One day isn’t long in a city that’s 2,000 years old, but if you walk it right you can see a remarkable amount. This is the route we’d give a friend: mostly on foot, with one Tube ride, a pub stop and a proper market lunch.

Morning: Westminster and Trafalgar Square

Start at Westminster with Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. First bit of trivia: Big Ben is technically the name of the great bell, not the tower. The tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012.

Walk up Whitehall past Downing Street and Horse Guards to Trafalgar Square, where Nelson’s Column, the lions and the National Gallery (free to enter) are all in one place.

Big Ben and Westminster Bridge over the Thames

Late morning: into the City

Hop on the Tube east towards the City of London, the original Roman city and today’s financial district. Highlights within a short walk of each other:

  • St Paul’s Cathedral: Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. (Ask a guide where the best spot for a photo is.)
  • The Bank of England and Mansion House: the heart of the City, and home to the Lord Mayor of London.
  • Leadenhall Market: a gorgeous Victorian covered market with a painted glass roof.
  • The Monument: a column commemorating the Great Fire, standing close to where it started on Pudding Lane.
  • St Dunstan in the East: a church bombed in the Blitz, now a romantic, overgrown garden among the office blocks.
Leadenhall Market's covered Victorian arcade

Lunch: Borough Market

Cross London Bridge to Borough Market, one of London’s oldest and best-loved food markets. Grab street food from all over the world, from Ethiopian stews to raclette, and eat it standing up like a local. Allow an hour; it’s busy at lunchtime, especially at weekends.

Afternoon: Bankside and the river

  • Shakespeare’s Globe: a reconstruction of Shakespeare’s theatre, close to the original site.
  • Millennium Bridge: the pedestrian bridge (nicknamed the “wobbly bridge” after its opening in 2000) with the classic view of St Paul’s.
  • The Tower of London: nearly a thousand years of royal history, crown jewels and ravens.
St Paul's Cathedral seen from a rooftop terrace

End the day in a pub

Finish in one of the City’s historic pubs. Many were rebuilt after the Great Fire and still have their wood panelling, snugs and stories. Note that a lot of City pubs close early at weekends.

Tips for doing London in a day

  • Wear comfortable shoes: this route is around 8–10 km on foot.
  • Use contactless or a phone payment on the Tube; it works the same as an Oyster card.
  • Book big attractions (like the Tower) in advance if you want to go inside.
  • Don’t try to enter everything. Choose one or two places to go inside and enjoy the rest from the street.

Let us do the planning

Our Everything, Everywhere, All with us tour covers this whole route in five hours. You’ll see over 30 sights, hear the myths debunked, stop at a pub, ride the Tube and get an hour for lunch at Borough Market. It runs at 10 AM every weekday.

Want to see it all in one day? Book the Everything tour.