Solo Female Travel & Backpacking in London

Family travel experience

I went with my daughter and we felt completely safe. Also, as touristy as it is, we did a hop-on hop-off bus too and it helped just to give us our bearings in the city-we knew familiar places. My favorite day out of the city was Windsor/Eton. We didn’t take a tour, just took the train and wandered.

Solo travel experience

I loved the natural history museum and science museums. I personally wouldn’t walk around at night I wouldn’t feel safe. The tube is really easy as walking around really isn’t feasible. China town is interesting. Also the national gallery in Trafalgar Square in stunning, Trafalgar Square itself normally has things going on. There’s also London eye, London Bridge, the changing of the guard by Buckingham palace. Camden market I’d say is a must as well.

Local experience

My recommendations: - lots of events on boats on the Thames that do comedy or jazz nights, - cable car across the Thames for around £5 return (roughly) - visit parks - do a big walk through Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, along the Thames to Battersea Park. - Markets: Borough Market, Camden Market, Maltby Street Market, Portobello Road Market, Columbia Road Flower Market. - Free walking tours - Lots of very affordable comedy bars with good acts; Angel Comedy and Top Secret Comedy Club are personal faves - East London, Shoreditch is fun has lots of thrift shops, good places to eat and edgy bars and Hackney Wick has lots of Breweries, bars and food places along the canal. - Galleries/Museums are free in London and we have loads, so make the most of those. Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern are fun ones, but have a Google and you'll find something. - for travelling around people mostly use an App called 'City Mapper', it gives costs time to get from A to B via public transport (which is very affordable and safe). Google Maps is okay by City Mapper is a bit more accurate - if you use a contactless card, your daily travel is capped, making it more affordable than a travel card. - check how long walking takes vs public transport, often you can walk from place to place pretty easily

If you’re into markets / casual food places my recommendations are: Cucumber Alley / Seven Dials Market at Covent Garden - lots of food stalls, has a nice vibe and plenty of seating. Food Halls at Harrods in Knightsbridge - fabulous experience and the food is beautiful. Lots of variety of ready made and fresh to order. I loved getting lots of little things and we walked over to Hyde Park for a picnic.

If you'd like to see some real hidden gems in London, Google these places and go on a day walk. Starting at Leadenhall Market, then to St. Dunstan in the East Church Garden, this is a church ruin that was bombed in WW2. It is so worthy of a visit, a real hidden wow place to visit. Then walk back past The Monument and across London Bridge to Borough market where you'll eat some of the best market food, 100% worth it just for the variety of food. Another lesser known but great place to visit is Little Venice between Paddington and Camden Lock. There's lots of colourful canal boats and some of them are cafes, not many tourists make time to see this. You could walk from Camden to Little Venice and also incorporate a visit to Hyde Park and the wonderful coloured houses of Nottinghill and Portobello Rd. If you visit Covent Garden you also need to visit Neils Yard, a great colourful little spot with cafes and super and bright coloured building.

Solo travel experience

My fave things to do in London are: Camden - Great food spots, and also so many nice unique shops / stalls St. Paul’s Cathedral - absolutely gorgeous place and so worth a wander around Boat down the Thames - a really fun way to see some of the sights I’m a bit of a history geek so loved all of these: Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament tour, Churchills War Room, Tower Bridge Tour

Local experience

My recommendations: - View from the SkyGarden is fantastic - Visit Westminster Abbey for evensong - Take a canal boat from behind Paddington station to Camden Town - Walk the bridges back and forth across the Thames - Visit the Barbican - Take the tube to Canary Wharf and walk the Isle of Dogs. Then the foot tunnel under the Thames from there to Greenwich. - Take the district line to Richmond (last stop) for a lovely river side village.

Itinerary: 4 days in London Safety: I felt totally safe in London. Recommendations: London is remarkably beautiful and well worth the time.

Itinerary: 3 days: London 2 days: Oxford 3 days: Cotswolds 2 days: Liverpool Safety: Even walking at night I felt safe. Recommendations: London is a very walkable city and the majority of the iconic sights here are quite close to each other.

Itinerary: 2 days: London 1 day: Seven Sisters Cliffs 1 day: Windsor Castle & Stonehenge 3 days: Cotswolds Villages and Bath Safety: I felt very safe. Recommendations: Stonehenge is definitely worth seeing once, but I probably wouldn't go back again.