How to Spend the Perfect First Day in London: A Local-Inspired Itinerary for Two
Date Published
If you’re starting at The Resident Covent Garden, explore the Piazza while it’s still relatively quiet, then move into the smaller streets around Seven Dials. Neal’s Yard is tucked just off this area, while streets including Monmouth Street and Earlham Street are good for browsing away from the busiest part of the Piazza. Covent Garden’s surrounding streets mix boutiques, artisan businesses, cafés and restaurants, making this an easy area to explore without a solid plan.
From The Resident Soho, forget about an exact route altogether. Wander along Old Compton Street and through Berwick Street, then make your way towards Carnaby. Soho’s independent side is still easy to find: music fans can browse the vinyl at Sister Ray or Reckless Records - after all, the best first-day souvenir may not end up having “London” printed across it!
Do something you can experience together
We recommend picking one experience and giving it a good amount of time. Art lovers staying around Soho could visit The Photographers’ Gallery, just off Oxford Street, which focuses on photography and emerging creative talent. In Covent Garden, take a look inside the Royal Opera House even if you aren’t seeing a performance. Public areas of the building can be visited without a performance ticket, giving you an opportunity to see the building and look out towards the Piazza. If you started in Victoria, spend a little longer outdoors instead. Walk through St James’s Park and towards Westminster before crossing the river for the classic view back towards the Houses of Parliament. Sometimes the best activity in London is having a slow wander around until something catches your attention.
Leave time for a London detour
After visiting a couple of must-see tourist attractions, give yourself a couple of hours with nowhere particularly urgent to be. In Soho, browse the record shops and independent businesses around Berwick Street and Old Compton Street, then stop for a snack or a coffee when you feel like it. For something sweet, try Maison Bertaux on Greek Street, a longstanding Soho patisserie, or go back for another coffee - we won’t judge. Around Covent Garden, head beyond the Piazza to Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard. The latter is a colourful courtyard hidden just off the surrounding streets, home to cafés, restaurants and independent businesses. Staying around Victoria? Take a wander through Belgravia, particularly Elizabeth Street and the streets around Eccleston Yards. It’s a completely different pace from the crowds around Buckingham Palace and Westminster, despite being close by.
Reset before the evening
A little time out makes all the difference on a city break. Head back to The Resident, make a coffee in your room’s mini-kitchen and put your feet up before heading out again. All of our bedrooms include mini-kitchens, while our hotel teams are there if you need recommendations, restaurant tips or help shaping the rest of your stay. Our London hotels are deliberately placed in neighbourhoods where there is plenty to discover within easy reach, from the independent streets of Soho to Covent Garden’s hidden corners and another side of Westminster from Victoria.
Share dinner at Cinnamon Bazaar
For dinner, make your way to Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden. Inspired by the bazaars and marketplaces found along historic trading routes, the restaurant serves a great selection of dishes influenced by the flavours and street food of India. Its menu is particularly well suited to ordering a selection for the table, which makes it a great choice when there are two of you and you’d rather try a few different things than commit to one plate each. It’s also one of the local restaurants recommended by the team at The Resident Covent Garden, making it a natural choice if you want to stay close to the hotel.
One last London experience
You could finish with a big night out, or you could find a bar like Swift and finish with another drink. From Covent Garden, walk into Soho and see where the evening takes you. Soho changes character after dark, particularly around Old Compton Street, Dean Street and Frith Street, and it’s worth experiencing even if your plan extends no further than finding a table and watching the world go by. If you would rather end with something cultural, make your evening activity the main event and book a West End show. Covent Garden sits at the heart of Theatreland, with numerous major productions within walking distance.
So, what should you do on your first day in London?
The perfect first day in London doesn’t need to include every famous landmark. In fact, we’d argue that it probably shouldn’t. Start the day slow, and have breakfast somewhere local. See one or two of the sights you’ve always wanted to see, then spend a few hours discovering the streets in between. Browse an independent shop, enjoy dinner somewhere memorable and leave enough to get excited about heading out again the following morning. Whether you stay at The Resident Soho, The Resident Covent Garden or The Resident Victoria, you’ll be well placed to do exactly that.
