• A 3 Day Christmas Weekend In London

    It was a couple of years ago when I went on a Christmas weekend girls trip to London. We had tickets booked to see Moulin Rouge and checked into a lovely apartment hotel near the River Thames with lots of sights and things we wanted to do.

    A 3 DAY CHRISTMAS WEEKEND IN LONDON // EXPLORE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

    We caught the train from Cookham in to London and headed straight for our apart-hotel Native Bankside so we could check in and drop our bags off. We booked this apart-hotel because it was right on the river front and an ideal walk away from things like Borough Market, Covent Garden and Soho. It is a gorgeous converted warehouse with views of the River Thames and huge spacious rooms.

    Once we had dropped our bags off, we headed out to walk around Borough Market and was desperate to get some food. As soon as you walk in to the market there is a huge queue for Kappacasein Dairy who do the most amazing toasted sandwiches and raclettes – the massive queue will give it away as to how good it is. I bought their toasted sandwich and it was so good! It definitely hit the spot and I wasn’t hungry any more. Their toasted sandwich is filled with a mix cheeses (mostly Montgomery’s cheddar) between two slices of Poilane sourdough bread and a sprinkling of onions & leek.

    We walked around the market for a bit checking out all of the stalls and finding some really cool food to try whilst we waited to Helen to arrive from Wales. We freshened up and headed out for the evening after a couple of rain showers.

    We walked across the bridge and past The Monument to the Great Fire of London all the way to Somerset House to their pop up ice skating rink and to Covent Garden to see their gorgeous Christmas decorations and massive tree. There was so many gorgeous Christmas lights up on the way, we had to stop to take lots of photos.

    It was really busy in Covent Garden, as always and especially around Christmas time. There were lots of stalls filled with handmade crafts and gifts perfect for Christmas presents.

    We had a walk around there and then went into the original market building filled with high end and mid range shops where there was also a massive decorated sleigh for photos and a violin band performing in front of people having their dinner.

    We decided to eat at The Crusting Pipe which is right in the corner for dinner. It’s really cosy inside with lots of little nooks and tables hidden around corners. I ordered a variety of their starters to come together as my main and have a tapas style meal.

    READ MORE: A Week In a Cosy Cottage In Derbyshire

    We had a lovely nights sleep in our comfy beds and got up reasonably early for breakfast. We didn’t really have a plan on where to eat yet and came across Roast which is inside of Borough Market. The outside was decorated with massive nutcracker statues either side of the elevator so you can’t miss it.

    It was decorated so beautifully inside with strings of fairy lights hanging down from the ceiling and garlands strung along the walls. It’s really big inside and there is plenty of seating around the restaurant if you want to sit by the windows. I ordered their Blueberry Indulgence pancakes – they were absolutely massive and so thick it was like eating a sponge cake but they are delicious!

    Once we had breakfast we walked along the river past the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and South Bank Skate Park which was filled with kids and even adults doing their tricks and skills. We then walked across South Bank bridge and caught the train to Liverpool Street.

    It was a beautiful sunny day, we walked down the street to Duck & Waffle and Sushi Samba. We wanted to sit at the top but it was only for eating so we went down to the next level and ordered cocktails with a lovely view of London behind us.

    After our drinks, we headed back to the apartment to get ready to see Moulin Rouge. We walked back along the South Bank with the sun setting as we walked across the bridge and I got the most gorgeous photos of the skyline. We got ready and booked a taxi which took us to the theatre and dropped us off outside.

    We had dinner booked at Brasserie Zedel which is directly opposite the theatre and is very popular amongst theatre goers. I was feeling pretty rough this day which is really annoying so I didn’t eat much at the restaurant, I was so gutted as I wanted to try lots on their menu. It was absolutely gorgeous inside with marble walls and gold detailing with Parisian decor inside.

    Once we had dinner, we walked to the theatre and got into our seats. There were performers on the stage slowly moving around and posing before the curtains lifted. It was a beautiful performance from everyone with modern songs intertwined to the story and it got us all emotional at the end.

    I can’t wait to go back and see it again – hopefully not feeling rubbish next time. After the show, we walked out towards Carnaby Street and got to see their decorations at night which was inspired by sea life and the ocean and used recycled materials to create the scenes overhead.

    READ MORE: 10 Christmas Holiday Destinations You Need To Visit

    NAVIGATE YOUR WAY AROUND LONDON…

    We had a bit of a lay in after our late night and then headed to breakfast at Roast again. This time I ordered their Eggs Florentine. After breakfast, we walked down towards Fleet Street and came across a parade of Mini Coopers who do a specialist tour around London that you can book on to and there was also a choir on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral singing Christmas songs.

    There are so many cool buildings near St Pauls Cathedral that you don’t usually see including the old Lloyds Bank, People’s Journal and also the Justice Building. We eventually got to Liberty’s and had a long around their super expensive brands and boutiques inside.

    We then walked around Bond Street and got to see all the designer shops Christmas displays including DIOR which was my favourite. We had dinner at The Real Greek which was just around the corner from our apartment and it was delicious.

    We ordered several starters including hummus with flat bread and olives and then we had our mains – I ordered a side of Greek salad with Spinach Tiropitakia and Vegan Meatball Souvlaki Wraps.

    It was our final day and we had checked out of the apartment and put our bags in to storage so we could explore the last little bit before heading home. We went for breakfast at Bill’s which was only a short walk from our apartment. I ordered their Eggs Florentine and had an apple juice.


    SHARE THIS POST & GIVE IT SOME LOVE !!

    Have you ever spent Christmas in London? What was your favourite thing? Let me know in the comments below.