Planning a trip to London? Our 3 day ultimate itinerary will guide you through the highlights of the city.
If you’re excited for your London holiday but not sure where to start, use our itinerary to help. You can follow it entirely from start to finish, or pick the bits you prefer!
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My 3 day London itinerary
So allow me to say I think my 3 day London itinerary is … *chef’s kiss*. I do live here after all!
I’m excited to share my favourite places with you, including some of my most treasured spots. If you follow my itinerary, do let me know which things you enjoyed the most!
Day 1
Breakfast
Start your day with a coffee and something delicious. Head to Covent Garden where you’ve got plenty of options, from serious spots like Monmouth Coffee to popular chains like Watchhouse.
Or you can get a delicious cinnamon roll from Bageriet, a cute Swedish cafe that’s down a little alleyway between Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.
There’s also a branch of Japanese tea room Katsute near here, serving up teas, matchas and desserts – it’s on the second floor of the Uniqlo store.
Explore Covent Garden
Have a wander around Covent Garden piazza and poke your head into the boutique shops, or go all-out on a shopping spree in the surrounding streets.
If you’re here to spend, you can find all the big names here – from tech and clothing to jewellery, beauty, skincare and more!
If you find yourself in this area with some time to kill, there’s a terrace you can go to on the top floor of the Royal Opera House. Not only do you get to see inside the building, which is pretty plush, but you get cool views out over the piazza, which is especially nice on a clear day.
It’s technically a restaurant and bar up here, but you don’t need a booking and you can just head to the end of the terrace and spend a few moments admiring the view. Sometimes you even get a behind-the-scenes peek through the windows at the costumes too!
If you prefer to dodge the crowds, then enjoy the piazza early and leave before your fellow tourists descend. Oh and train lovers (like me!) will want to visit the London Transport Museum here before going ANYWHERE else!
From Covent Garden, it’s not far to the river and a walk over either Waterloo or Jubilee bridges to the South Bank. Walking over these bridges is a great way to see London’s skyline and just really feel like you’re in London, y’know?!
The South Bank is a cultural hub with several arts institutions dotted along it, so it’s always buzzing with life. There’s a famous skatepark where you can watch the cool kids practice their tricks, second hand bookstalls where you can shop for books and prints, cafes and bars as well as the National Theatre, events venue the Royal Festival Hall and the BFI cinema.
Head west towards the London Eye and the aquarium, passing the street entertainers as you go, or go east past Oxo Tower wharf towards London Bridge where you’ll find legendary foodie spot Borough Market.
A little further along is Tate Modern, and the Millennium Bridge which takes you over to the northern side of the river, the Barbican and St Paul’s.
Eat lunch at Borough Market
Sometimes the obvious options are the best! Borough Market has recently had some redevelopment and there’s a whole new section of restaurants, shops and bars to explore. You can find really good food here from all over the world, so it’s a great spot to have on your list – plus if you’re in a group where everyone likes to eat different things, it’s perfect!
As well as lunch you can find delicious foods you might want to take away with you like cheese, bread and desserts.
See masterpieces at Tate Modern
Once you’ve refuelled, it’s a short walk to Bankside and the former power station that is now Tate Modern. It’s cool just as a building in itself, and has a huge entrance hall which hosts pretty impressive installations.
There’s art in the main collection here by artists like Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and David Hockney as well as cool displays focusing on things like everyday objects and even digital and film works. Plus they have temporary exhibitions from world-famous artists like Yayoi Kusama.
You can see some amazing views of the city skyline from this building. And if you want a meal or snack with a view, head to the restaurant where if you’re lucky you can bag a seat by the window and look out at the Thames and the skyline beyond.
Tate Modern is one of several London galleries that sometimes open late on Fridays for an evening of art, entertainment and more, which can be a fun way to visit. If you go with kids during summer holidays, make sure you check out their play programme.
Get scared at London Dungeon
If you enjoy an activity or experience during your travels, then you have to put the London Dungeon on your list!
You get taken on an immersive journey through the gorier side of London’s history, with amazing actors, cool rides and macabre displays. Even if you aren’t big on gore, it’s actually a really fun and entertaining experience.
You can get a third off your visit with an eligible train ticket, or if you’ve bought a Merlin attraction pass, it’s included.
Go to a games bar
London is full of quirky and interesting spots, so why not make the most of them and choose a theme or activity for the evening?
Try a games bar like Draughts in Waterloo and play a few rounds of the 1000+ board games on offer. Or go to Boom Battle Bar on Oxford Street to try your hand at shuffleboard, axe throwing, darts or golf.
Hit up Lucky Voice or Moyagi for Karaoke, find jazz at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho or watch a cabaret show at Phoenix Arts Club.
Or, create your own beer tour along the Bermondsey Beer Mile, a string of taprooms occupying the railway arches stretching away from London Bridge station. Start at the top with Barrel Project, Hiver taproom and Anspach & Hobday and just keep going!
Accommodation options in London
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Day 2
Make like a real Londoner and head to a neighbourhood cafe (we say ‘caff’) for a classic English breakfast fry up.
A typical cooked breakfast includes egg, bacon and sausage, and you often get tea and toast thrown in. Some include things like tomato, baked beans, hash browns or black pudding – or you can add them as extras. Be prepared for variation between places – they won’t all be the same.
The beauty of these caffs is in their no-frills, local vibe, but somewhere central that’s always popular for a delicious full plate is Regency Cafe in Westminster. be warned you won’t find a veggie breakfast option here, but they do do breakfast omelettes, and there are lots of other things on the menu.
If you’re staying East, then head to E Pellici on Bethnal Green Road. If you’re over in West, go to Half Moon in Hammersmith.
Do a walking tour
If you know me, you know the drill! I always like to do a walking tour when I first visit a city. I find it the best way to get my bearings, as well as figuring which spots I want to head to back, and of course getting a history and culture lesson thrown in too!
Either go for a free tour that you pay for in the form of a tip, or there are loads of companies running paid-for tours along all kinds of themes, from Jack the Ripper to Shoreditch street art and pub crawls.
Get a fancy lunch
They say the beauty of life is all about contrasts, or maybe they don’t, but anyway – why not follow your hearty brekkie with a posh lunch at an award-winning restaurant?
Lunch menus are THE way to try world-class food for less in London, and lots of restaurants have them – we’ve featured some of our favourites below.
If you’re after true British cooking (OK it doesn’t have the best rep, but done right it’s lush!) then head to London institution Rules, supposedly the oldest restaurant in the city. Here you can try traditional things like pies and dishes with game and seafood.
If you want more stodge, find a pie and mash shop (one of the OG British fast foods) – like Manzes in Peckham. They offer get eels as a side, but that’s up to you!
Go for a walk on Hampstead Heath
Walk off your lunch with a stomp across Hampstead Heath. Here you really feel in the midst of nature, and like the city is far away – although you can enjoy a banging view of the skyline from here.
Enjoy soaking up the big green spaces and fresh air, and perhaps head to a cosy pub to like The Hollybush to refresh when you’re done.
If you’re staying on the west side of town, Holland Park has a really nice Japanese garden, complete with peacocks!
In summer you can’t beat a walk around the Serpentine in Hyde Park, to watch the ducks and pedalos going past, or go to St James’ Park and spot the pelicans!
On a budget?
Check out our 7 ways to save money on your London trip
Eat dinner in Chinatown
Fill up on a cheap dinner before enjoying the evening ahead.
We like C&R for tasty laksa, New Loon Fung for bao and Plum Valley for dim sum.
And don’t forget dessert – grab a custard-filled treat from Chinatown Bakery or a purple ube ice cream from Filipino spot Mamasons.
Watch a West End show
A West End Show is a great night out – these are performances famous all over the world! Choose a musical like or Now even though you can pay BIG prices for these tickets, there are ways to see these shows for less.
Use an app like TodayTix which has cheaper tickets as well as a ‘rush’ option on most shows, where they release a limited number of cut-price tickets at 10am for shows on the same day. Then there’s also TKTS, where you can find half-price tickets for same day shows and next day matinees.
Things to Do in London
Day 3
A trip to Greenwich is a great day out. Catch the Uber boat there from Waterloo or London Bridge, and you can watch the buildings go by and get to see the city from a different angle.
Greenwich is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site – mainly formed from the historic centre and its (royal) park. It includes a ship – the Cutty Sark – an old tea clipper which is well worth a visit, to admire the amazing engineering and see what life was like on ship back then. Kids are well catered for too with characters and activities.
You can watch sea shanties being sung here on the first weekend of every month, and if you fancy it, adults and kids 10 and over can even climb the rigging!
There’s also Greenwich Market, which is open 7 days a week. There are stalls to browse selling everything from art and jewellery to vintage and antiques. You can get food here too – as well as at the Cutty Sark Street Food Market, which is open Fri-Sun.
Stroll around Greenwich Park and get beautiful views back towards London – you’ll have to walk uphill but it’s worth it!
Another spot to check out is the National Maritime Museum, which is free to enter and has loads of information and history about sailing and exploration.
There’s also the Naval College here, a historic building that has a very impressive painted hall – a ticket to see it costs £16.50 and is valid for a year.
The 0 longitude line passes through Greenwich, which is where the phrase Greenwich Mean Time comes from. If you want to find the line and stand in both the east and west hemispheres at the same time, you can either visit the Royal Observatory, or find a spot where it’s marked outside for free.
If you’re planning to visit a few different sites in Greenwich, research ticket passes as you’ll probably find some combination passes that will save you money, like the Royal Museums Greenwich Day Pass.
A nice way to finish up your day is to enjoy a drink by the river at cosy Victorian pub Trafalgar Tavern.
Other options for a half-day or day trip are the flower market and artisan shops on Columbia Road, and Broadway Market for cheap eats.
Or get a train to Richmond for riverside walks and pubs, or deer-spotting in the park.
Want more London ideas?
Read our list of The Best Things to Do in London for Every Budget
Enjoy the best of London with our ultimate 3 day London itinerary
So there you have it!
It’s been quite hard to choose my top recommendations as there are just so many amazing things to see and do in London. And I have loads of places on my list still to see!
But I hope this helps you make a killer plan for your London trip. Have fun!
