raclet,which is um Swiss, so the
cheese, uh, and pickles andpotatoes, and it's really funny
(10:37):
because obviously on TikTok theythey're quite famous for their
their uh toasted cheesesandwich, you know, and I get in
the cue for the raclette and go,you guys are missing out,
honestly.
Uh so I would recommend thatwhen you go back, Kate, is to go
to Cabricasin.
It's amazing, it's really good.
And also, if you're in BoroughMarket as well, you should have
a humble crumble.
They're not just in BoroughMarket, but uh if you're there
(10:59):
anyway, definitely go and have ahumble crumble because they are
delicious, absolutely delicious.
SPEAKER_00 (11:05):
So I have to interject here that I saw these
places when we were in Londonand we did not stop at them.
And I have regretted it eversince.
So it is on my to-do list.
Like we saw that cheese place,we stood outside and we're like,
that looks fun, but we're nothungry.
And then we saw the other placesat Borough Market, and I was
like, okay, we have to comeback.
So definitely stop at thoseplaces.
(11:25):
They looked so good.
SPEAKER_02 (11:26):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
And then places to go that Ialways recommend as well uh to
go and eat Cafe in the Crypt,which is St.
Martin's in the field.
It's a church, so it is in acrypt, so the cafe is in the
crypt of the church, and it'sjust off Trafalgar Square.
So if you go to one of themuseums, you've got the National
Portrait Gallery or NationalGallery, then go and have lunch
uh at the cafe in the crypt.
It's great.
(11:46):
Um, so always recommend that.
Um, and the other one which Ireally love is the cafe at the
VA Museum, which is actually thefirst museum cafe in the world,
and it's Art Deco.
So if you have I love Art Deco,it's beautiful, it is the most
beautiful place to just sit andhave.
You can go and have afternoontea, or you can just go and have
a sandwich.
It's it's not cheap, I will saythat.
(12:08):
It is quite expensive, but it'sreally worth it because it's
just so pretty.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
Oh, that sounds great too.
Oh, I have to go back.
I have to go back.
I uh you know, I have to plananother trip to London because
there's always like I have thisongoing list of things that I
still haven't seen.
It's amazing like how much thereis to see there.
So I can also add um Gale'sbakery.
Whenever I see a Gale's bakeryin London, there was one in
(12:36):
Brighton.
I I don't know if I've seen itanywhere else, but um, whenever
we see one, we stop and we getsomething because they have the
most amazing hot chocolate.
It's not super sweet, and it'sdelicious, especially in the
winter.
And um, and then all their bakedgoods are so good.
They're sandwiches and pastriesand stuff.
So we love that.
And I think we could do a wholeepisode just on MS because their
(12:58):
food haul is amazing.
We eat there all the time.
I mean, like they have cookiesand chocolates and like ginger,
um, chocolate covered gingercookies, I think.
And um Aaron loves the jellybabies and you know the yogurts
and I mean everything.
(13:18):
And they have all the preparedfoods.
There, there's salads we reallylike.
We have meals that we reallylike that we we go in and we get
all the time.
It is the best, it's the bestplace to go.
SPEAKER_02 (13:30):
A hundred percent.
Absolutely.
Go into Marks and Spencer's anduh especially if you're staying
in South Catron as well, justthey have really good deals for
for dinners, for lunches.
So, yeah, and it's very nicefood.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
One more thing, since we're talking about food.
Of course, everyone wants to doafternoon tea when they're in
London.
What do you recommend for that?
SPEAKER_02 (13:51):
Uh, to be honest, the first thing I say is decide
what sort of tea you want.
So, do you want a traditionalafternoon tea or do you want a
themed afternoon tea?
Um, so I I am working my wayaround London trying afternoon
teas because I have to do it,it's part of the job.
Um, so I've tried lots ofdifferent ones.
I've tried some of the afternoontea buses.
So if you want to try one ofthose, you can go and sit on a
(14:11):
bus and have afternoon tea whileyou're driving around London.
That's really cool.
If you want afternoon tea that'sthemed with a view, Peter Pan at
the Shard is a very cool one todo.
Um, Fortnummer Mason is verytraditional.
If you want the traditional one,I actually did uh I had the
afternoon tea at the RoyalExchange, which was a lovely as
well and beautiful settings.
I will just mention, I forgot tomention this about food as well.
(14:33):
If you do go to Fortnite Mason,the one uh Piccadilly Circus, do
go and have a Scotch egg becausethey are the inventors of the
Scotch egg.
Now, I I love if you don't knowwhat a Scotch egg is, it's
basically a um boiled egg andit's encased in sausage meat and
then breadcrumbs, and they aredelicious.
And the picky lily that goeswith it there is amazing as
well.
They actually invented it.
(14:54):
So if you want to go and trysomething, and honestly, it's
really tasty.
Go to I think it's the secondfloor on Fortnum and Mason.
Go and try that.
But when it comes to afternoonteas, honestly, the London is
your this uh your oyster.
There's so many to choose from.
There's so many ones for kids,there's so many very traditional
ones, there are so many just funones.
(15:16):
I've done Alice in Wonderland,there's uh Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory one.
As I say, I've done the PeterPan one, I've done some
traditional ones.
There are just so so many.
So just think about what sort offoods you want if you want the
themed stuff, which is a bitmore, it's cute, or do you want
to go for the kind of verytraditional one?
And also, I just want to saythat it's afternoon tea, not
(15:37):
high tea.
High tea is something verydifferent, um, and that gets
mixed up very often.
High tea is a more a sit-downhot meal, um, which is was it
kind of a I associate with anorth and a northern uh England,
and uh uh but a lot of peoplearound the world will call
afternoon tea high tea, which iskind of a different thing.
I even think some places in theUK are now starting to call it
(15:59):
high tea, which is a bit sadbecause it's actually afternoon
tea.
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Well, if you ever need somebody to uh try out all
the different afternoon teas inLondon, let me know.
I will go with you.
SPEAKER_02 (16:13):
Oh, absolutely.
I often get invited actually toafternoon teas, and I have to be
careful because when you travelin such a lot, it's so easy to
put weight on.
So I try to limit myself to likeone a week, really.
But yeah, it's very tempting.
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
Yep, I I know that very well.
Um, okay, in between all thedelicious food that you can eat
in London.
What is your favorite museum orsite?
SPEAKER_02 (16:38):
Okay, well, anybody, anybody who listens to the UK
Travel Plan podcast was knowwill know what I'm about to say
at this point.
I absolutely love the VA Museumand I always spend at least
three or four hours there.
And actually, I have I love thecast courts.
So in the 1800s, they kind ofdid casts of all these famous
places and statues and buildingsfrom around the world so that
(17:00):
people in London could see them,because obviously not everybody
could afford to travel.
Um, and it's amazing becauseit's it's not stuff that the
British stole, it's not stuffthat we took from anywhere, it's
just stuff that we made copiesof.
Um and they're just it's awonderful, they're lovely to go
and sit in as well becausethey're quite.
I I don't know if you've been inthe cast courts, Kate, but
they're they're they're hugerooms, high rooms, because they
(17:22):
can actually accommodate allthese large casts of buildings.
Um, but I just sit in thereusually for a good hour and just
sit and enjoy looking.
I don't know, it sounds a bitweird, but I just love it.
Then I'll go and have have a cupof tea in the cafe.
Um, and then I'll go and choosea different part of the museum
to go and explore becausethere's so much to see in the
VA.
And and honestly, it's a museumthat I've only discovered in
(17:44):
recent years because in the UK,all kids go to the Natural
History Museum, the sciencemuseums next door.
So you've got those threemuseums kind of all in a row.
Obviously, the British Museum isvery famous.
I went there again as a child.
Um, and the VA always kind ofescaped me.
Um, but since I've started goingthere, it's now an absolute must
visit when I'm in London.
(18:05):
So I highly recommend.
They've got fashion through theages, which is amazing.
The jewellery collection is justbeautiful.
Uh, it's amazing.
It's just such a fabulousmuseum.
SPEAKER_00 (18:15):
I really enjoyed that one too.
I I think that was probably myfavourite one.
Like I've been to the BritishMuseum, I've been to a few other
ones, but I was surprised howmuch I really enjoyed the VA.
SPEAKER_02 (18:25):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
I I really recommend it.
It's it's if you're gonna ifyou're into museums and you want
to want to just some of thestuff they have there just it
blows my mind, really.
It's just fabulous.
And then it's really interestingbecause I we I'd not been to
Rosalind Chapel, but I saw it atthe VA, and then I was living in
Edinburgh earlier this year, Iwas doing a house sit there, and
so we went to see the realRosalind Chapel, and it's and
(18:47):
you can't take photographsinside Roslyn Chapel, you're not
allowed to, but it's reallyinteresting that you go and see
these things that you've seen orin the VA and then see them in
real life.
They've also got a statue of thecopy of David, and and some of
the things they've actually gotthey made copies of have
actually been destroyed, so it'sit's good that we have those
copies.
SPEAKER_00 (19:08):
You know, one thing that I really liked, uh I've
done this twice, is Parliament.
Have you done that?
Where you go in and watch them?
Yeah, it was yeah, I I did thatonce uh because I had nothing to
do after I arrived.
I couldn't get into my hotelroom, so I was like, well, I'll
go watch Parliament because Ican at least sit down, you know.
And then I went and had tea in ascone.
And then I took Erin on our lastvisit, and it was really, really
(19:33):
interesting to watch themdiscussing things and just sort
of seeing seeing that in action.
I really enjoyed that.
And it was pretty easy to getin, didn't take very long, and
and I was surprised at how howeasy and it was you know a
little bit different from otherum other things that we've seen.
SPEAKER_02 (19:49):
Yeah, for sure.
Well, I mean, you've we've kindof talked about museums, but
there's so many kind ofobviously landmarks and historic
buildings to go and see.
So um, I highly recommend thatif you visit in London for a few
days, that you do not miss theTower of London and please don't
just see it from the outside,which I've heard people say,
I've seen the Tower of London,and how did oh, I just saw it
from outside.
No, you need to go inside.
You really need to go inside andexperience it.
(20:12):
Um, it it's a fantastic, it's afantastic the history of it is
amazing.
Uh, and also I would say go intoWestminster Abbey for sure.
Take a tour, take a tours ofthese places, please, because
you will learn more or read upbefore you go, because otherwise
you're just looking at you'renot gonna know really what
you're seeing or uhunderstanding any of it, really.
Um, so Westminster Abbey, Iwould say, is the most St.
(20:34):
Paul's Cathedral, it's alsobeautiful to go and have a look
at.
Um, I did Evensong just afterChristmas this year at St.
Paul's, and it was lovely, itwas a very lovely experience.
Uh so that's really enjoyable.
So there's there's a lot.
Buckingham Palace is amazing togo in.
I did a small group tour ofBuckingham Palace a couple of
years ago, just before actuallythe King's coronation, and that
(20:54):
was that was fascinating andreally interesting as a as an
English person to go in and seethat because you know obviously
I've seen all this all my life,but I'd never actually set foot
in it.
Uh so that was really cool.
Basically, a lot of places in inLondon you'll find that you're
walking in the footsteps ofwell, you are you're walking in
the footsteps of hundreds ofyears of history, and it's it's
(21:15):
fabulous, it really is.
SPEAKER_00 (21:17):
Is there anything that you would think is kind of
like a really unique experiencethat that you would recommend?
SPEAKER_02 (21:24):
Yeah, you know, I'm always recommending people go to
Greenwich, and I think it'soften people, especially on a
first-time trip, they don'tconsider Greenwich at all in
their itinerary.
And I'm like, honestly, you'remissing out.
Greenwich is a fabulous place togo and visit.
Get the Uber boat down toGreenwich.
Um, there's the Cody Sark uhthere, which is a tea clipper.
I think it's the oldest teaclipper in the world.
(21:45):
I don't know.
And then uh you've got theGreenwich Meridian, so you can
go and stand with your foot ineach um hemisphere, which is
worth going to see, and actuallythe observatory on the top of
the hill.
It's a bit of a hike up there.
Greenwich Park itself, you'vegot the Queen's House, which has
got a good collection of um someartworks in there, and the tulip
staircase, which many peopledon't know about, which is so so
(22:06):
pretty to see.
I'm supposed to be haunted,apparently.
Um, and also there's a RoyalNaval College there and the
Painted Hall, which is justfabulous.
I don't know if you've seen it,Kate, but the painted hall is
beautiful.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Yeah, we went out there basically just so that I
could stand on the line andfulfill my second grade dream of
standing on the line and gettinga picture.
And then we did go into a coupleof I'm trying to remember as
you're talking, I'm pretty surewe did some of that.
SPEAKER_02 (22:32):
Yeah, like go to Greenwich and go, don't just go
for the the um observation, gofor a plan, plan most of your
day there.
You can take a picnic, there'ssome really good pubs there,
there's a good market on.
Uh so you can just go and have ahave a whole day in Greenwich.
It's a lovely ride on the boatdown there and back as well.
Um, take the if you've got kids,great, they can run around the
park as well.
(22:53):
Uh yeah, so definitely,definitely Greenwich.
I think it's uh often overlookedand it shouldn't be because it I
really think it should be a muston anybody's uh London
itinerary, to be honest.
SPEAKER_00 (23:03):
You know, there's also a boat.
We I mean we took the boat out,but we took the bus back, and it
took us probably an hour to getback to where we were staying,
but it was really interesting,you know, and just to kind of go
through all these neighborhoodsand and that was really fun.
So um yeah, boat out and busback in.
That was really great.
SPEAKER_02 (23:22):
Yeah, we often say to people it's like don't just
get the tube because you'reunder the you're underground, so
you're not seeing anything.
I mean, experience the tube.
I'd definitely say go on thetube.
But but buses are really good.
Um, you can walk, you can justwalk a lot.
You will walk, you will walk alot in London anyway.
Um, but yeah, the publictransport is is really good.
Don't be scared of it, isanother thing.
We do have guides to all of thedifferent how to use the boat,
(23:43):
how to use the even a black cab,like how to hail a black cab,
how to use the tube.
And we're going to be puttingmore stuff on YouTube as well,
guides of that.
You know, how do you pay for it?
Because we often get asked aboutthat, you know, countless
contactless, or do I need anoyster card, all that sort of uh
those questions come up.
SPEAKER_00 (24:00):
I know another experience that you've talked
about before is a black cabtour.
And I know after I heard youtalk about it, that's another
thing that's on my list.
Go ahead and talk about that alittle bit because it sounds
like so much fun.
SPEAKER_02 (24:12):
Oh, it really, really is, and it's so popular.
So many of the people on ourFacebook group of the reviews
are fantastic.
So so we partner with somereally we we work with some
very, very, very good companies.
And Discover Real London BlackCab Tours is one of those.
Um, and they you actually coulddo a touchdown tour.
So if you're landing, they'llpick you up from Heathrow
(24:33):
Airport and take you into Londonand give you a tour before you
even get into youraccommodation.
So if you're landing at sevenand you can't get any
accommodation until one o'clockor two o'clock, they'll pick you
up and give you a tour of Londonand completely orientate you.
You can go and see all the mainsites.
And the advantage of uh having ablack cab is they can go places
that nobody else can go.
They can park outsideWestminster Abbey.
(24:54):
I've got a picture of myselfoutside Westminster Abbey, um,
and I've got the black cab,there's the red London phone
box, there's Westminster Abbey,and there's me standing in front
of it going like this isamazing.
These are like icons of Londonand have all in one picture.
It's it's amazing.
And we've been dropped out, youcan get dropped off just outside
Buckingham Palace and then takeyour photos and then get picked
(25:14):
up a few minutes later.
So, because trying to getBuckingham Palace is a bit of a
walk, like buses can't go nearit, and you can't, you know, you
that's your best way to get toit if you've got any mobility
issues as well.
It's a really good way to getclose to Buckingham Palace.
Um, and the guys can take you,you can say this is what I'd
like to see, it's my first time,I'd like to go and see this, see
this, see this, and and they cantake it and then they can take
(25:36):
you to accommodation.
They've actually just um I'veonly just shared it with my
Facebook group yesterday, butthey've got a Christmas lights
tour as well, which I reallywant to do, um, because uh look
London at Christmas is one of myfavorite times.
So, yeah, there's lots ofdifferent tours that they have.
So you can have a look on thewebsite, you can contact Ollie,
uh, who runs Discovery LondonBlack Caps and say exactly what
(25:58):
you want.
Um, and then and then he can hecan put that together for you.
But it's it's so good, it's sopopular that I everybody raves
about it.
You'd honestly feel likeroyalty, you really do.
SPEAKER_00 (26:11):
I know that's something I want to do so badly,
and then it sounds like so muchfun.
Um, but we'll put links toeverything that you've mentioned
in the show notes, so anyonelistening, you can go check that
out.
And then we'll also have linksto Tracy's um website and
podcasts and everything, so youcan get more information.
So the last thing that I want totalk about is something you just
mentioned, which is London atChristmas.
(26:32):
Because we've been there at thattime too, and it was so much
fun.
It was just beautiful.
And I love being places where,yeah, I love being places around
Christmas because you know,Germany is the most amazing
place for Christmas.
And so if you're going toGermany for Christmas markets,
stop in London because I thinkit is also pretty amazing, but
just in a little bit differentway.
(26:53):
But I love the lights.
Like we made a point to go to asmany of those streets that have
these beautiful and unique lightshows.
And um, oh, it was so much fun.
What do you like to do in Londonat Christmas time?
SPEAKER_02 (27:06):
Well, I think if you've actually hit an L on the
head there with what you saidabout the lights, because we
Doug and I did a trip around uma lot of European countries last
December, and Germany honestlyhas the best Christmas markets.
They are the best.
But the best Christmas lightsthat we saw and that we've seen
anywhere are in London.
They are fabulous, and they havedifferent themes.
(27:28):
And like I was mentioned aboutthe black cab tour as well.
The good thing about when youtake one of those is that that's
with a um a London black cab,they've done the knowledge, they
know their way around London,they know the side streets, the
best way to get you to thoselights that will avoid the
traffic.
Um, so like they know it likewell, they have to know it like
the back of their hand.
Um, because seeing all thelights, there's they're all over
(27:49):
the place.
And even last year when I wasthere trying to see all the
lights, I was in and out andtrying to walk around, trying to
do as much as I could um and seethem.
So sitting in a black cab wouldhave been the best way to do it,
honestly.
But I just love the Christmasshops as well at Fortnite and
Mason, Liberties.
When they have the Christmasshops, oh, they're just just so
(28:10):
pretty, so beautiful.
The atmosphere is amazing.
Covent Garden is beautifullydecorated, so you need to go to
Covent Garden as well.
Um, I I don't know, I just thinkit's so magical.
I've loved it since I was achild going to London at
Christmas.
It's just there's so much aboutit.
It does get really busy, I willsay that.
So you need to be prepared, andit can get a bit cold, so you
(28:32):
need to make sure that you youknow wrap up warmly.
I've done a couple of their umChristmas like bus tours as
well.
So if you're sitting on the topof a bus, you need to make sure
you're wrapped up warmly.
But it's just ah for me, it'slike the best city in the world
to spend in the in the lead upto Christmas.
I really enjoy it.
But I'd like to mix that up withthe Christmas markets because
honestly, the Christmas, theGerman food and the the
(28:56):
atmosphere and the Christmasmarkets in Germany was just
excellent.
Excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
Yeah, it was funny when we were there.
Um, you know, we were enjoyingall of these really great
things, but then we go to themarkets and we're like, okay, we
enjoy this, but yeah, Germany,that's where they really excel.
But there are so many otherthings on, I mean, it it was
awesome.
We loved it.
I would absolutely go back in atChristmas time.
I mean, I'll go to Londonanytime, but you know, Christmas
time was, yeah.
(29:22):
That was really wonderful.
Okay, well, Tracy, do you haveany final tips you'd like to
share for anyone doing astopover in London?
SPEAKER_02 (29:30):
Uh yes, first of all, say do not try and overpack
your itinerary because we seethat all the time.
Don't underestimate how tiredyou can get actually walking
around London.
So I don't know, we all do that.
We all uh try to put too muchin.
Uh second, I'd just make sureyou've got comfortable footwear.
It's really important uh youthink about that, that you pack
layers.
Um, and the last thing I'mactually going to say is is take
(29:50):
a day trip out of London.
If it's your first time in andyou've got enough time, do
choose somewhere to go outbecause London is a wonderful
city to visit, but it does notit Don't encapsulate the whole
of the UK, it doesn't representthe whole of the UK, that's for
sure.
Or even England.
So to take a day trip, you canvery easily get to Bath, you
could go to Oxford, you could goto Cambridge, you could go to
(30:11):
Canterbury, you could go toWinchester.
There are so many.
Windsor is very close by.
There's so many amazing places.
So do consider a day trip aswell.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
Excellent.
All right.
Well, thank you so much, Tracy.
And um, I will put links to yourwebsites and to your podcast in
the show notes.
But go ahead and uh remindeveryone what your websites and
your podcast, what what are thenames?
SPEAKER_02 (30:35):
Okay, so our website is uktravelplanning.com and the
podcast is of the same name, UKTravel Planning.
Uh, you can find that on all oflike Spotify and Apple.
It's on all of the majorplayers.
And we've just actually hit halfa million downloads, which is
very excited for us.
So um it's doing very well.
And also you can find uh ouranything about London
(30:57):
specifically.
We do have London information onthat SAP, but we do have a
London-centric website,LondonTravelplanning.com too,
which has got lots ofinformation on that.
We've got Facebook groups of thesame name, but also on YouTube
at uktravelplanning.com andInstagram, uktravelplanning.com.
So it's very easy, it's just UKTravel Planning, London Travel
Planning.
(31:17):
Alright, thank you so much,Tracy.
Uh, thanks for having me, Kate.
It's been lovely to chat withyou today.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK Travel
Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanning.com.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
(31:38):
We love to hear from you, andyou never know, you may receive
a shout out in a future episode.
But as always, that just leavesme to say until next week, happy
UK travel planning!
Planning a layover in London.
In this special episode, I'mjoining my friend Kate from the
Germany Travel Planning Podcastto share insider tips on how to
make the most of a shortstop inthe UK capital.
Whether you've only got a day ortwo, there's plenty to see and
do.
SPEAKER_01 (00:14):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK travel planning website,
Tracy Collins.
Each week, Tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
(00:37):
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
from picturesque countryside toseaside towns.
SPEAKER_02 (00:49):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of the UK
Travel Planner Podcast.
Today's episode is a little bitdifferent.
I recently joined my friend Kateon her Germany Travel Planner
Podcast to chat all about how tomake the most of a layover in
London.
Whether you've only got 24 hoursor a couple of days to explore,
we share lots of practical tipsand ideas from where to stay and
what to see to some of myfavourite food spots and ways to
(01:10):
make the most of your time.
So if you're flying throughLondon on your way to or from
Europe, this episode will helpyou turn that quick stopover
into a mini London adventure.
So let's dive into my chat withKate from the Germany Travel
Plan and Podcast all aboutplanning the perfect London
layover.
SPEAKER_00 (01:27):
Hi Tracy.
So excited to talk with youtoday.
SPEAKER_02 (01:30):
Hi, it's unusual for me to be on the other side of
the mic.
So it's uh it's lovely to seeyou again today.
How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
Pretty good.
Well, so let's start with yourintroduction.
Go ahead and tell us a littlebit about who you are and what
you do.
SPEAKER_02 (01:43):
Okay, so my name is Tracy Collins.
I'm the creator and writer andvoice behind the UK Travel
Planning website and podcast andthe London Travel Planning uh
website.
Uh so basically, yeah,podcaster, content creator, uh
lover of all things, UK.
As you can hear, I'm from theUK.
So um work with my husband,who's a train expert.
(02:05):
So we do a lot of uh work aroundtrains in the UK.
So yeah, we have a Facebookgroup and Instagram and YouTube
as well.
SPEAKER_00 (02:12):
Well, I'm so excited to talk with you today because I
have used your website becauseErin and I have spent quite a
bit of time in the UK recently,in the last couple of years.
And so I have used both of yourwebsites and I know I've asked
you questions, I've used yourFacebook group, and everything
is just fantastic.
So the topic for today is doinga stopover in London, because I
(02:35):
know a lot of people that a lotof clients that I've worked
with, um, they do a stopover inLondon either on the way to
Germany or on the way home.
I've done that several times.
So I thought, let's bring Tracyon to talk about London.
And um, you know, we're we'rejust gonna kind of go back and
forth and answer some questionsso that anyone listening who
(02:56):
wants to do a stopover, thiswill give you some ideas of
where you can stay and what youcan do, and get some insider
tips from Tracy.
SPEAKER_02 (03:04):
That sounds good.
Perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (03:05):
Okay, so the first question is
favorite area that you like tostay in in London, or is there a
favorite hotel that you like orrecommend?
SPEAKER_02 (03:15):
Uh, interestingly, we we tend to stay in different
parts of London, mainly becausewe're trying out different
hotels and different areas sothat we can give kind of
up-to-date recommendations.
Um, I used to live and work inLondon, so quite often when I'm
there for a longer period oftime, I do stay down in East
Putney because it's fairly easyto get up on the district line
(03:35):
straight into central London.
But I do recommend forfirst-time visitors or if you're
planning to do a lot in centralLondon, which I imagine that's
what you're going to be doing ifyou're visiting for the first
time or only there for a fewdays, um, that it's actually
easier to stay in zone one,which is kind of where all of
the main sites in London thatyou'll want to see, like
Buckingham Palace and Tower ofLondon and the House of
(03:58):
Parliament and WestminsterAbbey, they're all in that kind
of area.
So it depends really what youwant and what you're after.
So, you know, I my preferredarea if I'm going and I go on my
own and I'm up with Doug,actually with him probably as
well.
He'd say the same.
Is that we really like theCovent Garden area because it's
there's great restaurants,there's a great vibe, uh, it's
(04:19):
just there's some really goodshops, and it's just there's the
theaters in that area.
So it's a it's a really goodarea, and it's also obviously
well served by the tube andpublic transport, so easy to get
around.
So that's one of the areas thatwe do enjoy staying in.
SPEAKER_00 (04:33):
Yeah, I you know, I can I can recommend a couple of
hotels.
I think they're that I've stayedin some of those locations as
well.
I was actually making a listbefore this, and I was trying to
think of all the differentplaces I've stayed over the
years, and um, and it's been inlots of different locations, and
each one has had its pros andcons.
And um, and especially if you'rejust gonna be there for a couple
of days, staying like very, verycentral to where you can walk to
(04:55):
everything is so great.
I did that, I did that one timewhen I was in the UK for work,
and I stayed at the Lime TreeHotel.
I don't know if you've heard ofthat one, but um, it was really
great, and the location wasfantastic because um I could
walk to Buckingham Palace andeverywhere else, and it was just
really nice.
They had a really goodbreakfast.
And then uh recently we stayedat the Tavistock Hotel, which is
(05:16):
near the British Museum, and thehotel was great, except it does
not have air conditioning in thesummer.
We were there in January,February, so it was okay.
Um, we stayed there because wehad a lot of hotel points, so
our almost two-week stay wasfree.
So, you know, I really likedthat hotel because of that.
And the location was great, itwas a little bit quieter, and uh
we could still walk to a lot ofthings.
(05:37):
And then um, I guess actually,most recently, when we were
there for um the Christmasseason, we stayed in an
apartment near Borough Marketbecause we had never stayed in
that location before.
We've been to Borough Marketseveral times, and I really
liked that too.
But I wouldn't recommend it forjust a short stay because it
was, you know, it took us a lotlonger to get places.
(05:59):
But I loved being walkingdistance from Borough Market.
SPEAKER_02 (06:02):
Oh, yeah, that would be good.
I'd enjoy that too.
Um basically I I think you justhave to think about your your
travel style, your your what doyou need out of accommodation,
what do you want, uh, and thenlook at what you want to do and
see in London and then choosethat.
We do have an article which kindof can matches up like the areas
and what would probably appealdepending on, you know, if it's
(06:23):
if you're a family, if you'retraveling solo, depends what you
want, really.
Um the main thing that we doadvise is honestly is that you
stay in central London, that youdo not waste your time on public
transport getting in and out ofLondon.
It's just, you know, you don'treally want to be dealing with
the rush hour, getting into thecenter.
I know I don't enjoy that, so Iwouldn't recommend that you do
that, really.
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
Oh, yeah, yeah, completely.
And we've uh we've had timeswhere we've taken the tube
different places and we finallyjust left and walked because it
was so crowded during rush hour.
We could not get on the tube,and I'm very claustrophobic, so
that also is not great.
And we were like, no, we'll justwalk for 40 minutes, that's
okay.
So being within walking distanceis a really good idea.
(07:03):
And I, you know, you mentioneduh some guides you have on your
website.
I will link to those because youhave really, really great hotel
guides and lots of fantasticinformation um that will help
people narrow down where theywant to go, where they want to
stay.
And you also have a map that'ssimilar to the map that we have
in our Germany travel planner.
Do you you have hotels on thatmap, right?
(07:25):
Because you have one for London.
SPEAKER_02 (07:26):
Yes, yes, we do.
We have one for London, and thatdoes have hotels for and it's
also you can you can uh gothrough the tags of the
different areas and have a lookat what hotels are available in
that area with a kind ofwrite-up and have and have a
look at photos and and see ifthat that suits.
And also we've got publictransport so you'll be able to
see how close the tube isbecause I mean I am I'm nearly
(07:47):
60 and I don't this is an excuseon age, but I I'm happy when I
walk around London to do all thewalking all day.
Um, but by the end of the day,I'm starting to flag, and I just
for my feet, I just know that Idon't want to be spending an
hour walking back to myaccommodation.
So I always look for somewherethat is like five minutes from a
(08:08):
tube station because I just knowthat by the time and I've done
20,000, 25,000 steps in a day,which you can easily do in
London.
Um I just by that point, by thetime I get back, I just want to
get back to my accommodation andjust chill out.
And I don't want to be having toconsider how I'm gonna get back.
And I know we we often doconsults with people who and I
know London accommodation isexpensive, don't get me wrong, I
(08:30):
understand that.
But sometimes when you have toget back by an overground train,
not even the tube, and thenyou've got to take a bus and
then you've got to walk.
Believe me, it's not it's notfun.
Maybe if you're in your 20s andgot full of energy, but I just I
just know that's not somethingthat I want to do at this point.
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
Oh, yeah, totally agree, totally agree.
Like when we stayed in BoroughMarket, we thought we really
liked it because it was a littlebit quieter and we had we were
there for almost two weeks, Ithink.
So we had plenty of time.
But I definitely would not staythere for just a short stay
because you'd be spending all ofyour time walking and public
transit and that, yeah, andthat'd be not be as fun.
(09:06):
So we mentioned Borough Market,and um, I know uh we were we
were talking a little bit aboutthis before we started recording
about the fish and chips placethere.
And I'm not really a I don'tlove fish that much, but I
really like the fish and chipsat Borough Market.
We go back there anytime we'rein London to get the fish and
chips there.
So let's talk about food.
(09:26):
Um, do you have a favoriterestaurant?
Do you have uh favorite food?
Something you really like to eatwhen you're in London?
SPEAKER_02 (09:32):
Okay, this is a great question, Kate, because I
love talking about food.
So first thing I always do is Ihead to Mox and Spencer's Simply
Food and I'll load up on the thegoodies that they have.
I particularly like the cherrycake and the meal deals, which
are basically you can get asandwich and a drink and a fruit
or pack of crisp for areasonable price.
They're really good.
So we tend to do that.
But when it comes to eating out,um, there's a few places that I
(09:56):
really, really love, and I thinkthere's a bit of a cheese theme
going on here, but anyway.
So pick and cheese, which is atthe seven dials near um Comic
Garden, it's basically like asushi bar for cheese.
Honestly, it is the best.
I absolutely I always go backthere, and they pair the cheese
with the most amazing,different, different things.
(10:16):
It's like you you just can'tbelieve what they pair it with,
and it always works.
So I always have a glass ofport, and then I just sit and do
the the sushi train but withcheese.
So that's really cool.
Um, another one I really like isCapacasin, which is in Borough
Market, uh, which is uh raclet,which is um Swiss, so the
cheese, uh, and pickles andpotatoes, and it's really funny
(10:37):
because obviously on TikTok theythey're quite famous for their
their uh toasted cheesesandwich, you know, and I get in
the cue for the raclette and go,you guys are missing out,
honestly.
Uh so I would recommend thatwhen you go back, Kate, is to go
to Cabricasin.
It's amazing, it's really good.
And also, if you're in BoroughMarket as well, you should have
a humble crumble.
They're not just in BoroughMarket, but uh if you're there
(10:59):
anyway, definitely go and have ahumble crumble because they are
delicious, absolutely delicious.
SPEAKER_00 (11:05):
So I have to interject here that I saw these
places when we were in Londonand we did not stop at them.
And I have regretted it eversince.
So it is on my to-do list.
Like we saw that cheese place,we stood outside and we're like,
that looks fun, but we're nothungry.
And then we saw the other placesat Borough Market, and I was
like, okay, we have to comeback.
So definitely stop at thoseplaces.
(11:25):
They looked so good.
SPEAKER_02 (11:26):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
And then places to go that Ialways recommend as well uh to
go and eat Cafe in the Crypt,which is St.
Martin's in the field.
It's a church, so it is in acrypt, so the cafe is in the
crypt of the church, and it'sjust off Trafalgar Square.
So if you go to one of themuseums, you've got the National
Portrait Gallery or NationalGallery, then go and have lunch
uh at the cafe in the crypt.
It's great.
(11:46):
Um, so always recommend that.
Um, and the other one which Ireally love is the cafe at the
VA Museum, which is actually thefirst museum cafe in the world,
and it's Art Deco.
So if you have I love Art Deco,it's beautiful, it is the most
beautiful place to just sit andhave.
You can go and have afternoontea, or you can just go and have
a sandwich.
It's it's not cheap, I will saythat.
(12:08):
It is quite expensive, but it'sreally worth it because it's
just so pretty.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
Oh, that sounds great too.
Oh, I have to go back.
I have to go back.
I uh you know, I have to plananother trip to London because
there's always like I have thisongoing list of things that I
still haven't seen.
It's amazing like how much thereis to see there.
So I can also add um Gale'sbakery.
Whenever I see a Gale's bakeryin London, there was one in
(12:36):
Brighton.
I I don't know if I've seen itanywhere else, but um, whenever
we see one, we stop and we getsomething because they have the
most amazing hot chocolate.
It's not super sweet, and it'sdelicious, especially in the
winter.
And um, and then all their bakedgoods are so good.
They're sandwiches and pastriesand stuff.
So we love that.
And I think we could do a wholeepisode just on MS because their
(12:58):
food haul is amazing.
We eat there all the time.
I mean, like they have cookiesand chocolates and like ginger,
um, chocolate covered gingercookies, I think.
And um Aaron loves the jellybabies and you know the yogurts
and I mean everything.
(13:18):
And they have all the preparedfoods.
There, there's salads we reallylike.
We have meals that we reallylike that we we go in and we get
all the time.
It is the best, it's the bestplace to go.
SPEAKER_02 (13:30):
A hundred percent.
Absolutely.
Go into Marks and Spencer's anduh especially if you're staying
in South Catron as well, justthey have really good deals for
for dinners, for lunches.
So, yeah, and it's very nicefood.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
One more thing, since we're talking about food.
Of course, everyone wants to doafternoon tea when they're in
London.
What do you recommend for that?
SPEAKER_02 (13:51):
Uh, to be honest, the first thing I say is decide
what sort of tea you want.
So, do you want a traditionalafternoon tea or do you want a
themed afternoon tea?
Um, so I I am working my wayaround London trying afternoon
teas because I have to do it,it's part of the job.
Um, so I've tried lots ofdifferent ones.
I've tried some of the afternoontea buses.
So if you want to try one ofthose, you can go and sit on a
(14:11):
bus and have afternoon tea whileyou're driving around London.
That's really cool.
If you want afternoon tea that'sthemed with a view, Peter Pan at
the Shard is a very cool one todo.
Um, Fortnummer Mason is verytraditional.
If you want the traditional one,I actually did uh I had the
afternoon tea at the RoyalExchange, which was a lovely as
well and beautiful settings.
I will just mention, I forgot tomention this about food as well.
(14:33):
If you do go to Fortnite Mason,the one uh Piccadilly Circus, do
go and have a Scotch egg becausethey are the inventors of the
Scotch egg.
Now, I I love if you don't knowwhat a Scotch egg is, it's
basically a um boiled egg andit's encased in sausage meat and
then breadcrumbs, and they aredelicious.
And the picky lily that goeswith it there is amazing as
well.
They actually invented it.
(14:54):
So if you want to go and trysomething, and honestly, it's
really tasty.
Go to I think it's the secondfloor on Fortnum and Mason.
Go and try that.
But when it comes to afternoonteas, honestly, the London is
your this uh your oyster.
There's so many to choose from.
There's so many ones for kids,there's so many very traditional
ones, there are so many just funones.
(15:16):
I've done Alice in Wonderland,there's uh Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory one.
As I say, I've done the PeterPan one, I've done some
traditional ones.
There are just so so many.
So just think about what sort offoods you want if you want the
themed stuff, which is a bitmore, it's cute, or do you want
to go for the kind of verytraditional one?
And also, I just want to saythat it's afternoon tea, not
(15:37):
high tea.
High tea is something verydifferent, um, and that gets
mixed up very often.
High tea is a more a sit-downhot meal, um, which is was it
kind of a I associate with anorth and a northern uh England,
and uh uh but a lot of peoplearound the world will call
afternoon tea high tea, which iskind of a different thing.
I even think some places in theUK are now starting to call it
(15:59):
high tea, which is a bit sadbecause it's actually afternoon
tea.
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Well, if you ever need somebody to uh try out all
the different afternoon teas inLondon, let me know.
I will go with you.
SPEAKER_02 (16:13):
Oh, absolutely.
I often get invited actually toafternoon teas, and I have to be
careful because when you travelin such a lot, it's so easy to
put weight on.
So I try to limit myself to likeone a week, really.
But yeah, it's very tempting.
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
Yep, I I know that very well.
Um, okay, in between all thedelicious food that you can eat
in London.
What is your favorite museum orsite?
SPEAKER_02 (16:38):
Okay, well, anybody, anybody who listens to the UK
Travel Plan podcast was knowwill know what I'm about to say
at this point.
I absolutely love the VA Museumand I always spend at least
three or four hours there.
And actually, I have I love thecast courts.
So in the 1800s, they kind ofdid casts of all these famous
places and statues and buildingsfrom around the world so that
(17:00):
people in London could see them,because obviously not everybody
could afford to travel.
Um, and it's amazing becauseit's it's not stuff that the
British stole, it's not stuffthat we took from anywhere, it's
just stuff that we made copiesof.
Um and they're just it's awonderful, they're lovely to go
and sit in as well becausethey're quite.
I I don't know if you've been inthe cast courts, Kate, but
they're they're they're hugerooms, high rooms, because they
(17:22):
can actually accommodate allthese large casts of buildings.
Um, but I just sit in thereusually for a good hour and just
sit and enjoy looking.
I don't know, it sounds a bitweird, but I just love it.
Then I'll go and have have a cupof tea in the cafe.
Um, and then I'll go and choosea different part of the museum
to go and explore becausethere's so much to see in the
VA.
And and honestly, it's a museumthat I've only discovered in
(17:44):
recent years because in the UK,all kids go to the Natural
History Museum, the sciencemuseums next door.
So you've got those threemuseums kind of all in a row.
Obviously, the British Museum isvery famous.
I went there again as a child.
Um, and the VA always kind ofescaped me.
Um, but since I've started goingthere, it's now an absolute must
visit when I'm in London.
(18:05):
So I highly recommend.
They've got fashion through theages, which is amazing.
The jewellery collection is justbeautiful.
Uh, it's amazing.
It's just such a fabulousmuseum.
SPEAKER_00 (18:15):
I really enjoyed that one too.
I I think that was probably myfavourite one.
Like I've been to the BritishMuseum, I've been to a few other
ones, but I was surprised howmuch I really enjoyed the VA.
SPEAKER_02 (18:25):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
I I really recommend it.
It's it's if you're gonna ifyou're into museums and you want
to want to just some of thestuff they have there just it
blows my mind, really.
It's just fabulous.
And then it's really interestingbecause I we I'd not been to
Rosalind Chapel, but I saw it atthe VA, and then I was living in
Edinburgh earlier this year, Iwas doing a house sit there, and
so we went to see the realRosalind Chapel, and it's and
(18:47):
you can't take photographsinside Roslyn Chapel, you're not
allowed to, but it's reallyinteresting that you go and see
these things that you've seen orin the VA and then see them in
real life.
They've also got a statue of thecopy of David, and and some of
the things they've actually gotthey made copies of have
actually been destroyed, so it'sit's good that we have those
copies.
SPEAKER_00 (19:08):
You know, one thing that I really liked, uh I've
done this twice, is Parliament.
Have you done that?
Where you go in and watch them?
Yeah, it was yeah, I I did thatonce uh because I had nothing to
do after I arrived.
I couldn't get into my hotelroom, so I was like, well, I'll
go watch Parliament because Ican at least sit down, you know.
And then I went and had tea in ascone.
And then I took Erin on our lastvisit, and it was really, really
(19:33):
interesting to watch themdiscussing things and just sort
of seeing seeing that in action.
I really enjoyed that.
And it was pretty easy to getin, didn't take very long, and
and I was surprised at how howeasy and it was you know a
little bit different from otherum other things that we've seen.
SPEAKER_02 (19:49):
Yeah, for sure.
Well, I mean, you've we've kindof talked about museums, but
there's so many kind ofobviously landmarks and historic
buildings to go and see.
So um, I highly recommend thatif you visit in London for a few
days, that you do not miss theTower of London and please don't
just see it from the outside,which I've heard people say,
I've seen the Tower of London,and how did oh, I just saw it
from outside.
No, you need to go inside.
You really need to go inside andexperience it.
(20:12):
Um, it it's a fantastic, it's afantastic the history of it is
amazing.
Uh, and also I would say go intoWestminster Abbey for sure.
Take a tour, take a tours ofthese places, please, because
you will learn more or read upbefore you go, because otherwise
you're just looking at you'renot gonna know really what
you're seeing or uhunderstanding any of it, really.
Um, so Westminster Abbey, Iwould say, is the most St.
(20:34):
Paul's Cathedral, it's alsobeautiful to go and have a look
at.
Um, I did Evensong just afterChristmas this year at St.
Paul's, and it was lovely, itwas a very lovely experience.
Uh so that's really enjoyable.
So there's there's a lot.
Buckingham Palace is amazing togo in.
I did a small group tour ofBuckingham Palace a couple of
years ago, just before actuallythe King's coronation, and that
(20:54):
was that was fascinating andreally interesting as a as an
English person to go in and seethat because you know obviously
I've seen all this all my life,but I'd never actually set foot
in it.
Uh so that was really cool.
Basically, a lot of places in inLondon you'll find that you're
walking in the footsteps ofwell, you are you're walking in
the footsteps of hundreds ofyears of history, and it's it's
(21:15):
fabulous, it really is.
SPEAKER_00 (21:17):
Is there anything that you would think is kind of
like a really unique experiencethat that you would recommend?
SPEAKER_02 (21:24):
Yeah, you know, I'm always recommending people go to
Greenwich, and I think it'soften people, especially on a
first-time trip, they don'tconsider Greenwich at all in
their itinerary.
And I'm like, honestly, you'remissing out.
Greenwich is a fabulous place togo and visit.
Get the Uber boat down toGreenwich.
Um, there's the Cody Sark uhthere, which is a tea clipper.
I think it's the oldest teaclipper in the world.
(21:45):
I don't know.
And then uh you've got theGreenwich Meridian, so you can
go and stand with your foot ineach um hemisphere, which is
worth going to see, and actuallythe observatory on the top of
the hill.
It's a bit of a hike up there.
Greenwich Park itself, you'vegot the Queen's House, which has
got a good collection of um someartworks in there, and the tulip
staircase, which many peopledon't know about, which is so so
(22:06):
pretty to see.
I'm supposed to be haunted,apparently.
Um, and also there's a RoyalNaval College there and the
Painted Hall, which is justfabulous.
I don't know if you've seen it,Kate, but the painted hall is
beautiful.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Yeah, we went out there basically just so that I
could stand on the line andfulfill my second grade dream of
standing on the line and gettinga picture.
And then we did go into a coupleof I'm trying to remember as
you're talking, I'm pretty surewe did some of that.
SPEAKER_02 (22:32):
Yeah, like go to Greenwich and go, don't just go
for the the um observation, gofor a plan, plan most of your
day there.
You can take a picnic, there'ssome really good pubs there,
there's a good market on.
Uh so you can just go and have ahave a whole day in Greenwich.
It's a lovely ride on the boatdown there and back as well.
Um, take the if you've got kids,great, they can run around the
park as well.
(22:53):
Uh yeah, so definitely,definitely Greenwich.
I think it's uh often overlookedand it shouldn't be because it I
really think it should be a muston anybody's uh London
itinerary, to be honest.
SPEAKER_00 (23:03):
You know, there's also a boat.
We I mean we took the boat out,but we took the bus back, and it
took us probably an hour to getback to where we were staying,
but it was really interesting,you know, and just to kind of go
through all these neighborhoodsand and that was really fun.
So um yeah, boat out and busback in.
That was really great.
SPEAKER_02 (23:22):
Yeah, we often say to people it's like don't just
get the tube because you'reunder the you're underground, so
you're not seeing anything.
I mean, experience the tube.
I'd definitely say go on thetube.
But but buses are really good.
Um, you can walk, you can justwalk a lot.
You will walk, you will walk alot in London anyway.
Um, but yeah, the publictransport is is really good.
Don't be scared of it, isanother thing.
We do have guides to all of thedifferent how to use the boat,
(23:43):
how to use the even a black cab,like how to hail a black cab,
how to use the tube.
And we're going to be puttingmore stuff on YouTube as well,
guides of that.
You know, how do you pay for it?
Because we often get asked aboutthat, you know, countless
contactless, or do I need anoyster card, all that sort of uh
those questions come up.
SPEAKER_00 (24:00):
I know another experience that you've talked
about before is a black cabtour.
And I know after I heard youtalk about it, that's another
thing that's on my list.
Go ahead and talk about that alittle bit because it sounds
like so much fun.
SPEAKER_02 (24:12):
Oh, it really, really is, and it's so popular.
So many of the people on ourFacebook group of the reviews
are fantastic.
So so we partner with somereally we we work with some
very, very, very good companies.
And Discover Real London BlackCab Tours is one of those.
Um, and they you actually coulddo a touchdown tour.
So if you're landing, they'llpick you up from Heathrow
(24:33):
Airport and take you into Londonand give you a tour before you
even get into youraccommodation.
So if you're landing at sevenand you can't get any
accommodation until one o'clockor two o'clock, they'll pick you
up and give you a tour of Londonand completely orientate you.
You can go and see all the mainsites.
And the advantage of uh having ablack cab is they can go places
that nobody else can go.
They can park outsideWestminster Abbey.
(24:54):
I've got a picture of myselfoutside Westminster Abbey, um,
and I've got the black cab,there's the red London phone
box, there's Westminster Abbey,and there's me standing in front
of it going like this isamazing.
These are like icons of Londonand have all in one picture.
It's it's amazing.
And we've been dropped out, youcan get dropped off just outside
Buckingham Palace and then takeyour photos and then get picked
(25:14):
up a few minutes later.
So, because trying to getBuckingham Palace is a bit of a
walk, like buses can't go nearit, and you can't, you know, you
that's your best way to get toit if you've got any mobility
issues as well.
It's a really good way to getclose to Buckingham Palace.
Um, and the guys can take you,you can say this is what I'd
like to see, it's my first time,I'd like to go and see this, see
this, see this, and and they cantake it and then they can take
(25:36):
you to accommodation.
They've actually just um I'veonly just shared it with my
Facebook group yesterday, butthey've got a Christmas lights
tour as well, which I reallywant to do, um, because uh look
London at Christmas is one of myfavorite times.
So, yeah, there's lots ofdifferent tours that they have.
So you can have a look on thewebsite, you can contact Ollie,
uh, who runs Discovery LondonBlack Caps and say exactly what
(25:58):
you want.
Um, and then and then he can hecan put that together for you.
But it's it's so good, it's sopopular that I everybody raves
about it.
You'd honestly feel likeroyalty, you really do.
SPEAKER_00 (26:11):
I know that's something I want to do so badly,
and then it sounds like so muchfun.
Um, but we'll put links toeverything that you've mentioned
in the show notes, so anyonelistening, you can go check that
out.
And then we'll also have linksto Tracy's um website and
podcasts and everything, so youcan get more information.
So the last thing that I want totalk about is something you just
mentioned, which is London atChristmas.
(26:32):
Because we've been there at thattime too, and it was so much
fun.
It was just beautiful.
And I love being places where,yeah, I love being places around
Christmas because you know,Germany is the most amazing
place for Christmas.
And so if you're going toGermany for Christmas markets,
stop in London because I thinkit is also pretty amazing, but
just in a little bit differentway.
(26:53):
But I love the lights.
Like we made a point to go to asmany of those streets that have
these beautiful and unique lightshows.
And um, oh, it was so much fun.
What do you like to do in Londonat Christmas time?
SPEAKER_02 (27:06):
Well, I think if you've actually hit an L on the
head there with what you saidabout the lights, because we
Doug and I did a trip around uma lot of European countries last
December, and Germany honestlyhas the best Christmas markets.
They are the best.
But the best Christmas lightsthat we saw and that we've seen
anywhere are in London.
They are fabulous, and they havedifferent themes.
(27:28):
And like I was mentioned aboutthe black cab tour as well.
The good thing about when youtake one of those is that that's
with a um a London black cab,they've done the knowledge, they
know their way around London,they know the side streets, the
best way to get you to thoselights that will avoid the
traffic.
Um, so like they know it likewell, they have to know it like
the back of their hand.
Um, because seeing all thelights, there's they're all over
(27:49):
the place.
And even last year when I wasthere trying to see all the
lights, I was in and out andtrying to walk around, trying to
do as much as I could um and seethem.
So sitting in a black cab wouldhave been the best way to do it,
honestly.
But I just love the Christmasshops as well at Fortnite and
Mason, Liberties.
When they have the Christmasshops, oh, they're just just so
(28:10):
pretty, so beautiful.
The atmosphere is amazing.
Covent Garden is beautifullydecorated, so you need to go to
Covent Garden as well.
Um, I I don't know, I just thinkit's so magical.
I've loved it since I was achild going to London at
Christmas.
It's just there's so much aboutit.
It does get really busy, I willsay that.
So you need to be prepared, andit can get a bit cold, so you
(28:32):
need to make sure that you youknow wrap up warmly.
I've done a couple of their umChristmas like bus tours as
well.
So if you're sitting on the topof a bus, you need to make sure
you're wrapped up warmly.
But it's just ah for me, it'slike the best city in the world
to spend in the in the lead upto Christmas.
I really enjoy it.
But I'd like to mix that up withthe Christmas markets because
honestly, the Christmas, theGerman food and the the
(28:56):
atmosphere and the Christmasmarkets in Germany was just
excellent.
Excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
Yeah, it was funny when we were there.
Um, you know, we were enjoyingall of these really great
things, but then we go to themarkets and we're like, okay, we
enjoy this, but yeah, Germany,that's where they really excel.
But there are so many otherthings on, I mean, it it was
awesome.
We loved it.
I would absolutely go back in atChristmas time.
I mean, I'll go to Londonanytime, but you know, Christmas
time was, yeah.
(29:22):
That was really wonderful.
Okay, well, Tracy, do you haveany final tips you'd like to
share for anyone doing astopover in London?
SPEAKER_02 (29:30):
Uh yes, first of all, say do not try and overpack
your itinerary because we seethat all the time.
Don't underestimate how tiredyou can get actually walking
around London.
So I don't know, we all do that.
We all uh try to put too muchin.
Uh second, I'd just make sureyou've got comfortable footwear.
It's really important uh youthink about that, that you pack
layers.
Um, and the last thing I'mactually going to say is is take
(29:50):
a day trip out of London.
If it's your first time in andyou've got enough time, do
choose somewhere to go outbecause London is a wonderful
city to visit, but it does notit Don't encapsulate the whole
of the UK, it doesn't representthe whole of the UK, that's for
sure.
Or even England.
So to take a day trip, you canvery easily get to Bath, you
could go to Oxford, you could goto Cambridge, you could go to
(30:11):
Canterbury, you could go toWinchester.
There are so many.
Windsor is very close by.
There's so many amazing places.
So do consider a day trip aswell.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
Excellent.
All right.
Well, thank you so much, Tracy.
And um, I will put links to yourwebsites and to your podcast in
the show notes.
But go ahead and uh remindeveryone what your websites and
your podcast, what what are thenames?
SPEAKER_02 (30:35):
Okay, so our website is uktravelplanning.com and the
podcast is of the same name, UKTravel Planning.
Uh, you can find that on all oflike Spotify and Apple.
It's on all of the majorplayers.
And we've just actually hit halfa million downloads, which is
very excited for us.
So um it's doing very well.
And also you can find uh ouranything about London
(30:57):
specifically.
We do have London information onthat SAP, but we do have a
London-centric website,LondonTravelplanning.com too,
which has got lots ofinformation on that.
We've got Facebook groups of thesame name, but also on YouTube
at uktravelplanning.com andInstagram, uktravelplanning.com.
So it's very easy, it's just UKTravel Planning, London Travel
Planning.
(31:17):
Alright, thank you so much,Tracy.
Uh, thanks for having me, Kate.
It's been lovely to chat withyou today.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK Travel
Planning Podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanning.com.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
(31:38):
We love to hear from you, andyou never know, you may receive
a shout out in a future episode.
But as always, that just leavesme to say until next week, happy
UK travel planning!
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