A Splendid One Day in London Itinerary for First Timers

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London is one of those cities that just has so much to do it can feel overwhelming. There’s a long history from the monarchy to World War II and beyond, an incredibly diverse culture lending to some of the best food in the world, and of course, world-renowned attractions.

Naturally, if you’re short on time, it’s hard to know what to do in London in a day. I’ve been to London a few times and have done everything from chasing Harry Potter filming locations to trying to taste test as much food as possible and squeeze in the top attractions. All this to say, I’ve certainly figured out what you can realistically do in a day.

As with all my one day itineraries, this one is a doozy. But, that’s on purpose! If you only have one day to spend, you want to make the most of it! Let’s dive into this one day in London itinerary.

Summary of this London itinerary

Map of your day in London

1 Day in London Itinerary

Breakfast at WatchHouse Tower Bridge

First, if you’re staying at a hotel that has breakfast, you can absolutely eat there and skip this first stop. That’ll save you a bit of money in your travel budget and time navigating the city before your first attraction.

If breakfast out in town is on the agenda, I recommend WatchHouse at their Tower Bridge location. They have a full breakfast and brunch menu with locally crafted coffee. The location is modern and most importantly for this itinerary, close to our first attraction.

I personally chose to eat at my hotel, so while I can’t speak on it myself, I’d hope that the 4.5 star rating by over 1600 reviewers is enough.

Try the hazelnut overnight oats, poached eggs on toast, or toasted house banana bread.

Tower of London

The first big attraction of the day is the Tower of London. This is an iconic and historic spot in London that’s a must see if you’ve never been.

It was a fortress, place of residence, and even a prison! It’s where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey were all beheaded.

I recommend arriving right when they open with advanced tickets already purchased and in hand. They’re actually required, so don’t show up without them. Plus, this is one of the most popular things to do in London, so you’ll want to start early to avoid the crowds.

In fact, when you arrive, it can be tempting to get pulled into all the exhibits and start wandering. However, try to make a beeline for the Crown Jewels. This exhibit is by far the most popular and becomes the most crowded even by mid-morning. They have a huge queue outside to help with crowd control.

But, right at opening you can likely walk right in to avoid all that! And of course, the Crown Jewels are jaw-dropping! It’s insane how much wealth you can see just from these items.

Don’t miss the exhibits on Torture at the Prison to see horrific, yet fascinating medieval torture devices, Medieval Palace to look into the lives of the kingly residents, Line of the Kings where there is armor on display, and the Royal Beasts when they tried to turn the tower into part-zoo!

For a fantastic tour that’s included in your admission, consider the Yeoman Warder (aka Beefeater) tours. You’ll learn about the tower’s 1000 year history and hear stories that you can’t read about within the exhibits.

Before you leave, be sure to learn about the ravens, who are considered the guardians of the tower, and spot them around! It’s said that if they ever leave, the tower will fall.

• Address: London EC3N 4AB
• Cost: £35.80
• Hours: 9 am – 5:30 pm daily
• Nearest transit stop: Tower of London (bus)

Tower Bridge

From the Tower of London, it’s a quick walk to the Tower Bridge, which is often mistaken for the London Bridge.

You can easily walk across the bridge and admire views along the River Thames.

If you’re so inclined, there is a museum in the middle of the bridge that has the engine rooms, glass floors, and stellar views! It costs £16 for adults and £12 for students and seniors.

You can also opt to skip this museum and continue crossing the bridge to begin a walking tour of the city along The Queen’s Walk. Either way, The Queen’s Walk is next.

• Address: Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP
• Cost: £16 (for museum)
• Hours: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm daily
• Nearest transit stop: Tower Bridge / City Hall (bus)

The Queen’s Walk

This pathway follows the River Thames and makes for a wonderful walking tour. You can follow the path upriver from Tower Bridge to your lunch stop, Borough Market, which is at the next bridge, the actual London Bridge.

The walk takes about 15-20 minutes and is ¾ of a mile.

Along the way, you can stop at the HMS Belfast if you’re into military and naval history. It costs £26.35 for adults and £23.70 for students. Honestly looks fascinating learning about the lives of those who lived on board!

• Address (HMS Belfast): The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2JH
• Cost (HMS Belfast): £26.35
• Hours (HMS Belfast): 10 am – 6 pm
• Nearest transit stop (The Queen’s Walk start for this itinerary): Tower Bridge / City Hall (bus)

Borough Market for Lunch

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love a market and a food hall. Give me ALL the options please. Naturally, there’s two on this itinerary. Sorry not sorry.

Borough Market is one of the best collections of eateries in the city if not the world. Bold statement, I know.

Despite the TikTok virality of the market (looking at you, chocolate covered strawberries), there’s truly some incredible places to eat here.

I have a couple options that you can choose from or simply walk around and take your pick. First, is the sausage roll from The Ginger Pig that costs £6.50. It’s inexpensive and delicious!

Next, my favorite was the The Best One sandwich from The Black Pig. This thing was what dreams are made of. It’s a ciabatta sandwich with slow roasted pork, honey truffle parmesan, mayo, and fennel apple slaw. So much flavor, not enough room in my belly. It costs £12 and can be shared, especially if sampling other things from the market.

A note here that the chocolate covered strawberries from Turnips are always mentioned and talked about, and while I think it can be worth it to try it for yourself, I’ll give you my opinion.

These things are beautiful and not too expensive (speaking as a Los Angeles-raised human) at £8.50, but what no one mentions is that the chocolate hardens after 5 minutes if it’s cool outside, rendering the entire cup impossible to eat. Try them if you dare (and can eat fast!).

• Address: London SE1 9AL
• Cost: ~ £15
• Hours: 10 am – 5 pm weekdays, 9 am – 5 pm Saturdays, 10 am – 4 pm Sundays, closed Mondays (individual businesses may have their own hours)
• Nearest transit stop: The Hop Exchange (bus)

Uber Boat: London Bridge City to London Eye Waterloo

Now that you’re nice and plump, it’s time to continue a walking tour…but not right away because I know you’re rolling out of Borough Market like Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Instead, you can walk to the London Bridge City pier to take an Uber boat to our next stop, London Eye Waterloo.

Uber boats by Thames Clippers are a semi-private, semi-public form of transportation. They’re not owned by Transport for London (TfL, the public transit government agency), but they’re regulated by them.

All this to say, Uber boats are a great way to get around the city if you’re traveling up or down river and they’re not too expensive!

For a one way trip in the central zone (where I’m sending you on this itinerary), it costs £13.10 for a ticket purchased at the pier or £9.50 on the Uber or Uber boat apps.

Take the RB1 (purple route) boat to the London Eye Waterloo stop, which is 5 stops away and takes about 30 minutes.

• Address: London Bridge City Pier, London Bridge Walk, London SE1 2QP
• Cost: £13.10
• Hours: 7:20 am – 1 am for RB1 from London Bridge City Pier
• Nearest transit stop: London Bridge Station (bus)

London Eye

Once you get off the boat, you are at the London Eye, aka the iconic ferris wheel of the city.

In my opinion, you don’t need to ride it. Here’s why: you’ll be going to a rooftop garden this evening that will give you equally incredible views AND the garden is free.

The London Eye is far from free. It costs £31+ if you book in advance and can cost up to £42 if you purchase a walk-up ticket. Ticket prices vary by expected crowd levels.

Especially if the weather is poor, you won’t be getting views from here or anywhere else, so just take a look from the outside and keep going.

• Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, London SE1 7PB
• Cost: £42 (£31 if pre-booked)
• Hours: 10 am – 8:30 pm
• Nearest transit stop: Waterloo Station (bus) or London Eye Waterloo (Uber boat)

Big Ben

From here, you can walk easily to Big Ben and the Parliament building to see it from the outside.

You can go inside Big Ben on a 90-minute tour, and just so you know, there are 334 stairs and it costs £35. If you’re interested, you’ll need to plan ahead as tickets sell out minutes of their release each month. They are made available every second Wednesday of the month at 10 am BST (London local time) for tickets two months ahead.

• Address: London SW1A 0AA
• Cost: £35
• Hours: N/A (~6 tours daily Monday through Sunday)
• Nearest transit stop: Westminster Station / Westminster Pier (bus)

Westminster Abbey

Next up is Westminster Abbey! This is the royal church where the royal family gets married, has funerals, and are crowned. It’s been the coronation site since 1066!

To go inside, you’ll need £30 tickets (£27 for students), which you can get ahead of time or at the door. However, it gets pretty crowded and tickets can sell out. As always, I recommend getting them in advance to secure your spot.

Be sure to see the Coronation Chair, which has been used for over 700 years, Poet’s Corner where over 100 poets have been memorialized or buried, and the Royal Tombs.

For my science lovers, Westminster Abbey is where Stephen Hawking is buried, near Sir Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin. How incredible to see such monumental scientists once separated by centuries and now buried right next to each other!

Keep in mind the closing time.

• Address: Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PA
• Cost: £30
• Hours: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm Monday through Friday, 9 am – 3 pm Saturday, closed to public on Sunday
• Nearest transit stop: Parliament Square / Westminster Abbey (bus)

Buckingham Palace

One more stop on the walking portion of this day and that’s Buckingham Palace. It’s a lovely 15-minute walk over ¾ miles and adjacent to St. James’s park, a beautiful public park with a lake.

Buckingham Palace is the place of residence for the British royal family and the administrative building for the monarch. It’s lavish and enormous with 775 rooms, 78 of which are bathrooms (because that’s incredibly important information).

Typically, visitors only view Buckingham Palace from the outside, but during summer, they offer guided tours of the State Rooms and the East Wing of the Palace. Tickets sell out in advance, so plan ahead! They cost £32 for adults.

If you are unable to do a tour, seeing the palace from the outside is still worth it! You can see the King’s Guard who change positions every now and again (different from the official changing of the guard). And, the palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens that you can explore.

Don’t miss the Victoria Memorial, a monument to Queen Victoria, right in the end and center of the mall.

• Address: London SW1A 1AA
• Cost: £32
• Hours: N/A, tours in summer vary by date (July 11 – August 31: 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, September 1 – 29: 9:30 am to 6:30 pm)
• Nearest transit stop: Wilton Street (bus)

Views at a Rooftop Garden

Before dinner, grab a drink and soak in the views at a rooftop garden. It’s actually government recommended for large developments to include them in their building plans, so while you may have heard of the ever popular Sky Garden, there’s actually a ton to choose from! I’ll share two options.

Sky Garden (best on a cold, wet day)

Sky Garden is quite lovely with a multi-level space, multiple bars, and even a restaurant inside. This is the best choice if it’s raining and/or cold because 90% of the space is inside. There is a small balcony that wraps around the building, but you really can enjoy the views from indoors. 

Sky Garden is quite popular and advanced (free) tickets are recommended because space is limited. Therefore, you can expect a crowded (kind of loud) experience on popular days/times. Still, the views are incredible and multi-level space is beautiful!

• Address: 1, Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF
• Cost: free
• Hours: 10 am – 6 pm weekdays, 11 am – 9 pm weekends
• Nearest transit stop: Monument (bus or tube)

Garden at 120 (best for a more serene experience)

Alternatively, I actually preferred the Garden at 120. This one felt more like a traditional garden (not just a greenspace with plants). They had curated topiaries, a fountain, and benches to really make it a serene experience. As an introvert, I found this space to be much more my speed rather than the crowded, party vibe that Sky Garden gave off.

You can just walk into the Garden at 120 and it’s free to visit.

• Address: 120 Fenchurch St, London EC3M 5BA
• Cost: free
• Hours: 10 am – 9 pm weekdays, 10 am – 5 pm weekends, closed Tuesday and Wednesday
• Nearest transit stop: Fenchurch Street Station (bus)

Both gardens are a couple blocks from each other, too, so you can visit both if you like!

Leadenhall Market for Dinner

To round out this itinerary, for dinner head to Leadenhall Market, which was one of several Harry Potter filming locations in London, and now has a ton of fantastic restaurants.

It’s a covered market and is known for its ornate architecture, particularly the ceiling.

Try the Lamb Tavern for a traditional pub experience with a delicious menu of traditional British food like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and Scotch egg. I recommend making a dinner reservation as Leadenhall Market in general gets quite busy after 2-3 pm as it fills up with local City of London business people after their work day.

• Address (Lamb Tavern): 10-12 Leadenhall Market, London EC3V 1LR
• Cost: £25 (dinner), market is free to enter
• Hours (Lamb Tavern): 8 am – 11 pm weekdays, 11 am – 11 pm Saturday, 12 – 5 pm Sunday
• Nearest transit stop: Fenchurch Street (bus) or St Mary Axe (bus)

Caveats and Other Ideas

Sub in the British Museum

One big attraction I left off this itinerary is the British Museum. I actually LOVE the collections found within the British Museum, although Britain’s history as a colonizer is undoubtedly how they “acquired” (read: stole) many of these pieces.

If you’re uninterested in the monarchy, this could be a good thing to substitute for a visit to Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

It’s also a good pick to sub in for any of the activities that fall out of your budget, because the British Museum is free!

Advanced tickets are recommended, but not necessary.

• Address: Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG
• Cost: free
• Hours: 8 am – 5 pm daily except 8 am – 8:30 pm Fridays
• Nearest transit stop: British Museum (bus)

Prioritize changing of the guard

If you happen to be visiting on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday, you can rearrange this itinerary to see the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace, which happens at 10:45 am. 

This is a ceremony that includes a march by the King’s Guard, music, and an official handover.

I recommend arriving at 10:15 am to explore the palace from the exterior and claim your spot to watch.

From there, do this itinerary in reverse ending at the Tower of London or a rooftop garden of choice, if you have time. You can still have dinner at Leadenhall Market since this itinerary was almost a loop anyway!

Alternative dinner and evening entertainment

One activity we did that I have to recommend to you, if you’re interested, was an Indian food tour. There is a substantial Indian population in London (at 7.5%, actually!), so if you can take a guided food tour, I highly recommend it.

This tour gives you an insight into what life is like now and what it was like historically for the Indian population in London. You’ll quickly learn how vibrant this culture is by learning about and tasting their food!

Indian food is actually my favorite kind of cuisine so this tour was my favorite! Not only was the food stellar, but our guide was so knowledgeable and the people we met were so wonderfully nice. We toured a kitchen, saw naan being made, and got to test our skills at naming spices based on the fragrance. So fun!

Pay attention to closing days/hours

Just a note that some things close earlier than you might expect and on days you might not expect. For example, Westminster Abbey closes to visitors around 3 or 3:30 pm depending on the day, so you’ll need to watch your timing as you plan a visit in the afternoon.

Feel free to head straight there after your Uber boat and double back to see Big Ben when you’re not in a rush.

Similarly, Sky Garden feels very much like a chill nightlife spot to grab drinks, but they close at 6 pm on some days. So, pay attention to the hours I’ve shared here.

Example Timing

• 8:15 am – Breakfast at WatchHouse
• 9:00 am – Tower of London
• 11:30 am – Tower Bridge and Self-Guided Walking Tour along The Queen’s Walk
• 12:00 pm – Lunch at Borough Market
• 1:00 pm – Uber boat to London Eye
• 1:30 pm – London Eye and Big Ben
• 2:30 pm – Westminster Abbey
• 4:00 pm – Buckingham Palace
• 5:00 pm – Sky Garden (closes at 6 pm weekdays)
• 6:30 pm – Dinner at Lamb Tavern

How much this 1 day London itinerary costs

This cost estimate does not include accommodation and only factors in two attractions — Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Should you add on any of the additional tours or admissions, such as HMS Belfast or the Indian food tour, it will cost more.

How to get around London

Public transit is extensive in London. While you may be familiar with the Underground/tube system (the subway), I find the buses to be even better. They cover so much more ground and are more comfortable. Some even have charging ports so you can charge your phone on the go!

@periodicadventures

Imo buses >>> tube 🫡 #londontips #tiktoklondon #londontravel #londontraveltips #londonunderground #traveltips #visitlondon

♬ Summer Time – Syafeea library

Where to stay in London

We loved the Hampton Inn Old Street London! It was around $150 per night and was super close to a bus stop so we could get around easily. Plus, breakfast was included.

My Travel Essentials

• Travel Insurance – Going on an international trip? Don’t forget travel and medical insurance with SafetyWing.
• Travel Card – If you’re new to travel hacking, fear not! My favorite card for beginners gives you $750 in rewards when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, plus lounge access, 10x points on hotel bookings, and free TSA pre-check!
• Get Your Guide – Check out Get Your Guide for a one-stop-shop for booking travel activities.
• Booking.com – This is my favorite hotel search aggregator, specifically for reading reviews. On Booking.com, the reviews can be searched for keywords like WiFi, breakfast, pool, amenities, etc.! So helpful!
• Anti-pickpocket bag – Worried about having your valuables swiped? PacSafe makes the best travel bags with zippers and straps that lock and with mesh steel enforced fabric.
• Give the Gift of Travel – This is the perfect gift for travelers in your life! Tinggly allows you to gift experiences around the world, perfect for birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries.
• Staycation Idea – Check out Resort Pass, which gives you day passes to resorts so you can use their pool, spa, and fitness center, a great staycation idea!

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