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Guest writer: Roksana Corswant
If you want an affordable long weekend in winter in slightly milder weather, you don't have to go very far. Why not check out cheap flights to the metropolis of London? The city that has something for everyone, from grand castles to food markets. Between Victorian pubs and skyscrapers, you'll find exciting eateries, shopping and museums.
Many of you have probably heard or seen the popular tourist attractions Big Ben and the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Harrods. I can't deny that they're worth seeing, but there's a lot more to discover in a big city like London.
My friend and I are leaving on 1 January, early in the morning. We fly with Ryanair and fly from Landvetter airport in Gothenburg to Stansted airport a little outside London. Since it is only a weekend we are away, we only have hand luggage with us, which makes it go much faster at the airport.
From Stansted airport, you can take a train to London, and then change to the underground to get to your destination. Tickets are relatively cheap and the train journey takes about 45 minutes - 1 hour. If you don't want to take the train, there are also buses and taxis. For those who are really daring, you can also rent a car.
We rent an apartment in the centre of Lambeth. But there are also several different types of accommodation, from hostels to five-star luxury hotels in skyscrapers. If you are looking for affordable accommodation, I recommend looking outside London, for example in Brixton. You can easily get to the centre by underground.
Shopping
As you know, there's an incredible amount of shopping in London, so even if your wallet can't take the strain of Harrods, it's worth a visit! In this huge department store dating back to the 19th century, you'll find magnificent cheese, bread and charcuterie departments. In addition to food, there's also a whole homeware section and various sections of designer clothes and accessories. There is also a huge children's section. Harrod's architecture and interior design make it quite an excursion just to walk around the store and have a look.
In addition to Harrods, there is of course Oxford Street, a popular shopping street and shopping centre Selfridges, and the huge toy store Hamleys (which is fascinating even for those of us who are no longer children).
The neighbourhoods in and around Soho are also very popular and offer everything from shopping to China town.
If you're looking to save your wallet, there's an extremely large vintage shop in the East End of Whitechapel. Brick Lane Vintage Market has clothes, jewellery and furnishings. You'll find bargains at bargain prices and the market is huge, with influences of both vintage and modern.
Food
In the centre of London you can find several restaurants with different prices. I would mainly recommend going to Whitechapel and going to the food market. There are several stalls with food at low prices, and often small dishes so you can try several different ones.
Afternoon Tea: The popular tradition of eating well and drinking different kinds of tea does not have to cost the shirt, we book Afternoon Tea at the hotel The Melody, here you can share two people on a full tray of goodies and tea for about three hundred kroner. Very nice restaurant, incredibly nice staff and good food! Highly recommended.
If you are looking for a big dinner to share, I can highly recommend the restaurant llili Lebanese Grill and Meze. Here it is slightly more expensive, but still affordable - and above all very good food.
Tourist stuff
In addition to museums, London has a wide range of tourist attractions. We travelled by tourist bus "Hop on hop off", and were happy with the concept even though we were freezing in the cold on the double decker. On the bus you get a history lesson about London via headphones and you can get off at any stop you want - and then hop on the next bus.
But the best way to tour London, in our opinion, was to get around on your own, walk along the Thames and check out the shopping streets. The neighbourhoods around Buckingham Palace were a bit unnecessary in our opinion - nice and expensive outdoor cafes but packed with people.
Note: from April, a digital entry permit will be required to enter the UK, read more on the UD resklar app.