I’ve been lucky enough to visit London several times. I took my first two day trip to London in February of 2014, early into my study abroad in Ireland, followed by another short weekend in May of 2014, just before I came back home. In June 2017, I returned for a trip around England and Scotland with my mom. Throughout all of these visits, I’ve gotten to explore a lot of London and it gave me the basis for this two day London itinerary.
Despite three separate visits, I’ve still only scratched the surface. London just has so much to do, that even with two days, you’ll be very busy trying to see as much as you can. Still, London is a great city with a ton to offer. For your first trip to London, I recommend focusing on the must-see sights. You won’t see everything, but it will still be a great introduction to the city.
Here’s how I recommend spending two days in London.
Day 1
Welcome to London. It’s the first day of this two day itinerary and we’re going to start with some of iconic London.
8:30 – St. Paul’s Cathedral
I like to get a early start to try to maximize your time sightseeing, so getting to St. Paul’s Cathedral right when it opens is the best way to maximize your time. St. Paul’s Cathedral is a massive cathedral, right in the heart of central London.
This cathedral is old—its consecration took place in the year 604. It’s had a very long history, including royal jubilee celebrations and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. That doesn’t even take into account that it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and had to be rebuilt.
Tour the interior and marvel at the art. Don’t forget to climb all the way to the top for fantastic views of London.
Ticket are £20.50 per adult (less for children).
Budget Saver Tip: If you’re unsure about the steep admission price (especially since you’re visiting numerous other paid museums in London), there is a more budget friendly way to see inside St. Paul’s Cathedral. Instead of visiting during the middle of the day, save your visit until later in the day and attend the Evensong service at 5:00 pm. This is a religious service, so you must be respectful and you cannot just wander the church. But you still get to see the inside of the cathedral.
10:30 – A Stroll Through London
It’s a twenty minute walk from St. Paul’s to Tower of London. Save a little time (or your feet) by taking public transportation. You’ll be doing a lot of walking on this two day London itinerary, so try to use public transportation smartly.
If you’re walking, don’t forget to get a quick peak at Tower Bridge. Many tourists confuse this famous bridge with London Bridge, but trust me. It’s Tower Bridge that you’ll want to see.
11:00 – Tower of London
The Tower of London is another must see sight on our trip to London. Tour here to learn more about the British Monarchy and English history. If you’re willing to brave a long line, you can also see the crown jewels.
Admittedly this is one sight that I haven’t toured, so I’m going to lean on my mom’s experience. She enjoyed her experience at the Tower of London and recommends taking one of the free tours. A worker will give an overview and more history, so it’s much more productive than just wandering on your own.
Tickets for the Tower of London cost £33.60.
1:00 – A Late Lunch
Lunch will be late, but that’s just how sightseeing goes some times. You’ve had a busy morning, so take a break from sightseeing and have something to eat so you can power through your last major stop of the day.
2:00 – Catch the Tube
You could walk, but it’s a nearly 50 minute walk from Tower of London to the British Museum. You can save some walking by taking the Circle line from Tower Hill to Euston Square. Even with a ride on the tube, you’ll still have about 15 minutes of walking.
2:30 – The British Museum
The British Museum is home to some of the finest treasures in the world. Yes, you can see some artifacts from British history, but many tourists get mesmerized by the treasures from elsewhere.
Controversially, the British Museum is home to the Rosetta Stone from Egypt, sculptures from the Greek Parthenon, and so many more artworks and treasures from Western Africa, Mexico, China, and even more. You could easily spend an entire day here, but we’re limiting it to part of an afternoon.
So how much does it cost to see all of this history? Nothing! Entrance to the British Museum is free, although it is recommended that you make a (free) reservation in advance. Visitors are being limited to combat overcrowding. As someone who visited before this was in place, trust me, I’m in favor of a reservation system.
5:00 – Traveler’s Choice
Stroll the river, ride the London Eye, find a pub, or even find an evening walking tour. The choice for how you spend the evening is up to you.
Day 2
It’s the second day of this two day itinerary and it’s another jam packed day in London.
9:00 – London’s Parks
I’m starting off today a little differently than yesterday. Rather than jumping immediately into sightseeing, I’m giving you some time to stroll through some of London’s parks. While there are several to choose from, I recommend focusing on St. James’ Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens. Which park you stroll through is up to you, but I think it’d be a shame to not visit at least one park while you’re here.
You have the time to move slowly. The first sight of the day doesn’t open until 10:00am (and it’s located near these parks) so enjoy a peaceful morning before a day of sightseeing. Or consider getting a really good breakfast to kick off your day.
10:00 – Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is the birthplace of Queen Victoria and has been a royal residence for over 300 years. Currently, it’s the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Wales. A visit here takes you inside to see the amazing decor as well as some of Queen Victoria’s jewels.
Tickets are £25.40 for adults (half price for children). Book your tickets online, in advance.
Option 2 – For Visitors in Summer
If you’re visiting in the summer months, you have another option. Rather than touring Kensington Palace, you could tour Buckingham Palace. As the palace is only open for a few weeks a year, I have to put it as an optional on this itinerary. Typically the palace will be open from mid July to late September, but the exact dates can vary by year. Just note that if you visit Buckingham Palace, you’ll likely need to cut out Kensington Palace due to timing issues. But I’ll leave the choice of which palace to tour up to you.
While the grounds of Buckingham Palace can trace their royal connections back to the 1600s, the palace that we see today wasn’t completed until the 1800s. A visit here involves touring its exquisite State Rooms. You get to see the Throne Room, White Drawing Room, Ballroom, and so much more while you are here. Plus there’s options to tour the gardens and galleries containing magnificent portraits and other art.
Tickets are £30 in advance, but £33 if you wait until the day of your visit.
But what about The Changing of the Guard?
I’m sure you’ve heard of it, and you may be wondering if it’s included on this itinerary. I’ll admit that I purposely omitted it. Why? Because I went on one of my visits and quite frankly, found it boring. It’s a glorified concert that’s packed with tourists pressed up against the gates of the palace. Honestly, there are better ways to spend your time in London.
But if you’re still insisting on going to the Changing of the Guard, this itinerary will get a little messy. The Changing of the Guard takes place at 11:00 am outside of Buckingham Palace, so make sure you’re in place and adjust the rest of the day accordingly.
11:30 – Travel to Westminster Abbey
After your visit to a royal palace, it’s time to move on to Westminster Abbey. You could walk, but it’s an hour walk. Save a little time by taking the tube, bus, or a taxi.
12:00 – Westminster Abbey
One of the most famous churches in England is Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was founded in 960 AD and has played a major part in British Royal history. Westminster Abbey has served as the coronation church since 1066. While the building is impressive from the exterior, it’s even more stunning on the inside.
Ticket are £27 per adult (less for children).
Budget Saver Tip: Like with St. Paul’s Cathedral, you could save a some money by visiting during the Evensong service at 5:00 pm. You won’t get the full tour experience, but you still get to see the inside of Westminster Abbey. I went this route (paying for St. Paul’s and doing the Evensong service for Westminster Abbey). There is something nice about experiencing Westminster Abbey as a place of worship, not just a tourist attraction. But at the end of the day, the choice is yours. Its your two day itinerary of London, so you can decide how you want to visit the cathedrals.
1:30 – A late lunch
It’s another late lunch today, but I recommend taking a short break from sightseeing. Grab some lunch before moving on to the next stop.
2:30 – A Short, Scenic Walk
It’s a fifteen minute walk from Westminster Abbey to our next destination of Trafalgar Square, but I’m giving you more time because you’ll pass some iconic London sights. Say hi to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Then you’ll pass the London Eye (although it’s on the other side of the river). Plus, depending on the route you take, you’ll pass 10 Downing Street.
After about 15 minutes of total walking, you’ll emerge in Trafalgar Square. Take some photos, but this isn’t our end destination.
3:00 – National Gallery
The National Gallery is one of the top art museums in London. In this museum you’ll find famous works of art from all over the world. You’ll see paintings from Vermeer, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Remembrandt, and so many more. There’s over 2600 paintings in these walls, so art lovers may want to give themselves even more time here.
Best of all, entrance into the National Gallery is free!
5:00 – Traveler’s Choice
You’ve made it through another packed day of sightseeing. Similar to yesterday, the rest of the evening is up to you.
Getting Around London
I tried to group everything in this itinerary together by location—at least as best as I could. But you may still wish to take public transportation for longer distances. Additionally you need to get to and from your hotel every day. Thankfully, London’s public transportation is easy to use.
If you’ll only be in London for two days and will be following this itinerary, it makes the most sense to just buy tickets as you need them. If you’ll be traveling in London for longer, or you need to get out to Heathrow Airport, it will be worth picking up an Oyster Card. The Oyster Card is the transportation card for London and is reloadable at any tube station.
Budgeting
There’s a lot of sights included in this two day London itinerary. I’m a budget conscious traveler, so I always want to know what I’m spending on sights. Here’s what we have.
Buckingham Palace: £30
Kensington Palace: £25.40
Westminster Abbey: £27
National Gallery: Free
St. Paul’s Cathedral: £20.50
Tower of London: £33.60
British Museum: Free
Now, you won’t do both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. So here’s our totals:
With Buckingham Palace: £111.10
With Kensington Palace: £106.50
For some travelers, that may be a lot to spend on sight seeing. If that’s a concern to you, I suggest you start by eliminating Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, or both. You should absolutely still visit them, but attend their Evensong Service to see the interiors for free. The new sightseeing totals would be:
For Travelers Visiting Buckingham Palace
Without Westminster Abbey: £84.10
Without St. Paul’s Cathedral: £90.60
Without Either: £63.60
For Travelers Visiting Kensington Palace
Without Westminster Abbey: £79.50
Without St. Paul’s Cathedral: £86.00
Without Either: £59.00
London is an expensive city and while there are loads of free things to do in London, I do think that it’s worth visiting some of the top sights, even if they cost money.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned before, this is not an itinerary that I’ve personally done. However, it’s an itinerary that I would recommend to anyone on their first visit to London. In fact, I gave this itinerary to my best friend for her visit to London and it worked out wonderfully. She recommends it 🙂
Continue Your Adventure
Ireland: Nearby is the Ireland, which is full of amazing activities.
Paris: From London, it’s easy to hop on a train and explore Paris, one of my favorite cities in the world. Whether you have two days or five days, you’re sure to have an amazing trip.