So you are coming to London for 3 days, maybe a long weekend, a stop on touring the country or even Europe. Now London is a huge city that can seem like it never ends with lots of things on offer and things to do.
But if you only have 3 days to see it all, we’ve got you covered with an itinerary that will make sure you see the best of what London has to offer.
With this plan it’s based on the weather being OK and not raining cats and dogs. If you find it is raining (unlucky) then you can check out things to do in West London when it rains.
Where to stay
One thing that is worth researching is where to stay. Now it can come down to budget or what is best for this itinerary, wherever you stay you’ll probably spend a few hours a day on the tube / buses. Some areas I would reckon staying are West London, South London for this itinerary.
You’ll be looking around £100 minimum a night and can expect to pay up to £150 in peak season at average hotels. I would say you should always book in advance as the hotels with good locations and reasonable prices go quickly.
How to get around
This is an easy one. Tubes are the best way to get around as long as there are no severe delays. Buses are good in the late evening or early hours, as on some routes they run 24 hours whereas most tubes will stop at around 00.30 on weekdays.
Day 1 London itinerary
I think one thing that everyone should do is get to grips with the history of London (England). A visit to the Tower of London is a must. You can walk around and learn the history of this iconic landmark. Also hear from the famous Beef-eaters as they have fun explaining things that went on there. Also the highlight for me, seeing The Crown Jewels.
As you are around this area you can go see and walk over Tower Bridge. Then have a walk along the Thames. You will see even more iconic sites like the Shard, stop off at Borough Market for a selection of world class street food. After you have finished lunch you can then walk a little further and can pop in to the Tate modern Museum.
It should now be around 2-3pm you can now walk over to see the London Eye, take a ride on it if you like. Then just across from there is probably the most iconic landmark in London, Big Ben, newly renovated and looking dapper.
So now it’s around 4pm. This is a perfect time to jump on the tube before it gets busy if it’s a weekday. Head over to Soho, you can stop at Leicester Square. You can even walk it if you aren’t tired from the walking already done and will take about 30 mins. Take a look around China Town and Leicester Square where you’ll see street performers.
You can eat in Chinatown or there are plenty of other options within a 5 min walk. Once you’ve eaten around 6-7pm you can then take in a Broadway show, if you’ve not been before I would recommend The Lion King, if you have then maybe choose something a little different but plan and book in advance.
Day 2 London itinerary
Now that you’ve seen some of the biggest attractions around, it’s time to just enjoy the city as if you were a local. Today we’ll do a few stops as we really see how London ticks when you live here full time.
So let’s start in Kensington High Street – with a breakfast at Dishoom, get yourself a ‘Big Bombay’ then once done here, let’s go for a walk in Kensington Gardens. Once done there we’ll walk over to Notting Hill Gate (you can get a bus if you prefer). Take a look around and if it’s a weekend you can look around Portobello market.
Then we are going to take a tube / train to Peckham Rye around 3pm. Here you want to check out Frank’s Cafe. This place is in a disused outdoor car park. You do have to walk up quite a few flights of stairs surrounded by pink paint, but once up there, you are rewarded with one of the best views in London for me. It’s called a Cafe, but it’s actually a bar. So grab a drink and enjoy that view. There is also Peckham Brewery and some other places to drink in the sun.
After having a few drinks, it’s early evening so let’s now head to Mayfair for some food. So many great places to eat around here, you can even go to Oxford Circus and try the Hawksmoor if you are into your steaks.
Day 3 London itinerary
Now this is about cramming in as much as possible and tying up any loose ends. Now let’s start in Richmond, this place is great as it’s London but feels like you aren’t. You can go visit the Ted Lasso pub (maybe for lunch). Also take a walk in Richmond Park.
So leaving there around 1pm let’s head over to Buckingham Palace and take a look at the home of the King. Once finished there we’ll go to Shoreditch and check out some street art, have a few drinks, maybe a market will be on. Then wrap it all up with a curry on Brick Lane.
Now time to get some drinks before our 3 days in London are over. You could go to Sushi Samba for some drinks. Even head over to Sky Garden. Maybe you want to end your trip at the iconic Shard and a bar in there.
Summary
This is just a guide of possible ways to see the city of London and can be chopped and changed depending on what is most important to you. Obviously many things have been missed but this has been put together with just 3 days in mind. You could go over to Greenwich and see the O2. Get Uber boats on the Thames. Maybe you just want to be a tourist for the full 3 days and take the 1 day itinerary and do it over 3 days at a very relaxed pace.