London.
Like many world capitals, this is a city that never sleeps, and on my most recent visit,
I got to experience that firsthand.
My challenge was to discover 24 unique experiences in London – one for every hour of the day!
From secret speakeasies to living room concerts, and whimsical afternoon teas to bustling food
markets, I scoured the city to bring you the following 24 hours in London!
So let’s begin.
Well good morning.
It is 7:00 am here in London.
It is my first morning in the city and I've just woken up at the CitizenM Hotel and wait
until you see the views outside my window.
I have the Tower of London right across from me.
I skipped breakfast this morning, but for good reason; because there was a unique coffee
shop that I needed to track down in Hampstead!
It is 8:00 am and we just dropped by Kape Barako and that may be the smallest little
coffee shop I've ever been to.
It is set in an old red telephone box and they make some delicious coffee.
I actually ordered myself a latte.
With a bit of caffeine in my system, I continued on to my 9:00 am activity which was walking
up Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath.
This is a lookout point, where you can stop to enjoy the city skyline.
Aside from offering great views of the city skyline this is a beautiful nature escape.
You have woodlands, walking paths and lots of people walking very friendly pups.
So it currently is 10:00 am and we're on our way to the Tate Modern.
This is actually my favorite art gallery in all of London.
So I love revisiting everytime I'm in the city.
Set in a former power station, this unlikely structure is home to the national collection
of British art from 1900 to the present, as well as modern and contemporary art by international
artists.
But I didn’t just come here for the art this time; there was a new extension to visit.
So we are currently in the Blavatnik Building and this is a new extension here at the Tate
Modern and they have a viewing deck that is 360 degrees.
So yeah, you can walk all around and get some amazing views of London.
From there, I got off at Westminster Station and walked over to Horse Guards Parade for
my next activity.
And it is now 11:00 am in the morning so next up I'm going to be watching the changing of
the guard and then I'm going to go visit the Household Cavalry Museum.
(Horse trotting sounds)
So now that the changing of the guard is over we're going back into the Household Cavalry
Museum and you can actually look into the stables and watch the horses come in and the
guards dismount.
If you’re visiting with kids, or you just feel like playing dress up, there’s also
a section inside the museum where you can try on different uniforms.
Alright so it is 12 o'clock and we're currently on the Thames.
We're about to do an adventure an adrenaline filled tour.
You guys ready?
Yeah!
Cruising down the Thames is a classic way to experience London, but Thames Rockets does
things a little bit differently!
They show you some of the city’s highlights by speedboat, all while pumping music, and
sharing all kinds of interesting London facts that you won’t find in any guidebook.
After that adventure, I was in some desperate need of lunch!
So it is now 13:00 pm and that means lunch.
Today we're here at Borough Market which is the oldest market in all of London.
Apparently it dates back over a thousand years.
SO we're going to go find ourselves some food.
With hundreds of food stalls selling everything from baked goods to fruit smoothies and fresh
seafood to takeaway burgers, it didn’t take me long to piece together a delicious meal!
So for lunch I went to Gourmet Goat and got myself
a kid goat kofte bowl with two different salads.
And this looks really really good.
Check out those colors.
A very vibrant dish so let's see how it tastes.
Mmmm.
Pretty good.
That is an explosion of Mediterranean flavors.
Next up, it was time for dessert.
Namely, donuts.
So for dessert I got myself a little something sweet from Bread Ahead.
They are supposed to have some of the best donuts in all of London and I got myself a
classic vanilla.
Oh my goodness.
Filled with cream.
So much cream.
What can you do in the middle of the afternoon in London?
I made my way over to the West End for a show.
It is a beautiful theatre.
Oh my goodness.
So it is now Two o'clock and we're currently at the Prince Edward Theatre.
We're going to be watching a matinee.
Aladdin.
This is my 1st time watching a west end show so I'm pretty excited.
Also, I love the movie Aladdin.
That is a childhood classic so.
There was no filming allowed during the performance, but it was a fun afternoon out, and if you
make it to the West End, you’ll discover that there’s a show out there for everyone!
Next up, it was time for a quintessential ritual: afternoon tea!
So it is three o'clock and we're here at the Sanderson London for a Mad Hatter's afternoon
tea.
And it is time to try some of these delicacies.
Having tea at the Sanderson was like stumbling down a rabbit hole and being transported to
the world of Alice in Wonderland.
Everything from the menu to the teapots to the ‘drink me’ potions was just right!
So it is four o'clock and we are currently exploring Seven Dials.
This place gets its name from the sundial and the seven streets that break away from
the dial.
So yeah, I didn't even know this place existed.
It is near Soho and Covent Garden.
Yet it has a village feel.
It is really cute.
Lots of antiques, restaurants, cafes.
So I'm now taking you into Neal's Yard this is still part of the Seven Dials but it has
got a bit more color.
It feels more bohemian.
Super artsy.
It is like being inside a rainbow.
Handbags, jewelry, chocolates - I window shopped for it all, before stopping for a sweet treat!
So we've been wandering around Seven Dials for a little bit and we happened upon Pierre
Herme and they have these beautiful macarons.
Check out those colors.
So right now I'm going in for raspberry rose and lychee.
So right now it is five o'clock and we are at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and we're
going to be riding the Arcelor Mittal Orbit.
This is the tallest and longest tunnel slide in the world and honestly I'm feeling a bit
nervous.
Excited.
Nervous.
A little bit of everything.
There we go.
Very fashion forward here.
You are now in full orbit swag.
Oh my gosh.
How are you feeling?
I feel nervous now.
Alright we're higher than the Statue of Liberty right now.
And we're going to ride the slide.
What have I got myself into?
I feel like I'm going into surgery.
Head forward and up.
Go for it.
Alright.
Bye!
Waah!
Argh!
Haha!
So a little bit shaky but I survived.
I was screaming the whole way down.
And I actually didn't even realize I had come out of the slide and I was just sliding there
and I was still screaming so they actually had to like shake me awake.
It is okay.
It is over.
Next up it was time to explore street art, so I hopped on the train to Croydon.
The RISEGallery has been doing a lot of work to help connect local artists with property
owners, and this has resulted in some beautiful murals around every corner.
So right now we are walking along the stretch known as the Legal Wall and this is basically
open to the public.
Anyone can come here and just have fun with some paint and get creative.
Sticking with the art theme, for my 7:00 pm activity I attended my first Late.
This is when museums and art galleries stay open after hours, offering extended admission
or putting on special events.
I was in town when the Royal Academy of Arts hosted the last of its summer lates titled,
The Other Paradise, and guests were dressed to impress!
So this is my first time attending one of the Lates and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
It just has a really different feel from going to a museum or a gallery during regular hours.
It is a lot more relaxed.
It feels more like a social outing.
You see large groups of friends enjoying drinks and viewing art so I would highly recommend
it.
If you find yourself here in London.
At 8:00 pm, I got to experience Sofar Sounds, which is a pop-up concert that takes place
in people’s living rooms.
The catch is that when you sign up, you only know the neighbourhood where the concert will
take place.
It’s not until 24 hours before the event that you are emailed the address and the names
of the artists performing that night.
So it is now 21:00 pm and we're currently at PopBrixton.
This is a really cool container park where you have bars, cafes, restaurants, shops.
So I think it is time we find ourselves a little bit of food because we've had a long
day and I'm hungry.
So it is now 22:00 pm and we're at Draughts.
It is a board game cafe so we're going to play some games.
The only question is what do we choose?
So many options.
So we've settled on a game.
We're going to be playing Riff Raff and build a pirate ship apparently.
Then at 11pm, for a bit of live music, it was onwards to The Blues Kitchen in Brixton,
where they do barbecue, bourbon, and blues.
So that was a lot of fun.
The show just ended.
We all had a really good time.
We were actually listening to a band from the Netherlands that did like Jazzy Orchestra
so it was really unexpected but really cool.
So it is now 12 o'clock and we're at Flight Club.
This is a really cool bar where you can come and play pub games so we're going to try our
hand at darts.
We've got some friends waiting for us downstairs.
Let's go in.
Flight Club is a bar that puts a twist on the traditional English pub by adding modern
darts into the equation.
Groups can book an oche (OCKEY), which is the throw line in a game of darts.
I went into this with no dart-throwing experience, but I didn’t come out last!
(Train sounds)
With the clock striking one, my next stop transported me to London in the 1940s.
So it is currently 1 am and we're at Cahoots.
This is a 40s theme bar and it is all about the underground.
I feel like I'm about to ride the tube.
Also they just brought us the menu.
It is a newspaper.
So we're just going to have a look through here and choose some drinks.
So it is 02:00 am and we are currently in Chinatown which is known for its late night
haunts and dim sum.
We have chosen Opium which is a bit of a hidden gem.
They only have a tiny little sign and you have to look for the jade door so let's see
if they let us in.
This bar was set in an attic and it had a bit of speakeasy vibe.
There mixing all sorts of fun cocktails, and I ordered one based on the year of my birth.
So here at Opium the drinks are based on the Chinese Animal Zodiac.
I'm 1987.
It turns out I'm the year of the rabbit.
How have we gotten this far into London’s nightlife scene without visiting a club, I
don’t know, but that changed at 3 am.
Alright so it is 03:00 am still going strong.
We are here in Camden.
And we've just been inside Koko.
This club has the largest disco ball in all of Europe and yeah it is a lot of fun.
It is really packed in there.
I brought out my signature meerkat dance moves at KOKO, which I think just helped create
more space around me, and then it was time for more food!
So it is now 04:00 am and we're at the Beigel Bake.
I've ordered myself a salt beef beigel which is massive by the way.
Almost the size of my face.
So let's tuck right into this.
Mmmm.
That is a lot of meat.
And a lot of mustard.
Oh!
Spicy mustard I have to say.
So it is 05:00 am and I am currently enjoying a little morning stroll along the southbank
of the River Thames.
Got Tower Bridge in the background and yeah this city hasn't quite open yet.
Rush hour hasn't started so it is very peaceful, very tranquil and I think it is a beautiful
time to be out enjoying London before everyone else wakes up.
Last but not least, the final activity of my 24 hours in London was breakfast at Duck
& Waffle.
Located on a 40th floor, this restaurant has amazing views of Central London and they are
open 24 hours a day.
So here we have Belgian waffle, confit duck leg, a duck egg and we also drizzled a mustard
maple syrup all over.
This is going to be tasty.
So that was a really good meal.
It was the best duck I've ever had.
So tasty.
And now let's enjoy some views over London as we go down 40 stories.
And that’s a wrap for my 24 hours in London!
I hope you enjoyed following along and that also got a few ideas for your own trip.
As you can see, this city has plenty to offer, no matter the time of day.
Wishing you happy travels and see you next time!