Things To Do
Richmond
Richmond is London's greenest borough (neighbourhood), and consistently voted London's happiest. These are some of our favourite things to do here: - Visit Richmond and Bushy Parks to feel like you're spending a day in the countryside, surrounded by deer, open green space, streams and manicured gardens. - Hampton Court Palace dates back to 1514 and is most famously known as King Henry VIII's residence. - The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens feature the world's largest botanical collections, with over 40000 living plants. - There are beautiful riverside walks and running routes in both directions, either South-West towards Teddington, Kingston and Hampton (our home!), or North-East towards Chiswick or Barnes. - If you are a sports fan, Twickenham Stadium, the home of England Rugby, is just across the river. - Teddington is a quieter and less touristic area of Richmond which features great brunch spots, cafés and bookshops. Second-hand bookshop Fara Books is a particular favourite of ours.
London
- London has a plethora of great bars, restaurants, museums, theatre and more. World-famous tourist sites such as the Big Ben, Tower of London and Tower Bridge are worth a visit at least once. - Most museums in London are free to visit. Spend an afternoon in South Kensington to explore some of the city's best French bakeries and cafés, and to explore the Victoria & Albert museum, Science museum and Natural History museum. Another favourite of ours is the Hunterian surgical museum. - Take an Uber boat to Greenwich in East London, to visit the site of the Greenwich meridian, the street markets there, and some of the best views in London. There is also a driverless train called the Docklands Light Railway that can take you there. - Catch a show in the West End theatre district or at Shakespeare's Globe, where you can get £5 "groundling" tickets. - Go for afternoon tea. - Swim in the ponds at Hampstead Heath park. - Book in advance to view the skyline from the Sky Garden.
English day trips outside of London
England has a lot to offer beyond London, from market town, some of the world's oldest universities and scholarly institutions, national parks, beaches, and countryside. These are some of our favourite places to visit for a day trip or weekend trip from London - all of which are accessible by a sub-2 hour train journey: - Oxford: historical city. - Cambridge: historical city. - Bath: historical city known for its Roman-built baths. - Brighton: seaside town in the county of East Sussex, which is also home to the Seven Sisters National Park. If you have longer to explore, we would also recommend considering a few days in the Lake District: a national park in North-West England known for its glacial ribbon lakes, mountain hikes, and historic literary associations.
Travel further afield
Many European capitals are within two hours of London by train or plane. These are some of our favourite places to visit for a weekend away: - Paris: no explanation needed! The Gare Du Nord is a mere two hour train journey away from London's St Pancras Station. Book via the Eurostar website. - Brussels: Belgium's capital is less touristy than Paris but has a lot to offer, and is also accessible by Eurostar. - Berlin - Norway: fly to Bergen to take a fjord boat trip. - Spain: in particular Barcelona and Mallorca. - Ireland - Italy