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 😂💕

@Mariposista

you can do that anywhere! No point in paying london prices or travelling there

What do you like to do and what sort of budget are you on?

I like to think of London in terms of half days-ish, so things I like would be something like:

• Walk in Green Park and Hyde Park, then visit The Royal Academy summer exhibition then have afternoon tea at The Wolseley (mid-budget) or Fortnums (high budget)


• Shopping on Regent Street and Piccadilly with lunch and/or tea/cake - lunch at maybe Hakkasan (they do a great lunch menu including a cocktail for around £40) or Brasserie Zedel / tea and cake maybe in Liberty


• Trip to Highgate village and the cemetery


• Hampstead and a walk on the heath


• Primrose Hill and lunch or tea/cake - I haven't been to Limonia yet but it's on my list and they do a very reasonable set lunch on weekdays


• Mooch along the South Bank - Tate Modern / a drink in the BFI


• walk along the canal from Kings Cross to either Camden or Islington

Tiffany exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery plus a blue plaque mooch around Chelsea is something I'm planning for our next trip

Boat trip to Greenwich and a trip to the excellent Maritime Museum plus a walk in the park is another 'half day' option that I'd recommend.

Some lovely ideas, thank you.
I've started a list - sky garden, borough market, liberty/regent street shopping, sketch for Afternoon tea have all been added to it! ☺️

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie we both like scenery and walks, but also love good food, markets, that kind of thing. We have previously done all the museums and popular places such as Covent Garden, Camden, the sights etc with our families.

I appreciate those who are saying you can do certain things anywhere but the point is we haven't up until this trip ! So a spa treatment will probably feature highly on the wishlist! I guess we'll have to use the hotel one as it's nice to just chill and relax after.

I would definitely do some theatre - e.g. &Juliet or Six are great fun

my Sister and I go away every couple of years - loads of good advice above but also have a Kitty. We have a monzo account we both put £ into equally and all the trip expenses come from it. Makes life much easier.

One of the YouTubers I watch is always having a spa treatment at Cowshed, I’ve just had a quick browse on the website and it’s quite tricky to get my head around, without creating an account but that’s worth looking at.

Or you could go to Hershesons in Selfridges on Oxford Street and try out the blowdry bar if you want fancy hair for your evening meal out.

Definitely Sketch for afternoon tea - many of the traditional hotel afternoon teas are much of a muchness but Sketch is a whole different level, it feels like you're eating in an enchanted forest. Agree with Borough Market and the Tate Modern is always worth a visit even just to marvel at the scale of the buildings, you can pop in as part of a wander down the Southbank.

practical suggestion - download citymapper on your phone. I use this when i travel to london for work and its blimming brilliant- its a map app that covers the tube/buses as well as on foot so great at getting you around! (Also works in several other cities, i used it in amsterdam and san francisco to great success!)

I think there's a Cowshed at Primrose Hill, which would be a lovely place for a bit of a pamper after a walk, followed by lunch.

If you're doing Skygarden, there's a great ruined church nearby and also a Roman temple, with worth a quick look.

That should say, 'Both worth a look'.

If you go to the Shard, don't pay to go to the top. Go to the bar instead and spend the money on a cocktail. The view is the same and the superfast lift is fun.

Look up a website called Secret London, they have some interesting off-the-beaten-track ideas... Also check out Time Out in London for ideas. Groupon may have a cheaper afternoon tea..
Don't forget to go to China Town. It's Brilliant. Dim Sum is usually lunch time.
We wandered around Covent Garden, which was lovely but we didn't really want to buy anything so ended up in Trafalgar Square at the National Gallery... Skip the early stuff and go straight to the Elizabethans, the Rembrandts and the Van Goghs. Its lovely
Thames Boat is a great idea.
Borough Market.
Camden - for live music
The Comedy Store.

Not everyone's cup of tea but my Mom and I really enjoyed The Fan Museum (think it was near Greenwich. We also enjoyed the Emirates Cable Car experience

I'm pasting the same response I posted on another thread asking the same thing. The places below are not your typical tourist places so it depends if you want to go with the crowd or try something different...

I will also add that because of sodding covid you normally have to pre-book most tables for food nowadays as they get fully booked 🙄

Go to Elephant&Castle's Mercato for a cool food stall area.
mercatometropolitano.com/

Go to Peckham's Franks rooftop bar.
secretldn.com/franks-cafe-rooftop-peckham/

Go to Battersea's new boulevard (at Battersea power station) and hang out on the deck chairs and restaurants and then wander through Battersea Park. batterseapowerstation.co.uk/

Go curling in Shoreditch or rooftop crazy golf.
www.londonshuffle.com/locations/shoreditch/book-now/
www.roofeast.com/games/birdies

Go to a Harry Potter potion bar.
thecauldron.io/london

Go on a gondola along Camden locks.

Also don't bother with an Oyster card, you can use your contactless debit/credit card instead and the fares pretty much the same as an oyster. Think it caps somewhere around £7-8 a day so you'll not be charged more than that regardless of the number of journeys.

Also you haven't advised whether you're coming during school holidays or weekday or weekend. This will make a difference to how packed all the touristy places (museums etc that have been suggested by others) are. Covent Garden and Westfield are hell on earth during school holidays and weekends.

If you like markets, and you’re in London on a Sunday, get yourself down to Brick Lane in the East End. There are loads of cool independent craft stalls, eateries, vintage clothing outlets etc etc. And you can get a decent curry or an amazing, authentic salt beef bagel.

Also, in terms of getting around London, it’s now much easier to use the buses as a non-Londoner because Google Maps will helpfully tell you which number bus you need to take from which stop and give you directions to that stop.

Hi all!

I just wanted to update this thread and say a big thank you to everyone who gave me ideas for our trip to london. We are currently on the train home and have had the best and most relaxing time!

The things we did :

Watched Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theatre
Had an amazing Moroccan hamam (spa)
Had afternoon tea at Sketch
Visited Sky garden
Visited Liberty's (twice!) And bought some supplements (self care and all of that!) I also bought myself a gorgeous new perfume.
Stopped at Oxford Circus and had a good stroll around the shops, did some (relaxed) shopping without the husband and kids and had coffee.
Visited spitalfield markets

Glad you had a good time.

Where was the spa?

It's on Edgware Rd and called morrocan essentials . Would highly reccomend !