12 Hours in London
If you’re attempting to fly across the world from the US chances are that you are going to end up with a stop over in a European city. Many times the stop over ends up being a lot longer than you anticipated. Usually I just stay at the airport and grumble about the fact that I’m stuck there with nothing to do but a friend of mine convinced me that even layovers can turn into mini adventures.
On my trip to South Africa we had a 12 hour layover in London. I didn’t think we would be able to get much done in 12 hours but I was wrong. My friend had a jam packed itinerary for us and we hit all of the spots on her list with some time for other activities as well. We landed in London at 7 am picked up our luggage and checked it into a luggage locker that will hold your bags for the day. The easiest way to make it to the center of London is by taking the Heathrom express train. It will cost 37 Euros for a round trip ticket and the trains run every 15 minutes from the terminal.
Once we made it to London we began our itenirary.
0830: Buckingham Palace
You can’t go to London and not see the Queen.
0900: Westminster Abbey
Another typical basic tourist spot, but when you only have 12 hours, you need to see as much as possible.
0930: Big Ben
They’re in the middle of renovating Big Ben from the outside and we literally walked past it without even noticing.
1000: London Bridge
I don’t know why the water looks so murky but the bridge itself is gorgeous.
1100: Borough Market
This place is so much fun! There are food stands, fresh juice, hot cocoa and coffee available while you browse the market.
1200: Harrods
Shopping heaven, no need to elaborate.
1300: Tea Party
If you want to get the full British experience you need to attend a high tea. We went to an Alice in Wonderland inspired tea party at Taj 51. The high tea there is 40 Euros per person and includes more food than you can possibly eat. The food has an Indian inspiration and they also serve chai. The desserts are just delicious.
1500: Head back to Airport
We headed back around 3 pm since we had a 7 pm international flight. I almost fell asleep on the train after this hectic day but it was worth it.
