It’s happening! I’ve finally booked the flights for our long awaited trip to London, UK and Iceland for mid-September.
We will be travelling via Icelandair on their Stopover in Iceland deal, which includes a stopover (up to seven days) in Iceland at no additional airfare. For us, it will be six days in London and four days in Reykjavik.
I’ll be spending the next couple months planning and dreaming about this trip, and I would love to get your suggestions on things to do in and around both cities. My bucket list so far:
London
- Tour Buckingham Palace
- Afternoon Tea at The Savoy
- Eat and shop at Covent Garden
- Eat at Borough Market
- Visit Portobello Road Market and find the famous “blue door” from Notting Hill
- Watch an Arsenal game at Emirates Stadium
- See a show in the West End
- Revisit the Tower of London
- Have a meal at a Michelin Star restaurant
- Eat delicious Indian food on Brick Lane (Curry Mile)
- Day trip to Oxford and Cotswolds
Iceland
- Try to see the Northern Lights
- Tour the Golden Circle
- See the South Shore (Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Sรณlheimajรถkull Glacier, Reynisdrangar Basalt Sea Stacks, Skรณgafoss Waterfall, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall)
- Spa day at the Blue Lagoon
Looking forward to seeing your recommendations in the comments!

Sounds great, Jess! I’m wondering if you’re going to have time to sleep ๐
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Gotta fit in all the missed travel from these pandemic years!
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Iceland is fantastic! You’re going to have a great time!
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I’m excited! This trip has been 3 years in the making.
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A friend of mine has been several times to Iceland and is a big fan. London…well that’s where I was born, so…
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London is a wonderful city and I’m excited to visit again!
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Awesome! Happy for you and can’t wait to read future posts.
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Thank you Dan!
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This is existing! I don’t have any suggestions for London, but I’m absolutely sure that you will have a great time there. ๐
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I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for reading Angela!
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Very ambitious, but I’m super excited for you! For London, I’ve heard good things about Chinatown (i.e. lots of incredible eats!). I also liked visiting Keats House, as I’m a huge fan of John Keats. For Iceland, I’d recommend squeezing in Snaefellsnes Peninsula, where you can see the iconic Kirkjufell. Any case, I can’t wait to see what you get up to this fall!
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Unfortunately we only have 2 full days in Iceland as the first and last are the travel days. I was debating between the South Shore and Snaefellsnes tours as I can only fit in one of those (definitely want to do Golden Circle) – which would you recommend if you could only do one?
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South Shore, it is!
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I am so happy for you, Jess! Have a great time exploring London and Iceland – can’t wait to read all about your travel adventures. A trip to London wouldn’t be complete without seeing the city from the Shard’s observation deck which sits at 800ft (244m)! Top things to see from The View from The Shard include Tower Bridge, the twists and turns of the River Thames, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and St Paul’s Cathedral. If you are a Harry Potter fan, then Warner Bros. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter is a must! ๐ Aiva xx
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Thanks for those suggestions Aiva! Perhaps I will check out the Shard instead of the London Eye which I already visited on my previous trip to London. I am a huge Harry Potter fan and have been on the studio tour as well!
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fantastic! I have just booked some international tickets too for next year! More on that closer to the actual date! How exciting London is brilliant and so is Iceland!
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So great to finally be travelling again ๐
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So exciting!
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How exciting! I’ll be anxiously awaiting your posts on these destinations ๐
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Amazing Jess. If you go to my blog home page and use the menu to find London & the south, I have lots of London info in my 1 week itinerary, plus plenty of day trip options too. Sounds like an incredible trip ๐
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I remember seeing several of your posts about London. I will have to revisit them!
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Very excited for you! I’d recommend a trip over to Greenwich and Camden – they’re both cool parts of the city to check out with good markets too.
Also, skip the Arsenal game and get yourself down to Tottenham instead ๐
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Hah, I knew you were going to say that about the Arsenal game. I’m pretty indifferent but it’s my boyfriend who is the committed Arsenal fan. ๐
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Haha, hopefully you’ll enjoy it too!
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Don’t listen to Jason, Jess. Definitely cheer on Arsenal at the Emirates. ๐
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Last time we were in London for any length of time, we enjoyed dining at Fenchurch Restaurant atop the building they refer to as the “walkie talkie.” The restaurant is above the beautiful Sky Garden. I don’t know if Fenchurch is Michelin starred, but the food and service were FABULOUS and the views are, too.
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I made breakfast reservations for Darwin Brasserie at Sky Garden. Looking forward to it!
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It is a beautiful project. It reminds me that I want to go to London this summer, I only have a train to take from Paris. For Iceland it’s more complicated ๐
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I looked into fitting in a trip to Paris from London but not enough time and the vaccine requirements are complicated now. It will have to wait for another time!
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Seen from America, Europe seems small with all these countries on top of each other, but in reality there are distances between them, physical, historical and cultural, that require investing in separate trips to better enjoy them. anyway, enjoy London, will see who is going first.
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Genuinely have no love and even like at all for London, Iceland however I am dying to see!!
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I’m excited for both but Iceland will be epic ๐
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