My sister and I are going away on a girly trip for the first time ever at the age of 38 and almost 40

[ofHardey]

No flaming please!

We've never been away together , alone, just the two of us ! And neither of us has been away alone with friends either ! We've both holidayed with our families (dh's and kids) but the dh's have both very much been the ones in charge of getting us from a to b, so it's been easy to just sit back and enjoy really !

The only downside to that is we have become a little too reliant on our husbands, and the idea of going away alone together seems a little daunting to be very honest !

So we've decided we are stepping out of our comfort zone and going on a short trip to London. (We're both in the north). I've lived in London for a year as a postgrad (prior to marriage and kids) so I do know my way about but it was a while ago and it is abit nerve wracking tbh when you've been chauffeured around for the past 14 years 😂🥴

So ! Please recommend us things to do together ! We don't drink so any bars/nightlife kind of thing is not an option. Our minds are blank after years of planning days out to the zoo/museum/shrek world etc etc 😂💕

Well done! You will get a lot out of the trip I'm sure, both in terms of fun and also confidence in yourself.

First things first, establish what it is you and your sister like to do. Amy particular kind of sightseeing? Shopping? Long walks (London has scenery I promise). Fine dining? Experience days (Dr Who style quests, Sherlock adventures etc.) The theatre?

Book your train tickets as far in advance as possible, as it will keep the cost down.
Think about a hotel, but you might also want to link that to whatever you want to do.
There are so many choices, so what are your interests? Art galleries, sports, theatre, historic buildings, markets, food etc etc? Whatever you decide, don't try to squeeze in too much.
To be honest, the internet makes everything so easy to research & plan that it will ge very straightforward.

Wow it sounds like you have a very sheltered life ! Sure you'll have a great time.
I'd recommend downloading the Citymapper app for the tube/ walking routes, and book to see a west end show :)
Have fun

Im goin to London soon with my sister, similar ages to you (although we go away quite a lot for days out or other stuff)
We are getting an early train then having a wander in the shops and afternoon tea. Then theatre in the evening (we love the theatre and haven't been since pre-covid).
Then next day we are doing brunch and then London Dungeon!

Would any of that work?

My DH is super organised and would have planned all the tubes needed etc, we are just going to wing it a bit as no kids with us so not too much pressure!

Aww, this is really sweet. Well done for finally getting time on your own! I’ll return with some recommendations later today. I’m the meantime @ofHardey what do you like to do?

@JingsMahBucket I don't know to be very honest !!! 😂🥴 we love markets as a pp suggested and it's something we would love to do as usually kids and dh don't enjoy walking around markets so we tend to give them a miss. I'm assuming a lot of theatre stuff will be booked up now ? We're planning to go at the end of august.

@IamChipmunk that sounds lovely and quite similar to the kinds of things we'd enjoy too ☺️

But you’ve said nothing about what the two of you like doing? There’s no standard, one size fits all, weekend in London itinerary — mine would involve opera and art exhibitions, but that might be your idea of pure hell!

I holiday with my sister all the time, but the first couple of times away together were hard because we had different ways of approaching things. So establish a ground rule, if one of you does something that annoys the other, speak up straight away. Neither of you must take offence, but never stay quiet and let it fester so the offence grows out of proportion. A quick, "that's annoying", a laugh and moving on.

I love my time away with her, we rarely argue and we are tighter friends than we ever were before. You'll have a fab time.

Make a list of the type of things you both enjoy doing and any places you'd really like to see. I love Hampton Court. Then compare your lists and plan out your itinerary, including transport timetables. Pre~planning will save heaps of time later.

@HerTableLaid that's probably because we don't really remember what we'd enjoy doing alone ! 😵‍💫

We do like a nice pamper so maybe a nice spa experience. Also we both love food, shopping, markets, (we like sightseeing but we've done all of that in London before)

It depends on which part of London you're going to. I'm assuming fairly central.
We like Greenwich, there's the maritime museum and Greenwich park with the observatory.
You could do a boat trip, or the London Eye, or do a 'hop on, hop off' bus tour.
Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide to do.

Have a look here www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/7-of-the-best-walks-in-london/ I love walking in a city, you can go at your own speed, stop and grab food and drink as you go, lots of opportunities to chat and you often see/find quirky things you'd miss on a bus or car. There's also some quieter options which might be nice if you have been very central for a while and need a bit of peace.

I highly recommend an app called Tube Map, you can use it to plan tube journeys on the fly.

I’d also order and load an Oyster card so it gets posted to you in advance to save messing about when you get there. You can also load the TFL app on your phone so that you can use it in place of an oyster.

Make sure you always, always, always swipe out after you get off the tube, not all stations have physical barriers to swipe out of so you can get caught out and see your oyster balance drained super fast because you’ll get charged to the end of the line.

If you’re at all likely to want to fall back on cabs at any point due to tired feet/closed tube stations/luggage etc then download the Uber app and get it set up in advance so you’re never ever using a black cab (expensive). I was in Islington on Friday night and Angel station was closed, really couldn’t face another 25 minute sweaty walk back to Kings Cross in 30 degree heat after already trekking up the hill on the way there. It was £3 each for me and my partner to share the Uber, not as bad as you’d think for the convenience of it.

Wear comfortable shoes, don’t take this opportunity to wear new DM’s or other tricky shoes, you will regret it.

Nice things to do in London;

Sketch - walkable from Oxford Street. Lovely food, beautiful setting.

Any of the Ottolenghi restaurants.

Loads of lovely places to eat in Brixton, and just a brilliant vibrant place to wander around.

I highly recommend The Pem restaurant in the Conrad St James, head chef Sally Abe was recently on Great British Menu. Beautiful setting and decor - Suffragette inspired, service is outstanding (Emma Underwood recently won Best Front of House in the GQ awards - and it’s totally deserved, she made us feel like old friends). Quite spendy (but probably quite reasonable relative to fine dining in general), circa £150 for three courses for two adults - no alcohol, but the short courses such as canapés bread, sorbet, etc are gratis. The Mango and passionfruit sorbet was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever tasted in my life.

My sister and I used to meet up for weekends often, she is quite a bit older than me and is almost 70, failing health makes it too difficult. We geographically live 300 miles apart. Do it as often as you can, I treasure those memories.

Do you like history etc?
There is HMS Belfast, clinks prison museum and then southwark cathedral next to it.

London dungeon, London Eye etc

Could do Thames clipper, Borough Market is lovely. Oxford Street, Covent garden. Selfridges.

Afternoon tea at the ritz, pricey but they do do deals.

Theatre. If you like pizza, Franco manca is cheap and delicious 😋

Borough Market good for food.
Theatre would be good - book now.

Check what is on at the time you are going. End of August if it covers the bank holiday weekend includes the Notting Hill Carnival which unless something you really want to go to you should steer well away from.

You don’t need an Oyster card - you can use contactless payment on buses and the Tube.

Borough Market is great for food. Westfield Stratford if you want a shopping centre - the Olympic Park is worth a look if you haven’t been there before.

I like Covent Garden as well, plus you’re close to most of the theatres there.

How about a spa or an escape room. Afternoon tea?

Sky garden for the views - free but book in advance.

Liberty - beautiful fabric/homewares etc in an amazing setting

Covent Garden - mooch around the shops, watch the street performers

Borough Market is great for a wander round and sampling different sorts of food.

You will still be able to get some theatre tickets - google A-Z London theatre shows for a quick overview of what's on.

The V&A is fab if you're at all interested in clothes and design in general ; it's free to walk around however you will pay about £20 for the odd special exhibition - the current one is about menswear and there's a Chanel one planned for the autumn. Lovely outdoor area with a cafe and South Kensington nearby has a nice pedestrianised area with a good choice of restaurants.

I also love the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum, not available in the summer though if you are planning to go soon. The photos are stunning works of art.

The Royal Academy summer exhibition is always interesting - the theme this year is Climate.

Browns in Albemarle Street is lovely for afternoon tea, and eating at 4pm or so works very well if you're going to the theatre in the evening.

If you have access to the usual large stores near where you live, I wouldn't bother with Oxford Street, but Liberty, just off Regent's Street, is very beautiful for a quick look if you happen to be nearby.

Some relaxing time wandering round Kensington Gardens and into Hyde Park, maybe for a row on The Serpentine, gives you a breather. You can also sit with your feet in the Memorial Fountain if it's a hot day.

I love London - can you tell

I wouldnt do a soap day..you can do that anywhere and there's so much to see!
Uber boat down the Thames, Emirates cable car...back to Borough Market, amble along South Bank....Spitalfields Market, Eaterly at Liverpool St to eat and browse the incredible Italian food.

The area around King's Cross/St Pancras is lovely and it's a nice easy walk from there to Camden for a bit of fun (and some great food).

I would book a hotel in the London Bridge/Bankside area.
Citizen M on Lavington Street is one of my favourites.
Borough Market (foodie heaven) is 5 mins away on foot, there's the Tate Modern museum across the road and you can walk to the South Bank/London Eye/riverboat services.

If you like food borough market is great. Padella has the most amazing pasta for lunch,

if you go to the theatre in the west end then go to China town for dinner - Google before not everywhere is great.

Theatres won’t be that booked up for august but move quickly. Hamilton and the Book of Mormon both great if you just want a big show.

cream tea fortnum and mason - or anywhere you happen to be.

sky garden is lovely, nicer to hang out in than the shard

boat trip down the Thames
V&A if you like clothes and design - lovely tea room. British museum also just a lovely space.

If you like food I would basically plan it around that 😃 - more variety of food than you get anywhere else.