Is London guide in one day It is designed for travelers who have very little time, either by having a long stopover between flights or for those who have more time, as an example of a route for a first day in the city.
London is a huge, multicultural city, full of museums, parks, monuments, shops, markets and with endless leisure and cultural activities. It is important if you have a day or very few days to chart the itinerary well so you don't miss out on the most important thing, taking into account that good communication with the London subway and bus will help you complete the routes.
Based on the experience of our trips to London in 10 days and London in 6 days we have made this London guide in one day. We start!
How to go from the airport to central London
Most low-cost flights such as those operated by Ryanair land at Gatwick Airport, although Heathrow Airport is the busiest in London. In addition, London has two other smaller airports: Stansted and Luton, about 50 kilometers from the center.
The 4 airports have several means of transport to reach the center or your hotel.
- Train: With the Gatwick Express you will arrive at Victoria Station in 30 minutes and from there you have several subway lines with which to reach the city center or the hotel.
The Heathrow Express will leave you at Paddington station in 15 minutes and the Stansted Express arrives at Liverpool Street station in 45 minutes.
You can save time by buying the Gatwick Express in advance, the Heathrow Express or the Stansted Express here.
Keep in mind that all these train services are Espress, therefore faster but also more expensive. If you don't mind taking a little longer, you have several less fast train options that connect the 4 airports with central London. - Meter: It is available only at Heathrow Airport, which connects to the Piccadilly line.
- Bus: The 4 airports have a bus transfer to central London. This service is much cheaper than the train, but also slower.
In Heathrow, taking the subway, we could say that the bus would not be the most recommended way of traveling, although in the other 3 airports, the journey can be between an hour and an hour and a half, so it is an option to be valued.
Everyone has the final stop at Victoria Station, although you should look at the location of your hotel, as they make several stops and you may want to get off before. - Cab: Taxis in London are quite expensive and depending on the airport, the situation of your hotel and traffic can cost from 80 to more than 100 pounds.
- Private transport: With a cheaper price than the taxi, this is the most comfortable option, and depending on the location of the hotel and the number of passengers, it may be the best.
With this service they will wait for you at the airport with a sign with your name and will take you directly to the hotel. Being a closed price, cheaper than the taxi, you will avoid extra costs. You can book it here at the 4 airports.
You can find more information about the transfer from the airport to London in these articles:
Accommodation in London
In the last trip to london we stayed at the Garden Court Hotel, located very close to the Notting Hill neighborhood and Hyde Park. For us it was a success, since in addition to being in a beautiful neighborhood, with a great offer of restoration, it has very close the yellow line (Circle Line) of Bayswater and the Queensway line (Central Line), of subway, that you They allow you to visit most important places in London.
On our first trip to London we stayed at the Victor Hotel. This small, family-run hotel has good value for money and has the advantage of being very close to Victoria Station. This station is connected by train and bus to the airport and has a metro to visit the sights of London.
Two different options that we can not fail to recommend for the good experience we had in both.
For more information you can consult this post about the recommended neighborhoods and hotels where to stay in London.
Save money in London
Booking the London Pass allows you to enter 60 of London's main attractions, so you will save money and time by not having to wait in line. Depending on the time you are in the city you can book the 1, 2, 3 or 6 days and you can also add the transport. For more information you can consult this post about the London Pass.
Another good option is to book the London Explorer Pass, it allows you to enter 3, 5 or 7 of the main attractions of the city, skipping the lines and saving up to 40%. It is a card that offers great flexibility by choosing the tickets we want from the 20 available attractions, until the last moment.
You can find more information about this tourist card in this post of the London Explorer Pass.
The Oyster Card is highly recommended for transportation, we bought it on our last trip, especially if you are going to make several trips by subway or bus during the day, the maximum amount you will spend is 6.50 pounds (in zones 1- 2), with only 3 trips per day, it already counts.
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
For more recommendations you can consult this post of tips for traveling to London essential.
London guide in one day
Is London route in one day Start at Piccadilly Circus, a small Times Square and one of the must-see places in London. Even if you are far from the center, the Picadilly metro station is located on one of the most popular lines in the city and is easily accessible. When you are early you can enjoy the square with few people, see its large display screens and sit on the stairs of the fountain of Eros, with a coffee in hand to start the day in the best way.
Picadilly Circus
You will follow the route down Regent Stret, one of the most commercial streets in London, until you reach Trafalgar Square. This square, one of the most famous in London, with a great atmosphere throughout the day, stands out for the Nelson Column and the National Gallery, a museum with one of the most important art collections in the world.
Without visiting the museum, you can walk to the nearby James's Park, our favorite park in London. This park, the oldest of the Royal Parks of London, is the perfect place to walk around its beautiful lake and disconnect from the noise of the city.
St. James Park
The next stop of London in one day it is Buckingham Palace, official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and where the famous changing of the guard takes place at 11:30 in the morning.
After trying to take photos among thousands of tourists to the guards, you can go to the Big Ben area to enter the Westminster Abbey. This temple is the most famous and oldest religious building in London in which the majority of weddings and coronations of the royal family have been celebrated.
Inside are the tombs in addition to those of the kings, those of important people in the history of the United Kingdom such as Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, such as David Livingstone, Laurence Olivier or Charles Darwin.
We recommend that to avoid the long lines that are formed at the entrance, you can use the London Pass or reserve the ticket without queues.
Leaving the abbey, on one side of Parliament Square, you cannot miss one of the most typical photos of London with the red telephone booths and Big Ben in the background.
Big ben
Before continuing the London route in 1 day you can stop to eat something fast in the taverns The Red Lion or St. Stephen's Tavern, two of the best restaurants to eat in London.
After lunch you will pass in front of the famous Big Ben, then cross the iconic and beautiful Westminster Bridge. We recommend at the end of the bridge go down the right side to have the best views of the Palace of Westminster and then cross a small tunnel, to reach the left side.
Palace of Westminster
Very close to this area walking along the bank of the Thames towards the Tower Bridge you will reach the London Eye, one of the best viewpoints in London.
The London Ferris Wheel, with its views of the city at the foot of the Thames, is one of the best viewpoints in the city with its large glass cabins. The only problem if you want to climb, is that long lines are formed at the entrance, so a good option, especially if you have little time, is to reserve this ticket without queues.
London Eye
With the fall of the afternoon we recommend you to take a nice walk along the banks of the Thames to the Millennium Bridge, from where you will reach the Cathedral of St. Paul.
We imagine that at this time of day you will not have much time left, so we recommend you to leave the visit for another day and another trip and continue walking to the Tower Bridge.
Millennium Bridge
Before arriving at the bridge you will pass in front of the Tower of London, a huge castle that, like St. Paul's Cathedral, we recommend you visit when you have more time.
The Tower Bridge is another of the city's icons and how could it be otherwise, crossing this stone drawbridge is one of the best things to do in London.
At this time of night, the bridge will be lighting up, so it will be the perfect time to take pictures from the side of the shore that is the Tate Modern.
Tower's bridge
For dinner there are several restaurants next to the London Bridge overlooking the river. We ate at Pizza Express, with a good price and that can get you out of trouble in the area and we also have to say that the pizzas were really good.
A good option for one day in londonIf you want to learn more about the history and curiosities of the city, book this guided tour in Spanish that includes the entrance to the most interesting sites or book this free tour of ancient London Free! Two of the best tours in London.
If you have one more day you can follow this London guide in two days.
Map of the route through London in one day
Do you want to organize this trip to London in one day?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to London here
The best hotels at the best prices in London here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from London in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Londres transfer here
London guide in two days
The best offers of Flights to London here
The best hotels at the best prices in London here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from London in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Londres transfer here
London guide in two days
