London in 1 Day - A Simple Itinerary of Everything You Need to See and Do

In my opinion, London is one of the greatest cities in the world for tourists. You just can't ever get bored, there is so much to see and do. However, what if you have only one day to visit and explore London? Maybe you have a long layover at one of London's many airports and want to see London but need to cram it in as short a timeframe as possible. This guide will explain what you need to see, and includes some other tips and advice for travelling to London.

1 day London Itinerary Plan Basic Overview - all within walking distance

1. Covent Gardens
2. Leicester Square
3. Piccadilly Circus + Regent Street
4. Trafalgar Square
5. The Mall and Buckingham Palace
6. St. James's Park
7. Horse Guards and Downing Street
8. Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
9. London Eye

Tower Bridge

Getting from a London Airport to Central London

There are several London airports, but you will probably land at Stansted Airport (30 miles north of London, has many Ryanair and Easyjet flights from Europe), Gatwick airport (2nd busiest in UK, 30 miles/48km from London) or Heathrow (UK's busiest airport, 14 miles/23 km from London).
As you can see, none of those airports are particularly close to the city center. However they are have great links to London via coaches (cheaper, slower) and trains (more expensive, but often faster) and in the case of Heathrow there is an underground tube link.

Tip: If you are buying a train ticket and are coming back to the airport to catch your return flight (within one calendar month) then you should ask for a "open return". In UK the cost of a return ticket is only slightly more than a one way ticket, and an 'open return' is only slightly more expensive than a normal (same day) open return. Also, if you arrive early in the morning then you might be there for peak time. Tickets are ridiculsly expensive at peak time, so if you want to save some money ask for an offpeak ticket - you might have to wait an hour or two for peak time to end, but you can save a lot. See details about ticket types on TheTrainLine. You can also check ticket prices (and the route/connections) at The Train Line.

Here is a quick summary of how to get from the various London airports to central London, and how much the single/return prices are. Please double check the information though, as prices, routes and timetables change! Last updated: Jan 2018.
Prices are for one person, travelling by themselves, at off peak times. When buying a ticket I recommend you ask for an open return, if you are coming back to the airport.

Don't care about how you get to London from the airports? Scroll down to get to the 1 day London Itinerary

From London Stansted Airport to London City Center:

• To drive/taxi from Stansted to London: over 1:15hr - do not do this! I do not recommend you get a taxi as it'll be very expensive
• Train from Stansted Airport to London: Cost: £17 (or return within a month for £29). Stansted Express, leaves every 15 minutes and takes 47 minutes to get to London.

• Coach/bus from Stansted to London from £5, see details here
• More details

From London Gatwick Airport to London City Center

• Driving/Taxi it is around 1 hour+ driving time. A taxi would be very expensive. Don't get a taxi.
• Train 30 minutes, £17+. Gatwick Express is fast, but a bit expensive (£17+ for Off peak, single from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria train station, booked in advance online).

By coach/bus -1hr 35minutes, from £10+ (book online in advance - see here)

From London Heathrow Airport to London City Center

• By driving/taxi from Heathrow airport to London - takes approx 40-50 minutes. I wouldn't recommend getting a taxi.
• By train from Heathrow to London - Fastest. Trains every 15 minutes, from Heathrow to Paddington station. Prices £25 for a single (£37 for return)
• By tube/underground from Heathrow to London - Cheapest. £6 one way to central London. ~1 hour.

• By coach/bus from Heathrow to London - from £10, takes 40-60 minutes to Victoria coach station. See http://www.nationalexpress.com/
• More details on Heathrow.com

Other airports

There are a few other airports, but they are rarely used by tourists. Also the 'London Southend Airport' really isn't anywhere near to London. But it does have good and easy links to London via the train.

Getting around London - a quick primer to their Underground tube

• The underground is great, you can quickly and easily get anywhere within London. Get a tube map on your phone to make navigating the map a bit easier.
• If you use a visa card (contactless) to swipe through the barriers. You will get charged at the end of the day - there is a maximum it'll charge you. You can also just buy normal tickets, or buy an Oyster card and top it up with credit. Also works with Apple Pay. Be aware of foreign transaction fees though, if you don't have a UK card. Details on contactless, details about Oyster.
• The same system works on busses - in fact you can't buy a ticket from the driver, you have to have an Oyster card or use your debit card.
• Stick to the right hand side of the escalators. The left side is used by people who want to walk up/down them.
• Avoid peak times (when office workers are going to work (7-9am) or returning home (5-6pm) as the tube will be very busy
• The London Map might look confusing at first, but it is very simple.
• Watch a video on Youtube about how to use the underground.

Ok, you are in London. Let's see a 1 day London travel Itinerary to see all the major landmarks!

If you have only one day, then you have to go where most of the tourist attractions and landmarks are. You really could spend a couple of weeks (or more!) in London and still find things to do, but the following set of landmarks are most of the major ones, and luckily they are within walking distance. You can follow them in order (we do backtrack and go through Leicester Square twice, but the second time we include China Town and other bits).
A link to a map is provided at the bottom of this page.

Start off at Covent Gardens

In a rush? Skip this and get a tube to Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square

Covent Gardens is a really cool area, with lots of small independent shops in a former fruit-and-vegetable market.

Govent Gardens actually refers to the district, but most people talking of Coven Gardens are referring to the former fruit and veg market

You can often find very talented street performers inside it - they get big audiences. But watch your belongings as pick pockets are known to operate while you watch the shows.
You can also get something to eat in Covent Gardens, but it is a bit expensive (even for London!)

Walk to Leicester Square (5-10 minute walk)

In a rush? Get the tube from Covent Gardens to Leicester Square, it is one stop and saves a bit of walking.

Leicester Square is what I've always thought of as the main 'center' of London. It is where London film premieres are shown (in the Odeon cinema on the square). At christmas time there is a big christmas market in the middle of the square.
It is quite touristy - you can find many souviner shops near here. And one of the best/worst shops in London: M&M's World. You have to go inside it to see it! 4 floors with everything you can think of wit the M&M's logo on it. It is really expensive, don't bother buying any sweets here. Just go to any of the normal shops nearby to buy a packet of M&M's much cheaper.
There is also the sort of recent Lego shop there too, directly opposite M&M's.

Walk to Piccadilly Circus (5 minute walking distance), explore Regent Street

Piccadilly Circus

You will see photos of Piccadilly Circus on a lot of London postcards and travel guides. It is quite an iconic scene and a popular tourist attraction, although that means that nowadays it is just surrounded by tourist souvenir shops.

Regent Street

If you keep walking you will get to Regent Street, which leads to Oxford Street (they meet at Oxford Circus). These are the two main shopping streets. They are especially busy at christmas times (so busy that I would recommend avoiding it at peak times). But during non christmas period it can be nice to walk up and down.
The famous Hamleys toy store is on Regent Street. It is the worlds largest toy shop. Even if you have no kids with you, go and check it out. It is a huge shop, and quite a bit tourist attraction.
Once you are done with the shops in this area, head to Trafalgar Square via Leicester Square.

Walk to Trafalgar Square (via Leicester Square again))

Again if you are in a rush, then go from Picadilly Circus (or Oxford Circus if you walked that far) to Leicester Square on the tube, and skip this walking part!

On the way back to Leicester Square you can make a slight detour, and go to Carnaby Street. This detour is only a couple of minutes walking time, and nice to see a cool little shopping area.

Also while you are on the way to Leicester Square, go to Chinatown. It is a couple of streets 'behind' Leicester Square.

London's China Town

For me, China Town is one of the coolest things in London. It is just a couple of streets, but it really feels like a different country than UK! This is a fantastic place to get some very tasty and cheap chinese food. There are lots of restaurants here, with authentic and delicious food. They often do lunchtime buffet deals.

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square

Another key landmark in London is Trafalgar Square.
This is a tourist hotspot. Years ago it used to be a pigeon hotspot, as the tourists could buy bird food and feed the pigeons. But they banned that, and now it is just full of people.
At the top of Trafalgar Square you can always see some kind of street performers. There are the actual, talented street performers (that draw in a big crowd), and also people dressed up as Yoda or Pikachu. Apparently there are turf wars about this: see here.

National Gallery

At the top of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery. This is completely free to enter, and includes many works of art such as many Van Gogh pieces (there are at least a couple of enterences to the National Gallery. You want to enter the building on the left, and go to room 43 for his famous paintings. Of course there is much, much more to see than just Van Gogh there though!

Go to The Mall, and walk towards Buckingham Palace to go and see the queen!

The Mall - not a shopping mall but a road

The Mall is a road that leads to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square, and goes under the famous Admiralty Arch.
This is a famous road, and if you have ever seen a royal public display (such as royal weddings and more) then you will have seen this road. The London Marathon also finishes here every year. It is closed to traffic on Sundays.

Buckingham Palace

Go see old queenie! You won't see her, but there are lots of guards to see. And even more police. This area only contains tourists. So many tourists!
If you want to see something interesting, then time your visit so you see the Changing of the Guard.

Walk through St. James's Park and see the Squirrels and Pelicans

St. James's Park, with Buckingham Palace in the background

As you were walking along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, you would have seen a big park on your left side. This is St. James's Park.
Walk through it! It is a 23 hectare (57 acre) park that is well kept and popular with tourists and locals alike. There is a lake in the middle of it, which attracts many birds. Including a colony of pelicans, which have been there since they were donated in 1664 by a Russian ambassador to Charles II. Their wings are often clipped so they don't fly away. There is also one pelican who can fly, and often goes to London Zoo to try and get some food.

There are also squirrels. So many squirrels! Bring some nuts for them, they will come up to you and you can feed them.

Walk past the Horse Guards, and turn right towards Downing Street

Horse Guards is a building which is at the end of St. James's park. If you walk under the arches and towards to road you will see the mounted trooper of the Household Cavalry. They are soldiers on the back of horses (see photo above). Get more detail (including when they Changing the Life Guard happens here.
Once you are done with this area, get to the main road (Whitehall) and turn right.
Soon you will come across a heavily guarded gate. This is the entrance to Downing Street (the Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street).
You can't enter the gated area, but you can look through the gate and see the street sign with the street name.

Head to Parliament Square

This is an outdated photo - as of early 2018 there is scaffoloding all over Big Ben, as they carry out repair works...

Next is to carry on walking for maybe 5-10 minutes until you see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
You will also see the River Thames and in the background of your view you should see London Eye. That is where you should head next.

Walk over the bridge and walk towards London Eye (South Bank)

You should be able to see London Eye - the big wheel. Cost: £27 (but see below on how to get a 2 for 1 deal).
The side of the river with the London Eye is known as South Bank. Walk along the river down there, you can often find very entertaining and skilled street performers there. You can also pop in to the SEA LIFE London Aquarium there. Again, scroll to the bottom of this guide to find out how to save money and get a 2 for 1 discount voucher for SEA LIFE by using your train ticket...

Other things you should see or do, that aren't on this list

• Tower of London - big castle, near the financial district
• The Shard - you can see it from a distance, as it is the largest building in Europe. Near to Tower of London
• Tower Bridge - the most famous bridge in London
• London Zoo situated in Camdem, which is also famous for its big market and alternative scene.
• British Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum - all are free to enter and are very impressive
• Kensington Gardens
• London Dungeon - near London Eye/SEA LIFE
• Churchill War Rooms - this is on the way from the Horse Guards to Big Ben
• Harrods (posh shop) and Hamleys (toy shop). Hamleys is actually on Regent Street
• Kings Cross Train Station and Platform 9 3/4 - for Harry Potter fans

What to do in the evening in London?

London is great for nightlife, and has you covered no matter what your interests are:

• See a musical show at the theatre - London's Westend is famous for its big shows. Buy tickets beforehand.
• Go drinking in Shoreditch - currently a very trendy part of town
• Go for a ghost tour - there are many companies offering ghost tours, such as this one.
• Go for a late night tour See London by Night on a bus - see here.
• See some Opera at the Royal Opera House - near Covent Gardens
• Go to a comedy show at the Comedy Store.

View the above London 1 day itinerary plan on a map

This is split over several maps, on Google Maps (they have a maximum of 10 items per map). This also shows the time it takes to walk between each item. Please note that you cannot actually see 10 Downing Street, but just the entrance to Downing Street. Also despite what Google Maps shows, you should walk straight through St. James's Park.

1. Covent Garden -» The Mall: 2.2miles, 44 minutes walking time. Link: Google Maps Part 1
2. The Mall -» London Eye. 2.1 miles, 42 minutes walking time. Link: Google Maps Part 2

This shows the total walking time of around an hour and a half, but this isn't including stopping at each attraction, taking photos, etc.

How to save money in London (How to get 2-for-1 discount vouchers for London attractions)

The new British notes - made of plastic!

Buy a train ticket! Seriously! Look for brochures in any train station (you won't find them in London tube stations) for "2FOR1". They let you go to most of the big London tourist attractions with a 2-for-1 ticket. So go with a friend, and split the costs of just one ticket. You can also organise it on DaysOutGuide.co.uk.
They include London Eye (normal price: £27; - but you can get two tickets for that price if you buy a train ticket). Tower of London (Normally £28 for one ticket). London Dungeon (normally £30), London Zoo and many many more attractions.
Just buy the cheapest train ticket from whatever station you were at. Full details can be found on the link above - but you can get train tickets for just £2 or £3. I've used tickets for 2FOR1 before without actually travelling with those tickets.