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From the unmissable Big Ben, the colorful Notting Hill, and the busy Covent Garden, there are so many iconic things to do and see in London. This one-day London itinerary will make sure you get to cover all the highlights, even on a tight schedule.
London is one of those cities that you feel like you know before you even visit it.
You’ve seen all those red double-decker buses in movies, and you feel like you’ve walked through Notting Hill streets thanks to Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. So once you visit, you obviously have an expectation of what it should look like.
This is where things can go very well, or very wrong, depending on whether you know how to plan your time in the city. Fear not, this is where I come to help.
I’ve visited London around five times now, and I recently lived there for almost three months. Just last year, I took a Eurotrip with my mom and aunt, and planned our whole itinerary to be perfect for first-time visitors.
We spent 3 days in London, slowly wandering through the city, but for time efficiency, I’ll compile all the highlights in this one-day London itinerary for your planning pleasure.
As with all my itineraries, this one will include recommendations along the way to some of the best coffee shops in London, as well as tips for great places to eat during the day, and more.
The Perfect One-Day London Itinerary for First-Time Visitors
Start the day exploring the charming Notting Hill
To start your straight-out-of-a-movie day in London, make your way to the adorable Notting Hill neighborhood.
It might seem weird to start the day here, instead of at more iconic London spots, like Big Ben, but this makes more sense geographically.
Notting Hill is an iconic London neighborhood lined with colorful houses, famous for its Portobello Road Market and its cute, calm neighborhood vibes, which make you forget you’re in a massive city.
Arriving in Notting Hill, make sure to stroll the cute pastel-colored streets, wander the stalls of the iconic market, enjoy the rom-com vibes of the area, and, of course, enjoy a good coffee.
One of my favorite coffee shops in Notting Hill is the cozy Amoret Coffee, with an eye-catching facade and a perfect flat white.
For breakfast, you could pick up a pastry at the popular Buns from Home, or for a heartier sit-down meal, you could stop by Eggslut for a filling breakfast sandwich.
After exploring this charming neighborhood, it’s time to head back into the heart of the city and continue checking off your London bucket list.
Admire the royal Buckingham Palace
Next up is the royal Buckingham Palace. To make your way here, you can kill two birds with one stone and hop on a red double-decker bus.
Grab a seat on the top floor, if you can, the front one obviously, to instantly feel like the main character in a 90’s movie.
Or if you just want to get to Buckingham Palace faster, take the metro.
At Buckingham Palace, there’s not much to do but to admire the grandeur of the place from outside the gates. If you get lucky, you might get to see the changing of the guards.
Take your souvenir picture in front of the Palace’s golden gate, and let’s keep moving. Make your way through the serene St James’s Park en route to Westminster Abbey.
Tick off iconic London sights: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Palace of Westminster
Now for the highlight of this whole one-day London itinerary—the trifecta: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Palace of Westminster. Some of the most iconic spots in London.
You’ll want to exit St. James Park and arrive at Great George St., as this is where you’ll get the first glance at Big Ben, and honestly, that first look never gets old.
I still get so excited every time I go back to London and see Big Ben for the first time on that trip.
📸 On Great George St. is also where you’ll find those iconic red phone booths with the perfect view of Big Ben at the back. Touristy? Maybe. Is it still an incredible picture to have as a memory? Absolutely!
So shoot away, and once you’re ready, make your way to Westminster Abbey to admire its dramatic structure from the outside. If you only have one day, I wouldn’t spend time or money going inside.
What you can do, though, is to visit their gift shop, which is accessible to anyone, and they have some really cute London souvenirs. Here I got my sister a pin of a corgi wearing the crown—so cute!
📸 Before crossing Westminster Bridge, I would recommend walking a little bit along Victoria Embankment to get the best shot you could get of the London Eye from across the river.
Continue across Westminster Bridge for more incredible photo spots of Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster at the back, which has been featured in almost every single movie ever made in London.
When I see the Palace of Westminster, I always think of that scene in Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. jumping out of the window into the river.
Lunch in Borough Market: A foodie’s paradise
This might be a long morning stretch without food, but fear not, you’ll want to be hungry for our next stop: Borough Market.
After crossing Westminster Bridge, walk along the South Bank, from where you’ll get treated to incredible views of London across the river, until you arrive at the buzzing Borough Market, a foodie’s paradise.
Borough Market is one of London’s oldest food markets, with its trading roots starting all the way back in 1014(!)
Nowadays, it’s a buzzing market where you can find anything from fresh produce to cheese, wine, and incredible food stands from cuisines from all over the world.
As I said, this is the perfect place to arrive hungry.
There are so many incredible-looking options, but one of my favorite ones I’ve tried is The Black Pig for their delicious pulled pork sandwiches.
☕️If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, two options for great coffee nearby are the iconic Monmouth Coffee Company and The Gentleman Baristas.
Walk along the South Bank towards Tower Bridge and the Tower of London
Once fed and caffeinated, it’s time to continue on your way towards Tower Bridge, another must-see London landmark.
Walk along the Thames, take in the views, and once you can see Tower Bridge approaching, make sure to stop and take those panoramic shots before crossing the bridge.
Once you cross the bridge, make your way towards the Tower of London, a place known for its dark history. You’ll find some history plaques on the sidewalk where you can learn a little bit more about the structure and its uses.
After admiring these two, make your way to the metro and head to Covent Garden for a less-historical, and more slow-travel part of the day.
Wander through lively Covent Garden
Covent Garden, as a neighborhood, has to be one of my favorite areas in London.
Located right in the heart of London, here you can find everything you need: great shopping, some of the best coffee shops, incredible food options, entertainment, and more.
Slowly wandering through the neighborhood is one of my favorite things to do, and an essential for any first-time visitor to London, to get a more authentic vibe of the city, away from the souvenir sellers around Big Ben.
While wandering, make sure to take your time exploring the shops inside the Covent Garden market, enjoy the street performers around the area, stop by the picturesque Neil’s Yard, and pop into the fun Seven Dials Market.
Once it starts to get dark out, the neighborhood comes alive with adorable fairy lights hanging above the streets and locals heading out for dinner and drinks with friends.
Classic pub dinner at The Lamb & Flag
Speaking of dinner, once you’ve covered a lot of ground and start to get hungry again, make your way to The Lamb & Flag for a delicious pub dinner.
Even if you’re not hungry yet, it’s a pub, you can always arrive earlier to start with an aperitivo drink while you build up your appetite.
The Lamb & Flag is a historic London pub with its origins dating back to 1772. Which explains why the vibe is so cozy—it even has a real fire going on in the winter.
It’s a locally-loved spot, so to be safe, I’d recommend making a reservation for dinner.
This is a great place to try the traditional fish and chips—I’m normally not a fan of this dish, but I loved it here—as well as their London pride steak & ale pie. It was so good!
Now I understand why Brits love their pub meals. They are just so rich and comforting.
Don’t skip the dessert, it’s as good as the main dishes.
Catch a West End show
If you’re a musical lover, then one thing you’ll want to squeeze into your one-day London itinerary will be a West End show.
For this, you’ll want to book them far in advance, especially if you have a favorite show. And you’ll have to have an early dinner, as the latest shows on the West End tend to start at 7:30 pm, and by the time it finishes, most kitchens will be closed.
If you need ideas, one of my favorite musicals on the West End is the iconic Les Misérables. I’ve seen it twice now, and I’d happily see it again.
SIX The Musical is a very fun contemporary show, and I’ve heard great things about the new Paddington Musical.
⭐️ Online last-minute tickets: If you can’t decide what to watch, or don’t want to spend too much on tickets, you can always check TodayTix for discounted last-minute tickets.
⭐️ In-person last-minute tickets: Show up to any of the theater box offices 30-20 minutes before a show and ask if they have any discounted last-minute tickets.
This works especially well if you’re a solo traveler, as many times they are trying to fill one random empty seat, and you can end up with up to a 70% discount on the original ticket price. This is how I went to see Les Mis the first time as a broke solo traveler.
Seeing a show in the West End is one of the best things to do in London, especially during the winter months, when the sun sets super early, and you’re left exploring the city in the dark.
Squeeze some more London icons: Trafalgar, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus
After your evening in the theater, wander around for a bit longer and stop by Trafalgar Square to admire the lions, then up to Leicester Square, where all the London movie premieres take place, and wander through Piccadilly Circus.
Once at Piccadilly Circus, you’ll get some very cool views of all the red buses driving by and the curving Regent Street stretching into the distance.
Follow the impressive Regent Street with its beautiful architecture until you reach the trendy Soho Neighborhood, where you can finish your perfect one-day London itinerary.
End the day in the trendy Soho
In Soho, you’ll find a bit more of London nightlife, which is sometimes hard to find, as most pubs are required to close around 11 pm… I know, crazy!
However, in this fun neighborhood, you’ll find trendy cocktail bars with more generous closing times, which is why the area is so lively at night.
Explore the neighborhood and make sure to walk down Carnaby Street, which is normally decorated in one way or another, with neon signs or art installations.
If you want to finish off the night with a little cocktail, a popular spot in the area is Cahoots, known for its cool 1940’s underground station theme and creative cocktails. I haven’t been, but it’s definitely on my list for the next time I’m in town.
Final thoughts on how to spend one day in London
Ideally, you’ll have more than one day in London, maybe you just want to squeeze all the main sights in one day, to then spend the rest of your trip hitting the shops and watching all the West End shows.
Whatever your plan is, this one-day London itinerary will help you tick off most of the iconic sights in just 24 hours, from the picturesque Notting Hill to the buzzing Borough Market and the unmissable Covent Garden.
You’ll finish the day feeling like you’ve seen all the main spots and can easily slow down the days after, if you have more time in the city.
After exploring this exciting city thoroughly, this carefully curated one-day London itinerary will guide you through the city in a way that makes sense, making it so much easier for you as a first-time visitor to use your time efficiently.
Is there anything else that you’d normally like to do during your one day in London, or an activity you would trade? Let us know in the comments.