Travelodge - 2D1N in London

I was on a business trip in Poland this June, and decided to visit London over the weekend, which is a two-hour flight away. I packed my 2 days with the best things to do in London as well as shopping and must eat.

This trip's hippus started early. We booked Ryan's Air for a flight from Wroclaw to London, and we planned to check in at the airport when we arrived. We arrived at the airport two hours before the flight time, and waited in the queue for 30min. To our surprise, they don't do counter check-in, and online check in is closed 2hrs before take off. As a result, we have to pay SGD$80 for late check-in. On our return, we did online check-in, but they don't recognize our Asia passport and we had to go to the counter to collect our boarding pass. So if you're flying to Europe, make sure you do ONLINE CHECK IN, ONLINE CHECK IN, ONLINE CHECK IN.

On the flight, the crew sold lottery tickets at a price of two euros, and the first prize was a $500 Ryan's airline voucher.

"Lucky for us", we bumped into a Rail Strike. Initially, the plan was to take a train from the airport to Hype Park, and we needed to change the route to suit the Airport Express Bus. Looking back, Airport Express Bus £29(two-way) might have been a better choice than Air Train £24(one way), cheaper too.

Here's our itinerary for our 2D1N Weekend Getaway

Day 1: London's must-sees

During our first day in London, we aim to see all the classic London attractions everyone visiting for the first time should not miss.

2. South Bank & the London Eye - The views are stunning and we can see some of London's most iconic buildings and cityscapes. London Eye is the highest observation point in Europe, giving you a bird's eye view of central London.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Upon crossing the Westminster Bridge, you will find HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, also known as the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, the iconic bell tower.
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Visit WESTMINSTER ABBEY, a popular location for Royal Weddings and Coronations. The most recent event was the coronation of King Charles III. Tips: Book your timed-entry tickets in advance and don't forget to visit the souvenirs shop. i bought a ring which some princess inspired. 
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

5. Walk across St. James Park towards Buckingham Palace: Witness the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace and admire the grandeur of the official residence of the British monarch. Note: Takes place daily at 11am in June and July, the rest of the year only on selected days.
   

   • 11:10 St James's Palace relief leaves Buckingham Palace

   • 11:25 Relieved sentries leave St James's Palace

   • 11:40 Old Guard leaves Buckingham Palace

   • 11:45 St James's Palace Guard leaves Buckingham Palace

   

   
   

6. Walk over to Harrods - London's most famous and iconic luxury department store, You'll find luxury clothing labels, makeup and high-quality housewares and jewelry and is an excellent place to get souvenirs - luxury tin of tea, cookies and Harrod's bears.
   
   

   
   
   

7. Afternoon tea is a must in London and we had it at Harrod's Cafe.
   
   
   

   
   
   

8. Many stations were closed as we walked down the street due to the rail strike. We saw a train station open, and took it to Oxford Street and went shopping down the street.
   
   
   

   
   
   

9. Check-in at Citadines Holborn @ Covert Garden London

10. Dinner at Flat Iron @ Convert Garden
    
    
    

    

Day 2:

1. Enjoy an English breakfast @ Fabrique

2. Taking a tube to St Paul’s Cathedral - wanted to climb to the Whispering Gallery for an acoustic experience, and enjoy the panoramic view from the Golden Gallery. However, it was closed for service on Sunday. The only thing we are allowed to do in the Church is a prayer and to light a candle.
   
   
   

   
   
   

3. Walk to London Bridge. Since childhood, we sang the song "London bridge is Falling Down" so this is a must. But this bridge is not the original bridge as it was destroyed in 1831.
   
   
   

   
   
   

4. The Tower of London - another striking and iconic London landmark. This is where Britain's most infamous prisoners were held captive before being publicly executed.
   
   
   

   
   
   
   

5. Tower Bridge. If you’re lucky, you may even time your visit to watch the bridge lift, it does so 900 times a year!”
   
   

6. Duck and Waffle for an observation view of the City near Liverpool Station
   

   

7. Shopping at Westfield @ STRATFORD Bus Station. I went mainly to the local's brands like
   - Cath Kidston
   - Burberry
   - Marks & Spencer 
   - Superdry. Don't let the Japanese-inspired fool you, it's actually a UK-based Fashion label.
   - Jo Malone
   - River Island

Getting around..

You should have noticed that most of the time we were on our feet walking between the main attractions in London. If tube/subway is available, take it and save some leg energy. You may want to avoid Tube after 10pm as the homeless will starts to move into the station and you can find them at every corners. We used a contactless credit card for our train rides and it has a cap of £8 a day - don't bother about oyster card but remembered a pair of good walking shoe.

Due to rail disruption, we were unable to visit Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4. So we will be back. :)

Travel Packing List

Anyone like me has travel anxiety and fears forgetting something, especially on a work trip. So I created a packing list, and jotted down everything that came to my mind instead of pondering it in my mind.  I organized the items into categories for easier sorting and packing. I also made sure to leave some free space in my suitcase to accommodate any last-minute purchases. This helped me to feel more prepared and less anxious about my trip.

Click HERE to download a copy.

This is one of my recent happy purchase from Amazon:

Travel Umbrellas:

Depending on where you’re traveling, it might be a good idea to bring a travel umbrella! 

As a travel umbrella, you may want something light and small to bring around. I saw this brand ハス(HUS) in Singapore Tokyo's Hand and I knew this is the travel umbrella I wanted. The price range is SGD$59.90 to SGD$79.90 but I bought the same one for below SGD$30 at Amazon.