Long Weekend in London

Looking for a sweet getaway that’s on the shorter end? Plan a 4 day weekend in London! A few years ago, Naomi and a girlfriend planned a 4 day getaway over Memorial Day Weekend – flights were a score so it was easier on the bank account AND on the PTO accrual thanks to the work holiday. 

While there are many amazing neighborhoods to choose from when planning a stay in London, we opted to stay in South Kensington for the ease of getting around by foot and close proximity to the London Tube. We found an Airbnb a couple of blocks off the South Kensington tube stop, and were within walking distance of TONS of sights.

Below is a recap of what we did each day. If you’re just looking for a quick sample itinerary – scroll all the way to the bottom!

Day 1/Arrival Day

Our flight from Chicago left in the evening, so we got into London around 8am, changed and freshened up in the airport bathroom, and went to drop our luggage at the Airbnb. 

First up was Neal’s Yard, a small, colorful alleyway in Covent Garden for coffee and breakfast. From here, we wandered around Covent Garden, and started heading towards St. Paul’s Cathedral for some photo ops.

2:30pm reservations at Radio Rooftop provided some amazing views of the city and the London Eye, and we properly kicked off the vacation with a Champagne toast!

Across the river and just about a 20 minute walk is the Tate Modern museum. We were able to catch the last hour of the day to see some art (free admission for the collection displays, ticketed entry for exhibitions).

We ended day 1 with a fabulous dinner at Dishoom, an amazingly delicious Indian restaurant with multiple locations in London. You’ll know when you’ve arrived by the line of people down the block.  They don’t take reservations for dinner – you wait in a line that moves pretty quickly and is well worth it! Wine tip: a bottle of Vinho Verde pairs PERFECTLY with Indian food! 

Day 2

After a quick coffee and breakfast from a cafe next to our Airbnb, we started Day 2 by renting city bikes in Hyde Park.

We then took the tube north to Abbey Road to snap some ever so touristy pics. We didn’t find a ton else to do in the area, so we hopped back on the tube towards Notting Hill. The main drag of Notting Hill is so cute and picturesque, perfect for strolling and popping into stores! We stumbled upon an awesome records store, Rough Trade Records, and then grabbed a table outdoors at The Distillery for cocktails and cheese.

The famous Portobello Street Market in Notting Hill is in full swing on Saturdays, and we walked up and down the vendor-filled streets. We grabbed sandwiches to enjoy on our minute walk to The Churchill Arms, one of London’s most famous pubs. We grabbed seats at the eccentrically decorated bar for some beers and a break in our jam-packed day!

The Churchill Arms is only a 15 minute walk from Kensington Palace, so we roamed around the Palace grounds before heading back to our Airbnb to freshen up.

We had dinner reservations at Nopi in Soho, (a MUST if you’re an Ottolenghi fan!). We recommend heading to Soho early to grab a pre-dinner drink at one of the many cute bars. There were some fun bars on Warwick street nearby for after dinner, where we met many other travelers before calling it a night!

Day 3 

This morning we hit it early to visit Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We arrived at Buckingham Palace to look at it from the outside and snap some pics, and then walked about 5-10 minutes to Westminster, the government area of London. We started with a tour of Westminster Abbey (we weren’t sure if this was going to be worth it, but it totally is!). We bought entrance tickets ahead of time online to save 2 euros per ticket and skip the line with fast pass access! The last entry is 3:30pm so make sure you plan accordingly. Westminster Abbey is the final resting place for 30 kings and queens of Britain, the site of royal coronations and weddings, and also the burial place for many famous figures like Charles Dickens, Sir Isaac Newton, Anne of Cleves (where are our SIX fans?!) to name a few. It’s a pretty exceptional church!

After spending some time touring Westminster Abbey, we knocked out the remaining attractions in Westminster on foot – Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, Parliament, and Trafalgar Square. By this point, you can imagine we were very hungry and settled on basically the first restaurant/pub we found in Westminster for some fish n chips. We wouldn’t recommend eating in Westminster – as it’s a government area, it’s very quiet and the food was not noteworthy. Fuel up prior to hitting Westminster!

After lunch we walked some more to Gordon’s Wine Bar. This was definitely a highlight of the trip! Said to be London’s oldest wine bar, Gordon’s Wine Bar is located in an underground, dimly lit cave. We snagged a table inside, ordered a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc at the bar, and made a cheese plate of a couple cheeses we didn’t recognize – stinky but delicious! Just outside of the wine bar it was bustling on the sidewalk with tables that stretched to the street, and we enjoyed our last glass outside.

We then had dinner reservations at Sketch in Mayfair. We learned about Sketch from girlfriends as it has a very photo-worthy interior and fun atmosphere for dining. There are multiple restaurants with their own vibe to choose from, and we booked The Gallery because it was head to toe pink and covered in art. Today, The Gallery has a new makeover which we’d love to check out! While the meal was pricey it was absolutely phenomenal, from artsy cocktails, butter topped oysters to white asparagus and pistachio tart. And definitely check out the bathrooms, we mean…loos, which are individual pods scattered around the top floor.

Day 4

Last day! We started with a proper sitdown breakfast at a French restaurant, Aubaine in South Kensington.  We were then only a 5 minute walk from the Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the largest art and design museums. GA admission is free! Once we were art-ed out, we walked about 10 minutes to Harrods, London’s most famous, luxury department store. After window-shopping many displays and *trying* to get the lay of the land (this place is huge), we decided to kill some time with a glass of Champagne in the Harrods Garden Terrace. 

We had 3pm reservations for High Tea at the Hotel Café Royal, which was an easy Tube ride from Harrods. The ambiance and live music were beautiful, and we happened to be there on the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birthday!

We decided to spend our last evening in London exploring a neighborhood we hadn’t gotten to yet – Shoreditch. We took the Tube over and wandered around the neighborhood a bit. We decided on having dinner/drinks at the Shoreditch Soho house, and had so much fun that we parked it there for the rest of the night. We were told a late night salt bagel at Beigel Bake, a 24 hour bagel shop, was a must. There was a line down the block for these bagels! 

The next morning, we got up and headed to the airport. This was such a fantastic trip and we got to everything on our list. Are you planning a trip to London anytime soon? We’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to!

***I don’t have time to read all this I just want the itinerary!***

4 day weekend in London Itinerary: 

  • Arrival Day
    • Spend the morning exploring Covent Garden/Neal’s Yard
    • Visit St. Paul’s Cathedral  
    • Drinks at Radio Rooftop – Reservation needed
    • Tate Modern Museum – closes at 6pm, GA free admission, ticketed for the exhibitions (check ahead)
    • Dishoom for dinner – walk in/wait in line, there are multiple locations!

Day 2

  • Breakfast in your neighborhood
  • Rent city bikes (Santander Cycles) in Hyde Park
  • Abbey Road
  • Notting Hill
    • Drinks and snacks at The Distillery – Walk-in
    • Portobello Market – most bustling on Saturdays 
  • Drinks at The Churchill Arms – Walk-in
  • Kensington Palace – free to roam the grounds, paid ticket for entrance
  • Drinks in Soho neighborhood
  • Dinner at Nopi – Reservation needed
  • Bars on Warwick Street

Day 3 

  • Buckingham Palace – Ticketed entrance to tour
  • Westminster Abbey – Buy entrance tickets ahead of time to save 2 euros and use the fast pass lane. Last entry is 3:30pm
  • Westminster attractions – Palace of Westminster/Big Ben/Parliament/Trafalgar Square
  • Gordon’s Wine Bar – Walk-in
  • Dinner at The Gallery at Sketch – Reservation needed

Day 4

  • Breakfast at Aubaine in South Kensington – Walk-in
  • Victoria and Albert Museum – GA free admission
  • Harrods, Garden Terrace
  • Afternoon High Tea at Hotel Café Royal – Reservation needed
  • Explore Shoreditch neighborhood for dinner and drinks – Reservations may be needed

Rosé for exploring Siem Reap, Cambodia

Enjoy this photo of Beth’s second glass of wine in Asia. Second only because when traveling through Southeast Asia, our official Witty Pairs recommendation when it comes to ordering wine is: “eh, maybe don’t.” If you’re into beer, the beer here is soo cheap and served cold! Cocktails can be great too, but be mindful of where you are: ice can be problematic in some establishments. Often, restaurants that cater to tourists will purchase filtered ice that gets served in your cocktails. Local joints may do this too, but some filter their own water or just fill their ice trays from the tap. You want the filtered stuff if you’re visiting from outside the region.

Wine is a different story. There are super cheap wines available at Western prices (read: still expensive by SE Asia standards) at some convenience stores and restaurants, but the wine is often served at room temperature. And room temperature in Southeast Asia? It’s flippin’ hot! Beth’s first glass of wine was a room temp house Merlot, ordered at a wine bar in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It tasted like Manichevitz (iykyk) and regret.

That said, there are exceptions to every rule (especially when it’s a wine rule!). In Siem Reap, Cambodia, there’s a Georgian restaurant @caucasusgeorgianrestaurant that serves up exceptional Georgian cuisine and imported wines. A glass of rosé (that kind of tasted like an orange wine) went perfectly with a cucumber tomato salad with ajika green sauce and a sampler of khachapuri (traditional cheesy bread). It was also served chilled – very refreshing after a full day of exploring Angkor Wat’s great temples and ruins!

Have you visited SE Asia? What’s your beverage of choice on this side of the world?

Sauternes for a Versatile Wine!

Is Sauternes the most versatile wine ever? Thanks to the long shelf life of this French dessert wine (2-3 weeks once open thanks to high sugar levels!), this is a bottle you can feel good about opening on a whim without any pressure to finish the bottle or coravin. 

Sauternes is made in France with Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, aka noble rot. This means the grapes became partially raisined on the vine, becoming more concentrated and distinctly flavored, resulting in a sweet (but never cloying), aromatic and lovely wine best enjoyed after dinner, with dessert, or on its own.

We think it’s a specifically great wine to have around during the holiday season – from Thanksgiving to Christmas to NYE, you never know when you might want a glass of sweet wine or something off the beaten path to share with friends & family. 

Beth was gifted a bottle at her first job in 2011 and saved it for years, never finding the right occasion. The occasion presented itself when she forgot to pack it away for safe, temperature-controlled storage with the other special bottles so it was enjoyed over a few nights of heavy duty packing.

Pictured are a few ways we enjoy Sauternes…with friends, while packing, while doing some trip planning to name a few! 

  • Château Roumieu Sauternes ($30)
  • Château de Malle Sauternes 2001 Grand Cru Classé ($95)

Would you try a dessert wine?! 

Non-alcoholic wine for whenever you want!

We’ve never partaken in Dry January (unless you mean drinks exclusively dry wines), but sometimes we’re not interested in drinking booze while out at a location that seems to call for it.   And we know we’re not alone in this. If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy a night out without drinking, but didn’t want to be the odd woman or man out or have to answer probing and unnecessary questions about your choice to abstain, we feel you! Luckily there are plenty of non-alcoholic options these days from the classic seltzer with lime to delicious mocktails. Recently we found a non-alcoholic sparkling Riesling on a menu that we just had to try!

Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Riesling ($20) hit the spot with its light sweetness and soft bubbles. Available bottled or as we found it – in a can for $6! 

Johannes Leitz runs his family’s winery, which dates back to 1744. Since he’s held the reins, the estate has grown from 2.9 hectares to 140 in Rheingau, Germany. Named 2011 winemaker of the year, Johannes also makes fabulous (alcoholic) Rieslings and a favorite rosé of ours. 

Boozy or not, do you have a favorite German wine? Let us know!

Affordable Italian Wines for Girls Night!

A recent girls night that called for multiple bottles (but did not invite top shelf spending), inspired this affordable Italian wine guide! 

Whether you’re interested in exploring more Italian wines (as you should be!), want some guidance next time you walk into a wine shop, or just want to have some affordable, easy drinking bottles laying around that will not disappoint, these next few wines are for you! 

🍷 Cascina Guido Berta Barbera d’Asti ($14)

Let’s break this wine down. Barbera is a red Italian grape, known as the ‘workhorse’ grape in the Piedmont region of Italy. It’s malleable, cheap, and meant to be enjoyed young! Asti is a wine region within Piedmont. So, Barbera d’Asti is a Barbera that comes from Asti! Cascina Guido Berta is the vineyard. 

🍷 Cantine Povero ‘Contrada Maestra’ Barbera d’Asti ($11) 

Another Barbera D’Asti?! Yes, one isn’t enough. These are easy drinking, light, bright and fruity red wines. Can’t beat the value on this bottle from Cantine Povero! 

🍷 Santa Maria La Palma ‘Aragosta’ Vermentino di Sardegna ($15) 

Vermentino is a white Italian grape, grown primarily in Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian).  Vermentino di Sardegna is a Vermentino wine from Sardinia! Sardinia is an Island off the west coast of Italy, and a wine region. Vermentino grapes thrive in this mediterranean climate and bring a beautiful salinity and acidity to the citrus notes commonly found in Vermentino. 

Which of these will you be trying first?!

Merlot for Winter Storms

Our Winter storm survival kit calls for:

🍲 homemade soup

📚 your TBR stack

🍷 a bottle of Sutro Merlot

(…and a few cheesy holiday movies,  not pictured 🍿)


We visited Sutro back in October and fell in love with the small production, woman-made wines! A snowstorm just calls for Merlot in our opinion – and this small batch Merlot delivers. Bold and fruit forward, with a velvety mouthfeel and notes of warm cinnamon and vanilla, this wine will keep you warm even as the temps drop below zero. Learn more about Sutro and founder/winemaker Alice Warnecke in our Sutro Winery Feature. 

Stay warm out there!!!

Witty Pairs Around the World

Exciting news – we’ve launched a new TRAVEL section on the blog!!! Whether it’s a wine-centric vacation, like visiting Napa, Rioja, or Provence; an action-packed adventure like skiing in the Rocky Mountains or hiking Machu Picchu; or a mix of both, we are always planning our next big trip!   

We’ve visited some very cool places over the years and will have so many more adventures to share in the future! Check out our blog (link in bio) to read about a few of our recent experiences and sign up or check back for more highlights, tips, and itinerary ideas that we hope will inspire your own travels. 

Where to next? Drop us a note with your favorite travel destinations!

Wine Club Perks and Winery Visit Tricks

Hot tip: when considering a trip to wine country, it helps to know that purchasing a wine membership (or sometimes just a set quantity of wine) will lead to waived tastings fees. These fees add up fast! For reference, we’ve seen fees at our favorite wineries hovering between $60-100 and would consider a $20 per person tasting fee to be a bargain! 

Our last visit to Sonoma and Napa Valley featured 10 tasting experiences. Of these, only one visit charged us full price for our tastes. And no, this isn’t a humble brag about how much wineries love to comp the ladies at Witty Pairs! This is our push to you to carefully consider what you like to drink (because there’s no point buying something you don’t like), and what you could reasonably afford to purchase for your own growing wine collection when making reservations.

Oftentimes, a perk of wine club membership is a complimentary tasting experience annually for as many as four to six guests. If you’re already a member of a winery you love, take advantage of this perk when you visit the area! If you attend a tasting at a new spot, love the wine, and can afford to commit to at least a year of membership at their going rate, consider putting that tasting fee toward a bigger purchase that supports your wine buying hobby. 

We do understand that the added cost of wine that you just have to have at home does increase your overall spending, but this is a hazard of visiting wine country. In our mind, filling up your home wine cellar (or closet or box under the stairs) is part of the fun of visiting wineries. You end up with wine you know you enjoy and you get to relive the memories whenever you open a bottle. If you don’t want to sign up for a club, a purchase of few bottles is often enough to waive the fee on at least one or two tastings. 

Many of the wineries we visited were part of a GEMS program, which extends membership benefits of a dozen fabulous, family-owned wineries in Sonoma and Napa to members of any of the participating wineries. Our parents have long been members of participating winery Robert Craig, allowing us to visit three new wineries with discounted or waived fees through this program. 

We also leaned on friends. It’s no secret in life that who you know can get you just as far or further than what you know. That’s definitely true in wine country. Ask your friends who hold wine memberships if they have any benefits to extend to friends and family. Our favorite tasting experience this trip was made possible (and affordable!) by longtime friends who were happy to hook us up with the reservation. Just don’t forget to return the favor when you can!

So there you have it: many of our tricks for a (more) affordable trip to wine country. Are you planning a visit soon? Let us know in the comments!

Cordelette Winery Feature

On our most recent family trip to Napa & Sonoma, we enjoyed a tasting at Dumol in Sonoma where our parents’ friend Jill works. While catching up and enjoying Dumol’s Pinot Noirs, we got the scoop that Jill has been working on her own wine label – Cordelette! 

An avid rock climber, Jill named her wine for the rope connections that keep climbers tethered to each other for safety and support. To Jill, Cordelette signifies a community of people taking care of each other. Her wine, as she describes it, could never have been made without the village of friends and believers by her side. 

While not available for sale just yet, we got to sample a bottle, and let us tell you this is a wine (and winemaker) to watch for! Jill’s Chenin Blanc is approachable, with smooth peach and honeysuckle, and a zippy acidity. 

Follow Jill’s journey at @cordelettewine and drop her note to say hi!

HALL Winery Feature

Driving through Napa Valley, in addition to hundreds of acres of sprawling vines and mountains, you’ll see stunning architecture and some iconic landmarks that are uniquely Napa. 

Kathryn and Craig Hall acquired the historic St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened the space as HALL St. Helena that year. It’s here that you’ll see Bunny Foo Foo, the 35 foot polished steel statue that beckons passersby on Highway 29 to turn down the driveway to HALL St. Helena. This is just one of the notable works of art along the property as Kathryn Hall set out to design a place to showcase fine wines alongside expressive art and masterful architecture.

The HALL St. Helena production facility and visitor center merge history, art, and innovation in an eco-conscious package. It has been recognized and awarded by LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the preeminent building ratings program that is the nationally accepted benchmark for the construction, design and operations of green buildings.

When we visited last month, we enjoyed a flight of HALL Estate Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a sample of WALT Pinot Noir and BACA Zinfandel as these three labels fall within the HALL empire and all the grapes are processed and turned into wine at the St. Helena gravity flow facility. VP of Winemaking Megan Gunderson leads the wine program for the three, family-owned luxury brands, HALL, WALT and BACA Wines. 

Tours and tastings start at $60.