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 Iโve ordered them in the way that Iโd 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 or Shard
- 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 doesnโt?), then youโll love the Tower of London. This place was home to so much plotting, scheming, death and betrayals that it almost makes Georgeโs 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.
Alternatively, you can buy a ticket online in advance here. Using our link normally saves you between 5 and 10% on the adult admission price for the Tower of London, meaning these discounted Tower of London tickets are some of the best value we’re aware of.
We also recommend checking prices via GetYourGuide here, and 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 youโre 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 Londonโs bridges, and for good reason!
2. The South Bank and London Eye
Once youโve crossed over Tower Bridge, youโll find yourself on the South Bank, cunningly named because itโs on the south bank of the river Thames.
As you walk west along this lovely bit of pedestrianized riverway youโll find yourself passing such sights as HMS Belfast (one of our favourite military museums in London) and Londonโs City Hall.
Youโll also be walking past the recreation of Shakespeareโs famous Globe theatre, the Shard (Western Europe’s tallest building), the Millennium Bridge which leads to St. Paulโs cathedral and the quite magnificent Tate Modern Art Gallery, all of which are likely to tempt you in. Go on, I wonโt tell anyone.
Once youโve made it past all these attractions, and maybe grabbed a bite to eat at Borough Market just behind London Bridge, youโll 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 also book tickets and check prices on the official site here.
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 GetYourGuide here (book online in advance for the best prices).
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!), youโll 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 arenโt quite โturn up and go inโ, 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 Britainโs 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 Queen. Depending on you who you talk to in the UK, sheโs either a lovely old dear who the country needs, or a tragic waste of taxpayersโ money.
Whichever, she 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, with full details of pricing and opening hours available on this website.
Of course, whilst youโre 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 Jamesโs Park, home to a number of pelicans. Then you can head out onto Trafalgar Square, where you can enjoy seeing the lions, Nelsonโs 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. 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
Itโs not all hard work and sightseeing, you know. When youโre in London, you really should take the time to experience a truly British experience โ 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.
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 โ contrary to public opinion, central London is perfectly walkable. If youโre 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. We have a detailed guide to using the London transport network here.
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 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 60 top attractions across the city.
From those listed on this page, the London Pass includes the Tower of London, Tower Bridge Exhibition, Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral, and the View from the Shard. If you plan on visiting all those attractions, the entry fees as of April 2022 would be just over ยฃ130.
A 1 day London Pass currently costs ยฃ79, so that would definitely save you money.
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.
They also offer attraction entry to most of the attractions in this list if you want to book items individually. Definitely a good one-stop shop for your London trip planning.
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 โ 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. Weโve 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 โ 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 ATMโs, 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 shouldnโt 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 donโt 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 weโve created based on our experiences, and third party content we think youโll find useful in planning what to do in London, as well as the wider UK.
- The official TfL website, which will give you information on tickets, routes and any updates to services in the forms of delays or cancellations
- Jessโs 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. The London Pass has a package option to include a Oyster Card and currently also includes Hop-on, Hop-off bus passes, which can be a great transport option.
- 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 a detailed guide to visiting the Tower of London, which includes information on what to see and how to save money on your visit
- A guide to public transport options in London, as well as the best ways to pay for public transport in London
- Harry Potter fans will want to check out our guide to the key Harry Potter filming locations in London
- Jessโs 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 Steveโs London guide, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK travel guides, and always an excellent source of relevant information
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!
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 ๐
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 ๐
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 ยฃ20 per person each way, so if budget is a consideration i would instead suggest taking the normal train, which has tickets starting at ยฃ9.90. 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. ๐ 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 ๐
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 ๐ 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 ๐ 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 ๐
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 ๐
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 ๐ 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 ๐ 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 ๐
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 ๐ 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 ๐ 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 ๐ 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 ๐
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 ๐ I lived in Covent Garden for a couple of years, love that part of town!