We flew into London Heathrow airport from Detroit (overnight 8-hour direct flight). The airport is actually about 50 minutes away from central London, and about 20 minutes from Richmond. Getting through customs in London was very easy. From there, we got an Uber to our Hotel in Richmond. We stayed there for 2 days, exploring Richmond and London. From there, we took a train to Oxford where we picked up a car rental to drive into the Cotswolds (area in Enlgand)! I will post a separate blog about only the Cotswolds and this one will focus on things we did in Richmond, London and Oxford!
Know Before You Go
- Don’t be intimidated by the public transport.
- As long as you have Google maps, you’ll be fine! For both the bus and trains, if you have a credit card that allows you to tap, that’s how you can enter and pay at the stations. No need to purchase tickets in advance. You can also purchase an oyster card, but we didn’t find that necessary. Along with tapping in to board the train, you must “tap out” when you exit the train station as well. In our experience, you can only tap your credit card once when entering these transport options. I used Pauls credit card and handed it to him so he could tap in on the bus and it wasn’t allowed – he had to use a different card.
- If you have apple pay on your phone, that works too! Although we were told it’s sometimes touchy. Uber is also available, and we used it twice with no issues. Overall, the trains and bus felt super safe and easy to use. I could see it being difficult with larger luggage bags though, it did get pretty crowded on a few of our rides.
- A lot of places do not accept American Express credit cards, so make sure to bring a backup. We didn’t need any cash so you should be fine with only credit cards.
- Download the TFL (transport for London) app. It provides real time updates and options for your journey and helps you get to where you need to go.
- Airbnb is frowned upon in London (maybe all of England? I’m not sure) because it hurts their economy.
- Go in the off season! We went in January, and we were told a lot of people take dry January very seriously, so the pubs were pretty empty, which was nice!
Where To Stay in Richmond
We stayed in Richmond for 2 nights at the Richmond Hill Hotel. Richmond is just west of the central part of London. It’s between the Heathrow airport and London. I can’t recommend it enough! We are so happy we stayed in Richmond for a bit of a more unique destination vs. London. I would absolutely recommend Richmond and specifically this hotel – It was in a really beautiful location. The only slight downside to the hotel was the room size. It was basically just a bed with a tiny bit of walking room around both sides. The bathroom was normal sized, with a nice vintage bathtub and decent sized shower! The staff was also super friendly and held our bags before we were able to check in.
Why Visit Richmond?
Visit Richmond for a more unique and less crowded stay! It’s an easy 20-minute train ride into most parts of London. The train station in Richmond is located here – about a 15-minute walk from the Richmond Hill Hotel. There are so many things to do in Richmond, you’ll be busy for a few days! Walking around in Richmond felt extremely safe and clean. There were nice public restrooms in some areas, and I even saw a lot of women running by themselves, headphones in, unbothered. If you’re a woman in the US, you unfortunately know that means it must actually be safe.
Also, if you’re a Ted Lasso fan, Richmond is a must!! This is where a lot of the filming took place. Stroll around in the charming alleys that you see in the show (pictured above) and grab a coffee or lunch at one of the local cafes. To get to those alleys, just type in Google maps “Chango Empanadas Richmond”.
Things to do in Richmond
- Visit the Princes Head, which is the pub where Ted Lasso hangs out! This whole area is so idyllic and was exactly what I pictured.
- Try the cafes! Dharma Coffee, Kiss the Hippo and Ivy Cafe Richmond are all on my recommendation list.
- Walk along the Thames River and maybe you’ll end up at Eileen’s at Buccleuch Gardens Cafe! We had lunch here and really enjoyed it. The owner is extremely nice, and the food is delicious and very reasonably priced.
- Try the Indian food!! Indian food is a staple in the UK and it’s a must try. We wound up at Chatora for dinner, about a 25-minute walk from our hotel. It’s really good modern Indian cuisine but honestly, I think it’s a tad overpriced for what it is – still worth a try.
- Go to the Hollyhock Fairtrade Cafe. It’s a vegan cafe and I think this was our favorite cafe of the whole trip. I would highly recommend if you just want to hang outside (indoor seating available too) and enjoy the nature views!
One Day in London
I know I must sound crazy saying this, but I really didn’t care to see all the main central London attractions. If that’s what you’re looking for, maybe check another blog because I know nothing :). The only major “tourist attractions” we saw were Big Ben and the London Eye. Our day to London was focused on one main thing: Teatime!!
After some research, we learned about the afternoon tea at the Shard from Jess from Love and London. The Shard is located right next to the Borough Market so we went there first! Even though we came during “off season”, it was still very busy. Bring your appetite, there are a lot of good food options!
For Tea at the Shard – Make sure you book a reservation at the Ting (tea restaurant located in the Shard) in advance! I don’t know what to compare the price to, but I’d have to guess this is one of the most upscale experiences for afternoon tea. It was our anniversary, so we went for it. You can choose to include champagne or not. If not, here’s what is included: unlimited tea – you can order as many different kinds as you want, finger sandwiches, pastry puffs, a scone (each) and a tower of dessert which also included the Christmas bread. This is subject to change of course depending on when you go but that’s at least a sample!
Also obviously included are the views!! We had a direct view to the Towers Bridge. Our reservation was at 2pm and we stayed until 5pm to watch the sun go down. Honestly it was well worth it in my opinion, especially for the view.
After that, we walked about an hour to see Big Ben and the London Eye. Again, feeling very safe on our nighttime walk in this big city.
One Day in Oxford
We were unfortunately only able to spend only a few hours in Oxford. The city was stunning, and I wish we would’ve had more time here too.
- Visit the museums! I’m typically not a museum person but heard the ones here are pretty cool and free and they did not disappoint! Here’s where we went:
- Ashmolean Museum – go to the rooftop restaurant after for a coffee and scone!!
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History – This one was amazing. So many dinosaur skeletons!! A must. Also located in the same building is the Pitt Rivers Museum which has a lot of weird treasures from all over the world.
- Try Mowgli Street food for more delicious Indian food!
- I would also highly recommend Opera Cafe for coffee/treats or lunch!
We didn’t have time to go to the Christ Church, but this is where some of Harry Potter was filmed! You have to purchase tickets for about $20 per person and can do a self-guided tour through the church. This is what inspired the dining hall and where staircases from the old movies are filmed!
Overall experience
Would I go back to Richmond, London or Oxford? Absolutely. I know we didn’t even scratch the surface on any of these places and I would be happy to go back and try all the things we didn’t have time for. City trips are also hard for me because it’s usually a lot of drinking and eating and a lot of walking and coordinating transport! The fact that I felt extremely safe in all of these places was huge. It’s always humbling going to a new city and having to figure all of this out.
I don’t think I would have a desire to go during the busy season (summer), because it was already pretty busy – obviously. We went in January and although the weather wasn’t perfect, I would take that over crowds, any day. I would stay in Richmond again, instead of London, just because it was less crowded and felt a little more authentic. Overall, we had a great time in these three places and could easily be a long weekend trip from Detroit in the future!
Wow – what an incredible trip. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading 🙂
It sounds wonderful. Excellent points of interest and pointers! I love reading about your travels, thank you! 🙂
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Great review, thanks!
That looks beautiful and well written. Hope you both had a wonderful anniversary and enjoyed your trip.
Thank you so much!!