Day 1: Tower of London and points east

The Tower is one of the first sights I ever saw in London and it remains one of my favorites. It’s a half day at least, although you really could do the better part of a day there. Buy tickets online in advance so you don’t have to stand in any lines. For the most part, everything is so well organized and explained that you don’t really need a guided tour, but the Yeoman Warder tours are fun and they run every 30m. Read a Tudor novel or two beforehand to really get a feel for the place.

Places to Eat

• Cloud Land for Yunnan Chinese food

• Emilia’s Crafted Pasta (St. Katharine’s Docks location) - they also do cooking classes although it doesn’t look like they’ve scheduled as far ahead as July yet

• The Real Greek, just across Tower Bridge - their menu suggests it is authentic Greek food (you can tell when they put French fries inside the gyros)

Other Sites in the Area

• Leadenhall Market for a glimpse of some gorgeous old London architecture

• Sky Garden, a massive indoor public garden with panoramic views of London. It’s located inside 20 Fenchurch Street, a skyscraper known to locals as the Walkie Talkie. It’s open to the public but advance tix are required. It’s also home to a couple of high-end restaurants that I would definitely try if I were there - on my last visit to London I had reservations at Darwin Brasserie that I had to cancel when I got sick.

Day 2: Getting to know the city

After all that history, let’s hit some spots that today’s Brits (and tourists) love. Put on your walking shoes.

Covent Garden, Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard are historic markets and gathering places that continue a centuries-old tradition by selling everything from high-end designer brands to local souvenirs and a lot of things in between. I go here to buy tea at Mariage Freres and souvenirs from the London Transport Museum shop. If you’re not museum-ed out after all day at the Tower, I cannot recommend this museum highly enough - it offers a fascinating insight into the history of London via its iconic Underground. If you go to Covent Garden first thing in the morning, you’re less likely to be crammed in with the crowds like sardines.

From Covent Garden, you can walk towards Westminster and Buckingham Palace, with a few potential stops in between depending on your mood:

• The National Gallery, home to a vast collection of masterworks 

• Fortnum & Mason, one of my favorite London department stores. Again, a fantastic place to buy tea (and to have high tea - more on this later) and other beautifully designed and packaged souvenirs. Last time I was in there, it was so painfully crowded on the first floor that I could barely move, but it was the xmas holidays so I’m hoping that was something of an aberration. If you book their Personal Shopping service, you’re likely to get away from the crowds a little bit.

• The Ritz, also an excellent place for tea.

• Green Park, which you can wander through at your leisure on your way to the Palace. If you’re feeling real fancy, buy yourself a F&M hamper (probably need to order a day or two in advance) and have a picnic.

Buckingham Palace is fun to see - I’ve only ever enjoyed it from the outside but you can get guided tours. That whole area is a series of big, beautiful parks that are perfect to enjoy people-watching, picnicking and maybe a bit of wildlife. Westminster Abbey is stunning from the outside and even more so (albeit pricey at 30 pounds a ticket) on the inside.

Places to eat en route:

• Hands down, one of my favorite food experiences in London is Covent Garden’s Pick & Cheese. It’s a conveyor belt cheese restaurant. ‘Nuff said. 

• Fortnum & Mason has half a dozen places to eat, from their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon to a phenomenal basement deli and a dessert parlor. 

• You can’t go to London without eating Indian food, and if you want the high-end experience, it’s Gymkhana in Mayfair, proud owner of two Michelin stars. Book as far in advance as you can.

You can do this day in either order, starting at Covent Garden or starting at Buckingham Palace. You’ve got Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus in between these points; enjoy the spectacle and keep an eye on your wallet.

Take a break: high tea

So I am a real tea aficionado, and I’m delighted that you guys are looking for a high tea experience. There are so many different options in London that the head spins trying to parse them all, but let me put them in a few categories for you to choose from:

• Famous, high-end, high priced - but worth every dime. (So many dimes.) The Ritz, Claridge’s, Brown’s, Fortnum & Mason. I’ve done all but F&M, and I’m dying to try it next. They’re all decadent, sumptuous, and spectacular, although Brown’s and Claridge’s have more of an understated old-money vibe, while the Ritz and F&M are there to wow you. Likely to have dress codes and definitely going to cost you an arm and several legs. Check out this article for more options in this vein, in case the above are booked up on your desired dates. 

• Quirky and different:

• The Ampersand Hotel in Kensington - thanks to their proximity to the Science Museum, they offer a science-themed high tea that I absolutely adored on my last visit. There’s dry ice! You get to make your own lemonade with tiny beakers! Chocolate caramel space men!

• Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium - tea in a cat cafe. If you like cats, you’re going to love this tea.

• The Library at County Hall - if you like libraries even more than you like cats (definitely describes me), try this one. They have little Big Ben-shaped pastries!!

• Priced for normal humans: if for any reason you don’t want to shell out a couple hundred pounds for tea, here are some great affordable choices:

• Mariage Freres in Covent Garden (yes, it’s French tea but it’s the best tea)

• The Wolesley, Mayfair (maybe a nice stop on your walking day, while saving the Big Fancy Tea for another day)

• Bea’s of Bloomsbury, with multiple locations across The City - I’ve had high tea here and it was absolutely delightful.

Day 3: Get out of town

Here are some of my favorite day trips from London:

• Hampton Court Palace. This is an all-day affair and well worth it; take your time, take a long lunch at an outdoor table at the Tiltyard Cafe, and see both the Tudor and William & Mary sides. See if you can spot the ceiling tile where the builders failed to remove an “H&A” stamp after Henry got over Anne Boleyn by putting her under the headsman’s axe (the location of which you’ll have already seen at the Tower).

• Greenwich. This isn’t really “outside” London - you can get there by boat in 20min - but it’s a lovely day to spend in a lesser-known (and lesser-touristed) corner of the city. Take the Thames Clipper for speedy service, or make a trip of it with a sightseeing cruise (you have plenty of options to choose from). My favorite sights in Greenwich are the Cutty Sark (again with the tea) and the Royal Observatory, which is home to the Prime Meridian and a fascinating exhibit that celebrates Britain’s contributions to astronomy and its uses in world-conquering navigation. Enjoy the way they tried to shoehorn some women into the exhibit by adding some bits about the wives of the Royal Astronomers.

• Oxford. An hour out of London by train, Oxford is a nerd’s paradise. If you liked A Discovery of Witches, His Dark Materials, or if you’re just really into libraries, be sure to visit the Bodleian Library at Oxford - it’ll be well worth a guided tour, and you can even join tours of the city that are run by the Bod. Here are a couple of good itineraries for Oxford if you’re interested.

Day 4: All museums, all the time

There are two clusters of museums that I return to again and again when I’m in London. 

The British Museum and the British Library, both in the Holborn/King’s Cross area. I cannot get enough of either of these places. The Library can be done in an afternoon - their rotating exhibits are always excellent and their permanent collection is amazing (it includes the Magna Carta and a letter from Henry VIII to Cardinal Wolsey telling him to hurry it up with the Pope because Anne is nagging him about getting married). The British Museum could not be done in a week or probably even a month, but pick your favorite topics and head straight to them. After paying homage to the Rosetta Stone, of course. I always do a ton of souvenir shopping at both places.

Places to eat

Great restaurants around here include Master Wei, Holborn Dining Room and Otto’s. You might also want to pop in to the champagne bar at St. Pancras station.

Other Sites

In Kensington, the Museum District is home to the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (known as the V&A). They are all massive, filled with fantastic exhibits on the topics of your choice, and will keep you busy as long as your legs can last.

More Places to Eat

Restaurant-wise, in Kensington I have really enjoyed Macellaio and Rabbit; Thali and Cambio de Tercio also come highly recommended.

Day 5: South of the river

Many of London’s most famous sights are north of the Thames, but you can’t leave without experiencing Southwark. Pick a sunny day to stroll from Westminster (if you didn’t see it before) to London Bridge, and enjoy some or all of these stops along the way:

• The London Eye. Yes, it’s kind of cheesy and thronged with tourists, but it’s actually a gorgeous view of the city and a very pleasant experience.

• The Tate Modern. This modern and contemporary art museum, housed in a former power station, is a must-see for art lovers. The main exhibition in the Turbine Hall is free - when I first went there, it was Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds, although they’d stopped letting people walk on it because apparently porcelain can release harmful particulates when crushed. In the upstairs galleries they have Rothko, Picasso, Matisse and more.

• Shakespeare’s Globe. If you want to stop in here, take the time to get a guided tour; the history of the Globe and its reconstruction make the space come much more alive than simply wandering through the iconic theater in the round. It’s got a great gift shop, too.

• Borough Market. There’s been a food market on this site for centuries, and it’s now gotten the full hipster makeover. The last time I was there, at the holidays, it was too crowded to enjoy, but if you get there during the week and during a lull, it’s fantastic. 

Places to eat

• The Shard, for a spendy meal with a magnificent view. (In winter, my husband and I like to book a 3pm “sunset brunch.”) 

• BaouziInn Borough, a three-story Chinese restaurant that features food from multiple regions.

• Casa do Frango, a Portuguese BBQ place that has a speakeasy around the back! More on this later.

• There are loads of places to eat at Borough Market, if it’s not too crowded - follow your nose and find a stall that smells good! Note: the longest lines will not necessarily be for the best food, but for the stalls that are most popular on Instagram (like the oyster place. You’ll spot it immediately). Use your own judgment to pick a place that looks good! The market is also surrounded by sit-down restaurants if you want a more leisurely experience.

Day 6: whatever you didn’t get to before

If you actually manage to pull off most or all of the items already listed, you don’t need me to tell you how to travel. Your last day is a great opportunity to circle back around to any spot you missed but wanted to see (really: go to the London Transport Museum), or maybe even another day trip if you’re feeling adventurous. To round any of those out, here are a few other sights and activities you might enjoy:

• Kensington Palace. A great place for yet another high tea, to stroll round the gardens like you’re royalty yourself, and try to catch a glimpse of Wills and Kate. (Spoiler: you won’t.)

• Check out some of London’s most famous and fabulous bookstores, including five-story Foyle’s, Arthur Probsthain (just above the Tea & Tattle tea room, across the street from the British Museum), Daunt Books, and Hatchards (London’s oldest).

• St. Paul’s Cathedral - its sixth iteration dates back to 1708 and, remarkably, survived the Blitz.

• The Churchill War Rooms: see the bunkers from which Churchill managed World War II. The rooms have been preserved just as they were during wartime.

• Kew Gardens. If the weather’s good, take a double-decker bus out to Kew and enjoy a beautiful stroll in one of the world’s largest botanical gardens.

Nightlife

If you spend every day in London walking yourself into the ground and collapsing with exhaustion around 8pm, you’re doing yourself a disservice! London has an incredible selection of evening activities to choose from. Some of my personal favorites:

• A West End show. I’m a Broadway girl; even if you’re not, it’s a phenomenal experience to have in London, where the best of the best performers are cast. Your hotel concierge can help with premium tickets and packages, or you can use the TodayTix app to get same-day, half-price seats. If a three-hour commitment is too long, I really enjoyed SIX, which is only about 90 minutes.

• Non-musical theater. Check out shows at Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall, or the Royal Opera House. (For a birthday splurge, get a box seat.) If you like something a little less prestigious, I really enjoyed Austentatious, a Jane Austen-themed improv show featuring some well-known British comedians.

• Related to improv: comedy clubs! Britain has perfected comedy as an art form. You’re almost guaranteed to laugh yourself half to death, but don’t sit in the front row unless you want to be part of the show.

• Speakeasies and craft cocktail bars. This is another thing that London has perfected, and instead of listing a bunch of them out here, I’m going to link you to the lists that I use when I visit: The Nudge, Secret London, The Infatuation and Time Out.

Last but not least: birthday plans!

Several of the restaurants listed throughout the itinerary, especially the ones at the Shard and the Sky Garden, would make spectacular birthday options (including some of the high teas). But if you’re looking for the splurgiest, special-est options, here are some ideas:

• The Ritz. Famous not only for its afternoon tea but for its restaurant, this is where the Bridgerton and Downton Abbey crews would probably go for a birthday dinner during the Season. And you’re not just paying for the famous name; it’s Michelin-starred. 

• A. Wong. I ate here a decade ago, when the tasting menu was “only” £100 (it’s since doubled), and it was worth every penny. I’d bet it still is - their dim sum tasting menu blew my mind.

• The London Cabaret Club features performances from West End stars during multi-course dinners, and offers VIP packages with afterparty access.

• A day trip on the British Pullman. This is what I would do if I were made of money. Belmond is famous for its luxury train trips, and they offer several different kinds, from afternoon tea to murder mysteries, with destinations including Bath, wine country, and the Cotswolds.

• A secret, surprise supper club with Gingerline. They haven’t yet released July tickets so you’ll have to keep an eye out for them, but these “immersive dining experiences” have been described by Conde Nast Traveler as “unique, bonkers and brilliant fun.”