Ultimate 3 Day London Itinerary: Best things to Do and See

3 days in London is a great way to dip your toes into this vibrant city, where you can visit the highlights and see the best parts of this city.

London is jam packed with things to do, and as the saying goes, if you’re tired of London you’re tired of Life and with so many great things to do it can be hard to decide what to do!

My 3 days in London itinerary can help with that! I have also included multiple options for each day if there is something that you would prefer to see or do instead.

I have also kept 2 of the 3 days in similar areas of London so that you can maximise your 3 days in London. In London for longer? Check out my 7 days in London Itinerary.

Day 1  Westminster and Soho

Start your first day in London with a free walking tour. Walking tours are a great way to see a new city, get your bearings and ask a local some questions, but also very useful when you’re short on time! You can see A LOT in a very short time.

I recommend the Strawberry Tours free walking tours, they have many different ones with different areas of the city or themes. I suggest starting with a Essential London  Westminster tour that runs daily.

After the walking tour head over to the Churchill war rooms, a fantastic museum showing the place where UK Prime Minister Churchill coordinated with the allies and ran the government during world war II. I highly recommend getting the audio guide too!

After,  head to Westminster Abbey and once you have finished,  you can start heading up down Whitehall road where there are also plenty of Red phone boxes which is a perfect spot for your photo op’s!

Head up Whitehall road to Covent Garden and Seven dials.

Full of alleys and hidden court yards Covent Garden is a great place to wander around and get lost in for a while- you never know what you will find! From specialty Tea shops, Fromagerie’s, stationery stores and boutique clothing, there is so much to explore here Some not to miss places include:

💂‍♀️ Neals yard, just off seven Dials-  small courtyard with colourful buildings and artisanal shops and cafes. If your a cheese lover make sure you stop by Neals yard Dairy for some cheese!

💂‍♀️ Cecil court- full of old bookshops

💂‍♀️ Goodwin’s court- Small old fashioned alleyway

💂‍♀️ Add a little bit of Paris into your day by heading to one of the French patisseries to pick up some Macaroons from Pierre Hermé or Ladurée (highly recommend trying Marie-Antoinette tea macaroon from Ladurée- its delicious!)

💂‍♀️ Stanfords bookstore (a bookshop full of just travel books! And maps!)

From here you can head down to Leicester Square via Coventry street, and see if you can find all the statues in Leicester square.

From hear you can make your way through Chinatown and over to Piccadilly Circus and up Regents Street, famous for its Georgian architecture and luxury stores.

As you continue heading down up Regents street you will reach Oxford street and what is known as Londons famous shopping district Oxford Circus.

In Oxford Circus there are many sections to explore such as the beautiful Tudor style department store Liberty’s and the fabulous Carnaby street.

This street is decorated throughout the year for different occasions or a theme. Other places to check out are the beautiful S Molton street, New bond Street and the famous Slfridges department store. I highly recommend coming back at night to see it all lit up!

For the evening I suggest heading back into Covent garden to the Lamb and Flag.

A historic English pub, established in the 1600’s serving great classic English pub meals for an early dinner,  then heading for the West End for a theatre Show.

Day 1 Options

If you want to forgo the Walking tour, you can do a similar route yourself starting at Westminster tube station. Then head to:

🇬🇧 The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Cross over Westminster bridge for some Iconic big ben and Parliament House photos.

🇬🇧 Parliament Square with many statues of famous people.

🇬🇧 Explore Westminster Abbey or the Churchill war rooms.

🇬🇧 Head up Whitehall road, then under Admiralty Arch up to the Mall to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards at 11 am. I suggest getting there about 10-15 minutes before this starts, so that you can get a good spot to watch as it can get quite busy with lots of people (Daily).

🇬🇧 Head over to Trafalgar Square and the National portrait Gallery.

Day 2  City of London + South London

What is known as the area of the city of London today, is the oldest part of London. This is where the original Roman city of Londinium was founded and expanded out from this area to the London we have today.

This area is now largely a business district, but it has plenty of hidden in plain sight goodies to offer, from sections of the Roman wall that once enclosed the city and some of the oldest buildings and establishments in the city.

Spend the morning at the Tower of London, where you can learn some of  the 1,000 years of English and Royal history in a few hours.

Take a tour with a Beefeater or grab a audio guide to learn about one of the most infamous places in England. Built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and added to over the centuries it has been used as many things over the years, such as a fortress, a Royal Palace, Prison, Zoo, Bank and Royal Mint. Some of the highlights to see are:

🏰 Beefeater walking tour, starting every 30 minutes at the main entrance (this tour is included in your ticket)

🏰 The White Tower

🏰 The Royal Jewels

🏰 Traitors gate

🏰 The Bloody tower

🏰 The Tower Wall

Make sure to prebook tickets so you can skip the line. Tickets are £34.80 per adult. Tickets are time slotted, so make sure you arrive in your time slot.

In the afternoon there are a few different options that you can choose from:

Option 1

Heading west through the streets past the tower of London, you can explore the streets of the old city of  London.

🇬🇧 Head to St Paul’s Cathedral

🇬🇧 Guildhall (check out the Roman ruins in the basement)

🇬🇧 Barbican Conservatory (keep a eye out for the multiple sections of the Roman London Wall in this area)

🇬🇧 Head up to Leadenhall Market (a beautiful old victorian Market, also used in the Harry Potter films)

🇬🇧 The Monument to the fire of London

🇬🇧 Bank of England Museum

🇬🇧 Head to the Sky Garden or the Garden at 120 (Fenchurch street) for a beautiful panoramic view of London.

🇬🇧 Head north into Spitalfields for the Spitalfield markets and over the the famous Brick lane for some Curries.

Option 2

Catch the ferry from Tower Pier down to Greenwich Pier. 

This ferry ride takes about 20 minutes, you can use either a oyster card or contactless card to pay as it is part of the London transport system. You can catch the RB1 (purple) or the RB6 (Yellow) ferries as they both go to Greenwich Pier.

Once here you can spend the afternoon exploring Greenwich, which has a very quaint village feel, that you can easily forget your still in London!  Things to see in Greenwich:

🇬🇧 Greenwich Market

🇬🇧 Cutty Sark (Historic Tea ship) Museum

🇬🇧 National Maritime Museum (the British empire once had the largest and most powerful navy in the world, so I highly recommend!)

🇬🇧 Old Royal Naval College

🇬🇧 Royal Greenwich Observatory

🇬🇧 The Prime Meridian Line and Museum

After your afternoon in Greenwich you can catch the the Ferry back up to Bankside Pier for a evening of Shakespeare at the Globe. Replicated to be like what theatres were in Shakespeares day, The Globe puts on plays where you can buy a sitting ticket or a standing ticket for as little as  £5! 

If you have time before the show, you can also get off the ferry at a pier earlier- London Bridge and walk along Londons Southside bank (don’t forget to take photos of the HMS Belfast by the bank).

As you head to the Globe, you can stop for a early supper at Hays Galleria, with plenty of Pubs and Restaurants, then head past The Winchester Palace remains before arriving at the Globe.

Day 3  Royal Palaces and Afternoon Tea

Today we are upping the ante with all things traditionally British! From famous houses and and shops to Royal Palaces and Tea!

Option 1

Starting in Notting hill, this stylish and vibrant area in west London has beautiful streets and gardens with many parts giving a village type feel  to it. From Nottinghill Station, head up to the Portobello Markets (opens at 8 am), with beautiful vintage style stalls. Around the markets you can also checkout:

🇬🇧 The famous colourful houses in Nottinghill

🇬🇧 Alice’s shop (from the movie Paddington 2 and 3!)

🇬🇧 Farm girl cafe

🇬🇧 The Notting hill blue door off Portobello road

🇬🇧 The Hummingbird Bakery

🇬🇧 Biscuiteers cafe

After the Markets head down through Kesington Gardens and to Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace, a Royal residence, known as the London home of the Prince and Princess of Wales, home to the late Princess Diana of Wales and Queen Victoria, many royals have lived here over the centuries.

The Museum contains the state rooms with exhibitions of various royals, such as Queen Victoria and King George I and II and fashions from Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana.
In the afternoon you can head to the Natural History museum or the Victoria and Albert Museum, commonly known as the V & A. 

Head up Brompton street with a stop at the most famous shop in London- Harrods! Whether you head to the fabulous food hall or to the basement for some beautiful souvinirs, it is very hard coming out of here with out something!

And for the final outing in your 3 day London itinierary is of course – Afternoon Tea!

Afternoon tea has been a iconic English pass time since 1840 and still many people still keep some sort of version of this (although more likely your afternoon tea break at work) pass time.

Some of the best places to enjoy a proper afternoon tea are still in London. Make sure you book early as these places can book out far in advance.

These days you can also enjoy either a more traditional afternoon tea, or a champagne afternoon tea at most establishments. Some of the best places for afternoon tea include:

🫖 The Dorchester Hotel

🫖 The Ritz Hotel

🫖 The Wolseley Hotel

🫖 Fortum and Mason (also if you want some British Tea- this is one of the best places with a whole floor of Tea for sale)

🫖 The Connaught Hotel

🫖 The Lanesborough

🫖 The Claridge Hotel

Option 2 & 3

Head out of Central London to either Hampton Court Palace or Windsor Castle for the afternoon.

Now if your wondering why I have put both, it is because although they are both Royal Palaces, they are very different and I love visiting both of these for different reasons. I recommend you visiting the one that you are more interested in!

Hampton Court Palace

Most commonly associated with King Henry VIII, this Grade 1 heritage listed, Tudor style Palace is beautiful. Sitting on the river Thames, Henry could easily reach the city of London easily on his barge from his palace.

The building that we know today was started in 1514, but has expanded changed many times over the next few hundred years.  It was the main royal residence up until the 1760’s.

You can get to Hampton Court Palace by train with south western railways from London Waterloo Station to Hampton Court station (You can prebook a train ticket on the Trainline app or at the station. You can’t use a Oystercard or contactless on the train).

After the palace you can enjoy lunch on the river across from the palace before hopping on the train back to central London.

Windsor Castle

Known to most people as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite residence, this castle has been a Castle and a Royal residence for over 900 years. Built after William the conqueror took over England, it has been a important part of Royal life and English history since.

From the House of Windsor name for the Royals, a refuge for the royal family during WWII and a prison for the monarch during the English Civil War and more recently the Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan (2018), the Funeral ceremonies and the final resting place of Prince Phillip (2021) and Queen Elizabeth II (2022).

You can get to Windsor Castle by train with South Western railways, from London Waterloo Station. As this is a train, Oystercards and contactless wont work, you need to buy a ticket, either at the station or on the trainline app.

After the Castle I suggest walking around the town of Windsor and having some lunch there as it is a beautiful village with plenty of cute historic Architecture, before hopping back on the train.  

As these options will only take up part of the day, you could start you the day in Notting hill at the Portobello markets as these open earlier at 8am than the Palaces that don’t open until 10am, and then head to Option 2 or 3 and then come back in time for afternoon tea.

FAQ’S

Is it worth going to London for 3 days?

Yes, it is absolutely worth going to London for 3 days. 3 days in London gives you a great overview of the city and you can experience many of the highlights during this time.

Is London Expensive?

Yes, unfortunately London is one of the most expensive cities in the world.  From accomodation to restaurants and attractions it can be very expensive. For a cheap hotel you are looking at a minimum £100.00 a night. Most tourist attractions cost roughly £25.00-40.00 each. Check out my Tips and Tricks for London on a budget for some ideas on how to save some cash while in London. 

How to get to London?

If you’re coming from Heathrow airport, you have a few different options to get into London.
✈️ Heathrow Express- Takes roughly 20 minutes from the airport into Paddington station, where it arrives and departs from, this is the most expensive public transport option costing about £25. From Paddington you can connect to the Tube through the Elizabeth (Purple), District (green), circle (yellow) Bakerloo (Brown) and Hammersmith (pink) Lines.

🚂 Piccadilly (Navy) and Elizabeth (purple) Lines both run frequently to and from the airport. The Piccadilly doesn’t start until approximately 5 am and 7 am on Sundays so beware if your travelling early morning. (If you choose this route, be aware that not all stations have lifts or escalators, so make sure you can carry your suitcase if needed).

🚍 Buses- there are a few buses that run from the airport. The National Express, Flix bus and Mega buses leave from the Heathrow bus station and go to the Victoria Coach station that is just next to Victoria train and tube Station.

How to get around London?

London has excellent public transport! Between the Tube, the overground, the trains and the buses it is very easy to get around London at a reasonably cheap price.

You can use a debit/credit card on all public transport options, but if your card charges you international transactions, I highly recommend buying an Oyster card (available at most tube stations)  that you can preload money onto and be used on the tube, buses and overground. 

Download the App Citymapper, which you can use to get around. It will give you the fastest options for the tube and Buses.

Alternatively you can hire a Lime or Santander bike and it is free for the first 30 minutes. Black cabs and Ubers are also very popular, but can be quite expensive. 

If you are out late at night, there are only a few tube lines that run late at night on Friday and Saturday nights. 

Do I need to pre-book attractions?

London is a very busy place with lots of tourists, especially in the summer months (peak season), to avoid disappointment on missing out on an attraction, I would advise booking ahead and especially if it is on a weekend.

Many free attractions like museums, still have pre-booked timed slots to prevent crowding.

Alternatively the London Pass covers over 90 attractions and you can choose how many days to cover from a 1 day pass up to a 10 day pass. Although it looks expensive to buy at first, it can save so much money for you over your trip.

The average price for attractions is around £30.00 or more. The more days that you add for the pass the cheaper it becomes. The only downside is the days are consecutive, so deciding what you want to do each day is a must as you will still need to book a slot online.

When is the best time of year to visit London?

The best time of year to visit London is in the shoulder seasons such as Spring (March to May) and in Autumn (September to November). During this time there are less crowds, and you are more likely to be able to go to attractions without everything being booked out so far in advance.

 While summer is warmer, on hot days the weather can become very humid and as this is a mostly cold country, many places do not have air conditioning, but as it is also peak season it can become very crowded very fast.

Winter is a fabulous time to visit London and one of my favourite times, with all the Christmas lights, markets and festivities happening. Check out my London in Winter Post for a perfect Winter London Stay.

Do you have to tip in London?

No, tipping in London is not compulsory, however in many places they will automatically add on a service charge for anywhere between 10-15%. However you can request this to be removed if you would like.

  Other London Posts

The Best 7 day London Itinerary

Best things to do in London in Winter

The Best views of London on a Budget

Tips and Tricks for London on a Budget