If you’ve gathered your closest girlfriends for a trip to London, you’re in for a real treat.
It’s a vibrant, lively place to be, and it’s brimming with activities and sights for you and the girls to enjoy. See if you can make some special memories with these ideas…
Soak it all up
If you’re happy to spend some time meandering around the city without a particular place to be, start by immersing yourself in the sights and sounds of London. The colourful houses in Notting Hill are sure to set your Instagram feeds alight with likes and followers (you could take a walk along these beautiful routes) and there’s nothing quite so lovely as drinking in the scent and colours of Columbia Road’s Flower Market. Wear your comfiest shoes and dive into cafes along the way for food and refreshments.
Have afternoon tea at the Shard
Save a little room while you’re in those cafes, as afternoon tea at the Shard is an absolute must-do. Book a table on the 32nd floor for unbeatable views of London and tuck into a mouth-watering selection of cakes and sandwiches – with duck egg and truffle mayonnaise sandwiches and cranberry scones on the menu, you won’t be disappointed.
See a West End show
If you and the girls love a good musical or theatre performance, you can’t miss a visit to the West End. London boasts some of the best actors in the entire world, and fantastically written plays too, so book tickets to see a show you’ll all love. This autumn and winter will see some marvellous new shows including Venus in Fur, Of Kith and Kin and Rules for Living, as well as tried-and-tested favourites such as Dreamgirls, Wicked and Aladdin. So, get ready to immerse yourself in the lights, costumes and drama!
Shop in Oxford Street
It’s a bit of a cliché, but what would a girls weekend be without a spot of shopping? London is home to some of the best shopping opportunities in the world, and there’s no end to the amount of window shopping you could do in places like Regent Street and Oxford Street. Camden Road is excellent for vintage shops, Covent Garden is great for one-off finds (and has some lovely cafes and restaurants too), and don’t miss Gabriel’s Wharf if you want to buy something out of the ordinary: it’s home to Japanese products and Indian homewares.
Have a beauty treatment at the Cheeky Parlour
The Cheeky Parlour is the perfect place to enjoy a beauty treatment if you and the girls are just popping down the London for the weekend. There’s no need to book ahead (you can walk in off the street for some of the best – and cheapest – treatments in London), and it gets great reviews from customers. There’s also a bar and café to hang out in, and the staff make the effort to make sure you and the girls are all sitting together during treatments so you can continue catching up with one another.
Enjoy a night on the town
Once you’ve treated yourself to a makeover, manicure or pedicure, you’ll be ready for a night out on the town. Of course you could hit any of London’s world-class nightclubs and have a brilliant time, but why not do something a little different? There’s a prison bar called ‘Alcotraz’ (modelled on San Francisco’s Alcatraz prison) you could try if you’re brave enough, or a candlelit 1920s speakeasy at the ‘Candlelight Club’. You’ll need to wear 1920s dress for the Candlelight Club, so pack those flapper dresses and feather headdresses. But if you decide to skip the themed parties and simply make your way from bar to bar, what better to wear on your girls night out in London than the aptly named ‘London dress’?
Those are just a handful of ideas for things to do during your girls weekend in London. What else would you like to do?