London is my favorite city in the world, because of its european aesthetic, massive size, and endless list of things to do and see. You could spend a couple days, or even a couple weeks in London, and still have an amazing time. In this guide I am going to give you a sample 3 day itinerary, with my tips and experiences to help you get inspired to visit London yourself!
In order to get the most out of your trip to london, I highly suggest you:
Wake up early: Try to be up by 8am (I know, fighting the jet lag is hard) and out in the city by 9am. This way you can beat some tourist crowds, and have as many hours in the day to explore as possible, giving you more time to relax and spend enjoying your favourite spots.
Visit sites that are close together: The great thing about London is that the main sights are all within walking distance from each other; this makes it super doable to see everything in a couple days!
Get tickets in advance: Though most galleries and museums are free in London, there are a few attractions such as the sky garden or the London eye that you will need tickets in advance, to avoid being stuck in a queue for hours on end. You can often get quite a discount by booking in advance as well.
Day 1: Welcome To London!
Welcome to London! I’m sure you’re flight got in super early today, and you may be extremely jet lagged. No rush to see everything at once, you have plenty of time! Today we are going to have a more relaxed day, but still see lots of London culture that will make you feel immersed in the british lifestyle.
For your first day here, I would recommend you catch a tube to the north west side of the city, and wonder around the cute London style streets. I would recommend starting Aty notting hill and stopping at the closest Costa or Nero cafe to grab of coffee, then continuing your stroll along to notting hill. You will then be really close to Hyde park, whgihc is a must see as well; it is massive and has lots of pretty gardens and rivers throughout.
In the afternoon, you should head east to camden town, which is only a few tube stops away. Camden market is always a fun place to explore as they have a big area with food trucks and street food that change every day. There are also loads of cute shops to checkout, each selling very unique items. Afterward, you could head to little venice which is a series of canals with boats all along.
In the later afternoon, you could go out to get a british afternoon tea; it is the most classic british experience and will give you more time to relax and get ready for the next couple of days you have in London. I would also recommend having an early night, as you have lots to explore tomorrow and will need all the energy you can have!
Day 2: exploring the landmarks
Today is the most exciting day, as you will get to see the famous landmarks that likely brought you to London in the first place! You should start by taking the tube to St. James’s Park station; from there it is a 10 minute walk to buckingham palace. You could go inside an dhave a tour, or you could just admire it’s beauty from the outside. From here I recommend walking through St James’s park, it is really pretty and has a pretty view of the London eye over a river.
After walking through St. James’s Park, you will end up on a road where you can see Big Ben in the distance; form here walk toward Big Ben and you will find yourself in parliament square. You can take a look at Westminster Abbey, and the beauty of the parliament buildings. If you walk to the other side of Big Ben, you will get an amazing view of the parliament buildings and will also see the London Eye up close!
You can now take a ride on the London Eye if you want a bird’s eye view of the city, or you can continue to walk past it and along the Thames river. If you walk for about 40 minutes along the river heading west, you will arrive at Tower Bridge. You absolutely cannot miss it, and it is the most Iconic Bridge in London by far. You can also go inside it for a tour, and walk along the glass floor at the top if you’d like.
In the evening I would highly recommend you visit the sky garden at sunset. You can get tickets in advance (and they’re free!). It has a bar and restaurant at the top, but gives the most amazing view of the city. I personally think it is better than going up the shard, as you can get a view of the shard from up top as well.
Since this is your last night in the city, I would also suggest going out to a nice restaurant and then getting drinks later, London has so many cocktails bars and they are all so cute and fun!
Day 3: Goodbye London
As you have pretty much covered the main parts of the city by now, today is a great day to see the last few iconic areas of London. You should start your day by taking the tube to Oxford station, and having a stroll along Oxford street; it is really pretty and has lots of shops to check out.
You should then take a tube to Picadilly circus, and check out that area as well; it is essentially the “Times Square” of London. Not far away you can walk to Trafalgar square, and take a quick trip to the Art Gallery in the square.
I hope you had the best time In London, and that this tripe gave you the fulfillment of the London lifestyle you’ve been craving! With this guide, you will have seen the best parts of the city, and really have gotten the chance to immerse yourself in the British culture for a couple of days. Hopefully you can return again one day, and explore the rest of this amazing city. Don’t forget to also check out my instagram for loads of London Picture inspiration as well!
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