Itinerary · London · United Kingdom
2 days in London
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing London, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
2 days is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 5. Day 1: British Museum and Tower of London. Day 2: Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard and National Gallery. Base yourself in Covent Garden and Soho.
Key facts
- Days
- 2
- Sights covered
- 10
- Day trips
- None
- Best base
- Covent Garden and Soho
- Book ahead
- British Museum and Tower of London
Day by day
Day 1: British Museum and Tower of London
British Museum, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, then London Eye in the evening.
Morning
British Museum
Entry to the permanent collection is free, and the glass-roofed Great Court, opened in 2000, makes a dramatic entrance hall.
Late morning
Tower of London
The Crown Jewels, including the Imperial State Crown, are displayed in the Jewel House, and Yeoman Warders ('Beefeaters') lead lively tours included with entry. The resident ravens are tied to the legend that the kingdom will fall if they leave.
Lunch
Lunch: Full English breakfast
Traditional cafés ('caffs') and pubs across the city; vegetarian versions with meat-free sausages are easy to find.
Afternoon
Westminster Abbey
Inside are the tombs of Elizabeth I and Mary I, Poets' Corner with memorials to Chaucer, Dickens and Shakespeare, and the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, high in the triforium, look down into the nave.
Late afternoon
Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
Big Ben is the great bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, whose clock faces were restored in a five-year conservation project. Visitors can watch debates from the public galleries free of charge or join paid guided tours, usually run on Saturdays and during parliamentary recesses.
Evening
London Eye
Book a time slot online for a lower price than on the day, and in winter aim for late afternoon to watch the city lights come on.
Day 2: Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard and National Gallery
Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard, National Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral and Natural History Museum, then Sky Garden in the evening.
Morning
Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard
The Changing the Guard ceremony takes place on the forecourt on set days each week, with military bands and guards in red tunics and bearskin hats, and watching it is free. The State Rooms, hung with paintings from the Royal Collection, usually open to ticketed visitors for about ten weeks in summer.
Late morning
National Gallery
The permanent collection is free.
Lunch
Lunch: Fish and chips
Fish-and-chip shops ('chippies') across London and many pubs; Friday is the traditional fish day.
Afternoon
St Paul's Cathedral
Visitors climb 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper carries around the dome, and can continue to the outdoor Stone and Golden Galleries — 528 steps in all — for views across the City.
Late afternoon
Natural History Museum
A 25-metre blue whale skeleton named Hope hangs in Hintze Hall, the Dinosaurs gallery has a moving T. rex model, and an escalator rises through a giant globe into the Earth galleries. Entry is free.
Evening
Sky Garden
If the free slots are gone, a reservation at one of the Sky Garden's bars or restaurants also gets you in.
Before you go
- British Museum: Entry is free, but booking a free timed slot online helps at busy times such as school holidays.
- Tower of London: Tickets bought online in advance are usually cheaper than at the gate and secure entry on busy summer days.
- Westminster Abbey: Timed sightseeing tickets bought online save queuing in summer.
- Houses of Parliament and Big Ben: Guided tours sell out at peak times; book them on the UK Parliament website.
- Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard: Check the official schedule for Changing the Guard days, and book State Rooms tickets ahead for summer visits.
- London Eye: Timed tickets are cheaper online, and fast-track tickets help on summer weekends.
- Natural History Museum: Free entry, but booking a timed slot online is advised during school holidays.
- Sky Garden: Free tickets are released online in advance and go quickly, especially around sunset.
Contactless and Oyster capping
Tapping the same contactless card, phone or Oyster card caps your daily and Monday–Sunday weekly spend automatically, so most visitors do not need a separate travelcard.
If it rains
- Swap in Tate Modern (Bankside): Begin in the Turbine Hall, then walk across the Millennium Bridge for the framed view of St Paul's dome.
- Swap in Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) (South Kensington): Have a coffee in the tiled Victorian café rooms, then rest by the oval pool in the John Madejski Garden.
- Swap in Churchill War Rooms (Westminster): Book the first slot of the day; the narrow corridors become congested by late morning.
Where to stay for this itinerary
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and couples
Covent Garden and Soho
Theatreland, the market piazza and late-night restaurants in the West End
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 16–21 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.9 hours in December to 16.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.
Getting between stops: Metro. The Tube runs from about 5am until after midnight, with a 24-hour Night Tube on Friday and Saturday nights on the Victoria and Jubilee lines and most of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is 2 days enough in London?
2 days is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 5. How many days London needs.
+What should I book before visiting London?
British Museum, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard, London Eye, Natural History Museum and Sky Garden.