London 3-Day Itinerary

How this 3-day London plan works

Three days in London works best as three walkable zones rather than a list of attractions. Day one takes the Westminster-to-Tower riverside spine, day two the museum and park quarter, day three the East End and Greenwich. Nothing here needs more than a short Tube hop.

First-time London

Where to base yourself for this plan

Covent Garden, the South Bank or Bloomsbury. All three let you walk to day one entirely and keep the other two days to a single Tube ride.

Day 1: Westminster to the Tower along the Thames

Focus: Westminster, South Bank, City

• Morning

  Westminster Abbey at opening, then Parliament, Big Ben and the bridge view before the crowds thicken.

• Afternoon

  Cross to the South Bank and walk east — London Eye, National Theatre, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge — with lunch at Borough Market.

• Evening

  Tower Bridge at dusk, then dinner in the City or back west for a show in Theatreland.

• Getting between them

  Entirely on foot, roughly 6 km with stops. The Jubilee line covers you if the weather turns.

Day 2: Museums, parks and the West End

Focus: South Kensington, Hyde Park, Soho

• Morning

  One museum only — the V&A, Natural History or Science Museum. All free, all too large to combine well.

• Afternoon

  Walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to Marble Arch, then Mayfair and Regent Street.

• Evening

  Dinner in Soho followed by a West End show, booked ahead or on a same-day discount.

• Getting between them

  Piccadilly line from South Kensington to Piccadilly Circus if you would rather not walk.

Day 3: The East End and Greenwich

Focus: Shoreditch, Greenwich

• Morning

  Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Columbia Road — best on a Sunday when all three markets run.

• Afternoon

  Thames Clipper east to Greenwich for the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark and the skyline view from the park.

• Evening

  Return by river at sunset, which is the best hour to be on the Thames.

• Getting between them

  Overground to Shoreditch, then the river bus to Greenwich — slower than the DLR but far more enjoyable.

Adapting this plan

If your three days include a Sunday, put the East End on it for the markets and move the museums to Monday. Arriving on a Friday evening? Swap the show to Friday night and give yourself a full third day. In winter, flip day one's river walk to the morning — the light goes by 16:00 from November to January.

Best time to run this itinerary

May–September delivers long days, rooftop bars and open-air festivals (14–24°C). December brings Christmas markets, ice-rinks and Oxford Street lights. November–February is quietest with the best hotel rates; expect rain year-round and pack layers.

Before you go

• Tap in and out with any contactless card — a daily cap applies automatically.

• Stand on the right on Tube escalators.

• Museums are free — donations welcome; special exhibitions still ticketed.