London Weekend: Last Day - Winding Down Right
Winding down a trip comes with its own challenges. Especially when it's been a truly spectacular weekend. We prefer to take it easy (mostly and for the most part).
For our last morning, we let ourselves sleep in a little before heading to Dishoom in Covent Garden - a ritual of sorts for us at this point. We’ve been several times over the years, and while we still recommend it to people who haven’t been, we’ve noticed our own excitement has waned a bit with each visit.
This time probably marked our last stop here, not because it was bad, but because we feel we’ve sampled enough of their menu and know what we like (and what we don’t).
Here’s what we’d recommend if you go:
For breakfast: the Akuri (spiced scrambled eggs) and their chai — both excellent. The naan rolls, though much-hyped, have consistently been letdowns for us
For lunch/dinner: the vada pav, black daal, prawn pathia, and mutton pepper fry are all solid picks.
A Quieter Covent Garden
One of the pleasant surprises of the morning was seeing Covent Garden on a Sunday morning. It was almost unrecognizable from the busy, tourist-packed square it usually is. Quiet, almost serene, with just a handful of people about.
📍 Oh, by the way: if you’re already in Covent Garden, stop by Seven Dials Market; it has great variety and is a spot for an easy, casual bite if you’re not up for a sit-down meal.
And a word to the wise: when leaving the Covent Garden Tube station, wait for the elevator. Seriously. It’s several stories underground, and while you can take the stairs… they spiral, they’re long, and halfway up you’ll start to wonder about your life choices. We’ve done it. We don’t recommend it.
Back to the Hotel, and Off to the Airport
After breakfast and a little wandering, we went back to the hotel to pack and decided to head to the airport early. Being a Sunday, there were a few service interruptions on the Tube, and we like building in extra time anyway.
We took the Northern Line to Tottenham Court Road, transferred to the Elizabeth Line, and caught a Terminal 2 train within a couple minutes. There was a brief equipment issue on the line that forced everyone to deboard one stop before Heathrow but because we’d left early, it was just a short, 15-minute wait for the next train.
📍 And a reminder: once you arrive at the Heathrow Tube/Elizabeth station, it’s still a 15–20 minute walk to the terminal itself, something first-time visitors are often caught off guard by. Build that into your plan.
Wrapping Up
All in all, this trip reminded us why we keep coming back to London - and also why preparation and flexibility make such a difference.
We navigated busy travel weeks (Trooping the Colour and London Tech Week) and still managed to optimize our flights and hotels using points.
We leaned on our go-to places but also discovered some new favorites (like Paradise) and reconfirmed what’s worth returning to (and what isn’t - looking at you, Dishoom naan rolls).
And we left feeling like we’d struck that perfect balance between seeing the city, eating well, and not overloading ourselves (even in a hectic season).
London is one of those cities where even seasoned visitors can find little ways to make it better. And that’s what we hope this guide does for you: makes your trip just a bit smoother, smarter, and more enjoyable so you can spend your time soaking in the good stuff instead of stressing the details.
📌 Pro Tips
At SFO: United Club is fine if you need it, but busy and dated. Joe & The Juice is a good alternative, especially with ongoing catering issues at SFO.
At LHR T2: plan on a 20–25 minute walk to immigration.
Bathrooms: last chance on the plane or closer to immigration.
Mixed-passport group? Politely ask about using the family line.
Tube > taxi, always.
Terminal 2 to tube stations is a 20min walk from when you get out. Plan accordingly.
Elizabeth Line for Central, Piccadilly for north/east. Check Google Maps when you land.
Tap in/out with a no-foreign-fee credit card.
At stations: bags first on escalators and through gates; stand right if you’re not walking.
Allow buffer time at big interchanges even though Google shows you the most efficient route.
London summer: always carry a compact umbrella; rain can surprise you even on hot days.
Anything around central London, there’s always a way to make it more scenic by walking through the multitude of parks if you give extra time for yourself
Have to buy playbills. Worth the 5 GBP
Afternoon tea is a great way to experience what luxury hotels have to offer without committing to staying there