How to happily see London in A Day?

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Is it really possible to see London in a day? I love living in London- I have been in that beautiful city for a long time- When my niece came from France to visit and kindly asked: how I can see London in a day? it made me wonder- London in a day? Is it possible? So this is what we did- Hope you will be inspired by our adventure-

1- Appetite for a beautiful day

Let’s face it! We have to have a home cooked breakfast before long day out, so in good conscience we dived in a perfect English on. Afterwards we walked to Notting Hill Gate and took pictures of the The Churchill Pub the one with all the flowers- Next to the 52 bus stop direction Victoria. Why not see Harrods? The food display is absolutely wonderful.

Then back on the Bus 74 direction Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards– During Summer the changing of the guard is on regularly at 11 Am – Monday, wed, Fri and Sunday and daily during summer. we aimed to be there at 10:30 Am to soak the ambiance. As the bus was going to Marble Arch we got off at Hyde Park and walked past Wellingtons Arch and on the path of Green Park with a myriad of people heading in the same direction.

How to happily see London in A Day? A visit to Birmingham Palace is a must

Travel Tip: Buckingham Palace is open for visit late July to Sep

From then on we fought our way through St James Park to The Horse Guards building-

Travel tip:( look for the Tiffany Fountain)

Walked through to Whitehall- peeping at 10 Downing Street-
Across Westminster Bridge for panoramic view over the River Thames-

2-The River Thames

If you go to St Thomas Hospital’s front garden there a good view of The Palace of Westminster ( yes Big Ben is covered) London Eye and other iconic buildings. As the clouds covered the sky above we decided to use our Oyster card (providing you have more that £8 on it) and took a 45 minutes river cruise to the Tower of London. This was a good decision as by the time we got on it started to rain cats and dogs.

3- The Tower of London

We arrived at the Tower and sheltered for a while before walking up to Tower Bridge. We got tickets for the London Tower Exhibition. I walked over the glass floor with shut eyes – the walkways although daunting was good fun (the glass floors can withstand the weight of 6 elephants still it was scary). From the high level walkways the views over London even on a rainy day are stunning.

Travel tip: The ticket allows you a visit to the Victorian engine rooms- very informative-

4- Lunch

On recommendation we went to the WashHouse for lunch by the time we arrived they have stopped serving lunch so Pizza Express next door was as delicious.

Not many people venture to WashHouse- It is just across the London Bridge- Great area to walk and see the old London Cobbles street

5- St Paul Cathedral and Covent Garden

Walked towards the back of the Tower and down to St Paul Cathedral- the second largest cathedral in the world. The rain has stopped nevertheless we took the 15 Bus for a good drive through the City of London down to Trafalgar Square.  We took a quick cultural peep at the National Portrait Gallery then off to Covent Garden one of my favourite place in London.
We like strolling to Neil Street a colourful narrow paved street littered with cafes and bars.
Most importantly to enjoy a well-deserved cuppa- and to enjoy the moment just people watching. This is how you see London in A day.

It is impossible to happily see London in A Day without visiting St Paul Cathedral-

6- Oxford Street

For us our day ended with a bus journey by night from Piccadilly to Notting Hill Gate via Oxford Street. Anyway if you still have the strength, why not finish the day with a West-End play. Then you will truly see London in A day.

It is possible to see London in a day. If you have more time check out our 4 days in London itinerary.