How to Visit London on a Layover

{This is a guest post by Elsa Bearden, Abby's one and only adorable sister.} 

I was ecstatic to visit my sister Abby, the beautiful author of this blog, in Cyprus, and overjoyed when I found out we'd have an eight hour layover in London. So we prepped for our London adventure, and busted out of Heathrow to visit the city. Read below for some tips on planning your layover in London! 

Plan ahead of time. Know what sights you want to see first, and be realistic about how many things you will be able to see. See how far apart the attractions are from each other, and know where they are in the city! Also, make sure you know the entrance fees for the places you choose to visit. We chose Big Ben/London Eye (photo shoot only), the British Museum, and Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Railway Station. We chose only 3 or 4 exhibitions at the museum to save on time (don't worry, we saw the Rosetta Stone) and didn't stand in line for the picture at the platform. Hogwarts was going to have to wait until next time! 

Decide on transportation. The Heathrow Express is a train that takes you from the airport to Paddington Station in London in 15 to 20 minutes. This is a major time saver. You can reserve a round trip ticket online ahead of time for a slightly reduced fee. We bought our tickets at the airport once we cleared customs, and paid 35 pounds each. Also, a day pass for the tube (subway) was 12 pounds and can be purchased there at Paddington Station. With your day pass, you can take the tube anywhere in London. 

Grab that city map the nice airport employee is trying to hand you after you've landed at Heathrow. This was of great use in figuring out which lines we should take on the tube as well as to give us an idea of where we were going on foot!

Store your luggage. You don't want to be bogged down by your carry-on while trying to snap that perfect picture of Big Ben!  Instead, leave it at the Excess Baggage Company. For 10 pounds per bag you can store your luggage here while you're out lunching on fish and chips. Yum! 

Keep an eye on the time. Know how long it will take to get from your last London attraction back to the tube, back to the Heathrow Express, and (finally) back through security at the airport. Or, if you decide on different transportation, be sure to plan accordingly. 

Budget. Even though we only spent a few hours in the city, this turned out to be a pricey adventure, and we didn’t budget as much as we should have. Check the conversion rates before you go, and know how much you want to spend ahead of time.

Most importantly, have fun and don't be afraid to look like a tourist...snap those pictures! (Just not with a selfie stick!) We had a great time, even if it was only for a few hours. Do you have any tips for those long London layovers? Leave a comment below and let us know! 

By the way, stay tuned to Abby’s Roses to hear about the rest of our trip to Cyprus and Israel!