Local Area Guides
48 Hours in Kensington: How to Do London Properly (Starting fromThe Cheniston)
Two days is enough time to do Kensington properly, provided you don’t try to do all of London at the same time. Here’s an itinerary built around what’s actually within walking distance of Cheniston Gardens — most of it inside fifteen minutes, none of it requiring you to touch the Underground unless you want to.
Day One: Palace, Design, Dinner
Morning
Start with breakfast at The Muffin Man Tea Shop, on the corner of Cheniston Gardens, then walk the eight minutes to Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. Go early enough to have the gardens mostly to yourself before the day’s visitors arrive.
Right on the corner of Cheniston Gardens — the obvious first stop before a day on your feet.
View on map →A working royal residence and Queen Victoria’s childhood home. Arrive early for the gardens before the crowds do.
View on map →Midday
Head to Kensington High Street (two minutes from the apartment either way) for lunch — Whole Foods Market if you’d rather pick something up and eat on a bench in the gardens, or a sit-down if you’d rather sit down.
Afternoon
The Design Museum is ten minutes’ walk and worth two hours minimum. It’s housed in the former Commonwealth Institute building, repurposed in 2016, and tends to be less crowded than the bigger South Kensington museums — useful if you want a culture stop without a queue.
Evening
Dinner at Dishoom (six minutes) if you don’t mind a wait, or book ahead at Maggie Jones’s (eight minutes) for a proper sitdown British dinner. Either way, finish with a drink at High Spirit Cocktail Bar or Amaro Bar on Kensington High Street before the short walk home.
Expect a queue, and expect it to be worth it — one of London’s most-loved restaurants.
View on map →A Kensington institution for over 40 years — candlelit, rustic, and worth booking ahead.
View on map →DAY TWO
Morning
This is the day for the South Kensington museum quarter — the V&A, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum, all about fifteen minutes’ walk from Cheniston Gardens (or a quick hop via Gloucester Road station, ten minutes away, which adds the Piccadilly line to your options). Pick one and go deep rather than trying to cover all three properly in a morning.
The world’s leading museum of art and design. Free entry, easily worth a full morning on its own.
View on map →Free entry, and the Victorian Romanesque building is as much a draw as what’s inside it.
View on map →Free general admission (book ahead online) — interactive galleries that work well for any age.
View on map →Midday
Lunch near the museums, then walk over to the Royal Albert Hall and the Serpentine Gallery, both around fifteen minutes from the apartment. If the Albert Hall has a daytime tour running, it’s worth the detour even if you’re not seeing a performance.
One of London’s most recognisable buildings, and still a working venue — check what’s on, or take a daytime tour.
View on map →Two free galleries in Kensington Gardens, plus the annual Summer Pavilion — a rotating architectural commission worth seeking out.
View on map →Afternoon
Cut across to Hyde Park (fifteen minutes) if the weather’s behaving, or head the other direction to Holland Park (twelve minutes) for something quieter and less crowded — the remains of the old Holland House are still standing inside it, a genuinely overlooked spot for an afternoon walk.
London’s largest royal park, with the Serpentine lake at its centre — the obvious pick on a clear afternoon.
View on map →Quieter and less photographed, built around the surviving remains of 17th-century Holland House.
View on map →Evening
Dinner at Como Garden, eight minutes away, for Italian tapas to close out the trip — then home to Cheniston Gardens, kettle on, no Tube required.
Getting There and Away
High Street Kensington station (District and Circle lines) is two minutes from the apartment, with direct trains to the West End, the City, and Canary Wharf. Gloucester Road, ten minutes on foot, adds the Piccadilly line — the one to take for Heathrow, if that’s how your trip starts or ends.
Two days, almost everything on foot, and a quiet street to come back to in between.
Plan your stay: view The Cheniston’s apartments. For more on the area, read The Cheniston Edit: An Honest Guide to Kensington and Where to Eat in Kensington.