Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    PlanTripLondon – Things to do in London
    • Visit London
      1. Things to do in London
      2. Transport in London
      3. Accommodation
      4. Save Money
      5. Where to Eat
      6. Discover London
      7. Day Trips from London
      8. Useful Information
      Featured

      Best Musicals in London in 2025

      Recent

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      London Pass Itineraries

      The best Black Taxi Tours in London

    • Attractions
      1. Top Attractions
      2. Top Musicals
      3. London Markets
      4. London Museums
      5. Changing of the Guard
      6. Harry Potter Studios
      7. Sightseeing Bus Tour
      8. Sightseeing Passes
      9. Tours in London
      Featured

      Top London attractions: The Must-Sees!

      Recent

      Platform 9¾ in London

      Visiting Buckingham Palace in London

      Top London attractions: The Must-Sees!

    • Plan your trip
      1. London Itineraries
      2. London Trip Planner
      3. Our Maps of London
      Featured

      London in Two Days

      Recent

      London Travel App: PlanTripLondon App with Itineraries to visit London

      How to Plan a Trip to London

      London in One Day

    • London with kids
      1. Musicals for Kids
      2. Travelling with kids
      3. 30 things to do with kids
      4. Top 10 London Attractions
      5. View All

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      New Year’s Eve in London 2024

      London New Year’s Eve Cruises 2024

      New Year’s Eve in London with kids

      New Year´s Day in London 2025

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Things to do in London with kids

      Christmas in London with Kids

      Best Theatre Shows and Musicals in London for Kids

      Best Museums to visit in London with kids

    • Events
      1. Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025
      2. Valentine’s Day
      3. Easter in London
      4. Christmas in London
      5. New Year’s Eve in London
      6. View All

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Things to do in London with kids

      Trooping The Colour

      Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on

      Christmas in London 2024 – 2025

      Christmas Markets in London

      Christmas in London with Kids

      New Year’s Eve in London 2024

      London New Year’s Eve Cruises 2024

      New Year’s Eve in London with kids

      New Year´s Day in London 2025

      Trooping The Colour

      New Year’s Eve in London 2024

      Christmas in London 2024 – 2025

      Valentine’s Day in London 2025

    PlanTripLondon – Things to do in London
    Home»Visit London»Plan a Trip to London»London in One Day
    Plan a Trip to London Visit London

    London in One Day

    Updated:28/04/20236 Mins Read
    London in one day
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email WhatsApp

    If you plan to visit London in one day, you want to make the most of it and see the most important attractions and sights, especially if it’s your first time in this beautiful city.

    London has a long list of iconic places and attractions that every visitor wants to see and visit, but if you only have one day to spend in London, you need to plan your day to see as much as possible. We have prepared two options for you to consider, two different itineraries for you to have two possibilities and make the most of your one-day trip to London.

    Contents hide
    1 One Day in London: Option 1 – Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour + River Cruise + London Eye
    1.1 Our Experience
    1.2 Sightseeing bus tour and river cruise
    1.3 London Eye
    2 One Day in London: Option 2 – Walking Route + London Eye
    2.1 Walking route to visit London in a day step-by-step
    2.1.1 Changing on the Guard at Buckingham Palace
    2.1.2 Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and London Eye
    2.2 Tower of London and River Cruise
    2.2.1 Southbank
    2.2.2 Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden
    2.3 Itinerary to visit London in a day
    3 Transport suggestions

    One Day in London: Option 1 – Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour + River Cruise + London Eye

    If you are only visiting for a day and want to see as much as possible, I highly recommend that you go on a hop-on hop-off bus tour, do a Thames River Cruise and go on the London Eye.

    Our Experience

    The first time we visited London, we travelled from Norfolk, where my mum lives and only had one day in London, and this is precisely what we did.

    We went on the bus tour, which very easily takes you around the most important places in London. With the bus tour, you get a free river cruise, which I enjoyed the most as the views are amazing, and we also went on the London Eye to round it all up. And this is exactly what I recommend you do if you are planning to spend a day in London.

    Sightseeing bus tour and river cruise

    The open-top bus tour takes you to all the important places, such as Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Oxford Street, Regent Street… And you can stay on the bus or get off at any stop and then get back on the bus whenever you want to. It´s an easy way to explore London, and not have to worry about public transport.

    The free river cruise is fantastic, in my opinion, one of the best things to do in London if you have one day. From the river, you’ll be able to see the houses of parliament, the London Eye, Shakespeare´s Globe, St Paul’s Cathedral… You will also see London Bridge, Millennium Bridge, and the famous Tower Bridge. The river cruise will also allow you to take beautiful photos of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

    If you are arriving at King´s Cross St Pancras Station, then the open-top bus tour would be ideal, as there is a bus stop to hop on the bus as you exit the station.

    London Eye

    We recommend that you get fast-track tickets for the London Eye online beforehand, so you avoid the long queues and go directly to the prepaid tickets queue; this way, you’ll make sure you make the most of your day in London.

    One Day in London: Option 2 – Walking Route + London Eye

    We have designed a walking route enabling you to discover London in a day if you would rather walk to see the city’s sights. With our walking route, you will see some of the most important landmarks, and you will probably have time to see the Changing of the Guard, visit Westminster Abbey and go on the London Eye.

    Walking route to visit London in a day step-by-step

    Changing on the Guard at Buckingham Palace

    Our walking route starts at Green Park Underground Station. From here, we will walk towards Buckingham Palace, where the famous changing of the guard ceremony takes place at 11.00 am on certain days. Make sure you check the exact dates of the changing of the guard to avoid disappointment.

    Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and London Eye

    After seeing Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard, we will walk across St James´s Park and head towards Westminster Abbey and Big Ben along Whitehall, past 10 Downing Street. We can then cross Westminster Bridge, admiring the views from this bridge, and make our way towards the London Eye.

    Tower of London and River Cruise

    At this point, one option is to go to the Tower of London by boat. We can jump on an Uber boat at London Eye Pier and go to Tower Pier. This is a riverboat service (like a river bus), so just an easy and cheap way to cruise the Thames and take in the views. As it isn´t a touristic cruise, there is no live commentary. Still, it´s a perfect way to go from one part of London to another. On the way, you can spot Shakespeare´s Globe, the Millenium Bridge, Tate Modern, Hay´s Galleria… Get off at Tower Pier to see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Afterwards, jump back on the Uber boat and return to London Eye. If you are feeling a bit hungry, you could go to St Katharine´s Dock to grab a bite, as there are several restaurants in the area.

    Southbank

    Once we return to the London Eye, we can continue our walking route. Explore London´s beautiful Southbank for a bit. This is where the Sea Life Aquarium, London Dungeons, Shrek´s Adventure and Southbank Centre are. You will find many restaurants here.

    Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden

    We´ll cross the Thames over Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges and make our way towards Trafalgar Square. This is where the National Gallery (free entry) is. From Trafalgar Square, we can easily walk towards Piccadilly Circus.

    From Piccadilly Circus, we will walk along Regent Street and explore Carnaby Street. After walking through London´s Soho, we will reach Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

    Covent Garden is a great place to grab a bite. There are many restaurants in the area. Seven Dials Market is also just around the corner from Covent Garden, another great option if you´re hungry. This is also where we can find several theatres and London´s best musicals.

    Itinerary to visit London in a day

    Transport suggestions

    If you are going to spend just one day in London, it may be tempting to buy single fares if you’re going to use public transport, such as the underground or the bus. We encourage you to buy an oyster card for the day or use contactless payment if possible.

    You will pay less for each journey this way than buying single fares or even a day travelcard, as the oyster card´s daily capping makes it cheaper to use than a day travelcard.

    You can also use oyster or contactless on the riverboat service mentioned above.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Email
    Previous ArticleLondon in Two Days
    Next Article How to Plan a Trip to London

    Related Posts

    Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025

    London Pass Itineraries

    The best Black Taxi Tours in London

    Best Musicals in London in 2025

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    TOP THINGS TO DO
    HARRY POTTER IN LONDON
    LONDON ITINERARIES
    TOP LONDON MUSICALS
    LONDON SIGHTSEEING BUS TOUR
    LONDON WITH KIDS
    SIGHTSEEING PASSES
    HARRY POTTER STUDIOS
    Harry Potter Studios London
    LONDON BUS TOUR
    London Bus Tours
    RECOMMENDED
    Madame Tussauds Museum London
    Legoland Windsor
    About Us
    Hello! We are Alberto and Amy. We moved to London in 2010 and decided to create PlanTripLondon.com. Here, we share our own experiences living in London with our two kids and also info and advice about Things to do in London, Itineraries, Recommended Hotels in London, Places to visit in London with kids and more! If you have any questions, leave a comment and we will try to help you in less than 24 hours!

    Find out more about us: About Us

    THE LEGAL BIT
    Privacy policy and Use of cookies
    Recent Posts
    • Things to do in London with kids
    • Trooping The Colour
    • Changing of the Guard in London: Dates 2025
    • Christmas Lights in London: When are they switched on
    • New Year’s Eve in London 2024
    • London New Year’s Eve Cruises 2024
    • New Year’s Eve in London with kids
    MOST RECOMMENDED
    Harry Potter Studios in London

    Best Musicals in London

    Visit London with Kids

    Visit the London Eye

    Best Sightseeing Bus Tours in London

    Things to do in London

    Best Taxi Tours in London

    Facebook Instagram
    © 2025 PlantripLondon.com. - All rights reserved.
    The legal owner of the website plantriplondon.com is Qver Travel Ltd. Registered in the United Kingdom with Registration Number 09148660. Address: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.