- What To Pack For A Trip To London
- A Luxury Stay At Shangri-La At The Shard London
- 10 Things To Do On A London Weekend
- Top Tips For Doing London On A Budget
- 5 Places With The Best Views In London
- The Best Hostels In London
CONTENTS
- 1 One Day London Itinerary At A Glance
- 2 A 1 day London Sightseeing Itinerary | How to Tour London In One Day
- 2.1 Walking Tour Map For London
- 2.2 9 am | Start The Day With A Hearty Breakfast In Covent Garden.
- 2.3 What To Bring
- 2.4 11 am | Walk The Mall To Buckingham Palace
- 2.5 1 pm Walk Along Westminister Bridge To Get A Close Up Of London Eye
- 2.6 2.30 pm Walk Across Millennium Bridge To Explore St Paul’s Cathedral
- 2.7 4 pm Check Out London’s Famous City Market – Borough Market
- 2.8 5 pm Walk Across Tower Bridge To See Tower Of London
- 2.9 7 pm Chill and Relax With A Cocktail – After Exploring London’s Main Sights –
- 3 Best Time To Visit London
- 4 Getting Around London
- 5 Staying Beyond One 1 Day In London? – Where To Stay In London
One Day London Itinerary At A Glance
- Breakfast In Covent Garden
- Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace
- Big Ben and the London Eye
- Southbank Market and Skate Park
- Tate Modern and Switch House
- St Pauls Cathedral
- Borough Market
- Tower Bridge and London Bridge
- Take in views from the Shard and grab a cocktail.
A 1 day London Sightseeing Itinerary | How to Tour London In One Day
Below you also have a map to help you navigate the city place you must see in London in 1 day. You can also click on with previews of what you will see and do along this guide. Also, look out for a guide to shopping in London as well as all the best markets you need to check out when you visit London as well as where to stay when you visit London.
I will be covering all budgets for that so make sure you Subscribe so your don’t posts when they publish. For those that may have more time or prefer a guided tour of London then check out Viator Toursand Get You Guide for not only one day London itinerary style tours but ones that also include day trips out of London.
Tours help maximise your time especially if you want to tips on how to see London in one day. They take you through all the highlights and if you have a second day to play with you can revisit some spots and spend more time in places you liked the best.
Walking Tour Map For London
9 am | Start The Day With A Hearty Breakfast In Covent Garden.
What To Bring
11 am | Walk The Mall To Buckingham Palace
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Trafalgar Squarehas many historical features. From statues and fountains all dating back to the 1800s. Also, a great place for people watching.
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Buckingham Palace is the London residence and HQ of the reigning monarch of the UK. Also, a great place for a selfie as the backdrops are just a treat for the eyes.
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Big Ben – The Palace of Westminister. Big Ben is used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell, but Big Ben is in fact the Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is the name of the Great Bell.
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1 pm Walk Along Westminister Bridge To Get A Close Up Of London Eye
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London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on Southbank. It’s also known as the Millennium Wheel. It’s the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel with 360 degrees of London views. They do 2FOR1 tickets on certain days.
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Southbank Skate Park is the unofficial skateboarding venue dating back to the 70’s. A great spot to stop for a few minutes and watch the skaters as they fought a hard fight to keep this place when the government tried to tear it apart and put shops up.
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Tate Modern is a modern art gallery. It’s also Britain’s national gallery for international modern art. Entrance is free. There are cafes and beautiful art inside, not to mention a great view of St Pauls Cathedral from the second-floor cafe.
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2.30 pm Walk Across Millennium Bridge To Explore St Paul’s Cathedral
Millennium Bridge is a suspension bridge for pedestrianc crossing over the River Thames. It links Bankside with the City of London. It also links St Pauls Cathedral on the Northbank with Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe.
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St Paul’s Cathedral is London’s most famous sight. It has dominated the city’s skyline for over 300 years. At 365 feet high it was also the tallest building in London between 1710 and 1962. Its also the second largest church building in the UK after Liverpool Cathedral.
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Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is a theatre associated with William Shakespeare. The originally theatre built by Shakespeare’s playing company was destroyed by a fire and was then rebuilt and closed in 1613 and 1642. A modern reconstruction of the site was opened on the original site of the theatre and now named Shakespeare’s Globe.
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4 pm Check Out London’s Famous City Market – Borough Market
Borough Market is London’s oldest food market and is breeming with mouth-watering range of foods. From Italian cheeses, Spanish foods, Indian and good old British fish and chips. It’s always lively and come evening you have city slickers talking business over glasses of wine in and around the bars and pubs that circle the market.
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Tower Bridge is a combination of bascule and suspension bridge built between 1886 and 1894. One of London’s most iconic Bridges and no visit to the city is complete without a stop to see this bridge. If you are in Luck you may also see it open for boats to pass through. If you have more time you can also check out the new attraction.
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Tower of London is a historic castle located on the Northbank of the Thames. Build by William the Conquerer. It was then used as a prison between 1100 and 1952. A stop here will have you discover the importance of the crown jewels to the monachy and the role Tower of London plays in protecting crown treasures.
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5 pm Walk Across Tower Bridge To See Tower Of London
7 pm Chill and Relax With A Cocktail – After Exploring London’s Main Sights –
Best Time To Visit London
Getting Around London
How To Get To London From The Airport
The city is easily accessible from the airports. You can get to central London from Heathrow within 1 hour by underground and much less via the Heathrow Express. Gatwick also has express trains from Victoria and Thameslink line. I have a detailed post on how to get from the airports to central London.
Staying Beyond One 1 Day In London? – Where To Stay In London


London looks so beautiful! I've never been but it's definitely on my list. Right now, I'm still exploring my home continent, particularly the Caribbean so I'll make it over to London soon enough.. perhaps in a year or so.
We'll be off to London in a few weeks to visit our son there, so I'll definietly put some of these on the to do list.
Awesome! Enjoy the trip and let me know if you have any questions 😀
London is amazing! There is always something new to see and enjoy. It is my all time favorite city!
Check http://www.thekenyanwanderer.com/ for more amazing travel stories
This is such a great guide!
Are you being serious? Visiting must-see sights in London in one day? Woah. Not to mention no transportation! Good thing you pointed out the ‘heels in bag’ because my Instagram page must be filled with full-length shots of how I saw London in a day. Lol.
Haha, always glad to inspire. Enjoy your London visit.
One of my favorite cities in the world. I could honestly spend a solid month without ever getting bored and not finding different things to do. Saying this, if I only has one day I really do like your ideas of hitting the main unmissable parts of London carefully laid out in your map.
Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Your one day London itinerary is making me want to book a trip to London now! Carry on the excellent work!
Haha…work hard and book that London trip pronto! 😀
I really like your blog. This is one of the best one day London itinerary I have come across. I am visiting London in February and have been trying to figure out the best way to spend time in London when you only have one day. THis is a perfect itinerary for London for sure. Thanks so much for putting in the effort.
Thanks Linda. I hope you enjoy your trip to London. Safe travels.
I have a 24-hour layover in London. It looks like I may have just stumbled on the perfect itinerary for my visit in London. I already feel as if I know the city! Thanks for this.
I am really loving your website. I am visiting London with my mum and my sister and have been put in charge of putting together a 1 day London sightseeing itinerary before we fly out to Edinburgh. This is one of the best 1 day London intinerary. I think they will definitely be impressed. Thanks to you!
That’s awesome. I am certainly glad you found what you were looking for. Have a great time in London with your family.
My goodness, you have such amazing content on your blog. I wish we had more black travel bloggers showcased. So glad I came across your blog. I have been to London before but now looking for a 1 day in London itinerary as I have one day to explore after some business meetings in the city. Great blog.
This is by far the best 1 day London itinerary I have seen. I am arriving in London in May and starting maybe a little too early for things to do in London but will be saving this to my mobile to have to hand and I will not have mobile data while in London. Thanks so much for your write up.
Always glad to help. Have a great time in London.
I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be exactly I’m looking for. I am visiting London in March and have been after interesting things to do in one day in London. This is such a cool list. I am loving all your content! Thanks for planning my trip 😛
Haha, you are most welcome! Have fun.
I have a very strict schedule at my new job so i have to scale down my travelling. I’m going to focus on city breaks but I have to be super organized to make the most of my time there. I’ve never been to London so this is spot-on for me, Bianca, thanks! I have been trying to figure out how to see London in a day. Saving this post for my trip.
That great Alex. I am so glad you found with what you were looking for. You will definitely have to come back and visit London for more than a day. There is so much more to see and do.
My friend and I are visiting London from Paris for a day trip and have been looking for the best way to see London in a day. I love that you have a London in a day map as well with your one day itinerary. This is such a perfect London day trip itinerary. Will share with my friend to see how she feels about following this itinerary when we visit London.
Awesome. I am sure you will have an amazing time in London.
This is so cool. I am in London on a layover and have been trying to search for tips on how to see London in a day. This is so cool. I love all your tips and the fact that I can walk every where too. Saving this as an offline guide for London. Thank you so much.
That’s great! Have a great time in London.
I am loving your London itinerary! Looks like you have included all the best things to see in London in 1 day. I am going to be back in London for a trip the second time around and this looks like a great way to do central London in one day.
This itinerary looks like the makings of a perfect London day trip. I am visiting from Oxford. Will be saving this to my mobile.
This is such a cool guide. One of the best way to see London in a day from all the London itineraries I have read so far.