Day One
Walk across Westminster Bridge for a beautiful view of the River Thames and Houses of Parliament. While you’re in Westminster tube station, grab a sausage roll from Gregg’s. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Walk back across the Bridge, then tour Westminster Abbey. It does require a booking and a specific time slot, but it’s worth it to learn about rich British history. So many monarchs and influential Englishmen are buried inside the abbey. You can opt for a guided tour or simply walk through by yourself.
Walk along Parliament Street/Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. The people watching is great there, and you can always grab a sandwich from Pret A Manger close by and sit on the steps.
Tour the National Portrait Gallery and see works by Monet, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. It’s in Trafalgar Square, so no extra walking required!
Walk down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. It’s an iconic walk down a famous street that has held many a royal procession. It’s truly breathtaking when all the British flags are hung down The Mall!
Walk through St. James’ Park. St. James’ Café is right in the middle if you need a little break! I love this park – central to everything – because it has lots of wildlife, beautiful landscaping, little peaks of the London Eye and Buckingham Palace as you walk and great people watching.
Eat at The Admirality in Trafalgar or The Lamb and Flag in Covent Garden. A pub dinner (specifically yorkshire pudding, a Sunday roast, meat pies or bangers and mash) is a must when you go to Europe!
Go on the London Eye at sunset. It closes at 8pm during the spring and summer! Buying a ticket beforehand
Day Two
Grab a few pastries at Gail’s for breakfast. It’s a no-brainer!
Walk through Leicester Square and Piccadily Circus. Pop into stores; wander around the actual Leicester Square with a fountain and statues to famous movie characters; maybe walk up to the ticket booth stand and see if any West End show tickets are on sale!
Walk down Regent Street for the best shopping. Make it allll the way down Regent Street to Regent Park! (OR tube from Oxford Circus to Regents Park if you want to save on some steps). Wander through Regent Park and its gardens for hours if you choose, grabbing a coffee here and there, sitting on benches, laying in the grass and spending time gawking at the garden landscaping.
Keep walking through Leicester Square to Covent Garden for the afternoon. Grab lunch from a food stall, wander through the souvenir markets, walk all throughout Seven Dials and its off-shoot streets. You could spend hours here, exploring, dipping into quaint stores and chatting with locals.
If you have some time, stroll around Kensington Gardens before the sun sets, walk past the Albert Memorial and finish with a pub dinner in Kensington. You might even stumble into a pub on the night of a soccer championship!
Day Three
Have a slow breakfast (eat a full English breakfast if you haven’t yet!), then wander around Borough Market all morning, trying foods from other countries. Every stall has a huge variety of food and the smells are to die for! If you have time, pop into Southwark Cathedral for a few minutes too. It’s just next door!
Walk all the way across Tower Bridge, taking in the beautiful views of the city, and arrive at the Tower of London for a tour of medieval history. Give yourself a good 2-3 hours to tour it, and feel free to take a break in their café while you’re there.
Tube from Tower Hill to Mansion House
Participate in an evensong at the illustrious St. Paul’s Cathedral. It’s a free service at 5pm, but you have to pay if you want to take a tour. This is one of my all-time favourite things to do in London. The architecture is unbelievable, there is so much history to this immaculate cathedral and it looms so large over the city; it’s quite breathtaking.
Grab dinner at a pub nearby, or try out Nando’s, Franco Manca or even Pizza Express for a quick dinner!
Catch a show on the West End. Some of my favourites are Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Wicked and Matilda.
If this is your last day in London, make it count!
