{"id":386564,"date":"2025-08-31T05:11:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T05:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/386564\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T05:11:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T05:11:53","slug":"being-a-gen-z-tourist-in-london-for-36-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/386564\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a gen Z tourist in London for 36 hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of a recent visit to see family in Scotland, my 18-year-old daughter and I had 36 hours in London. We both created a wish list of things to do and see.<\/p>\n

Having spent the first 30 years of my life in and around London, my list largely comprised visiting old haunts, museums, art galleries, a show in the West End and a fancy afternoon tea.<\/p>\n

The list compiled by my gen Z daughter was based on visual appeal, largely influenced by Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>\n

I acquiesced and became a gen Z tourist.<\/p>\n

We hit the ground running as soon as we stepped off the train from Scotland at London\u2019s King Cross. We dropped our bags at our hotel, opting for a cheap (by London standards) but clean and functional Hub by Premier Inn within five minutes\u2019 walk of the station. As we had a list of places to visit, food to eat and pictures to take, we didn\u2019t need a fancy room and the tiny and minimalist Hub room fitted the bill with its double bed, clever storage solutions and small, but clean ensuite. As it was a hot and sticky July weekend, air conditioning \u2014 a rarity in the UK \u2014 was an added bonus.<\/p>\n

\"CircoloCamera IconCircolo Popolare. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

First stop was dinner at the highly \u201cgrammable\u201d Circolo Popolare on Rathbone Place. The Italian restaurant wasn\u2019t chosen for its pasta or pizzas, but rather its sensory appeal. \u201cThe walls are lined with 20,000 bottles, the vibe is loud and lovely, and every dish is a hit of pure Italian authenticity,\u201d according to the restaurant. It was fun and visually rich, and the food was pretty good too.<\/p>\n

Next up were cocktails at Sky Garden, booked months in advance. London has numerous high-rise venues, but unlike the Shard on the other side of the river, which undoubtedly has the toilets with the best view, Sky Garden is free. The views are stunning and sitting in the bar watching London turn from summer day to night with an Aperol Spritz, perfect.<\/p>\n

Sunday began with a tube ride to Notting Hill specifically to see the pastel-coloured houses which have gone viral, so much so that some owners have started painting their houses grey and black to deter tourists. We \u201chad to\u201d visit the apparently \u201ciconic\u201d Notting Hill Shopping Bag shop where my 18-year-old purchased an exorbitantly expensive ($40) tote bag. I, at least, got to wander around Portobello Market, a favourite haunt of my London born-and-bred grandfather.<\/p>\n

Back on the tube, we headed to Oxford Circus, walked down Regent Street for a spot of shopping, on to Piccadilly, Pall Mall, St James\u2019s Park, Horse Guards Parade, Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square, Downing Street and Westminster, with numerous \u201cgrammable\u201d photo opportunities along the way. We headed over Westminster Bridge to the south bank where there is a spot loved by Instagram devotees, so much so they queue to have their picture taken there.<\/p>\n

\"CovidCamera IconCovid Memorial Wall. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

I, however, was distracted by the National Covid Memorial Wall, which was created in 2021 as a visual representation of the UK\u2019s catastrophic loss to COVID-19. The Wall stretches 500m alongside the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament, comprising 240,000-plus individually handpainted red hearts, each representing a person who died, many of which are personalised.<\/p>\n

Next on the list was a 40-minute walk to Borough Market, along South Bank past the Royal Festival Hall, the Globe and OXO Tower. My gen Z companion even allowed me a quick visit to the fabulous Tate Modern.<\/p>\n

Borough Market has been at the heart of London\u2019s fruit and vegetable trade for hundreds of years and in its present location since the 1750s. It is now a mecca for so-called influencers, with the chocolate-covered strawberries, Humble Crumble desserts, paella, oysters, Ginger Pig sausage rolls and Black Pig sandwiches attracting lengthy queues, especially on this particular Sunday. The gen Z traveller enjoyed her \u00a38.50 ($17.50!) chocolate-covered strawberries after a 10-minute queue.<\/p>\n

\"TowerCamera IconTower of London poppies. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

I wanted to see the ceramic poppies display at the Tower of London to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, but there was no time for that due to a booking for the London Eye. Unlike the poppies installation at the Tower in 2014, this year\u2019s installation is largely within the Tower\u2019s grounds, requiring a ticket for entry, although some of the poppies are visible, even from the opposite side of the river, emerging from St Thomas\u2019s Tower. The installation is designed to represent a wound at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz.<\/p>\n

It was back towards Westminster for us, this time on an Uber boat, taking in Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and HMS Belfast from the water.<\/p>\n

Despite having been on the London Eye on a previous trip, my daughter wanted to do it again due to the photo opportunities with its stunning 360-degree views.<\/p>\n

The London Eye began life as an entry to The Millennial Competition organised by the Architecture Foundation, intended to be a giant observation wheel for London\u2019s millennium celebration. It didn\u2019t win, but the project was realised thanks to initial sponsorship by British Airways. It completed its first full rotation on New Year\u2019s Eve 1999, and officially opened in March 2000. As a London-based aviation journalist at the time, I was fortunate to be on that first \u201cflight\u201d thanks to BA.<\/p>\n

Returning to the ground and 28,000 steps later, we were both ready for a carb refuel, this time at Ave Mario in Covent Garden, also highly \u201cgrammable\u201d and sister restaurant to Circolo Popolare. The restaurant describes itself as the \u201cmost decadent London trattoria, inspired by a Florentine palazzo but with a bold 80s twist\u201d. It features 6m-high ceilings, a central bar decorated with 3500 bottles, neon basement toilets and a retro atmosphere.<\/p>\n

I loved seeing London through the eyes of my gen Z daughter, but maybe next time I\u2019ll make it back to the Natural History Museum and enjoy afternoon tea at the Ritz instead.<\/p>\n

\"ViewCamera IconView from Sky Garden. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"ViewCamera IconView from Sky Garden. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"UberCamera IconUber boat. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"SkyCamera IconSky Garden. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"SkyCamera IconSky Garden. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"PortobelloCamera IconPortobello Market. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"NottingCamera IconNotting Hill Shopping Bag. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"NottingCamera IconNotting Hill Shopping Bag. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"LondonCamera IconLondon Eye pod. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"FromCamera IconFrom the London Eye. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"FromCamera IconFrom the London Eye. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"CircoloCamera IconCircolo Popolare. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"BoroughCamera IconBorough Market. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"BoroughCamera IconBorough Market. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"AveCamera IconAve Mario. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian\"AveCamera IconAve Mario. Credit: Emma Kelly\/The West Australian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the end of a recent visit to see family in Scotland, my 18-year-old daughter and I had…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,134037,390,4884,257,183,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-386564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-europe-uk","11":"tag-family","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-london","14":"tag-travel","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115121668214521628","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}