This practical guide to getting around London in 3 days will help you prepare the routes you need to get to know one of the most cultural and leisurely cities, dare we say, in the world. Although we know that three days is still not enough time to see all the city's sights, if you optimise your itineraries, both on foot and by tube, we're sure you'll be able to start experiencing the real London.
In the first two days you will have walked around the most famous places in the city, including the popular Camden Market and the charming neighbourhood of Soho, so on the third day you will visit the famous Portobello Market, if it is on a Saturday, the beautiful Nothing Hill neighbourhood and the British Museum, one of the most important in the world, to finish the day having dinner in the Convent Garden neighbourhood.
We have based this guide to London in three days on the experience of our trips to London in 6 days and London in 10 days.
Travel tips
This list of tips will help you prepare for your trip to London:
To get to the centre or to your hotel in London from its 4 airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, you have several transport alternatives: train, underground, bus, taxi or book the transfer directly to the hotel.
You can find more information in this post about how to get from Luton airport to London, in this one about how to get from Gatwick airport to London, in this one about how to get from Heathrow airport to London or in this one about how to get from Stansted airport to London.All London in three days routes start from your accommodation. We recommend you to stay in a central location. These are the two hotels we have stayed in and we highly recommend them: the Garden Court Hotel and the Victor Hotel, both fantastic value for money. It is important to choose a hotel with a metro station nearby to avoid wasting a lot of time travelling.
For more information you can check out this post on recommended neighbourhoods and hotels to stay in London.Another interesting way to save time and money is to buy the London Pass, which will allow you to skip the queues at the tourist sites you visit. Another good option is to book the London Explorer Pass, which allows you entry to 3, 5 or 7 of the city's main attractions, skipping the queues and saving up to 40%.
You can find more information about this card with this post about the London Pass and this one about the London Explorer Pass.Remember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, are free and will save you a lot of money. You can find more information in this article about the best cards for commission-free travel.
If you are a fan or reader of the Harry Potter books we recommend you book this tour of Warner Studios where all the films were filmed in advance and this tour of the sets that inspired J.K. Rowling in London.
Remember that it is very important to book your ticket in advance to avoid missing out, as this is one of London's most popular attractions.
For more information on these tours you can check out this guide to visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London.
Take out good travel insurance. We always travel insured with Mondo and it covers all our needs.
For more recommendations, check out this post on essential tips for travelling to London.
First day in London
The first day of London in 3 days starts at the famous Piccadilly Circus junction, then continues along Regent Street to the popular Trafalgar Square.
St. James Park is the next stop, where you can enjoy this beautiful park and stroll to Buckingham Palace to watch the famous Changing of the Guard.
Then you can take advantage of your London Pass or book a skip-the-line ticket to visit Westminster Abbey and take thousands of photos of Big Ben from Parliament Square, with its famous red telephone boxes.
Before continuing with the London in 3 days itinerary you can have lunch at St. Stephen's Tavern or The Red Lion, and then cross Westminster Bridge. From the other side of the bridge you'll enjoy incredible views of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Strolling along the banks of the Thames you will reach the famous London Ferris Wheel, one of the best viewpoints in London, where you can buy this ticket to go up without having to queue and enjoy the experience without wasting a minute of your time.
A sunset walk to Tower Bridge, where you will see the Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral, will be the icing on the cake of your first day in London.
If you would like to learn about the history and anecdotes of this incredible city, you can book this guided tour in English that includes the entrance to the most essential places or this free tour, considered one of the best free tours in London.
(More information about the route in London in 1 day here)
Second day in London
The second day of the London in 3 days guide starts with a stroll through the beautiful area of Little Venice, and then take one of the boats to the alternative Camden Town. This neighbourhood with its Camden Market, one of the best markets in London, can take up the whole morning, as it is a very large and interesting area that we are sure you will love.
If you want to learn more about the history of the neighbourhood, you can book this guided tour which also includes a tour of Soho.
After lunch at one of the stalls in Camden Market, you can walk up to nearby Primrose Hill, from where you can enjoy beautiful distant views of London. The route continues walking down towards central London, as you cross the magnificent Regent's Park, to emerge near the beautiful Warren Mews alley, another of the city's must-see sights.
From here you can take the tube into the city centre or continue on foot to Carnaby Street in SoHo, a network of streets lined with clothes shops to suit all budgets and styles. Strolling around Soho and Chinatown will keep you busy until dinner time, when we recommend the burgers at Honest Burgers or the Indian food at Hankies Cafe.
In the evening you can go to see one of the city's famous musicals or take this night tour with an English speaking guide, one of the best tours in London and a great way to round off the second day of the London in 3 days.
(More information about the London in 2 days tour here).
What to see in London in 3 days
On this last day of the London in 3 days guide you will take the tube to the Marble Arch stop for an early morning walk through Hyde Park, the lungs of the city and one of the best things to do in London for free. This park is the largest in London and its highlights include Kensington Palace and Gardens, the Diana Memorial Fountain, the Serpentine Lake and the Rose Garden. You can book entry to the palace in advance here.
You can take advantage of the tour to go inside, if you have more time, or see the outside of the Royal Albert Hall, one of the most famous theatres and concert halls in the world. Remember that entry is included in the London Pass or you can book a guided tour in English which takes in the main venues.
You can leave the park through Notting Hill Gate and start your visit to one of London's most charming neighbourhoods, Notting Hill. Some of its most famous streets full of colourful houses are Uxbridge Street, Ladbroke Grove and Lancaster Road which will take you to the famous Portobello Market.
A good option to get to know the history and not miss anything of the neighbourhood is to book this free tour of Notting Hill with a guide in English.
Saturday morning is the best time to visit the neighbourhood as Portobello Road is full of street stalls, as well as the craft and antique shops that you can see every day of the week.
A good place to eat in this area of London is the Portobello Garden Café, where we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal the last time we were in town and one of the best restaurants to eat in London.
After lunch you can take the tube to the British Museum, one of the must-see places to visit in London and one of the best museums in London. This classic building has inside some of the most important works of art in the world such as the Egyptian room with the Rosetta Stone, the Greek room with parts of the Parthenon or the Roman room with hundreds of statues, which we can assure you, are a marvel.
If you are a history lover you can spend from a morning to several days, although we recommend, if you have time, to spend about 2 hours to complete this list of essential works to see in the British Museum and above all, keep in mind that it closes at 17:30.
This guided tour in English is perfect to make sure you don't miss anything and avoid the queues, or this free tour for free!
You can continue the London in 3 days itinerary by walking to Covent Garden, but not before passing through Neal's Yard, a charming and colourful corner in the centre of London.
Covent Garden is a picturesque neighbourhood full of shops, cafes, restaurants and street performers, with a two-storey covered market.
For dinner there are several recommended restaurants in this neighbourhood such as The Oystermen for seafood or the Flat Iron Covent Garden steakhouse, although it is worth remembering that inside the market there is Shake Shack, with its delicious burgers, or the French restaurant Chez Antoinette.
The London in 4 days guide is now available.
Map of the route through London in three days
Want to organise this trip to London in three days?
Get it here:The best deals on Flights to London here
The best hotels at the best prices in London here.
Book the best tours and excursions in/from London in English here
Book your London Airport transfer here
Guide to London in one day
Guide to London in 6 days
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