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London, United Kingdom · Free itinerary

3-Day London Itinerary: Best Things to Do

London blends two millennia of history with a relentlessly modern energy, from royal palaces and world-class free museums to the river-spanning skyline of the City. Three busy days take you from Westminster's royal heart to the medieval Tower and the buzzing West End. Expect grand landmarks, iconic markets and some of Europe's best dining packed into walkable clusters.

3 days27 stopsLondon, United Kingdom

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1Royal Westminster & South Bank Icons
  1. 🍽️
    Regency Cafe 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
    📍 Pimlico, London
    1h
    Iconic 1946 art-deco caff serving London's definitive no-frills full English breakfast (Mon-Sat from 07:00).
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  2. 🚶
    9:21 AM – 9:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 mi ·9m
  3. 📍
    Westminster Abbey ⛪ Religious site
    9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
    📍 Westminster, London
    1h 30m
    The Gothic coronation church of British monarchs since 1066, packed with royal tombs and Poets' Corner (open to visitors Mon-Sat).
    🧭Directions
  4. 🚶
    11:10 AM – 11:15 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  5. 📍
    Churchill War Rooms 🖼️ Museum
    11:15 AM – 12:45 PM
    📍 Whitehall, London
    1h 30m
    The preserved underground bunker where Churchill ran WWII Britain, now an Imperial War Museum site.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  6. 🚶
    12:38 PM – 12:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 mi ·7m
  7. 🍽️
    The Cinnamon Club 🍴 Food
    12:45 PM – 2:15 PM
    📍 Westminster, London
    1h 30m
    Acclaimed Indian fine-dining in the grand former Old Westminster Library, steps from the Abbey.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  8. 🚶
    2:19 PM – 2:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 mi ·11m
  9. 📍
    Household Cavalry Museum 🖼️ Museum
    2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
    📍 Whitehall, London
    1h
    A working stable-museum at Horse Guards where you can see the mounted regiments up close.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  10. 🚶
    3:37 PM – 3:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 mi ·8m
  11. 📍
    St James's Park 🌳 Park
    3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
    📍 St James's, London
    1h 15m
    London's oldest royal park, with a lake, pelicans and a famous bridge view toward Buckingham Palace.
    🧭Directions
  12. 🚶
    5:02 PM – 5:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.6 mi ·13m
  13. 📍
    Westminster Bridge & Big Ben Viewpoint 🌄 Viewpoint
    5:15 PM – 6:00 PM
    📍 Westminster, London
    45m
    Cross Westminster Bridge for the postcard view of Parliament, Big Ben and the Thames at golden hour.
    🧭Directions
  14. 🚶
    6:10 PM – 6:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  15. 📍
    London Eye 🏛️ Landmark
    6:15 PM – 7:00 PM
    📍 South Bank, London
    45m
    The 135m riverside observation wheel offering a slow 30-minute rotation over the floodlit city (open later in summer).
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  16. 🚶
    7:25 PM – 7:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  17. 🍽️
    Skylon 🍴 Food
    7:30 PM – 9:15 PM
    📍 South Bank, London
    1h 45m
    Modern British dining on the third floor of the Royal Festival Hall, with floor-to-ceiling Thames views.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
2The City, Tower & Bankside
  1. 🍽️
    The Wren Coffee at St Nicholas Cole Abbey 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
    📍 City of London, London
    45m
    Breakfast of pastries and coffee inside a restored Christopher Wren church between St Paul's and the river (Mon-Fri from 07:00).
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  2. 🚶
    8:40 AM – 8:45 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  3. 📍
    St Paul's Cathedral ⛪ Religious site
    8:45 AM – 10:15 AM
    📍 City of London, London
    1h 30m
    Wren's baroque masterpiece with its iconic dome, Whispering Gallery and sweeping city views (sightseeing Mon-Sat from 08:30).
    🧭Directions
  4. 🚶
    10:16 AM – 10:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.7 mi ·14m
  5. 📍
    Sky Garden 🌄 Viewpoint
    10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
    📍 City of London, London
    1h 15m
    Free three-storey indoor garden atop the 'Walkie-Talkie' with 360 views over the Thames; book a free timed slot in advance.
    🧭Directions
  6. 🚶
    12:03 PM – 12:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 mi ·12m
  7. 🍽️
    Padella 🍴 Food
    12:15 PM – 1:30 PM
    📍 Borough, London
    1h 15m
    Beloved Borough Market pasta bar serving hand-rolled tagliarini and pici cacio e pepe at the counter.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  8. 🚶
    1:31 PM – 1:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.7 mi ·14m
  9. 📍
    Tower Bridge Exhibition 🏛️ Landmark
    1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
    📍 Tower Hamlets, London
    1h 15m
    Climb the Victorian towers for high-level glass-floor walkways 42m above the Thames.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  10. 🚶
    3:10 PM – 3:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  11. 📍
    Tower of London 🏛️ Landmark
    3:15 PM – 4:45 PM
    📍 Tower Hamlets, London
    1h 30m
    Historic royal fortress home to the Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders and centuries of history (last admission 15:30).
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  12. 🚶
    4:55 PM – 5:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.0 mi ·5m
  13. 📍
    Tate Modern 🖼️ Museum
    5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    📍 Bankside, London
    1h
    World-class free modern art gallery in a converted Bankside power station, with the soaring Turbine Hall.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  14. 🚶
    6:10 PM – 6:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 mi ·5m
  15. 📍
    Millennium Bridge & Riverside Walk 🌄 Viewpoint
    6:15 PM – 7:00 PM
    📍 Bankside, London
    45m
    Stroll the sleek pedestrian bridge for postcard views of St Paul's and the river as the light softens.
    🧭Directions
  16. 🚶
    7:25 PM – 7:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 mi ·5m
  17. 🍽️
    The Swan at Shakespeare's Globe 🍴 Food
    7:30 PM – 9:15 PM
    📍 Bankside, London
    1h 45m
    Modern British dining beside the reconstructed Globe Theatre, with river-facing windows toward St Paul's.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
3West End, Bloomsbury & Covent Garden
  1. 🍽️
    Monmouth Coffee Company 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
    📍 Covent Garden, London
    45m
    Cult Covent Garden coffee roaster on Monmouth Street serving expertly brewed filter and espresso with pastries (Mon-Sat from 08:00).
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  2. 📍
    Seven Dials & Neal's Yard 🛍️ Shopping
    9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
    📍 Covent Garden, London
    50m
    Seven cobbled streets meeting at a sundial pillar, hiding the rainbow-coloured courtyard of Neal's Yard.
    🧭Directions
  3. 🚶
    9:53 AM – 10:00 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 mi ·7m
  4. 📍
    British Museum 🖼️ Museum
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    📍 Bloomsbury, London
    2h
    World-spanning free museum housing the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures under a glass-roofed court (opens 10:00).
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  5. 🚶
    12:19 PM – 12:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 mi ·11m
  6. 🍽️
    Dishoom Covent Garden 🍴 Food
    12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
    📍 Covent Garden, London
    1h 30m
    Beloved Bombay-style cafe in a former warehouse, famed for its bacon naan and black daal.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  7. 🚶
    2:10 PM – 2:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  8. 📍
    Covent Garden Piazza & Apple Market 🛍️ Shopping
    2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
    📍 Covent Garden, London
    1h 15m
    Historic covered piazza buzzing with craft stalls, street performers and the old market halls.
    🧭Directions
  9. 🚶
    3:37 PM – 3:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 mi ·8m
  10. 📍
    Trafalgar Square 🏛️ Landmark
    3:45 PM – 4:30 PM
    📍 Westminster, London
    45m
    London's grand civic square anchored by Nelson's Column, bronze lions and fountains.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  11. 🚶
    4:40 PM – 4:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 mi ·5m
  12. 📍
    National Gallery 🖼️ Museum
    4:45 PM – 6:15 PM
    📍 Westminster, London
    1h 30m
    Free national art collection spanning Van Eyck, Turner and Van Gogh in a Trafalgar Square palace (daily to 18:00, Fri to 21:00).
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions
  13. 🚶
    6:23 PM – 6:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 mi ·7m
  14. 🍽️
    Kricket Soho 🍴 Food
    6:30 PM – 7:45 PM
    📍 Soho, London
    1h 15m
    Buzzy modern-Indian small-plates restaurant on Denman Street near Piccadilly, ideal for a pre-theatre dinner.
    🍴Find a table🧭Directions
  15. 🚶
    7:40 PM – 7:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  16. 📍
    West End Theatre Show 🎭 Entertainment
    7:45 PM – 10:15 PM
    📍 Soho, London
    2h 30m
    Catch a long-running West End musical or play in Theatreland, with most evening performances at 7:30pm.
    🎟️Find tickets🧭Directions

🏨 Where to stay

Real, vetted stays near your route — check the reviews, then book.

Premier Inn London County Hall★★★
South Bank
Reliable budget hotel in the historic County Hall building beside the London Eye and Westminster Bridge.
🏨Book ⭐Reviews
The Z Hotel Shoreditch★★★★
Shoreditch
Compact, stylish boutique hotel in a converted office building near the bars of Shoreditch.
🏨Book ⭐Reviews
The Hoxton, Holborn★★★★
Holborn
Trendy design hotel in a Grade II-listed former telephone exchange, walkable to Covent Garden and Soho.
🏨Book ⭐Reviews
The Savoy★★★★★
Strand
Iconic Edwardian luxury hotel on the Strand overlooking the Thames, a London institution since 1889.
🏨Book ⭐Reviews

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