Let me start out by saying there are many many blogs out there that can give you London itineraries for anywhere from one day to two weeks, and when I was reading some of those, I felt that the three day itineraries were just out of control with running around. I’m going to outline what we saw and did in the three days we had in London, without feeling like we were overwhelmed, but being able to see some of the main landmarks.
I’ll also mention you could definitely spend more than three days in London because there are so many museums but Kevin and I didn’t end up visiting any of the museums just because of time restraint. Also depending upon where you stay (as London is large) you may be able to walk to landmarks or simply hop on the tube).
Day One
Buckingham Palace – was our first stop of the day to see the changing of the guard. You might read that it’s best to get there 15 to 30 minutes ahead of time to get a good spot, but I will let you know that we got there 45 minutes ahead of time and we were nowhere near the gate. This means that you’ll be able to see the guards marching with the band playing and for us, you could see through the gates from a distance, but if you truly want to be up against the gate looking in, I would get there at least an hour before hand. And may I remind you, we visited in September which is not even peak season.
Afternoon Tea – many hotels and restaurants offer some sort of packaged afternoon tea. That includes… you guessed it, tea and an alcohol beverage and of course little finger snacks. We went to a Queen Charlotte themed tea at the Lanesborough hotel, as it was recommended by our friend. This was definitely on the high end of afternoon teas but we had a great time. I don’t necessarily recommend that you go all out on this particular tea unless it is in the budget, but I do recommend experiencing an afternoon tea.
Hyde Park and St. James Park – the afternoon tea was located past Buckingham Palace so once we finished we decided to continue to walk towards Hyde Park as I wanted to see the sunken garden with a statue dedicated to Princess Diana as well as Kensington Palace. The park is lovely for a relaxing stroll. We also walked through st James park on the way back towards our hotel.
Dinner and Musical – I know not everyone enjoys musicals and the theater but if this is something that peaks your interest, London is the perfect place to see a show! Unlike NYC Broadway where they charge and arm and a leg for a ticket plus an obscene amount in fees…London theater tickets are price regulated and therefore super super reasonable! I sat in the third row of phantom of the opera and paid what would have been comparable to the last row in New York! We also picked Phantom of the Opera because it is no longer playing in NYC so perfect timing!
Day Two
Big Ben and Parliament – Take in the magnificent views of Parliament and Big Ben. Big Ben is actually the bell inside the clock tower and the entire building itself is Parliament. We walked around, taking photos from all sides, on the bridge and across the bridge next to the Thames River (cross the bridge and go down the side stairs). After taking in the beauty we had booked a Parliament tour so we could go inside. I recommend booking ahead of time with two options available, a guided tour or an audio guide tour (we did audio guide and it was surprisingly good! They can be hit or miss).
Westminster Abbey – every article and blog will tell you this is the one thing you should book tickets and make a point to see. We booked tickets in advance as they do sell out. I was most intrigued to visit because I knew the Royal weddings had taken place here. It is definitely one of the most impressive and elaborate churches we have visited. I agree it’s a must see but will note it is the busiest attraction we have ever visited so be prepared that the time slot you select might be very crammed and chaotic.
From here we hopped on the tube to save time walking to explore some of the further landmarks from where we were staying.
Tower of London – we personally didn’t plan accordingly to have tickets to visit here but the Tower of London is home to the famous Crown Jewels. I’ve been told to visit first thing and start with the Crown Jewels as it can get quite crowded.
Tower Bridge – not to be confused with London bridge from the nursery rhyme (which are adjacent to one another). Tower bridge is the more impressive visual of the two and should be visited by walking across as well as from a distance. This is a draw bridge so if you’re lucky you’ll see it open for passing boats. From here walk down to see London bridge which contrary to the nursery rhyme has never fallen down.
St. Paul’s Cathedral – a beautiful cathedral worth visiting or at least poking your head into if it’s not really your thing. For those who follow or have interest in the royal family, King Charles and Princess Diana were married here.
Note: we grabbed lunch after hopping on the tube at a food truck between tower bridge and London bridge as there were many options. However, a good alternative would be to take the tube directly to borough market, which is a large indoor food market that we were told was really great and then head over to both tower bridge and London bridge from there.
Day Three
The London Eye – for those of you not familiar, the London Eye is an enclosed Ferris wheel that sits on the Thames river overlooking Parliament and Big Ben. From my research, I read it was best to go first thing in the morning or closer to sunset, however, for the time of year, the London eye closed before sunset so we thought it was best to visit first thing. I booked the standard ticket without the skip the line feature, but booked it for 10 AM. There was barely any wait at this time and it was nice because each individual observation bubble appeared to only have about 10 people. I laugh because half of the people in ours were afraid of heights, so they weren’t even standing to look out, which made it even better for Kevin and I to take in the views.
Piccadilly Circus – is Londons comparison to NYC’s “Time Square.” We walked through here while making our way to Oxford Street.
Oxford Street – if you’re looking to shop this is your street. I wanted to visit it because I heard about half a million people visit a day and let’s just say I could feel that in the crowds.
Grab a drink at a local pub! We stopped at the red lion as it was close to our hotel and is famous for the prime ministers stopping to grab a pint!
I think this was a great start to seeing major highlights in three days, London is a city you can visit time and time again and keep discovering new things.
