Planning a visit to London? And just got one day?
No problem! This guide would help you make the most out of your 1 day London experience.
London is a famous city with a mixture of art, heritage, and culture of England combined with modern infrastructures and lifestyle. It is a massive city (ranked 25th in the world) and cannot be viewed entirely in one or two days. Therefore, we would suggest to you the best thing you can do in a short amount of time in London. Whatever your reason for visiting London, there is something for you. The Tower of London is a great place to learn about British history. The National Gallery and West End Theatre District are highly recommended by theater-goers. Buckingham Palace is a must for monarchy lovers. London is a costly city, but it has many attractions that can be visited for free, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens. You don’t have to be overwhelmed by all the things you can do in London. Instead, sign up for one of the city’s most popular tours and get the advice of a local.
There are various places to start your journey from, though we recommend starting your day from Westminster Bridge which is built upon River Thames. If you are placed near the bridge you have close access to various famous attractions that are at a walkable distance (1-2 miles). The closest underground tube is near Westminster Bridge in Westminster Station.
Attractions nearby Westminster Bridge:
The Houses of Parliament & “Big Ben”(2 min by walk, 256 ft): Know as a symbol of power and decision making. To visit inside the debating chambers requires a special pass, which is not possible to gain within 1 day. Though the visitors can admire the incredible huge infrastructure that looks magnificent from outside.
Winston Churchill Statue (Very close to Big Ben): British statesman, orator, and author who as prime minister rallied the British people during World War II. It’s located between route of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
Westminster Abbey (5 min by walk, 0.2 miles): Famous place where Kings and Queens have been crowned and history has been created. Generally, it opens around 9:30 AM and is recommended to reach earlier in order to see before it gets crowded.
London Eye (4 min by walk, 0.2 miles): London eye is surely a thing you must do, as you can view almost the whole of central London with it.
Churchill War Rooms (8 min by walk, 0.3 miles): This is a personal choice if you like to experience the history of war and strategies.
Buckingham Palace: The distance between the London Eye and Buckingham Palace is 1.5 miles, which by taxi would take 6 minutes and by a walk around 25 minutes. The walk is a decent way to travel as you would see lots of things on the way, such as 10 Downing Street and beautiful St. James’s Park, Horse Guards Parade. If you are on time run opt for a taxi to save time.
After visiting all these places aggregate time consumption would be 3-8 hours, depending on each individual’s time spent.
One of the best ways to see the main attractions of London is to get on the Guided Bus Tours which takes off from Westminster Bridge. The tour is covered in 1 hour approximately and shows you around central London. Bus tour costs around Adults £26.00 and Children £12.50.
Things you might want to buy online before starting your journey:
- The Tube is the best and time saving mode to travel around in London. Travelcards with complete day validation can prove a very effective way to save money and time. With travelcards you travel as often as you like on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London underground and National Rail services within the London travel zones. Travelcards Price Range: £12.10 to 25
- London eye tickets online.
- Online bus tour tickets.
Some other things that can be visited in London:
Museums: There are 3 major museums if you want to see, the famous British museum, the war museum and the science museum. But, all are really time-consuming, for example: to view a British museum alone would take 2-3 hours.
Tower of London: History of war, kingdoms uprising, secrets, royalty, etc. Build over 900 years ago, a good place to visit but can take lots of time, however, the majority of bus tours cover it from outside.
Tower Bridge: London’s iconic bridge, can be covered in bus tours as well.
Trafalgar Square: famous Square with lots of history.
There is also a guided City Cruise which takes you all around the river Thames.
Make sure, to choose a hotel or a place to stay near (1-2-mile radius)London Eye if you are staying in London overnight. There are hotels like Ibis, Premier Inn, etc., which are decent hotels.
Two major airports in London:
- Heathrow Airport
- London City Airport
