I’m back from my first big solo trip and here with an entire guide to solo travel in London!
I’ve had solo travel “moments” here and there over the years – things like a night in Copenhagen before other people arrive for a group trip – but I’ve never taken a long trip until now.
I’ve been toying with the idea of seeing Harry Styles on tour in the UK or Europe sometime this summer (can you blame me!) and after some friends said they couldn’t go I decided “Screw it! I’m going alone!”
Seeing Harry Styles in London at the iconic Wembley Stadium quickly became the obvious choice for me:
- I’ve been to London a few times so it’s kind of familiar
- the stadium is easily accessible by public transport
- I know some people there I should have big problems
- is not drastic different from the New York navigation I do every day
- I speak the language…
And so, I went to London alone to see Harry Styles… but also to explore!
Solo London travel guide
Where to stay:
The Marylebone Hotel it’s great for solo travelers. I stayed in one of the “comfortable” rooms and while it could be tight for two, just for me it was perfect. It is close to the tube which made it easy for me to get where I wanted.
The area of Marylebone is So charming with lots of great restaurants, cafes and places to shop. The hotel is also within walking distance of other shopping areas such as Oxford Street and Carnaby… but far enough away that it didn’t feel like I was exactly in a tourist hub.
Mainly and arguably the most important: I felt extremely safe in the hotel and in the area, even when I was coming back from the subway in the evening after a concert or a theater.
How to get around:
Take the tube or walk! The public transport system in London is incredible, I think easier to navigate than the New York subway system…
Search Google Maps ahead of time for directions to wherever you’re going (no cell service underground!) and then follow the signs. I was a little worried at first that I wouldn’t feel so safe at night on the subway after the theater, but I personally felt completely safe.
As for payment, my family had a pile of unused Oyster cards from previous trips to London. I ended up using them, but you can also just tap your credit card or phone to pay.
I only took a taxi to get to and from the airport. London — it wasn’t necessary and it was cheaper and easier to get around on the tube.
What to do:
See some theater!
Apart from seeing Harry, my other priority in London was to see as much theater as I could. To buy tickets I did a combination of using the TodayTix app for slightly discounted tickets or buying directly from the show’s website.
Here’s what I saw:
Grease – This was my least favorite of the shows I saw. It was a perfectly adequate production of Grease and while it’s fun it’s nothing special
Kids and Dolls – This production of Guys and Dolls is completely immersive. You have the option of standing room tickets (which I did!) and the sets move up and around, taking you all over New York…with a brief stop in Havana, of course. I have always loved Guys and Dolls as a show and this took it to the next level!
Cabaret – This new production of Cabaret is absolutely terrifying. From the moment you walk through the doors you feel like you’ve been transported to a seedy cabaret in 1940’s Berlin. Cabaret is a favorite show of mine and I’m glad I saw this production of the show.
ABBA Voyage —This show is incredible and weird at the same time. It’s basically a concert… but with ABBA holograms and outrageously intricate lighting and projections everywhere. They literally had to build a special theater for this production! If you love ABBA like I do, it’s incredible.
Go shopping
Most of my shopping in London was window shopping, but I still enjoyed walking around the big department stores. My favorites are Harrods (it’s MASSIVE and a must if you’ve never been!) and Self-refrigeration. Both also have surprisingly good bookstores in their basements.
Also on the subject of bookstores, here are the ones I visited:
Daunt Books: This cute bookstore was very close to my hotel. It has this great loft.
The Notting Hill Bookshop: I’ve never seen the movie Notting Hill (I know, I know!) and this bookstore was packed with fans.
Water Stones: The UK’s largest multi-location bookstore chain. It’s similar to Barnes and Noble here.
South Kensington Books: Great indie bookshop within walking distance of Harrod’s. The whole area is fun to explore around the bookstore.
For areas with lots of shops to visit, I like Oxford Street and Carnaby Street
Take a walking tour
A walking tour is an excellent and fairly inexpensive way to explore a part of the city. I looked for interesting walking tours AirBNB experiences and it ended sign up for one in Notting Hillan area I have not been to on previous trips to London.
The tour it was SO good! I learned so much in 2 hours and enjoyed the area much more than if I was there alone. Everyone on the tour was a little older than me, but it didn’t matter. It was still fun chatting with all of them and getting to know them. I highly recommend signing up Jordan’s tour if you are looking for something fun to do!
Check out some art:
I’m not much of a museum person, but I visited The Wallace Collection to view the current Portraits of Dogs exhibition.
Where to eat:
Many people have asked me how I felt about eating solo in London. I do it in New York from time to time, so it’s not entirely new to me. Something I noticed was that there were SO many people who were also dining solo in London. I knew I was in good company…even if I wasn’t in any company!
It was warm while I was there and many of the restaurants had cute outside dining areas. I found eating out solo to be especially nice. I would pop in my AirPods and listen to a podcast while people watched, scrolled through Instagram, or read my book.
With that said, this is also the category where I failed a bit on this trip. I had a lot of stomach problems throughout the trip (a me problem, not a London problem or anything I ate there…) so I was a bit lazy with my food choices.
Plus I also had two nights at Wembley for gigs… although I will say the vegan hot dog was surprisingly good!
Some foods that stand out:
Pizza Express: I love this pizza chain and wish we had it here in NYC! It has lots of vegan options which is great for lactose intolerant girls like me!
Farm Girl Cafe: Super cute and healthy cafe with few locations. I went to this one in Notting Hill and there was a bit of a wait. I got the avocado toast with poached eggs and the most incredible chai. Everything was wonderful!
Harrods Cafe: I was starving after wandering around Harrods. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the coffee is. Maybe it was the extreme hunger, but the chicken sandwich was amazing.
Okay: Sushi spot around the corner from The Marylebone Hotel. Cute place for a solo meal or to meet friends.
Vapiano: I know, I know, wtf Kayla why did you go to so many chains!?!?!? Like I said, I failed on the food front due to my tummy issues, but one thing that didn’t fail me was the Italian chain Vapiano. It’s a create-your-own-pasta (or pizza!) situation, and it always hits the spot. There was one near the theater area that was perfect for grabbing a bite to eat after a show.
And on the list for next time: Dishoom – Many of you recommended Dishoom for Indian food. I didn’t get to go, but I will definitely go next time!
I visited too Borough Market and while it’s incredible, I found it VERY full and overwhelming and didn’t stay long.
More tips for traveling solo in London….
- The pipe is not serviced. Make sure you know where you are going BEFORE you go underground. I’d pull up the directions on Google Maps and screenshot it just in case.
- Be prepared to walk. VERY. As a New Yorker I am no stranger to walking 10k steps every day. But London was next level. Most days I took over 20,000 steps! Prioritize comfortable footwear over something fancy. Trust me!
- Most tube lines do not have air conditioning. This piece blew me away! I started choosing the lines I knew had air conditioning (the tube line home from Wembley was like HEAVEN) but also dressing accordingly if you’re there in the summer. I was there during a heat wave and it was HOT.
- You probably won’t need cash. I had a few pounds on me just in case, but I didn’t use cash this week. Card is used almost everywhere… and some places don’t even take cash these days!
