Before visiting, I had always dreamed of what London might look like — a skyline highlighting Big Ben and the London Eye, beautiful architecture on every corner & of course those classic red phone booths sprinkled all throughout the city. But what I didn’t realize is that London is also a complete floral paradise! I was blown away by how many incredible flower displays were set up in shop windows, restaurants and stores (even in late winter)!
Since it’s now officially spring, it seems like a perfect opportunity to share a few of my favorite floral finds in London…not to mention, all amazing Instagram photo-ops!
1. PEGGY PORSCHEN
This has to be one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. I’m obsessed with the color pink, so add in some tea, cake + flowers…and I call that heaven! We ordered a pot of the vanilla rooibos tea and a slice of the Glorious Victoria cake, which was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up after a morning of sightseeing.
PHOTO TIP: According to locals, there is always a line out front for photos, but it’s a must (and totally worth it while you wait for a table)! Peggy Porschen is all over Instagram, and I feel like it’s such an iconic London shop. Even though it was a bit chilly, we chose to sit outside because the backdrop was cuter and less crowded (in my opinion) than inside. Plus, you’re surrounded by fresh flowers…and what could be better?!
2. Elan Café
This was actually our first stop after landing in London. I had seen this beautiful cafe all over Instagram, and it completely lived up to the hype. A true flower paradise! Even the menus were gorgeous. I ordered the avocado toast, which was absolutely divine. Again, sitting outside was our key to getting photos. The seating and bakeshop area inside was also beautiful — albeit crowded — and had the prettiest hanging wall decor and pastries.
3. Crown & Anchor
While we didn’t eat here, this was another must-see! Crown & Anchor is a pub with the most amazing exterior that is completely covered in window boxes and flowers/plants. We had originally put it on our list and kind of forgotten about it, and ended up randomly stumbling upon it one afternoon while exploring. It was in a really cute part of town (PSA: lots of phone booths in this area), and made for such a fun photo backdrop.
4. Sky Gardens
A garden in the sky? Um, yes please! My sister actually found this one while we were planning our trip, and we immediately put it on our itinerary. An elevator takes you up 37 floors to a spacious garden and cafe, encapsulated in a glass dome. We made our reservation in the morning at 8:00am (as soon as it opened), because we wanted to catch a bit of the misty sunrise before breakfast. I would highly recommend giving yourself at least 30 minutes to explore and take photos, because it is so beautiful! By about 9:00/9:30am, it was already filling up quite a bit, so we were really glad we got our photos before the tourist rush.
There is also a full restaurant and bar at the top! If I ever visit again, I’d love to book a sunset dinner…I think photos of the London skyline at golden hour would be incredible!
5. Moyses Stevens
Like I said, pretty much every corner you turn, there’s some sort of cute floral arch or display. This flower shop was a random find…and if you can believe it, the inside was JUST as pretty as the outside. I can only imagine what this looks like in the summer! The store owner was so sweet to let us take photos outside, and it was all I could do to not buy 10 bouquets haha!
We saw so much during our short time in London, but I still feel like there is so much more we weren’t able to see. I completely fell in love & I’m already mentally planning my next trip back to this beautiful city!
Have you ever been to London? What was your favorite thing to see/do?
