Planning on spending just one day in London? Sure, it’s not very long, but you’ll be able to see a lot of London’s highlights even in such a short space of time.
In this post, we’re going to help you plan your perfect day in London. We’re going to take a look at some of our favourite sights in London, capital of the UK and a spot I was thrilled to call home for a couple of years before I set off on my travels.
This guide to what to do in London in a day makes for the perfect day exploring London. It would make for a great way to start a longer trip around the UK, or to see some of London’s top sights if you have a few hours stopover in one of London’s airports.
This itinerary would also help someone planning a general European adventure – take a look at our 2 week Europe itinerary for a suggestion of how to plan something like that.
This post is set up to help you see all of these key London sights in one day and I’ve ordered them in the way that I’d recommend you go about doing that.
Table of Contents:
1 Day London Itinerary Overview
Here’s a quick overview of what this plan has you doing, for quick reference
- The Tower of London & Tower Bridge
- The South Bank and London Eye, Shard or St. Paul’s Cathedral
- The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey
- Buckingham Palace
- Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the West End
- Traditional London Pub
Now, let’s see how that looks in our detailed guide to what to do in London for a day.
One Day In London: What to Do in London for A Day
Below is a detailed guide to what to do in London if you only have a day, in the order that makes the most sense in terms of getting around and minimizing transport.
Ideally, you’ll start the day at opening time of the first attraction (between 9am and 10am, depending on the day of the week), and keep going until you’ve seen everything!
1. The Tower of London
History! If you like the TV show Game of Thrones (and who doesn’t?), then you’ll love the Tower of London. This place was home to so much plotting, scheming, death and betrayals that it almost makes George’s epic tale of Westeros seem pale in comparison.
Queens, princes and archbishops died here, and history was literally made on the grass underfoot.
Admittedly, there are less dragons in London.
Expect to spend a least two hours here, exploring all there is to see, from the tower, to the execution block, to the crown jewels themselves. You can see full ticket pricing information here. It’s free for holders of the London Pass.
Otherwise, you will want to buy tickets in advance of your visit to ensure you are able to visit.
You can do so via GetYourGuide here, who we normally use for ticketing at attractions around the world. You can also check prices on the official website here, where you can also see opening times.
Note that tickets bought via GetYourGuide normally include free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance of your visit (although do check the ticket description prior to purchase to be sure).
While you’re at the Tower of London, you might as well take the opportunity to pop across the Thames on Tower Bridge, easily the most famous of London’s bridges, and for good reason!
You can also actually go inside this bridge and learn all about how it works by visiting the Tower Bridge Exhibition, which is often a place we love to take friends and family when we show them around the city as it’s quite a unique experience.
2. The South Bank and London Eye
Once you’ve crossed over Tower Bridge, you’ll find yourself on the South Bank, cunningly named because it’s on the south bank of the river Thames.
As you walk west along this lovely bit of pedestrianized riverway you’ll find yourself passing such sights as HMS Belfast (one of our favourite military museums in London) and London’s City Hall.
You’ll also be walking past the recreation of Shakespeare’s famous Globe theatre, the Shard (Western Europe’s tallest building), the Millennium Bridge which leads to St. Paul’s cathedral and the quite magnificent Tate Modern Art Gallery, all of which are likely to tempt you in. Go on, I won’t tell anyone.
Once you’ve made it past all these attractions, and maybe grabbed a bite to eat at Borough Market just behind London Bridge, you’ll find yourself coming around the corner, with the Houses of Parliament swinging into view and the giant Ferris wheel known as the London Eye looming large.
If you want a spectacular view of London, take a spin in the wheel, and marvel as the city unfurls beneath you.
For tickets, it’s cheaper to book in advance than in person. You can book tickets and check prices on the official site here. It’s also included on the London Pass, which you can buy here.
We also have a complete guide to the London Eye here with lots more information to help you plan a visit.
Another option is to visit the Shard, which also offers spectacular views from a higher vantage point. The Shard has better views of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, whilst the London Eye gets you close to the Houses of Parliament.
You can book tickets for the Shard in advance on Tiqets here (book online in advance for the best prices). It’s also included on the London Pass.
If you’d prefer not to walk from Tower Bridge to the Houses of Parliament, you can also take a river “bus” from either Tower Pier or London Bridge City Pier all the way down the river to Westminster Pier.
It’s a nice way to see London from the water, and prices for the river bus are pretty good value. See our guide to getting around London for tips on the different public transport options in the city.
3. The Houses of Parliament
After your London Eye ride, walk or boat ride (whichever you opt for!), you’ll want to pop across the river to take in the Houses of Parliament, home to the English lawmakers and the bell known as Big Ben.
This is one attraction that is easy to see from the outside, but not many people know that you can also drop inside if you want to, and go on a guided tour.
Tours aren’t quite “turn up and go in”, as they only run-on certain days, but with a bit of research and forward planning (and by visiting this site), you should be able to visit the English home of power and authority without too much trouble.
You can also book a guided tour of both Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament here.
If it is too much trouble though, fear not. The building is very impressive from the outside, and you can sate your thirst for history quite easily by popping to Westminster Abbey, which happens to be just behind the Houses of Parliament.
Westminster Abbey has played host to some of the most important historical events of the last thousand years in the UK, hosting 16 royal weddings, around 50 coronations and a host of memorial services, including that of Diana, Princess of Wales.
It is also home to some of Britain’s most famous dead, including Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, notable royals, and many more. Very much worth a visit and free for holders of the London Pass. Full details on pricing and opening hours here. You can also book your tickets online in advance here.
4. Buckingham Palace
Ah, the King. Depending on you who you talk to in the UK, he’s either a lovely chap who the country needs, or a tragic waste of taxpayers’ money.
Whichever, he does happen to have a number of rather lovely houses to live in, the most famous of which is of course Buckingham Palace.
Here you can peer through the railings to watch the changing of the guard and wonder as to how the other half live, and wave frantically at the windows on the off chance that someone waves back.
On our itinerary, you’ll likely miss the Changing of the Guard (see when that happens here), so you would need to move things around if that happens to be a priority for your visit. Missing it isn’t the end of the world though, as it gets really crowded at that time of day.
You can also visit and actually go inside Buckingham Palace in very narrow windows of opening during the summer. Tickets for that experience are available here. We’ve done this tour and can definitely recommend it.
Of course, whilst you’re at Buckingham Palace, you should probably take a moment to explore some of the other local attractions.
A quick stroll down the Mall will take you past the pretty St James’s Park, home to a number of pelicans. Then you can head out onto Trafalgar Square, where you can enjoy seeing the lions, Nelson’s famous column and sate your art appetite at the excellent, and free, National Gallery.
Note if art and museums is more your thing, you might want to schedule a visit to the British Museum in this itinerary. From Trafalgar Square it’s a 20 minute walk or a 12 minute tube ride to one of London’s most famous (and free) museums.
5. Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the West End
From Buckingham Palace you could either stroll up the Mall, or head back towards Westminster Abbey, and go up Whitehall. I’d advise the latter, and not least because one of the Harry Potter London locations is nearby.
Going up Whitehall takes you through the heart of government in Britain, and you’ll pass right by 10 Downing Street. Don’t be upset if you miss it though, you can’t actually see the famous door from the street.
As you walk along Whitehall you’ll find yourself passing the Cenotaph, one of Britain’s most well-known war memorials. You’ll also pass the Horse Guards, where you can get photos of the, well, Horse Guards atop their horses, before finally arriving at Trafalgar Square.
This is home to Nelson’s Monument and the National Gallery, and a photo with one of the lions is pretty much mandatory. From here, you’re an easy walk to the West End, home to the famous covered market of Covent Garden and a number of London’s most well-known theatres.
If you have time, you might now consider visiting the excellent Transport Museum in Covent Garden, where you can learn all about the history of London’s transport system. Alternatively, you can just take in a free show from one of the street entertainers here.
This is also where you’ll find Leicester Square, which is famous as where major films are first shown in the UK.
Here you might want to take in a show to round off your day in London – we can recommend the Mousetrap, the world’s longest running stage show in the world!
6. Visit a Decent London Pub
It’s not all hard work and sightseeing, you know. When you’re in London, you really should take the time to experience a truly British experience – a pub.
Enjoy a pint of something exotically named hand-pulled from a wooden handle, and marvel as to how the decor is likely not to have changed for a good couple of hundred years.
If you’re hungry, try out an English classic like fish and chips or steak and ale pie, and rejoice at how much of London you were able to see in one day.
If you’ve gotten to this point and think the idea of focusing on the pubs of London is more your scene, check out this walking tour which does just that.
For more food tour suggestions, see our complete guide to the best food tours in London, which has recommendations on lots of tours as well as detail on all the food and drink to try when you’re in London.
Map of 1 Day London Itinerary
To help you visualise the above we’ve put it into a map, which you can also see on Google Maps here.
Getting Around and Saving Money in London
For the day in London as described above, getting around by foot is entirely feasible – contrary to public opinion, central London is perfectly walkable. If you’re not so into walking though, then London is very well served by public transport.
The cheapest way to use that is with an Oyster card, a pre-pay system which works out much cheaper than paying for tickets, and available at nearly every transport hub. You can also use a contactless credit card or a device which supports contactless payments.
We have a detailed guide to using the London transport network here which covers all your options.
In terms of visiting attractions, a number of London sights are free, including some of the top museums like the Tate Modern.
However, places like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, and St. Pauls Cathedral aren’t free, and if you think you’re going to be visiting a few sights, then you have a couple of options for saving money.
First is the London Pass, a sight-seeing pass that gives you access to over 80 top attractions across the city.
From those listed on this page, the London Pass includes the Tower of London, Tower Bridge Exhibition, View from the Shard, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Transport Museum.
If you plan on visiting all those attractions (we’d suggest either the London Eye or the Shard rather than both though), the entry fees as of July 2024 would be around £163 per person (assuming you pick either the Shard or the London Eye, it would be even more if you visited both!).
A 1 day London Pass currently costs £114, so that would save you around £50 per person. It also saves you the hassle of having to book separate tickets for each attraction or joining long ticket lines on site.
Check our full review and guide to the London Pass to see if it’s for you.
The second option we recommend is the GoCity London Explorer Pass. This lets you pick and choose from a set of attractions. You can choose to go to 2, 3, 5 or 7 attractions from the selection of over 60 attractions.
We think that both of these passes can save you money in London, the difference is largely down to which attractions you want to see, and how many attractions you want to see.
Get your London Pass online from the official site here.
What about a walking tour of London?
If you’d prefer to have a guide for all or part of your day in London, who can share with you some of the history of this city as well as more local knowledge and insights, then we can recommend this London in a Day tour.
This tour covers nearly everything we have in our one-day London itinerary, including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Changing of the Guard, and Westminster Abbey.
It’s a full day tour, but we think is one of the better options if you would prefer an escorted experience and the input of a guide.
We’ve used the tour company “Take Walks” for walking tours around the world, and have always had a positive experience, and are happy to recommend this tour. They also have a number of other tours in London that are worth checking out.
Another option we suggest are these tours by City Wonders, they offer a wide range of tours in London, from introductory tours through to more detailed and specific tours.
Harry Potter fans will want to check out this guided tour of Harry Potter filming locations in London.
We have a full guide to some of the best walking tours in London, which is also worth reviewing if you are interested in a walking tour while you are in the city.
Where to Go After Your Day in London – Day Trips & More
We’re often asked where to head to from London after this itinerary is over, or just for suggestions on good day trips from London.
We’ve done quite a few day trips from London, including a day trip to Oxford and a day trip to Stonehenge from London, and we wanted to share some ideas, for both day trips from the city and longer trips to see more of the country.
- Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds are really popular destinations, and you can easily do these together as part of a day trip from London. This tour features all of those destinations, as well as Windsor Castle. It even includes lunch!
- Lovers of Downton Abbey will want to visit Highclere Castle where the show was filmed. See our guide to visiting Highclere Castle, which includes tips for visiting as a day trip from London, then check out this tour.
- A tour of Oxford, the Cotswolds and Stratford. Three popular destinations from London that you can visit as part of a day trip. Also see my guide to visiting Oxford from London for more ideas.
- A private tour down to Portsmouth. This is a good tour for those of you with an interest in naval history and/or visiting a lovely English seaside city. Also see our guide to things to do in Portsmouth for more ideas.
- For a longer trip, check out my 10 day UK itinerary by public transport, which starts with a couple of days in London, but then has you touring some highlights of the rest of the country. We also have 1 week and 2 week self drive itineraries.
- Visiting Paris as a day trip from London is a popular option as well, and with the Eurostar train direct from central London to Paris in around 2 hours, this can even be done as a day trip. You can either do this yourself, booking train tickets here, or you can take a day tour like this one. See our guide to spending a day in Paris for sightseeing tips.
- If you want to take a longer guided tour from London and see more of the UK, we recommend this small group tour, which takes eight days to take you from London to Edinburgh.
Hopefully these give you a starting point for the next stage in your trip!
Where to Stay in London
If you’re planning on spending the night in London, you have no shortage of accommodation options, from hostels to luxury five star properties.
For this itinerary, we’d suggest placing yourself fairly centrally if you can, to minimise travel time. For a short stay like this, we’d definitely recommend using booking.com to book your property – whilst we love apartment rentals, we think they are less sensible for a whistle stop visit.
For examples of properties at different price points that are centrally located, here are some options:
- The Walrus Bar and Hostel – A well reviewed centrally located hostel
- The Z hotel in Shoreditch – excellent value in a lively and popular part of London with great dining options
- Lime Tree Hotel – A well reviewed boutique hotel, around nine minutes walk from London Victoria
- The Resident Victoria Hotel – a well reviewed and centrally located hotel offering excellent value for money
- The Savoy – true luxury as close to the city centre as you can get!
Generally when searching for somewhere to stay our first choice is booking.com. They’re easy to use, usually have the best prices, and have everything from hotels to hostels, guest-houses and even apartments. Try them for London and see!
If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend either Plum Guide or Vrbo.
Plum Guide doesn’t have quite so many choices, but they carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve stayed at a number of their properties around the world, and you can see our review of the Plum Guide here. See their listings for London here.
If you can’t find what you want from the above choices, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB which you should check out!
Between these options, you should find the best prices and places to stay for your trip, as well as a good selection of reviews and feedback to help you make an informed decision.
We also have a complete guide to where to stay in London. That has over 60 recommendations for where to stay across a number of areas in London for all budgets. It also has tips on which neighbourhoods to stay in and things to know before booking a property. Well worth a read.
Practicalities for Visiting London
Power
Electricity in London is of the 220v standard, with a three pin plug that isn’t found in too many other countries. Travellers from most of the rest of the world, including mainland Europe and the US will need an adapter like this.
In addition, US travellers will need to check their equipment supports the 220v standard – it will be written clearly on the power adapter.
As a general rule, we have found that laptops, phone and camera chargers and other small electronics are universal, whilst larger devices like hair dryers and hair straighteners are not.
See more on travel adapters and how to choose one for your trip in our guide to the best travel adapters.
Currency
London uses the British pound, which is accepted across the British Isles. You can get Pounds from ATM’s, banks and currency exchanges, although credit cards are widely accepted, and there is no need to carry large quantities of currency.
If you do use a credit or debit card, just make sure it doesn’t charge foreign exchange fees or have a poor currency conversion rate. There are a number of excellent credit cards for travellers, and it’s always worth checking to be sure you have a good deal before travelling and racking up unexpected fees.
Internet Access
Internet access is widely available in the form of WiFi all around the city, including in hotels and coffee shops, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting online. You can also pick up local SIM cards if you have an unlocked phone. These are usually excellent value as data rates in the UK are very competitive.
For more options on getting online when travelling, check out our guide to getting online when travelling to help you figure out the best options. We also have a guide to picking the best travel router, which can help you extend a weak WiFi network and share it across multiple devices.
Water
The water in the taps in London is safe to drink unless otherwise indicated. If you don’t like the taste, bottled water is widely available. We usually recommend you travel with a re-usable water bottle like this to save on having to buy water bottles.
Safety
London is a safe city in our experience, although as with any major city, of course you need to keep your wits about you – keep your possessions in view all the time, keep your wallet or phone in a front pocket (with a zip if possible), and don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do at home. If you’re going to use a taxi, make sure you use a licensed operator such as a black cab.
Further Reading on Visiting London
We have plenty of further reading to help you plan your trip to London, both content we’ve created based on our experiences, and third party content we think you’ll find useful in planning what to do in London, as well as the wider UK.
- Jess’s detailed guide to the London pass, which will help you decide if this is a good way for you to save money on your London sight-seeing.
- Spending more time in London? Check out our itinerary for spending two days in London, as well as our detailed itineraries for 3 days in London and 6 days in London.
- We have a complete guide to where to stay in London, with over 60 recommendations across all the main areas in London we recommend.
- We have detailed guides to visiting the Tower of London and the London Eye which includes information on planning your visit and how to save money on these popular attractions
- A guide to public transport options in London, as well as the best ways to pay for public transport in London
- A guide to the best food tours in London
- Harry Potter fans will want to check out our guide to the key Harry Potter filming locations in London
- Jess’s guide to a 1-day walking tour of the highlights of London.
- A detailed London packing list to help you pack
- A guide to getting into central London from all London’s airports
- How about heading to Paris from London? We have a detailed guide to the best way to get from London to Paris to help you plan
- The Eyewitness Travel Guide to London, which has all sorts of information within, including more itineraries and ideas for your trip
- Rick Steve’s London guide, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK travel guides, and always an excellent source of relevant information
- The official TfL website, which will give you information on tickets, routes and any updates to services in the forms of delays or cancellations
And that sums up our idea of the perfect one day in London! Have you visited London? What would your perfect day look like. Let us know in the comments below!
Lori Howard says
How many miles total is this particular walk? I will be recovering from a hip replacement done in March but should be able to do this in late August!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Lori,
I hope your hip replacement continues to heal well! So the total distance is 4.6 miles, although if you just did from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace that would be 3.4 miles. It’s also all pretty flat with just a few stairs.
Have a great time in London!
Laurence
Leeroy Jenkins says
This is the best guide I’ve found in looking for how to hoof it around London in a day. Exactly the itinerary I was looking for and practical guidance and helpful tips. Thank you, we are there tomorrow!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Leeroy! Have a great time and remember, stick with your team and watch out for dragons 😉
Ajitabh Gupta says
Hi there , this is a fantastic itinerary. Thanks for putting this together . We have a 12 hour layover at Heathrow and we are planning to book a private car for the entire duration. We land at 9 am on Sunday with return flight at 8:55 pm same
Day. Will you suggest any changes to the itinerary since we will have a private taxi for the entire duration, if so , what ?
Thanks in advance
Laurence Norah says
Hi Ajitabh,
It’s my pleasure! So I think you should have plenty of time with a vehicle. Traffic into and around London can be a bit slow, I’d estimate you’re looking at around an hour each way from Heathrow conservatively. But this should give you time to see the highlights as described. The only recommendation I might have it to do the itinerary in reverse. Depending on the day and how long it takes you to clear customs, you might make it to Buckingham Palace in time to see the Changing of the Guard in the morning. Then you can work your way through the sights in reverse and finish at the Tower of London. I believe it is still recommended to book timed entry for the Tower of London, so if you do that for the afternoon you don’t need to worry about getting there by a certain time in the morning, which could be stressful. I’d also recommend booking a timeslot for the London Eye / Shard if you plan on visiting one of those.
Other than that though, have a great trip!
Laurence
Kelly Powell-Smith says
These are great tips! Thank you for posting them. My daughter and I will have a full day in London (plus the afternoon we arrive) and are looking at this one day itinerary and it seems perfect. High on our list of things to do are Tower of London, London Eye, and Westminster Abbey. I think we will start at the Tower of London when it opens at 9 am. Estimating about 2 hours there as you suggest. If we take the walking route shown, about how long might it be before we arrive at the London Eye? Trying to buy tickets in advance so trying to guess arrival time. Same for the Abbey. Thinking we’d do the latest afternoon tour and then stay for Evensong since there will be one of those services on that day. Thank you for any tips you can share.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kelly,
Thanks very much! So if you take the route I suggest, which crosses Tower Bridge and follows the South Bank, it’s about a 55 minute walk. However, you are going to see quite a few things along the way, including Tower Bridge from various angles, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tate Modern and the Golden Hind ship. These will probably all have you stopping and taking photos, so I’d suggest planning for a 1.5 hour trip just to be on the safe side.
Then from the Eye to Westminster Abbey is a 15 minute walk, but again, you’ll be going past the Houses of Parliament, so I’d recommend planning for 30 minutes.
I hope this helps! Have a great trip and let me know if you have any more questions, I’m happy to help 🙂
Laurence
Mad says
Wow, you’re quick! Thank you Laurence, I appreciate your help.
We (my mom and me) fly to London Stansted around midnight and from there have a transfer to Victoria. We’re not staying at any hotel, but have an evening flight back, so have to transfer back to the airport from Victoria around 4pm, so basically we have 15 hours or so to spare. Unfortunately most of it is at night 🙁
We have only our backpacks, no other baggage, so that’s good.
I’m so afraid we’re not going to see much and walk in circles or be late for the transfer back to the airport.
I thought we could first go from Victoria to walk around Soho and China town, then maybe to St Paul’s Cathedral and through Tower Bridge toward Tate Modern – but it opens at 10, so we have several hours to get there…
After that I was thinking London Eye & Big Ben and, since it would be after 10am – The National Gallery, Buckingham Palace and back to Victoria.
What do you think?
Laurence Norah says
It’s my pleasure 🙂
Ok, so that sounds pretty full on! Unfortunately, yes, London is going to be mostly closed. Obviously late night bars and clubs will be open, but other than that the sights will be closed. SoHo will be pretty lively I expect as there are a lot of bars and things there. Overall your plan sounds pretty good, as long as you don’t mind spending a fair amount of time with not too much open. You will at least see a side of London that is less seen, especially in the early hours of the morning! Should be an experience 😀
Let me know if I can help any more! I think you’ll have more than enough time to do everything you want 🙂
Mad says
Hi! How are you?
What free attractions do you recommend? And what could I see at night?
I’m arriving at Victoria Coach Station at midnight and go back home from the same station around 4PM, so I have some time to sightsee but I don’t really know how to schedule all that 🙁
I would really appreciate your help!
Thank you so so much in advance
Laurence Norah says
Hi Mad,
Good to hear from you! So I’m not sure from your message if you are planning to sleep somewhere or just sightsee. At midnight pretty much all the attractions will be closed in London until the following morning, although you can of course see the outside of all the sights. So I’d probably suggest sleeping until the morning and then getting up quite early and sightseeing. I’d suggest staying near the coach station so you can get to and from your accommodation, and ensure to pick somewhere that lets you store any bags you have as well as one which has late check in.
From the Victoria Coach station area you could easily follow our route in reverse if you just wanted to see sights from the outside. So that could include Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden, London Eye, South Bank, Shakespeare’s Globe, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Tower of London.
In terms of free attractions, it depends on your interests. I like the science museum, V&A museum and Natural History Museum, which are all close to each other in Kensington. The Tate Modern is good if you like modern art, and the Museum of London is awesome to learn about the history of the city.
I hope this helps a bit, let me know if I can provide any more input! Have a great trip!
Laurence
David Bunting says
Hi me and my wife are coming down to London in October we are trying to plan a good tour to see the sights I’ve just seen your walking tour in one day and it’s just what we are looking for we are staying in kings cross and would get the tube to the start point and walk it to finish up in convent garden area we are not planning on spending much but may do London eye or shard we may do a river cruise but we like to walk and take in the sights how far from start to finish is your walk if we start between 10 and 11 taking it steady calling for a couple of drinks and maybe the attractions I’ve mentioned would we be round for mid afternoon maybe or would it take longer we may not use the attractions we may just take the sights on foot we enjoy just walking your walk plan I think is ideal for us I think we will see all we want in the walk I hope you can help me it will be much appreciated. Cheers. David
Laurence Norah says
Hi David,
So the total walking time you are looking at on this route is about 2 hours. I’d also recommend when you get to the Tate Modern, to cross over the millenium bridge and take a look at St. Pauls Cathedral. It only adds five minutes walk to the trip but is well worth the detour.
Obviously, depending on how long you stop to look at attractions / have a drink or two, the journey will take longer, but I’d say if you started around 10am you’d definitely be able to do this by mid-afternoon.
Have a great time in London, let me know if you have any more questions!
Laurence
Deana Rasberry says
I have been reading all your lovely suggestions and that is great information to have. I am planning a first time trip to London in May and arriving at 0900 in Heathrow and staying at Accor hotel right near that airport. My question is I have the full day from arriving to 7:30 where I booked tickets to see WICKED at Apollo Victoria Theatre, but in terms of sites to see in which order would you recommend with that event in mind? The morning after I fly ( on 16th) back to States. Its just one full day in London after 3 weeks around Europe, I am departing out of Heathrow so decided to arrive one day before.
Thanks for your time in advance and look forward to suggestions. I already down loaded the LONDON city mapper for trans options….. wanted to see much as possible including Piccadilly and maybe Abbey Road studios.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Deana!
I would actually say that the order in the itinerary should work just fine for you. The only change I might make would be to switch the last two stops around, but only if you don’t want to go inside Westminster Abbey. This is because the abbey closes fairly early, so if you get here late you will only be able to enjoy the outside (which is also magnificent). Otherwise, the rest of the itinerary should work fine in the order it is in, as the theatre is near Westminster Abbey 🙂
Let me know if I can be of any more help, and have a lovely time in London,
Laurence
Deana Rasberry says
Osum!! Thank you For all the advice. I appreciate them.
Deana
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure!
Karen says
Such a helpful overview of 1-day in London! And one short ‘day’ is all we have. To make the most of our time I’m wondering if you can help fine tune our itinerary plan.
We arrive at Heathrow at 8pm on a Sat night in Sept, and fly out on Sun at 5pm. Given the relatively late arrival we’re wondering which neighbourhood we should stay in. We’re looking for something that would put us in good position to launch into the walking tour the next morning and at the end, be in a good position for picking up the luggage and whisking back to the airport. Accomodation-wise, we’re look for something moderate meaning charm and comfort but not luxury.
Also, are there any parts of the tour or off-tour suggestions that would be conducive to squeezing in 10pm-midnight on Saturday?
Look forward to any further advice you have for us!
Karen & Carla
Laurence Norah says
Hi Karen & Carla,
Great to hear from you, and thanks very much.
So I would personally suggest staying at a hotel near Paddington train station. We stayed at this one a couple of weeks ago, which was just a five minute walk from the train station, and they held our luggage on our last day with no problem. It’s also a short walk to nearby tube, from where you can easily get to the start of your day. There are quite a few in the area. From Paddington, you can get the Tfl rail service direct to Heathrow for around £10 per person each way, and it takes around 30 minutes. There’s also the Heathrow Express, which is twice as fast and costs twice as much, so it’s up to you!
In terms of what you could squeeze in, obviously most indoor attractions will be closed at the time. However, Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square are pleasant to walk at night, and I always love walking across the Thames Bridges near the London Eye at night as it is so pretty and lit up.
I hope this helps – have a wonderful trip, and do let me know if I can be of any further assistance!
All the best, and Happy New Year,
Laurence
Karen says
Happy New Year to you as well, Laurence, and wishes for many more happy travels.
Thanks for the advice. We’re booked and ready to go. 🙂
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure – have a great time!
Vijay Patel says
It’s my dream to visit London for once in my life as I am very fond of places to visit in London. especially, the London Eye. The list of places and other things to do in London is just amazing. London is such an amazing place to reside and visit hence I will be definitely sharing this great blog with my friends and family. I am glad I came across this and thanks for investing time and sharing this informative post with us.
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Vijay, thanks for your comment 🙂
Ammy says
These are some fantastic tips which I will definitely be going to follow on my next one day trip to London. And please suggest any of the budget hotels in North London which have all the necessary facilities and close to these attractions.
Thanks
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Ammy!
So the two properties in our list we’d suggest based on your criteria would be:
If those don’t work, the linked site should have plenty more options for you 🙂
Best
Laurence
Annie says
Hello Laurence,
I stumbled upon your posts in Google, I found very helpful tips from your website.
I’m thankful for such detailed, well-done posts.
It will by our first time in London, I’m nervous because I’m bring my parents and will be there for only a day.
Taking Euro Star train from Paris we will arrive Monday May 13, 2019 at St. Pancras @ 8AM and leaving same day at 8PM. Knowing that we won’t have a lot of time and afraid to get lost, your posts have eased somewhat my anxiety.
I’ve been watching other channels on YouTube but yours is the best by far and have met my needs.
I saw your 1 day London itinerary & map. London has comes alive to me, I was so happy because I’ve been trying to study the map, city mapper, bus routes…and was so overwhelmed.
We’re on a budget so we’ll take public transportation and will do sightseeing only.
I was planning to take public bus but since you mentioned taking the Tube & River Boat/Bus will save some times from and back to St. Pancras is a great idea.
Is there any way you can give more details of how to take the Tube, bus numbers/routes efficiently for our trip?
I plan to go directly to Buckingham from St. Pancras to watch the changing of the guards then head to Sky Garden and Borough market for lunch. I’m excited to take River Boat and walk to some of your suggested sites as time allows before we head back to St. Pancreas.
Not to be greedy but do you think we can stop by and check out Little Niece on the way back to the train station and call off the day?
Hopefully we can visit British Museum as well. .So sad already…
Lastly, will we have trouble of finding public toilets there?
Thanks so much again for your time & people like you to help out others via Internet of travel needs.
Annie N.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Annie!
Thanks for your comment (and e-mail!).
So you have quite a lot of time – 12 hours should give you plenty of time to explore.
In terms of your route, the easiest way to plan a route in London, in my opinion, is just to use Google Maps. It has all the transportation options that you need and will pick the fastest route. Even if you don’t have data, there’s free WiFi available throughout London to help you.
It’s hard to give you an exact route plan as I’m not sure of your overall itinerary. However, from St. Pancras to Buckingham Palace, the best option is going to be the Victoria line (https://goo.gl/maps/w9C3mATLCHu).
From there to the Sky Garden you can take the Circle and District Line (https://goo.gl/maps/nPLm5VNNi1q)
I would definitely advise downloading London as an offline Google Map to your phone, then you will be able to find your way around the streets.
I’m not familiar with Little Niece – where is that?
There are some public toilets in London, so you should be able to find them without too much trouble 🙂
Have a great trip, let me know if I can help any more!
Laurence
Annie says
Thank you Laurence for your quick reply!
Sorry I meant Little Venice not Little Niece.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Annie!
Ah, that makes sense. So you could try and squeeze that in, although you would be cutting it quite fine with everything else as well 🙂
Best
Laurence
Annie says
Thanks!
One more question please, if we follow your suggested routes and start from St.Pancras to Towel of London…will we make it to watch the changing of the guard in time?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Annie,
The Changing of the Guard usually takes place from 10.45 – 11.30am. From St. Pancras to Buckingham Palace shouldn’t take you more than half an hour. So if you arrive into St. Pancras at 8am you will have more than enough time 🙂 I’d suggest seeing something else on the way. Unfortunately many attractions do not open until 10am, however you could explore Covent Garden and see Trafalgar Square in the meantime.
Tara says
Hi, myself, husband and two teens (16 and 17) are visiting London in June for one day. Our first time visiting and feeling anxious. We would like to maybe visit some free places but also do a couple of paid sites. what would you recommend for us, and of interest to the teens. Is your itinerary doable by foot and how far between each site to walk? Thanks in advance
Laurence Norah says
Hi Tara!
I understand the anxious feeling of wanting to see everything! I guess I would say that it is definitely possible to see many of the highlights in a day, but not to worry too much about trying to see everything London has to offer in just one day, as it’s a big city with hundreds of attractions! I’d try and focus on a few big items that you really want to see. My suggestions would be things like Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, which are some of the more iconic landmarks in the city.
The itinerary as I have laid it out is do-able on foot yes. You’re probably looking at a total of 2 hours of actual walking, but obviously you will take a lot more time as you’ll be taking pictures and looking at the sights. You’ll also need to get from wherever you are staying to the start and end point.
In terms of paid sites, I would definitely recommend the Tower of London. It’s home to the Crown Jewels and one of the oldest castles in the UK, and there is so much history to learn about here. After that, many of the attractions can be enjoyed from the outside, like the Tower of London and the south bank. You could also pop across the Millenium Bridge from the Tate Modern to visit St. Pauls. Even if you’re not into Modern Art, I can recommend a visit to the Tate Modern as there’s a great view from the balcony.
I hope this helps – do let me know if I can be of any more assistance 🙂
Best
Laurence
Melissa says
Hello,
I’m visiting in March for one day coming in on the Eurostar. What should be my first stop on your list ? And how can i get to it ? Thanks so much
Laurence Norah says
Hi Melissa!
So the Eurostar arrives at St. Pancras. My suggestion is to follow this itinerary in the order it’s laid out, so your first point of call will be the Tower of London. This is easy to get to from St. Pancras, you just take the Underground. Specifically, you’ll want to take the Circle line (Yellow colour) from St. Pancras in the direction of Liverpool Street, and get off at Tower Hill. It’ll take around 10 minutes.
I hope this helps! I have a using the London transport network here which might be useful too 🙂
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Kathleen Trakas says
Hello! My Husband & I also are in Paris for our 3rd trip in December & want to take the Eurostar to London for the day. Reading your suggestions we feel confident we can do your itinerary in just one day- we’re early birds so with this itinerary what train times do you suggest would give us a relaxing but full day? We can catch the 6am train and how long would this all take to get back to the train station without worry?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kathleen!
So it’s around a two hour trip to London from Paris, meaning the 6am train will get you in at just after 8am. The only thing to bear in mind is that many of the attractions in London don’t open until after 9am.
To make the most of your time therefore, you might want to reorder the day. I’d suggest starting with some of the outdoor sights like Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the Houses of Parliament first, and then Buckingham Palace. You can then make your way along the south bank past the London Eye, Tate Modern, Golden Hind and HMS Belfast before getting to Tower Bridge, and then seeing the Tower of London.
From the tower of London you can then hop on the tube for the ten minute ride back to St. Pancras, for the train. I’d advise giving yourselves plenty of time for all that, as you’ll likely want to eat at some point as well and not feel rushed, so a train at around 6 or 7pm would be my suggestion.
I hope this helps!
Laurence
Kathleen Trakas says
Thanks so much! Pretty excited to be Headed to London for a day! Cheers!
Helena says
Heey, I’m going to London with a friend inJanuary. He are arriving sunday at 9am at Gatwick and sleeping somewhere in Enfield and going to Southampton the next day. I enjoyed looking your guide for one day and i would like to ask your opinion on what to do in one day, knowing that the tickets are kinda expensives and we love nature and high-views. Thank you! And good work!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Helena!
So are you asking for advice in London? I will assume so 🙂
For views, I would recommend the Sky Garden. It’s free to visit, but you do need to book a timeslot in advance which you can do on their website here. Tickets are released on a Monday for the following week, and they alway go very quickly, so you’ll want to set a calendar reminder. Another good viewpoint can be had in the Tate Modern museum, which is also free 🙂
In terms of more sightseeing, many of the sights and attractions in London are free, such as watching Changing of the Guard, and looking at the outside of the major buildings like Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and so on. So I would advise you to basically follow this itinerary fairly closely, but just to skip any attractions you don’t want to pay to see if budget is a key concern.
For nature, you will likely enjoy a visit to some of the parks, like Hyde Park or Green Park, which are just near Buckingham Palace / Trafalgar Square.
I hope this helps! Have a great trip
Laurence
Kadeer says
Hello my family and I are traveling and have one day in London, we fly in to Gatwick at 12 pm and out of Gatwick the next morning at 7 am. We are staying at a hotel close to the airport…. would you recommend any changes or advice for us (kids ages are 11/13/15). I am not sure if we should take uber, train, the express train, or taxi. Also while in London should we do the hop on and off bus?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kadeer,
So from Gatwick one of the easiest ways to get into London is to take the train (see my full guide to getting to central London from all the airports here). You can take the Gatwick Express, but these tickets are usually £20 per person each way, so if budget is a consideration i would instead suggest taking the normal train, which has tickets starting at £9.90. You can check ticket prices and times here – it’s always cheaper to buy in advance online, just make sure you get on the train that you buy the ticket for.
In terms of the itinerary, you will definitely have to reduce the sight seeing a bit as you only really have half a day. My suggestion would be to visit Tower Bridge and look at the Tower of London from the outside, then take the tube to Westminster where you can see Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.
I hope this helps – have a great time in London!
Laurence
kim says
family of 4 person , visiting london for one day what tips you suggest for us. thanks alot
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kim,
My advice would be to follow the itinerary, but to perhaps slow it down depending on the age and stamina of your family. Certainly, everything is do-able, but in hearing feedback from family travellers, travelling as a family will require you to take things a bit slower (depending on age).
Have a great time!
Laurence
Amanda says
Your itinerary sounds perfect everything I would love to see! I’ve been so anxious just thinking of how to plan my ONE day in London. Could you provide some tips on where to start the day? I will be arriving in London in the morning about 9 at Heathrow. My departure will be about 11 that evening from Gatwick. I’ll be using your itinerary as my guide. But need tips on how to use my time as efficiently as possible. I also want to make sure I make my flight that evening. Please help!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Amanda! Sounds like you have lots of time to see all the things on my itinerary, but I would suggest in a different order to make it more efficient based on your airport arrival and departure. 🙂 So from Heathrow the cheapest option is to take the tube, you could take this to Leicester Square. From here you can get out and see Trafalgar Square, then walk to the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace – you should be in time to see the Changing of the Guard. From here you can then walk along the south bank of the river, from the London Eye all the way around, past Shakespeare’s Globe and HMS Belfast, the Tate Modern, the Golden Hind etc. You’ll finish near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Then, when you are done you can take the train from London Bridge train station which goes direct to London Gatwick airport 🙂
Hope this helps – have a great day out!
Nandini says
Hi Laurence and Jessica! Thanks so much for the post! Most certainly, It gives a pretty good idea to plan a one-day trip! I will go to London from Birmingham on 31st August and leave on 2nd September. That gives me 1 evening and 1 full day and 1 morning to explore London! Would you please give me any particular suggestion so that I can utilize my stay to the best extent?
Laurence Norah says
Hey Nandini!
Sounds like a fun trip 🙂 So, it’s a bit hard to give specific advice without knowing your interests, but our general advice would be to figure out what you really want to see, and try to plan your time so you can see them as efficiently as possible. So for example, if you have an evening in London, some attractions such as the London Eye or the Shard are open later, so you can go to them on your first day perhaps. Or you could catch a show. Essentially, try to make the best use of your time as possible whilst you are there 🙂 Hopefully this helps!
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Talva Walker says
Hi, I’ve been enjoying your post. Very insightful. I’m planning a trip to Paris Aug 31-Sept 5, arriving CDG at 7:20am on Sept 1, staying at the Mercure Paris Alesia. I am planning a day trip to London via EuroRail. Can you please suggest the best travel and sightseeing routes from Paris to London so I can get the most out of my day while in London. Thanks
Laurence Norah says
HI Talva, thanks for your comment. Could you just elaborate for me what you need – as you say you are taking the Eurail train, which will put you right in central London, are you looking for a tour guide or a suggested itinerary? There’s only one train option as far as I know, you just have to pick a time that works for you 🙂
Talva says
Hi Laurence, thanks for your response. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. I’m looking to find the best way to spend my day in London allowing time to/from the Eurorail. Is this doable.
Laurence Norah says
Hey Talva! Well, that makes more sense. This itinerary is definitely do-able in a day but it does depend on what time your train gets in and leaves. If you are looking for the highlights, I’d suggest the Tower of London, walking across Tower Bridge, the London Eye or The Shard for great views, the exterior of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. That should all be very achievable in a day 🙂
Chet says
Hi,
We are planning a trip to England and visit to Scotland and/or Ireland in early August. This may be too optimistic coverage but we have 12 full days. Our flight lands in Gatwick and we come back via Shannon. What is your recommendation? I plan to rent a car after spending 3 days in London.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Chet!
My advice would be to check out our 2 week UK itinerary: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/two-weeks-in-ukmy-perfect-itinerary/ and adjust it slightly to meet your time-frame and particular interests 🙂 We also have 1 week and 10 day UK itineraries, as well as loads of other content on travelling in the UK. So I am sure you will find the answers you need, but I’m always happy to provide further information as well.
Best
Laurence
Camilla says
I love the tips! We will be staying in a hotel near Covent Garden and will follow this! Any recommendations for places to eat around the area? I will be travelling with my in-lawsmy parents and my husband, we are not picky with food and we want to try where the locals eat.
Laurence Norah says
Hey Camilla! Thanks very much 🙂 To be honest, we rarely recommend restaurants as recommendations can go out of date very quickly. Our advice would be to ask at the hotel reception when you get in, or look on Yelp / Google for nearby restaurants or pubs that have good ratings. A good pub meal is a must when visiting London. I would also add that there is a huge volume of visitors to London, as well as a very multi-cultural feel to the city, so most venues will cater to both locals and visitors 🙂
Beccare says
Hello there,
I will be heading into the Uk at the ending of this year and I have a list of places I would like to see in one day but not very sure how to see them all. I only have one day for sight seeing unfortunately.
I plan on purchasing a one day london pass, the places are: British Museum, St Paul Cathedral, London motor museum, Charles Dickens museum, Globe Theater, Kensington Palace, London Zoo, London Bridge, West Minister Abbey, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The view from the shard.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Beccare!
I will be honest with you, I think you will struggle to see all of those locations in one day. I think you should be able to see a lot of them, but not all. My suggestion would be to start at the Tower of London, then Tower Bridge, Globe Theater, St. Paul’s cathedral, London Motor Museum and Westminster Abbey. Then head to the shard as that is open later. I think that would be achievable, but still you will have to go quite quickly. Otherwise you will rush so much you won’t see anything so well. I hope this works!
Laurence
Alma J Saad says
Excellent photographs. particularly the one of the Routemaster transport. Notwithstanding the 9 appeared, one additionally keeps running on the 15 (Heritage) course, which takes guests past numerous traveler spots (Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and so forth.) an incredible method to see London and considerably less expensive than a visitor transport!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Alma!
Mohamed Haikel says
Hi,
Im planning a honeymoon trip to europe and london is one of my stops and this article/post has been very helpful in narrowing down my list of places to visit. ill have a full day for sightseeing. Im staying at the Novotel Wembley in London. Any advice or recomendation on where i should start my sightseeing?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Mohamed! Congratulations on your wedding 🙂 The easiest way to get around London is to take public transport, so my suggestion would be to take the tube (also known as the underground) from near your hotel. There are two easy options. First would be to take the Metropolitan line from Wembley Park Station to Aldgate Station, and then walk to the Tower of London. Alternatively, and I think my preferred option, would be to take the Jubilee Line from Wembley Park Station to London Bridge Underground Station, and then walk from there. It’s a prettier walk from the latter.
If you need information on getting around London, I have two posts to help, one on how to use the public transport system in London:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/guide-public-transport-london/
And one on paying for transport in London:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/pay-public-transport-london-oyster-contactless-best/
Have a great trip!
Andrea Heys says
Wow, This is really helpful, thank you. We are 4 ladies (3 Canadians and 1 Brit) staying around the Gatwick area at the end of April 2018. We have one full day and evening to see everything. We would love to see as much as possible (1 lady can’t walk a long way at a time but can rest for a few minutes and then carry on). The Canadians are leaving it up to me, the Brit (but from the North) to show them around. They want to sight-see and then take in a west end show in the evening. Can you recommend a route that can accommodate not too much walking?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Andrea – delighted that you found the post useful 🙂 I’ll do my best to help out!
From Gatwick (I’m assuming the airport), my advice would be to take the train into central London – specifically London Bridge. This will put you almost directly across the river from the Tower of London, as well as a number of other great London sights (HMS Belfast, St. Pauls Cathedral & Tower Bridge). So a good place to start.
I’d then suggest after seeing all that you want in that area, that you take the River Bus service from either Tower Pier or London Bridge City Pier, and go to Westminster Pier. It’s pretty cost effective, and is a good way to see London from the water 🙂 Then you’ll be in the heart of Westminster, right next to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the Churchill War Rooms, and whatever else you want to see in that area. You could also do the London Eye quite easily. Then, from Westminster it’s a short walk up Whitehall past 10 Downing St to Trafalgar Square, from where you have your pick of the shows.
Hopefully that all makes sense! I wouldn’t advise doing everything in the comment, obviously pick and choose what you’re interested in. IF you are interested in going in a few of the different attractions, definitely check out the London Pass (linked in the post) to see if the cost savings make it a benefit to you.
Have an amazing time – do pop back and let me know how it went!
Andrea Heys says
Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll definitely let you know what we chose. This is great information and I heard about the London pass so we’ll check it out. This is a fantastic website that I’ll be recommending to all I know in Canada. Great information about London. Thank you again ?
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Andrea – and thanks very much!
Dale Fisher says
Your itinerary sounds perfect since we are staying for one day. We, husband and two daughters 21 & 23, leave in a few days and I will use your itinerary. We are staying at the London Arch so should I still start my day at the Tower of London? What if I begin at Westminster Pier and take the River Cruise to the Tower? I have pre booked tickets to the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. I plan to do it all walking. I value any opinions. Thank you!! Dale
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dale,
Glad to be of help! It’s really up to you. From Marble Arch, it would probably make the most sense to go in the following order:
Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey / Houses of Parliament
River cruise or walk along south bank to Tower of London
Tower of London
Then you could either take public transport back or the river cruise again.
Alternatively you could take public transport to the Tower of London, and then the itinerary would finish near Buckingham Palace and be quite close to where you are staying 🙂
Have a great trip!
Dale Fisher says
Thank you!! This was extremely helpful! We arrive the day before and have the evening free, any suggestions to make the most of our evening?
All the best,
Dale
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure! There are a few options, you could try one of the following;
Take in a West End London Show (there are many to choose from, we know the Lion King is very popular!)
Take a ride on the London Eye at sunset or head up the Shard for great views
Pop out for a meal or a drink – there are so many dining and drinking options we don’t think you’ll struggle to find somewhere
simon harding says
beautiful photos. especially the one of the routemaster bus. In addition to the 9 shown, one also runs on the 15 (Heritage) route, which takes visitors past many tourist spots (Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral etc.) a great way to see London and much cheaper than a tourist bus!
Claudia Luxembourg says
You got it covered! I know London so well that whenever people visit me I take them on my very personal walking tour. I usually start in Covent Garden, walk to Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, then head to Trafalgar Square where we stop at the National Gallery. Keep on to Buckingham Palace and then continue to Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster. Then I go to the British Museum too. I taylor it depending on what people are interested in. But it usually works fine. It is an amazing city. I also love Chiswick. Perhaps my fav. part of London!!
Laurence says
That’s one of my favourite routes 😀 I lived in Covent Garden for a couple of years, love that part of town!