Romantic Things to Do in London: A Couples’ Weekend
This is a plan for two days, Saturday and Sunday, built around the things couples actually enjoy doing together: long walks, good food, a view or two and at least one evening out. You will not need a car, and most of it you can do on foot.
Where to base yourselves
Stay central and you will spend your weekend walking rather than on the Tube. The South Bank, Covent Garden and Marylebone are all good choices. The South Bank puts you on the river and close to Saturday’s first stop. Covent Garden is the easiest for dinner and the theatre. Marylebone is quieter, with a proper village high street, and it is a short hop to Sunday’s canal walk.
Saturday: romantic things to do in London on day one
Early: Westminster Bridge and the Embankment
Set an alarm. Westminster at 8am on a Saturday is a different place from Westminster at noon: the bridge is mostly joggers and commuters, the light comes low off the river and you can actually stop and look at Big Ben without being jostled.
Walk across Westminster Bridge to the South Bank and take the steps down to the river. Underneath the bridge on the south side there is a stone archway that frames Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament at the far end, and early in the morning you will probably have it to yourselves.
If you would like a few proper photos of the two of you, this is the time and the place to get them, because by mid-morning the bridge is full. A London Photographer runs couple sessions on exactly this stretch of river, from Westminster Bridge along to the Victoria Embankment opposite the London Eye, and they usually start them early for that reason. It is worth booking for the Saturday morning so it is done before the rest of the weekend begins.
Mid-morning: walk the South Bank to Borough Market
From Westminster, follow the river east along the Queen’s Walk. It is about three kilometres to Borough Market and it is one of the best walks in London, past the London Eye, the Southbank Centre’s riverside book market under Waterloo Bridge, Gabriel’s Wharf and Tate Modern. If you have time, pop into Tate Modern and go up to the viewing level on the tenth floor of the Blavatnik Building, which is free and looks straight across the Thames to St Paul’s.
Borough Market on a Saturday is busy, but it is busy for a reason. Arrive hungry, split a few things between you and eat standing up like everyone else. The cheese toasties and the oysters both have their fans.
Afternoon: Sky Garden
Walk over London Bridge and up to 20 Fenchurch Street, the building Londoners call the Walkie-Talkie. On the top floors is the Sky Garden, a huge glass-roofed garden with a terrace looking out over the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Entry is free, but you have to book a time slot in advance on the Sky Garden website, and weekend slots go quickly, so book as soon as you know your dates. Bring photo ID, as they check it at the door.
Late afternoon is the best time to be up there, when the sun starts to drop behind the City and the river turns gold.
Evening: dinner and a show in Covent Garden
Head back west for the evening. Clos Maggiore on King Street has a reputation as one of the most romantic restaurants in London, and it has earned it: the conservatory at the back has a ceiling covered in blossom and, in winter, an open fire. Ask for a table in the conservatory when you book, and book well ahead.
If you would rather see a show, the official TKTS booth in Leicester Square sells same-day theatre tickets, often at a good discount, and the West End is a short walk away. Afterwards, walk back through the Piazza. Covent Garden late on a Saturday night, once the street performers have gone, is a lovely place for a slow walk home.
Sunday: flowers, a canal and afternoon tea
Early: Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia Road Flower Market runs every Sunday from 8am to about 3pm, on a short street of Victorian shopfronts in east London. By 10am it is shoulder to shoulder, so go early, grab a coffee from one of the cafés along the street and listen to the traders calling out their prices. Prices tend to drop towards the end of the day, but by then the best flowers have gone. A big bunch for your hotel room costs less than you would think.
Late morning: Little Venice to Camden along the Regent’s Canal
Take the Tube to Warwick Avenue and walk down to Little Venice, where the narrowboats are moored around a little pool between Paddington and Maida Vale. From here the Regent’s Canal towpath runs east all the way to Camden, about four kilometres, or an hour at an easy pace.
The towpath leaves the water briefly where the canal goes into the Maida Hill tunnel, so follow the signs through the streets above and pick it up again on the other side. After that you pass the backs of the grand houses on the edge of Regent’s Park and the aviary at London Zoo, and you can leave the canal for a detour up Primrose Hill. The view of the London skyline from the top is one of the best in the city, and there are benches at the top for sitting and taking it in.
Afternoon: afternoon tea
You have walked enough to deserve it. London does afternoon tea better than anywhere, from the grand hotel versions to the playful themed ones, and we have rounded up some of our favourite places for afternoon tea in London. Book it for around 3pm and you will not need dinner.
If it rains
It is London, so pack an umbrella and have a plan B. The good news is that plenty of the most romantic spots are indoors or under cover. Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields is free, eccentric and crammed with treasures in a warren of small, dim rooms. Leadenhall Market in the City is covered by a Victorian glass roof and is quiet at weekends, when the office workers stay at home. And the Burlington Arcade off Piccadilly is a lovely place to wander when the rain sets in. There are more ideas in our guide to spending a rainy day in London.
Rain also does good things for the city. Wet pavements reflect every light, and the river walks in the rain are some of the most atmospheric in London, as long as you have a good umbrella between you.
Worth booking before you go
A weekend this full needs a little planning. The Sky Garden is free, but its timed tickets are released in advance and the weekend slots go first. Saturday dinner in Covent Garden books up weeks ahead, especially around Valentine’s Day and in December. If you have your heart set on a particular show, book that too rather than relying on the TKTS booth on the day.
And if you want photos of the two of you, book the Saturday morning slot at Westminster, which is the one A London Photographer suggests for couples anyway. It is the only time the bridge is quiet, and it means the photos are done before the rest of the weekend starts.
Everything else here, from the South Bank walk to the canal towpath and Primrose Hill, is free and needs nothing more than comfortable shoes.
By C.Leonov
Image credits – A London Photographer
