American Women's Club of Amsterdam

Home
Travel: London

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."
— Samuel Johnson

You can find so many lists of recommendations for what to see and do in London — the options are endless, and the information can be overwhelming. Here are just a few tips from your fellow members on how to make the most of your next visit. Cheers!

Lodging

The Montague on the Gardens - a very nice hotel, great for special occasions. It's right by the British Museum.
Harlingford Hotel - Also by the British Museum, but less expensive/fewer stars. Perfectly pleasant.
The Grosvenor Hotel - nice place, good breakfast buffet, *very* close to the Hamilton theater
Hotel Cafe Royal - sounds like a cafe but it was a beautiful hotel and it's a sister hotel to the Conservatorium. Very beautiful and has a spa. There is a famous tea room with a traditional English tea.
Chesterfield Mayfair - Very convenient location walking distance to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Eye and the South Bank.

photo of London Bridge

Bala Baya

Borough Market

Ottolenghi

Restaurants:

Arabica Bar & Kitchen - Modern Middle Eastern restaurant in Borough Market. Baklava to die for!
Bala Baya - Beautiful, quirky Middle Eastern restaurant. Tucked away near Southwark Station, but worth seeking out.
Banana Tree - Pan Asian, multiple locations
Borough Market, at the foot of London Bridge, has endless stands and restaurants.
Cocotte - Healthy rotisserie and brunch.
Hawksmoor - Steakhouse. The steak, mac n cheese, yorkshire pudding and caesar salad were all excellent.
La Fromagerie - Have brunch on a Sunday morning and then walk around the organic open air market.
Mar Terra - Tapas, family run and authentic. Don’t be put off by the cafe appearance.
Mowgli Street Food - Modern Indian Street Food with lovely decor.
Orangery - Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace
Ottolenghi - You can't go wrong. There are multiple locations, here are two: The Notting Hill location is quite small so great for takeaway salads and pastries, but the Islington location is more suitable for dinner.
Oyster Shed - Seafood on the Thames, bang in the financial city.
Vegan/vegetarian Here's a friendly list I've put together: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZHXoGo9dRB94n3FlOEbwSUtKkACkBSPp&usp=sharing
Senor Ceviche - Peruvian Restaurant
Tibbit's, is a favorite. A buffet style, vegan/vegetarian restaurant with excellent food and drinks. It's open all day, so if you're hangry at a weird time, they will probably be able to feed you!
Vegan/vegetarian Here's a friendly list I've put together: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZHXoGo9dRB94n3FlOEbwSUtKkACkBSPp&usp=sharing
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a favorite pub of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain

Activities

Art Films - https://www.everymancinema.com/ or https://www.picturehouses.com/cinemas
Buckingham Palace - Changing of the guard.
Churchill’s War Rooms
Daunt's Book Stores
Fortnum & Mason - Shop for homeware and accessories, condiments and preserves, sweet treats and all-new teas. Afternoon Tea.
Hamilton Musical
Hampstead Heath Park - Beautiful walking paths and a great view of the city.
Hyde Park
Kensington Palace - Birthplace of Queen Victoria
London Eye - Ferris Wheel along the Themes.
Lower Marsh Market - Street Market just outside Waterloo Station. Weekdays lunchtime lots of food stalls. Small Independent shops.
Portobello Road Saturday flea market and wandering through the Notting Hill neighborhood
Roman Temple of Mithras - An archaeological site made into a tiny, free museum.
Spitalfields Market - Restaurants and Shops in East London
Tate Modern
While in the neighborhood of the above places visit the Tate Modern, walk along the river and see the Globe. Maybe you’ll even find the original location of the original one that was moved! Walk across the Millennium Bridge and admire the art painted on discarded chewing gum on the floor.
Tower of London
Tower of London - Ceremony of the Keys - You need to book well in advance.
Victoria and Albert Museum -Look at what is on for the special exhibits.
Walking tours - uk.funzing.com has many to choose from!
Westminster Abbey - book in advance
Windsor Castle

Other Tips:

Bring good walking shoes! The tube is great, but so is soaking in the sights.
The CityMapper app (which is great for getting around Amsterdam!) includes London and works very well
If you can, avoid Heathrow. It's huge and a huge pain. City, Luton and Gatwick Airports are much smaller and easier to fly in/out.
You can now use your PIN pass/smart card for public transportation instead of buying and topping up an OYSTER card.

Originally published May 26, 2019, updated August 2024.

Windsor Castle

Tower of London

Fortnum & Mason

Portobello Road Market

All members of the AWCA enjoy membership to FAWCO. The AWCA has been a proud member of the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas since 1971. For more information, please visit the AWCA FAWCO page or contact your friendly FAWCO Rep.

The AWCA is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that welcomes individuals of all backgrounds. Our members are valued and respected regardless of their ethnicity, gender, age, ability, or orientation. We celebrate diversity in our community.

We'd love to hear from you. Send a note to the AWCA team with any questions or comments. • AWCA Privacy Policy. • ©2024 AWCA
Thank you for your patience during the website update. If you spot an error or missing link, please email the webmanager@awca.nl.

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." — Samuel Johnson

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."
— Samuel Johnson