This is the perfect 3 day London itinerary to make sure you see as much as possible and optimize your time. It’s a great guide for first-time visitors, and would even be suited for solo travellers – I see so many people going it alone and not letting anything stop them travelling to beautiful cities! This itinerary is perfect for anyone visiting London for the first time, who likes a bit of culture and enjoying the main attractions, but also value a sturdy plan. In London, the more planning and time management, the more you will get out of your trip, so here is the ideal 3 day weekend itinerary. my first recommendation is to visit in the late Spring or Summer months so you can carry less luggage and get the most out of the daylight, and also choosing a hotel within a 5 minute walk of a tube station to save yourself walking to excess is a very good idea.
Day 1: Morning/Midday Arrival
Let’s assume you arrive in London late morning, and if you have booked a hotel, most likely they will let you leave your luggage if check-in is 2pm/3pm. This is the only reason I don’t suggest Air BnB’s in cities, since it means wasting time waiting to check-in, or lugging around suitcases and excess coats.
I would take this first day to do things that don’t require too much planning, like shopping and street level sight seeing to get your perfect London themed photos. Get straight out, to your nearest tube station and consider how you want to travel around. For a short term stay, I would not bother getting an oyster card and just use contactless payments on the barriers each time, its very affordable in central London and truly the best public transportation system in the world. Get the tube to Embankment train station, and walk along the River Thames to see the attractions that mean the most to you, like Big Ben, Westminster Palace & Westminster Abbey, The Old War Offices etc. All of this is accessible to you on foot, and with the time constraints you have, realistically going inside all of these places is not going to happen. But you have plenty of time to take the views in and get your perfect photographs, and walking around is the best way to see the city at its best. If going on The London Eye is your dream – do it now, and try very hard to book to avoid queues!
After you’ve finished your walking tour of the top attractions, it may be an idea to head to the shopping district now, such as Oxford Street & Soho, walking via Trafalgar Square. The flagship stores are along both Oxford Street and Regent Street, but definitely try to plan in advance which stores mean the most to you to optimize your time, and pop-up stores can appear quite frequently so do some research!
Lunch at Club Mexicana is a must! It’s located in Kingly Court, Soho – a little food district building with lots of little restaurants. They have delicious frozen cocktails here, a long with the most loaded nachos I have ever had – and they are AMAZING! But Kingly Court has lots of little places you can choose from, and a lovely indoor/outdoor style eating area.
After a meal, get back to your hotel and decompress for an hour or so, before getting ready to head back out again. I always like to plan all my restaurant bookings well in advance, as everything in London is so so booked, even little places. Soho has tons of restaurants, so is the safest bet if you are looking for a lively area. Some chains you’ll find in London are Dishoom (modern Indian style food) or The Ivy (British style cuisine), both are really nice and have a lovely interior vibe – but may have long lines! A couple of evening restaurants I’ve been to lately in other areas of London are Jam Delish (Carribean based in Islington), or Sushi Cafe (based in Battersea), but always check out reviews and prices in advance. I find using the Happy Cow app provides me with the best data for choosing food.
My top recommendation for anyone wanting to get close to a tourist attraction – is to get the tube to St Paul’s or Mansion Gate, and go to Madison Rooftop bar! You have one of the best views of St Paul’s Cathedral, which make very impressive photographs as you can see below. However, the viewing platform is closed until September 2024 – so check their Instagram! The inside of the restaurant/bar is very moody and romantic – the food isn’t the reason you would go, however it might be a convenient way to move around less and keep off the tube if that’s your preference. The prices are pretty reasonable too for central London, there is no entry fee and although its well-known, it isn’t too full. I’ve been three times and always had plenty of space to take photos and have a nice cocktail – it’s truly one of the best things you can do in the city. The entrance is inside the shopping mall FYI, up the escalators, it always has a bouncer waiting at the door!
Day 2: Your only full day in London!
Maybe you had a late night, but when in London for such a short time, you need to power through and get up as early as possible! I’ll write activities for the day with an approximate time-frame to help you forecast your day.
8:00am – 9:00am: If you want to keep things cheaper and faster – eat breakfast in your hotel to save an hour. But if you know you can be an early riser, go get a pretty breakfast at a nice little café and have an hour to prepare for the day. Some of the top rated cafe’s in the city are Linnaean, The English Rose & Mildred’s
9:00am – 10:00am: First on the agenda – Buckingham Palace! If you take the tube to Green Park, you can take a quick look at The Ritz before walking through the park, or alternatively to St James’s Park and walk some city streets. The changing of the guard occurs at 10:45am so if you are desperate to see this, then push this a little later – but it is not everyday so make sure to check for accurate timings. They do this more often in the summer months. The earlier you get to The Palace, the better the photo opportunities you will have.
10:00am – 10:20am: Now you have a 20 minute walk back through Green Park to The National Gallery. Trust me – it’s much less hassle to just walk this than get on the tube for such a short journey – plus its a lovely green park!
10:20am – 11:00am: The gallery is free to enter, however you can book a free ticket so that you get guaranteed entry for the timeslot you want, especially if this is a Saturday! We would all love to spend hours in museums, but we have plenty to do, so I would limit this to 40 minutes!
11:00am – 11:20am: Travel to The British Museum. Now again, this is another 20 minute walk through the theatre district and Leicester Square, but if you really don’t want to be surrounded in a busy place, get on the tube at Charing Cross station and get on the Northern Line (Northbound) and get off at Tottenham Court Road. You could save about 10 minutes if the train arrives at a decent time. FYI – the tubes in central London can be very busy and VERY hot!!
11:20am – 12:30pm: The British Museum is probably the most favoured museum in London, despite the many exhibits and tour options, a good hour of looking around and getting your content, is likely all you will have capacity for! if this museum really doesn’t appeal, then change it up and head to my third favourite – The Natural History Museum (tube stop is South Kensington). It’s super interactive and has beautiful displays that make for lovely photos – perfect for kids too and free entry!
12:30pm – 1:00pm: travel to London Bridge area so you can have a lovely lunch at Borough Market! When you come out of The British Museum, get on the tube at Tottenham Court Road (Northern Line – Southbound) then switch lines at Waterloo to get on the Jubilee line (Eastbound) and get off at London Bridge. Don’t be intimidated by the underground – download an app to guide you if you feel uncertain.
1:00pm – 1:45pm: It’s then literally 2 minutes to walk to Borough Market, where you will see the most amazing selection of foods ever!! Some of the most popular food stalls are Humble Crumble, Pieminster & Bao Borough – but check out their website and Instagram to plan in advance what you want to try. If you don’t fancy sitting outside and eating then there are lots of lovely restaurants in Borough as well, Mallow is my particular favourite! Equally, if you aren’t too hungry yet, you can try a few small bites and try a little bit of everything.
1:45pm – 2:10pm: Walk from Borough across London Bridge towards The Tower of London. This is going to be a top photo spot for you with the famous London Bridge view! As you walk towards The Tower, there is a very cute little find called St Dunstan in East Church Garden – which has a gorgeous old ivy covered church. Just an idea for a hidden gem. The Tower is another place you want to book tickets for realistically, and it is recommended that you spend a minimum of 2 hours here, especially if you want a look at The Crown Jewels. I find if you are just looking to see as much as possible, it can be done in 1 hour 30 if you skip the guided tour, but it depends on you!
4:00pm – 4:30pm: Time to get back to your hotel and get organised for your evening out. If you are keen to get a famous photo on Tower Bridge, this is your chance on the way home! You should have a good hour and a half period to relax, shower, change outfit and charge your phone.
5:45pm – 7:00pm: Dinner in Covent Garden is essential before you see a show on The West End! The shows tend to start at 7/7:30pm, you need to be eating no later than 6pm to make sure you are seated and comfortable on time. Covent Garden on a weekend is incredibly busy and disorientating! So definitely book your dinner in accordance to your show – its the most important thing you will do. It’s very common to get turned away from restaurants that are completely full so don’t get stuck in that trap! Some of the best places to eat in Covent Garden, are Sagar Vegan & Vegetarian, Circolo Popolare & Sushi Samba (pricey!).
7:00pm – 10:00pm: Have a good look online when picking a show, there are so many good ones to choose from! I have seen Matilda and Mamma Mia recently and both were so great. Have a good look online before booking. After a busy day something light-hearted and fun is always the answer. If after the show you get a second wind and feel you can stay out a little longer, in Covent Garden there are loads of buzzing pubs and bars, and you aren’t far from soho where there are loads more!
Day 3: Final Day/Afternoon Leaving
It’s your final morning in London! And by this time I bet you feel like you’ve seen and done it all, which is why your last half day can be spent doing some chilled out, low-key activities to round off a wonderful trip. The best thing about staying in chain hotels, is the fact you can store your luggage and come back for it later yet still check-out and be free of any admin! Let’s head to the famous Notting Hill for a lovely aesthetic breakfast and walk around one of the most popular areas of the city.
9:00am – 10:00am: Get the tube to Notting Hill Gate, or if you are really exhausted and don’t have much time, just get an Uber. I found the roads in Central London are really empty on Sunday mornings, and if it’s not too expensive for you then save yourself some energy and take in the views from the car window. Notting Hill is a great place and has some of the most beautiful cafe’s, I’m sure you’ve seen on Instagram. Here are some of the most popular, Farm Girl, Sunday in Brooklyn, Hummingbird Bakery – perfect for photos!
10:00am – 11:00am: Visit Portobello Road market to buy some keepsakes and gifts, there are all sorts of wares for sale here, and for any fans it does remind me of the film Notting Hill. Just a short walk down this busy street will take you to one of the most famous Instagram spots in Notting Hill – Lancaster Road. A street of beautiful coloured houses that is the backdrop of dreams.
11:00am – 12:00pm: Now your last hour in London should be spent in the most typical British fashion, which is having a pint in the pub – a classic Sunday activity. A walk back down Portobello Road will take you to The Churchill Arms, a very old historic tourist attraction with a typical, quintessential English vibe. After a quick one, you will be in view of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. For any Bridgerton fans – this is the perfect place in London for you to visit. You will see the grand Kensington Palace, and walk along The Serpentine, which commonly shows up in period dramas about The Aristocracy, and definitely one of my favorite places! If you are lucky, it will be a perfect summery day for you, and to finish off your trip in a bit of beautiful nature will make your trip complete.
12:00 pm – 1:00pm: Time to collect your luggage and travel home! If you are travelling via train, then I advise you book a journey after 2pm to optimize your final day. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and have a great time on your 3 day trip!
