London is a big city, and having only one day to visit can feel like a big rush – but don’t worry! As a local living here for the past 5 years, I’ll share my 1-day London itinerary with you so that you can see as much of the city as possible!
This is the itinerary I do with most of my friends and family whenever they come to visit for the first time, so it’s been truly tried and tested over the years!
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What to do in London when you only have one day?
As someone who’s lived here for years, I still feel like I haven’t seen and done all there is to the city so no, it’s not possible to see everything in London in one day.
However, my 1-day London itinerary is a walking route that I consider almost perfect, whether you’re visiting on a layover, or as a day trip from Paris on the Eurostar.
I often call it my “London Essentials” itinerary, because you get to see all the major highlights in a day (Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and more!), as well as some of my favourite hidden gems and hidden corners that most people miss.
During the day, you can also stop for food and snacks at Borough Market, and finish the day with a pub dinner for fish and chips.
What to expect from my London 1-day walking itinerary
This route requires walking for most of the day, so it might not be suitable for families with young children, or for people with impaired mobility.
However, the vast majority of the route is agreeable for people in wheelchairs, as London is generally a very accessible city.
The route can be completed from 10 AM until 4-5 PM, which is ideal if you’re visiting during winter, when it gets dark early.
While this itinerary doesn’t account for time spent inside attractions, I will also include booking information for attractions you’ll walk by. This way, you can choose to visit any of them, bearing in mind that they’ll take up time (but which might be ideal if you visit on a cold or rainy day).
I have also included a free map for this 1-day London itinerary at the end.
Feel free to use it and follow the walking route throughout the day.
The Best 1-Day London Walking Itinerary (from a local!)
This itinerary follows a one-way route from the City of London to Westminster, covering most of London’s iconic highlights.
I like this order because you end the day at Buckingham Palace, which is the perfect reward for a full day of walking.
Though, if you wish, you may also follow the itinerary in the reverse order – especially if you really want to watch the Changing of the Guard. However, remember that it doesn’t happen every day (check the schedule here), it gets very crowded, and it will delay your itinerary start time.
For the above reasons, unless watching the Changing of the Guard is a big priority for you, I would not recommend it if you only have one day in London.
10 AM: The City of London
Start the day with a good breakfast or a quick coffee and pastry at one of the many shops and cafes near Liverpool Street Station (you’ll need the energy!).
Once you exit the station, your route starts down Bishopsgate Street. This road dates back to Roman times, and it’s named after one of the original eight gates of the London Wall.
Today, it’s at the heart of London’s financial district, also known as The Square Mile. It’s where you’ll find pretty much the entire London market hub for insurance companies. While you’ll find this area bustling with office workers during the week, it is very quiet on weekends.
You’ll have to crane your neck upwards to admire some of the City’s tallest modern office buildings, coexisting peacefully alongside more than 600 listed buildings and ancient monuments.
After a quick detour to admire The Gherkin (one of London’s most iconic buildings), you will pass by two free viewpoints, where you can admire London from above – The Lookout and Horizon 22.
If you want to visit either of them, you can book a free ticket 2 weeks in advance. However, you might also be able to get walk-in tickets at the door.
Continue down towards Gracechurch Street to enter the iconic Leadenhall Market.
Once a meat market, Leadenhall Market survived over 700 years of history, and today it’s a very popular spot for after-work drinks. The market is also famous for having been a filming location for the first Harry Potter film (try to spot the Leaky Cauldron entrance door at No.42!).
Crossing through the market and arriving at Fenchurch Street, you’ll quickly go down Mincing Lane towards one of my favourite gems in the City: the St Dunstan in the East Church Garden.
The 12th-century Church of St Dunstan is a listed building, and its surviving ruins after events like the Great Fire of London and the Blitz of 1941 now hold a peaceful public garden where you can take a break to rest your legs for a bit.
11 AM: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and The Queen’s Walk
Now, moving away from London’s financial hub, head towards the Tower of London.
A visit to the inside of the Tower of London would require at least 3 hours, so you will only admire it from the outside during this route. However, if visiting it is a priority for you, you can book a refundable ticket here.
Even if you don’t visit the Tower, you can read snippets of history about its various purposes throughout the centuries on plaques scattered along the riverside path. You won’t see any prisoners or executions here anymore, but you’ll be able to spot a few cannons on display.
At the end of the footpath, you’ll cross through an arch under the bridge and notice a stairway to your left. Going up these stairs, you’ll find yourself on Tower Bridge.
Of course, my favourite view is from the right-hand-side of the Bridge. From here, you’ll be able to admire the City, the Tower of London, and the Shard.
Once you reach the end of the bridge, you’ll find a staircase that takes you down to The Queen’s Walk.
The Queen’s Walk is a promenade along the south bank of the river Thames with a great view of Tower Bridge (perfect for photos!). If you’re visiting ahead of Christmas, this is where you can find one of London’s winter markets to indulge in a hot chocolate or a souvenir.
Further along the promenade, you’ll spot the HMS Belfast – a permanently-moored museum ship that was built for the Royal Navy shortly before WWII. Visiting it takes 2-3 hours so it is not part of this itinerary, but if you are a big military history enthusiast, you can buy tickets here.
Finally, you will reach Hay’s Galleria. Now a shopping gallery, it was once an important complex of wharves and warehouses in the London food trade from the 17th century.
Visiting London around Christmas? Don’t forget to check out my London Christmas Guide (including a Christmas Lights walking route!)
12 PM: Borough Market & Lunch
After crossing Hay’s Galleria, you’ll arrive at Tooley Street. There are a few food spots for a quick and reasonably-priced lunch break here (I’m a fan of Wasabi‘s hot bento boxes, in particular).
Though, if you’d like to go all-out, why not head over to Borough Market and indulge in one (or a few!) of its street food stalls?
You can find many snacks and bites there – from fresh risotto and paella to the viral chocolate strawberries (though I’d never condone paying £8.50 for a cup of fruit!).
Walking around Borough Market (and admiring Southwark Cathedral on the way) is still a must-do, whether you decide to eat there or not.
There are also plenty of pubs and restaurants in the area if you prefer a sit-down meal (Arabica is one of my favourites, if you’re craving Middle Eastern food!).
2 PM: London Eye, Westminster Bridge and Big Ben
Once you have fuelled up and recharged, head over to London Bridge Station. Hopping on the Tube’s Jubilee line for just two stops in the Westbound direction will bring you to Waterloo Station.
Follow the exit signs pointing to the London Eye exit. This should bring you to York Road – turning right, walk up to the street corner intersecting with Chicheley Street.
This street will give you your first glimpse of the London Eye!
While this itinerary doesn’t account for riding the London Eye, this is something you can absolutely do!
If you’d like to do so, I recommend buying Fast Track tickets, as you get to skip the queues! A London Eye ride lasts just 30 minutes, so you can easily squeeze it into this 1-day itinerary.
Should you decide to skip the ride, this is a great spot to get all your photo-dump-worthy photos of both the London Eye and Big Ben, which you can spot across the river.
At the end of the Queen’s Walk, climb the stairs up to Westminster Bridge. Crossing the bridge will give you plenty more photo ops, but no matter how tempting it may be, make sure not to fall for the street cup and ball scams that usually operate in this area!
3 PM: Downing Street and the Royal Horse Guards
Keep weaving your way into Westminster, straight on and past Big Ben, turning right on Parliament Street. Along this road is where you can take a peek at the gate entrance for No. 10 Downing Street – the official home of the British Prime Minister.
Further down the road, you will also see the Royal Horse Guards! You can take photos of the horses, but make sure not to touch or stand too close to them, for safety.
Optional: Trafalgar Square
If you’d also like to visit Trafalgar Square, keep walking up Whitehall to the roundabout – the square is right across the street.
Trafalgar Square is named after Britain’s victory in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and it is a London landmark with historical and cultural significance.
However, apart from the statues and fountains, there are not many activities to do there, unless you visit the National Gallery (or if any cultural events are taking place). For this reason, you may want to skip it, if you’re feeling tired.
3:30 PM: St James’s Park
If you walk through the archway of the Royal Horse Guards, you’ll reach the Horse Guards Parade and St James’s Park. If you went up to Trafalgar Square, take The Mall road to reach the corner of St James’s Park.
St James’s Park is one of my favourite parks in London because you can see lots of wildlife and beautiful flower beds here. During spring, the park blossoms with daffodils and some cherry blossom trees.
There are birds, ducks, swans, and even its famous pink pelicans! Of course, the squirrels are used to being around people, and they won’t shy out of coming up to you in hopes that you’ll feed them a nut or two.
4:30 PM: Buckingham Palace
As you walk along the park, you’ll be able to spot Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Exiting the park from either side will bring you to them, and you can admire the King’s Guards from outside the gates. While watching the guards in their distinctive uniforms is a popular tourist attraction, remember that they are highly-trained soldiers guarding the King’s official residences.
And this is the last stop from the walking route. Yay, you made it!
Evening Dinner and Drinks
Now that you have successfully completed my 1-day London itinerary route and seen most of London’s iconic sights, it’s time to end the day with some food and drinks!
My recommendation will always be to head over to a pub and order a traditional British dish. Most pubs serve popular dishes like fish and chips, steak and ale pie, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie.
Make sure to accompany your meal with a pint, and don’t forget about dessert! The British really know their way around desserts – some of my favourites include sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble.
London 1-day Walking Itinerary Map
Feel free to use my free map detailing the route for this itinerary. The route is split by morning and afternoon on the map, so it’s easy to keep track of timings!
Where to stay in London for a 1-Day Itinerary
If you’re staying overnight before or after visiting London for a day, I recommend staying either near Liverpool Street (so that you’re near the starting point of this route) or near the next transport hub you’ll need to depart from (for example, King’s Cross Station or Paddington Station).
Find accommodations in London:
Staying for longer? More things to do in London:
Last thoughts
As I mentioned, London is a big city and it would be impossible to see everything in just a day. However, you’ll definitely be able to see the major London highlights using my London 1-day itinerary!
Feel free to write any questions you may have in the comments – I’ll do my best to help!
Visiting London soon? Pin this 1-day itinerary to save it for later!
