Best Trips for Young Couples: London

Looking to take a special trip with your significant other and don’t know where to start? Well, even if you are a young couple (like us!), I have to encourage you to keep your options open…including Europe! While being a young couple sometimes means you don’t have tons of extra income to splurge on vacations, we are proof that with a but of planning and smart travel shopping, it is totally do-able!

So to aid with your planning, I’ve put together some recommendations that will help you during your planning and hopefully show you why London is one of the Best Trips for Young Couples to take together!

While there are plenty of great hotel options around this vast city, we decided to go a different route and actually booked an AirBnB for this trip! We stayed in a lovely flat just north of the city, near Camden. This was a great option of us since we were staying with another couple (splitting the cost really helped us save!) and we were staying for an entire week. It was nice feeling like a local, walking back to our city flat…even if we weren’t fooling anyone! If you would like the exact booking information, please let me know via PM on Twitter or Facebook.

• Big Bus Tours: This is a great way to see and save at the same time! The Big Bus Tours has several routes that take you to the far ends of the city and covers essentially everything you could ever want to see! Plus, the live commentator (English only, on the classic line) was one of our favorite tour guides during our entire stay! Think of it this way, its paying for transportation and a tour…all in one! Extra Tip: For the rainy London days, they have ponchos that you can use during the ride and take with you! 

• Westminster Abbey: Always on the top of everyone’s list when they visit London and rightly so! Touring the Westminster Abbey is an amazing experience and now with their audio guides (available in so many languages), you really can immerse yourself in the history and significance of your surroundings. Since photos are not allowed inside the abbey, you are able to focus 100% on the magnificence around you…which is a fresh break from the constant pic-snapping we are accustomed to during travel. Extra Tip: The Abbey Store located outside has some really amazing gifts, plus they offer free wi-fi so you can reconnect after you had your phone off during the tour! 
• Churchill’s War Rooms: Now this is an attraction that sometimes doesn’t make people’s list, but definitely should! The War Room is one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum and comprises the Cabinet War Rooms, a historic underground complex that housed a British government command centre throughout the Second World War, and the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring the life of Winston Churchill. It is insanely interesting experience as you venture through these tiny corridors that were once the command center for Britain. Extra Trip: There is a lovely cafe tucked away in the tunnels! Take a break to absorb all that you learned and connect to their wifi! 
• The London Eye: What better way to see the vastness of London, than from the top of the London Eye! This really is the best way to truly absorb this amazing city and is a great break from the hustle/bustle of navigating the city streets and underground. I highly recommend ordering your tickets online ahead of time to save you some precious minutes waiting in the lines to purchase, plus you can also upgrade to the Fast Track tickets to get through the lines even faster! 
• Tower Bridge Exhibition: While some people just settle for a selfie with the Tower Bridge in the background, there is so much more that you can experience at this historic landmark. What’s so amazing about the experience inside the bridge? The spectacular glass floor! The exhibition offers visitors a never-seen-before view of London life, from 42 meters above the River Thames. Assuming you aren’t afraid of heights, this is a must-see! 
• Muggle Tour: What’s a visit to England without some Harry Potter? Join some fellow fans in this entertaining walking tour of the city that features several locations from the film, as well as spots that were inspirations to the writers/film-makers. While the things you see are interesting, the tour guide is what makes this the most memorable tour you will take! Being major Potterheads, it means a lot to say that we gave it the Muggle stamp of approval! 

While there are endless entertaining things to do in London, if you are going to be staying in the city more than 3-4 days, I definitely recommend taking a break from the busy life to explore a bit of the countryside. While there are a variety of options for day trips, depending on your preferences…I can say with full confidence that a day trip to the Cotswolds will be a great choice for all types of tourists!

After much research, we decided to join the Absolute Touring Cotswolds as they allowed us the convenience of a private/small group tours but at a price that wouldn’t break the bank. The owner and tour guide, Martin, was an absolute joy and kept us entertained and educated during the 8 hour day trip. From London, we took the train to Oxford where Martin was waiting for us at the station. We ventured through Burford, the upper and lower Slaughter, and even got to visit Bampton which is the town used as the village of Downton in TV series, Downton Abbey.

If you are considering a day trip around London, highly recommend Martin and Absolute Touring. But, don’t just take my word for it…check out his amazing reviews on Trip Advisor! 

So, who is ready to book their trip? Recapping all of this is making me want to re-book and visit again already! If you have any other recommendations, please post them in the comment section!