7 Days in London & Edinburgh — Solo Queer Female Travel

Check in & drop bags

Check into a budget-friendly hostel or guesthouse in Shoreditch or Bethnal Green — Generator Hostel on Tavistock Place is central and social, but for East London energy, try Wombat's City Hostel or a private room on Booking.com in E1. September is shoulder season, rates are reasonable.

Walk Brick Lane & the surrounding streets

Self-guided wander down Brick Lane itself, then loop through Hanbury Street, Fournier Street, and Princelet Street — layers of Huguenot, Jewish, and Bangladeshi history all stacked on top of each other. Don't rush this; the architecture rewards slow looking.

Street art walk: Shoreditch

Head north from Brick Lane up Sclater Street, Redchurch Street, and Calvert Avenue for some of the best rotating street art in London. Zabou, ROA, and rotating international pieces show up here constantly. No guide needed — just walk and look up.

Columbia Road (off-hours atmosphere)

The famous flower market is Sunday-only, but the street itself — Georgian shopfronts, independent boutiques, wine bars — is worth a stroll any evening. Good for grabbing a glass of wine solo at one of the narrow wine bars and people-watching.

Evening at The Glory or Dalston Superstore

The Glory on Kingsland Road is a brilliant queer bar-cabaret-venue with drag and performance art — check their listings for live shows tonight. Dalston Superstore nearby is a long-running East London queer institution with a basement dancefloor. Either one works for a first night in.

Borough Market

Arrive early (it gets very crowded by 11am) and do a full lap before buying anything so you see the whole layout. Priorities: Bread Ahead doughnuts, the cheese vendors, Monmouth Coffee, and whatever hot food smells best. Self-guided is absolutely the right call here — no need for a food tour.

Tate Modern

The permanent collection is free and genuinely world-class — Rothko, Louise Bourgeois, Picasso. The Turbine Hall installation alone is worth the trip. Skip the paid special exhibitions unless the subject specifically calls to you. Two hours is enough to see the highlights without fatigue.

Walk the South Bank

Head west along the river from Tate Modern toward the South Bank Centre — booksellers under Waterloo Bridge, skateboarders at the Underbelly, the National Theatre, and the Hayward Gallery. This is one of London's great free walks and it's genuinely lovely in September light.

Cross to the North Bank: Embankment & Covent Garden

Walk over Waterloo or Hungerford Bridge for the best view of the city, then cut up through the Strand toward Covent Garden. The market building is touristy but the surrounding streets — Neal's Yard, Seven Dials — have good independent shops and cafés.

Soho exploration & pre-dinner drinks

Head to Soho for the early evening — this is the historic heart of London's queer scene. Rupert Street, Old Compton Street, and the surrounding blocks are dense with bars, cafés, and character. The Admiral Duncan and Ku Bar are classics; Balans Soho Society is great for a solo sit-down drink.

Victoria & Albert Museum

The V&A is one of the world's great museums and deeply underrated compared to the British Museum crowds. The fashion and textiles galleries, the cast courts, the jewelry collection, and the theatre and performance section are all genuinely spectacular. Budget 2–3 hours minimum.

Walk through Hyde Park to Notting Hill

Cut through Hyde Park on foot — September is beautiful for this — and emerge near Notting Hill Gate. Portobello Road Market runs on Saturdays but the antique shops and cafés are open most days. Goldborne Road (the north end) is less touristy and more interesting.

Return to East London: Spitalfields Market

Old Spitalfields Market is covered and excellent on weekdays — vintage clothing, independent designers, ceramics, and street food stalls. It's free to browse and walkable from Liverpool Street. Better for actual shopping than Columbia Road.

The Women's Library at LSE (or browsing)

If you want a quieter cultural stop, the Women's Library at LSE holds an extraordinary archive of feminist and queer history — small but meaningful. Otherwise, this is a good time to decompress at a café or get a haircut in East London (Bleach, Shoreditch has an excellent queer-friendly salon).

Drag show at Vogue Fabrics or Village Underground

Vogue Fabrics in Dalston is a queer club with a dedicated basement dancefloor and strong cabaret programming. Check their September listings in advance. Village Underground nearby is a mid-size live music venue in railway arches — good for catching a gig if the lineup suits you.

Tower of London — YES, go inside

Book tickets online in advance (saves queuing, sometimes cheaper). The Crown Jewels are jaw-dropping in person in a way photos don't convey, and the medieval palace rooms are genuinely interesting. A Yeoman Warder tour is included and excellent — they're theatrical and surprisingly candid about dark history. Budget 2–2.5 hours.

Walk Tower Bridge

You don't need to pay to walk across Tower Bridge — only the glass walkway and engine room cost money. The bridge exterior and the views from it are free and worth ten minutes of your time.

Bermondsey Street wander

Just south of London Bridge, Bermondsey Street is one of London's best underhyped streets — independent galleries, ceramics studios, Maltby Street Market (weekends and Fridays), and the Fashion and Textile Museum. Good for an unhurried afternoon walk.

Pack & prep for evening + overnight train research

Get back to your accommodation, freshen up, and if you're taking the Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh tomorrow night, confirm your booking (book at least a few weeks out — sleeper cabins sell out). This evening is London's queer nightlife send-off.

Soho pub crawl: Comptons, G-A-Y Late, Circa

Comptons of Soho is the classic gay pub — always packed, great energy. G-A-Y Late on Goslett Yard is cheap, unserious, and fun. Circa on Old Compton Street is a good mixed queer bar. For something more upscale, Heaven under Charing Cross Arches is the iconic nightclub — check listings for the best nights.

Caledonian Sleeper or early morning train departs

The Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston departs late evening (around 11:30 PM) and arrives Edinburgh Waverley around 7:30 AM — romantic, practical, and saves a night's accommodation. Alternatively, LNER fast trains from King's Cross take 4.5 hours and are often £40–60 if booked in advance. Either works; sleeper is the more memorable choice.

Arrive Edinburgh Waverley & check in

Edinburgh Waverley station sits right in the heart of the city with the Old Town directly above. Drop bags at your accommodation — Smart City Hostel on Blackfriars Street is excellent value, social, and in a brilliant Old Town location. For a private room, check The Grassmarket Hotel or Airbnb in Leith for a more neighborhood feel.

The Royal Mile & Old Town orientation walk

Walk the Royal Mile from the Castle esplanade down to Holyrood Palace — it's about a mile of medieval tenements, closes (the narrow alleyways branching off), independent whisky shops, and street performers. Explore the closes on both sides: Anchor Close, Mary King's Close (tour), White Horse Close.

Grassmarket exploration

Drop down from the Royal Mile into the Grassmarket — a wide square surrounded by independent bars, vintage shops, and cafés with a slightly rougher, more lived-in energy than the tourist strip above. Good for an afternoon beer or coffee in September sunshine.

National Museum of Scotland — YES, a must

One of the best free museums in the UK, full stop. The Scottish history galleries are extraordinary — Dolly the sheep, the Lewis chessmen, the Jacobite collection, the industrial revolution Scotland floor. Budget 2–3 hours minimum and don't rush it.

Mercat Tours Ghost Tour — book in advance

Mercat Tours runs the best ghost tours in Edinburgh — the 'Ghosts & Ghouls' walk and especially the 'Underground Vaults' experience are genuinely excellent. The vaults themselves (underground stone chambers beneath South Bridge) are atmospheric in a way that's hard to fake. Book the evening Underground Vaults tour for maximum effect.

Edinburgh Castle — YES, go inside

Book tickets in advance online. The Scottish Crown Jewels (older than England's), the Stone of Destiny, the Great Hall, and the One O'Clock Gun all earn their entry fee. A summer morning is the best time — clearer skies and fewer afternoon tour groups. Budget 2 hours.

Arthur's Seat hike — YES, absolutely do this

The easiest route starts from Holyrood Park at the bottom of the Royal Mile — the main path up takes 45–60 minutes and the summit is 251m with 360-degree views of the whole city, the Firth of Forth, and on a clear September day, sometimes as far as the Highlands. Wear decent shoes and bring a layer. It's not technical — just steep in places.

Bus or walk to Leith for the afternoon

Leith is Edinburgh's port neighborhood — totally transformed in the last 15 years and now one of the best areas in the city. The Shore (the old quayside) is lined with excellent restaurants. Self-guided is absolutely the right call here: just walk along The Shore, up onto Leith Walk, and explore the side streets.

Leith Market (Saturday) or The Vault / Port of Leith Distillery

Leith Market runs Saturdays on Dock Place — excellent for local food producers, Scottish gin, handmade goods. The Port of Leith Distillery opened in 2023 and does excellent tours. Even without a tour, the Whisky bar at the top of the building has stunning views over the docks.

CC Blooms or Compass Bar — Edinburgh queer scene

CC Blooms on Greenside Place is Edinburgh's best-known queer bar and club — two floors, cheap drinks, diverse crowd, great for a solo evening out. The Compass Bar on North Berwick Law is a friendly lesbian-leaning pub nearby. September weekends here have a good energy post-Fringe.

Calton Hill for sunrise views

A short steep walk up from Waterloo Place brings you to Calton Hill — free, uncrowded in the morning, and with arguably the best view of Edinburgh's skyline. The unfinished National Monument (Edinburgh's 'disgrace') and the Nelson Monument are both up here. Wonderful in September morning light.

New Town Georgian streets

George Street, Charlotte Square, and the surrounding New Town grid is Edinburgh's UNESCO-listed Georgian masterpiece — designed in the 1760s and remarkably intact. Walk it unhurriedly; the architecture is the point. Thistle Street has good independent shops if you need any last gifts.

Scotch Whisky Experience (or self-guided whisky bar)

The Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile offers a good introduction to Scotch regions — worth doing if you're new to whisky. If you already have a grounding, skip the tourist version and instead spend an hour at Cadenhead's whisky shop on Canongate, where the staff will give you a genuinely excellent free tasting education while you browse.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The red sandstone building alone is extraordinary — neo-Gothic and almost cathedral-like inside. The portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, Robert Burns, and the modern Scottish figures are well curated, and the contemporary photography exhibitions are often excellent. Free and rarely crowded compared to the castle.

Final wander & souvenir edit

If you want genuinely good Scottish souvenirs, skip the Royal Mile tartan shops and head to Ragamuffin on Canongate for quality knitwear, or Cranachan & Crowdie on the Royal Mile for Scottish food products (shortbread, Edinburgh gin, smoked salmon). Packing up and a final coffee somewhere quiet.

Depart Edinburgh

Edinburgh Waverley is walkable from most Old Town accommodation. LNER trains to London depart regularly through the evening. Alternatively, Edinburgh Airport is accessible via the Edinburgh Trams from Princes Street in about 30 minutes (£6.50).