It had been years since I last visited London. Back then, I was underwhelmed by the food, and the city felt a little dingy. Sorry, old chaps.
Not anymore! What a difference 25 years makes! I absolutely loved London when we visited in early May 2026. We took the British Airways flight direct from New Orleans to Heathrow and arrived at about 1 pm. We stayed at the Royal Horseguards LondonLondon in the White Hall area, in the city of Westminster, London. It’s centrally located to parks, Parliament, the Royal Horse Guards museum, Buckingham Palace, restaurants, shopping, you name it.
Thankfully, we beat the heat wave of 2026. The first day, temperatures were in the low 80s with sunny skies. It was a perfect day for a stroll in nearby St. James Park, which was teeming with locals enjoying what they thought was a rare warm day. Just a week later, unseasonably hot temps cast a sweat on much of Europe that lasted on and off for months. The 57-acre park is lush with gardens, birds, pelicans, and a lake. Buckingham Palace and sites like Big Ben, the Winston Churchill museum (highly recommend), theater district are accessible on the other side of the park. The Mall is a perfect walk. You’ll recognize it from news clips of the royals, who frequently parade on this ceremonial track that runs 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) between Buckingham Palace at its western end and Trafalgar Square via Admiralty Arch to the east.
