London Itinerary - 3 Days in London for First Timers

By Katie Sagal
Published: July 18, 2024

Only have three days in London or just looking for a streamlined list of fun things to do in London during your upcoming trip? Follow our 3 Days in London Itinerary to see all the major highlights and experience the essential top attractions in London, England. This itinerary includes:

  • Coca-Cola London Eye
  • Big Bus London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
  • Planet Hollywood & Piccadilly Circus
  • Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, & National Portrait Gallery
  • St. Paul's Cathedral
  • Wembley Stadium Tour
  • Photo Opp at Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, & Parliament
  • Hyde Park & the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Spending less time in London? Check out our one day in London or weekend in London 2 day itinerary for other fun ways to plan your trip.

Save on Attraction Admission

Many of the popular attractions in this itinerary are available on the London Explorer Pass. Visit the available attractions outlined here and save up to 35% off combined admission vs. paying at the gate. Remember, this 3 days in London itinerary is just one of many ways to experience the area. The London Explorer Pass gives you the flexibility to create your own itinerary, so you can choose over a dozen top attractions and create a vacation tailored to your interests.

Day 1

Stop #1 - Coca-Cola London Eye

Head to the Coca-Cola London Eye right at 10:00 am to beat some of the crowds and take advantage of prime daytime lighting for your photos of and from one of London's top landmarks. Take the 30-minute spin around the eye to get 360-degree panoramic views from your observation pod. At its highest point, you'll be 443-meters above ground with one of the best views of the city of London. Each observation pod features interactive touch screens with detailed maps and historic information to give context to the sights you'll see from your pod. You'll be able to identify stand-out buildings, historic sites, parks, and more as you look out around you. Your admission to the London Eye includes admission to the Coca-Cola London Eye 4D Experience, too, a fun, multi-sensory city experience. Some of the sights you'll see include: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, the British Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, the Shard, the River Thames, and more. Getting In: Coco-Cola London Eye tickets are available as an option on the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #2 - Big Bus London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

This hop-on hop-off bus tour is the easiest way to get acquainted with London and see all the top attractions and London landmarks--the perfect way to start out your short stay in London. Hop-on or off at your leisure at any of the 50+ stops along the way (such as the ones outlined in this 3 Days in London Itinerary) or stay on the bus for the full tour loop. After riding the Coca-Cola London Eye, hop on the Underground and head to Victoria Station to get your Big Bus London tickets. You'll start your sightseeing tour at stop # 27 of the red or blue line: "VICTORIA STATION" to start your tour. Awarded a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor in 2013, 2014, and 2015, their informative guides will make you feel like you experienced all the highlights of London with their comprehensive commentary and extensive list of stops along the way. Be sure to bring your camera! To pickup your Big Bus London tickets, simply present your London Explorer Pass at any of the three bus stop locations below:

  • Piccadilly – between Green Park underground station and The Ritz Hotel
  • Victoria Station – on the forecourt in front of the railway station
  • Baker Street – at the Big Bus kiosk between the exit of Baker Street underground and Madame Tussauds

Getting In: Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus London tickets are available as an option on the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #3 - Lunch at Planet Hollywood & Piccadilly Circus

Hop-off your bus tour at stop #8: "PICCADILLY CIRCUS - Stop G, Regent Street" Take a break and enjoy a fun lunch with a dose of Hollywood culture at Planet Hollywood. Dining in London can be expensive so take advantage of this on your London Explorer Pass to save a little cash, plus, you'll get to check off another Planet Hollywood location. After lunch, head to Piccadilly Circus for some sightseeing and shopping on the famous Regent Street where you can pop into Harrod's department store, a famous London landmark in itself. Getting In: Meal at Planet Hollywood Restaurant is available as an option on the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #4 - Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, & National Portrait Gallery

By Diliff (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Walk around Trafalgar Square and get a photo with the famous lion statues guarding the base of Nelson's Column. Next, take advantage of the free admission at both The National Gallery, one of the largest art museums in the world with famous paintings from the 13th to 19th centuries, and The National Portrait Gallery, which houses over 200,000 portraits of historic figures from the 16th century to present day. Hop back on the Big Bus London tour at stop #10: "TRAFALGAR SQUARE - Stop Z, by the National Gallery" to and continue riding to complete your bus loop for the day.

Stop #5 - St. Paul's Cathedral

Hop-off your bus tour at stop # 16: "ST PAULS" St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the most iconic architectural landmarks in England and one of London's most visited attractions. With admission, you'll get access to the Cathedral floor, the crypt where tombs and memorials of many famous Britons are, and the three galleries in the dome where you can view lots of famous works of art and get sweeping views of the city. Plan to attend one of the four daily 90-minute guided tours (subject to availability) for a comprehensive, expert-led tour of the Cathedral. Or, go on a self-paced tour with one of the touch screen multimedia tablet guides provided, available in 9 languages. Hop-back on the bus at the same stop you exited and continue your guided bus tour of London. Getting In: St.Paul's Cathedral tickets are available as an option on the London Explorer Pass.

Day 2

Stop #1 - Wembley Stadium Tour

No trip to London, or Europe, is complete without an authentic football experience. There's such a strong culture surrounding the sport it's almost palpable, and definitely part of the complete London experience. Go on a guided tour of the iconic Wembley Stadium, home to the England national football team and home to the annual FA Cup Final. Your guide will walk you through some of the most historic and memorable moments in football history and you'll get to experience the stadium (without the crowds) and see areas not open to the general public, including the Player's Tunnel, Royal Box where you can hold a replica of the FA Cup, England changing rooms, press conference rooms, and more. Getting In: Wembley Stadium Tour tickets are available as an option on the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #2 - the London Designer Outlet

After your tour of the Wembley Stadium, head over to the London Designer Outlet right nearby for some prime London shopping and dining options. Grab a quick lunch at one of the popular restaurants to before hitting the shops (we love Handmade Burger Co, wagamama, or, Pret for a quick bite). You can get all of your London shopping in at this one-stop destination. The outlet has tons of name brand shops, including H&M, Jack Wills, L.K. Bennett London, Nike, Oakley, The North Face, and more.

Day 3

Stop #1 - Photo Opp at Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, & Parliament

By , [email protected] (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

Start your day in the middle of the iconic Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament and check them off your list. Try to re-create the classic tourist photo shot featuring one of the red London phone booths with Big Ben in the background (bonus points if you get a double decker bus in the frame, too). Westminster Abbey: this large, striking Gothic church has served as the official coronation location for monarchs since the coronation of William the Conqueror in the 11th century and hosted numerous other events such as William and Kate's royal wedding and Princess Diana's funeral. Inside you can find the burial sites and memorials for lots of famous historic figures, including Charles Darwin. Big Ben: actually the nickname of the bell inside the tower (the clock and tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower), is one of the most iconic structures in London, often representing the city of London in films, TV, and more. Houses of Parliament: also known as Westminster Palace, is the meeting place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Please note: admission to these attractions is not included with the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #2 - Indian Curry for Lunch at Gymkhana

Lunch at Gymkhana will prove why London is famous for having some of the best Indian food in the world. Plates are made for sharing so adventurous choices are encouraged, they're known for their creative, contemporary takes on classic Indian cuisine.

Stop #3 - Buckingham Palace

By Diliff (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Walk off lunch by heading to Buckingham Palace to see if Her Majesty the Queen is home. If you see the Royal Standard flag, not the Union Jack flag, flying above Buckingham Palace, that means that the HM the Queen is home. If you see the Union Flag, it means she is away. Take a classic tourist picture with one of the guards outside of the palace and see if you can make one of them laugh! Please note: admission to tour Buckingham Palace is not included with the London Explorer Pass.

Stop #4 - Hyde Park & Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

www.CGPGrey.com [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Take a stroll beyond Buckingham Palace towards the famous Hyde Park where you can walk along The Serpentine water feature and visit the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.

Let's Recap

Whether you're looking for the most comprehensive 3 days in London itinerary or want to experience a smaller selection of top attractions at your leisure throughout the whole week, this popular 3 Days in London Itinerary covers some of the most iconic and fun London attractions, ensuring you get in all of the top landmarks. From sightseeing tours to museums and top restaurants, you'll be able to enjoy it all, even with a limited amount of time for sightseeing! With the recent drop of the British pound attraction admission, hotels, and more are now likely more affordable for Americans and the US dollar. Check out our budget friendly post for visiting London with tips and more. Remember, with a London Explorer Pass you can save up to 35% off combined admission to many of these attractions vs paying separately at the gates.

Katie Sagal
Go City Travel Expert

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St Paul's Cathedral looking resplendent from Fleet Street
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Why you should visit London in July

If there’s a month to see London at its best, it has to be July. This is the month when Londoners let their hair down and bask in mid-summer temperatures that stay pleasantly warm until dusk settles at around 10PM. The promise of great weather sees everyone who’s anyone relax in London’s multitude of outdoor spaces, be that a Royal Park or a rooftop bar for a glass of rosé. There’s also a myriad of festivals throughout London in July, as well as once-a-year opportunities including the summer opening of Buckingham Palace. Discover royal London It’s in July that Buckingham Palace – the monarch’s official London residence – opens its doors to the public. Entering via the building’s ceremonial entrance and grand gilt staircase, visits take in 19 state rooms. Used for official functions, such as investitures and the welcoming of foreign heads of government, they include the Throne Room, White Drawing Room and Ballroom. If that isn’t enough, each year a different exhibition is staged using artefacts from the royal collection – providing further insight into the many roles played by British royals. The objects on display at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival are no less impressive for their shorter lifespans. The largest horticultural event in the capital’s calendar, attractions range from a festival of roses to celebrity workshops, all amid the Tudor palace’s spectacular grounds. Dating back hundreds of years, Swan Upping takes place on the Thames over several days in July. Starting at Eton Bridge beside Windsor Castle, Swan Uppers in traditional Thames skiffs count the year’s cygnets to ensure the river’s swan population remains healthy. Make the most of the long July evenings The royal connections continue at Kensington Palace, which is the location of one of the open-air pop-up giant cinema screens that appear throughout London from July. Other locations include Clapham Common, Somerset House and Trafalgar Square, with screenings varying between Hollywood classics, family favorites and the latest blockbusters. For a very different kind of performance head to the Royal Albert Hall, where eight weeks of classical music concerts, together known as the Proms, kick off in July. A firm fixture since 1895, the series culminates in the Last Night of the Proms – one of the more patriotic nights in London life. Life in all its forms can be enjoyed with adults-only Twilight Tickets to ZSL London Zoo. Besides seeing the zoo’s wild animals at one of the calmer times of day, these special nights also host a chill out zone and street food vans should you get hungry. Go sports mad in London in July The world’s oldest tennis competition, the Wimbledon Championships, take place on the verdant green lawns of southwest London in an annual parade of the very best sporting talent, some two million strawberries and 54,000 tennis balls. Even if you can’t nab a much sought after ticket for the show courts, ground passes are a great way to soak up the atmosphere. And whilst 2012 may be long gone, the spirit of the London Olympics lives on in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Occupying a swath of the capital’s east, free trails connect up some of the park’s most important structures. Tour the London Stadium, grab a selfie with the Olympic rings or get the adrenaline flowing with a ride down the world’s longest slide from the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower. Revel in summer festivals Just one demonstration of London’s diversity is the array of festivals which take place in London in July. Open to LGBT+ allies from all walks of life, Pride is the only event in the year to close Oxford Street to traffic. In place of the black taxis and red double-decker buses, you’ll see eclectic floats making their way to the main stage on Trafalgar Square. Take in the riverside between London Bridge and Tower Bridge and you’re sure to be sucked into the festival-like atmosphere created from outdoor eating and an event’s list covering everything from karaoke to open-air fitness classes. Then there’s the capital’s music festivals. British Summer Time brings some of the world’s biggest stars to Hyde Park, having welcomed Celine Dion, Bruno Mars and Green Day to previous editions. Elsewhere, fans of urban music won’t want to miss Wireless, whose acts have included the home-grown talents of Stormzy among its A-list setlists. Stroll in the city’s parks and gardens A hop, skip and a jump away from where Stormzy grew up in south London is Dulwich Park. Edged by Dulwich Picture Gallery – England’s oldest purpose-built art space – and close to Brockwell Lido, the park has recently been returned to the glory of its late-Victorian heyday. Kensington’s Holland Park spreads out around the remains of the Jacobean era Holland House. Sub-divided into several sections, its northern extent is dominated by woodland, whilst its inner core contains a formal garden and the Kyoto Japanese garden. St Dunstan-in-the-East also makes use of London’s historic architecture, in this case an 11th-Century parish church. Rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, it was unfortunately damaged beyond repair during the Blitz in the Second World War. Today, it forms a hidden oasis among the hustle and bustle of the ancient city. London weather in July Neither too hot nor too cold, London in July has some of the best weather of the year. Daily temperatures hover around 19°C, hardly ever dropping below 14°C or rising above 23°C. Rain is light, and rarely affects anyone’s plans. Sunshine is abundant, and daylight stretches for a staggering 16 hours per day, making T-shirts and vest-tops the best items to pack. It’s unlikely you’ll need anything thicker than a light sweater, although you’ll probably still want an umbrella just in case. Save on July London attraction admission Keen to experience all London has to offer in July? Admission to a whole host of London’s top attractions can be had with Go City, providing flexibility and great savings. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest hints and tips.
Ian Packham
A couple laughing together in front of the London Eye
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Things to do in London for couples

Whether you’ve been together six months or 60 years, there’s a wide array of things to do in London for couples. Strolling hand in hand through the grounds of palaces and stately homes, taking in views of the River Thames’ meandering path or soaking up some culture are just some of the experiences that await. Share in London’s historic wonders After six weddings and two beheadings, Henry VIII’s record as a husband may come into question, but it’s hard not to admire his taste in homes. Riverside Hampton Court Palace was his favorite residence, and the only Tudor royal palace in London welcoming the public. Having wondered at the Great Hall and historic kitchens, save some time for tackling the famous maze together – like couples have been doing since it was first planted in the 1680s. Continuing the theme of important London homes is Hampstead’s Keats House. The 19th-century romantic poet John Keats lived in the building for less than two years. However, as visitors will discover, in this time he not only wrote Ode to a Nightingale beneath one of the garden’s plum trees, but also fell madly in love with neighbor Fanny Brawne. And all before dying of tuberculosis at the age of 25. The magic figure at St Paul’s Cathedral is 259, the number of steps leading to the Whispering Gallery. Forming part of the 65,000 ton dome, it has the intriguing property of amplifying even the slightest sound around its walls. Couples who make here also get a close up with the focal point of Sir Christopher Wren’s original 17th-century structure. Check out London’s food scene Couples in London looking for a foodie treat are well catered for. The capital’s list of places to be wined and dined is a long one, meeting all tastes, budgets and dietary requirements. Though there may be more shared benches than tables for two, one of the newest kids on the block is Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey. A short walk from Tower Bridge, Venezuelan arepa share the space with Ethiopian wat and Chinese gyoza in a celebration of world cuisine. More traditional dining experiences still don’t have to cost the Earth. Home of the capital’s Bengali community, Brick Lane is the cherry on top of the cake of London’s love-affair with curry. Even so, prices are a fraction of those charged by celebrity chefs and London’s 60 or so Michelin-starred restaurants. If you abide by the idea that couples which drink together stay together, look no further than a cocktail-making class. Guided by the skilled hands of a professional mixologist, you’ll get to create a perfectly-balanced Old Fashioned, Dark and Stormy or Cosmopolitan. Alternatively, you could go one step better and take a tour of the Beefeater gin distillery, revealing just some of what goes into making the spirit so popular with bartenders across the city. Enjoy views of the Thames Even dirty old rivers – to steal a phrase from The Kinks’ 1960s classic Waterloo Sunset – have a certain innate romance. Take to its banks pretty much anywhere along its 215 mile course, and you’ll have to agree the Thames is no different. Actually one of the cleanest rivers in the world, it’s further reaches are home to otters, dolphins and seals in addition to landmarks known the world over. What’s more, there are several ways for couples in London to enjoy the majesty of the Thames. The classic way is to take to its waters, with river cruises slipping up and down stream between Westminster and Greenwich. When it comes to timing, sunset is difficult to beat, and is known as the golden hour for taking in the city’s panoramas. Boarding a Thames cruiser isn’t the only way to fully-appreciate the capital’s lifeblood. A completely different perspective is offered from a gondola of London’s first cable car, the Emirates Air Line, connecting the two sides of the river via a journey which takes in the entire Greenwich Peninsula. At dusk the journey is extended, so you have even more time to admire the panoply of sights below you. Climb the O2 Arena and the only thing immediately beneath your feet will be its white canopy. However, to either side of the walkway hanging 50 meters above the ground, the river unravels in all its glory in either direction. Take in a show William Shakespeare’s words have echoed through the centuries. Where better to relive the romance of Romeo and Juliet or Anthony and Cleopatra, or the bromance of Prince Hal and Falstaff in Henry IV than Shakespeare’s Globe? Outside of performances, tours detail some of the theater’s most captivating tales, such as the time an audience member’s breeches burst into flames alongside the original playhouse. Meanwhile, the velvet-clad seats of Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House is the foremost destination for opera and ballet. The West End has shows to suit any couple, with contemporary playwriting, musicals and classic plays all fighting for attention. When it comes to foot-tapping fun, there are venues large and small where it’s possible to let your hair down. They include the likes of the Sky Garden, hosting regular concerts to continue the traditions of the capital’s legendary music industry, which has given voice to everyone from David Bowie to Amy Winehouse. London’s Madame Tussauds – the first wax works to hold the name – is a great option for couples in need of a rainy-day activity. It’s array of famous faces from British history and worldwide popular culture are one way to get close to your idols. Movie lovers also have the option of taking in a multitude of sites forming backdrops to some of the silver screen’s best-known scenes including the James Bond franchise, Paddington and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Save on things to do in London for couples Reserve your hard-earned cash for spoiling your significant other by saving on London attraction admission and exploring more with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Ian Packham
Westminster Palace
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