With 48 hours in London you may not have time to explore many diverse neighborhoods or enjoy the (often free!) museums, but if you like to walk you can still get a good sense for the central areas of “The City” and Westminster – and start planning your next trip back! Here are some ideas for spending a weekend in London, with a few tips to help with planning your trip and navigating the city at the end.
Day 1 – South Bank and Cathedral + Abbey
8am – Start at the London Bridge tube stop, then – I know it’s early but here’s your chance to learn the bridges! – head east along the Thames towards Tower Bridge. Grab a pastry and coffee for breakfast along the way. Cross Tower Bridge and make a left, unless you want to enjoy some views of the bridge from the area just to the right.
9am – Getting to the Tower of London when it opens, head straight for the Crown Jewels to avoid the line that forms later and to enjoy them without the crowds. From there, you can take a one hour tour (free with admission) with the “Yeoman Warders”, explore the medieval palace and the White Tower, walk the battlements, and maybe visit the ravens!
12pm – Leaving the Tower, head west along the Thames and cross London Bridge. Explore Borough Market, enjoying lunch from various stalls or visiting one of the many popular restaurants.
1pm – Walk along the South Bank, passing the old Globe Theater, and cross the Thames again via Millenium Bridge. Or, go back across London Bridge and see some more of The City – Leadenhall Market and Bank Junction are a couple of interesting spots to check out.
2pm – Arrive at St. Paul’s Cathedral (just to be safe, pre-book times entry tickets). There’s a great free audio guide that can help you easily spend an hour exploring; if you also want to climb to the dome, allow another hour. (If you want some views but it’s not the day for a climb, head next door to One New Change, where you can take the elevator up to the roof for great views of St. Paul’s and beyond.)
4pm – Take the #11 bus to Westminster Abbey, to arrive by 4:30 to queue for Evensong. Or if you’re not in a hurry, you can walk – it’s about a two mile hike – and check out the sights as you go.
5pm – Either you’re still walking, or enjoying Evensong at Westminster Abbey!
6pm – Venture out along Westminster Bridge for views of the Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower (home of Big Ben). You can catch the Tube from Westminster to wherever you want to grab dinner, or explore more of the South Bank.
Day 2 – Changing of the Guard, Museums, and Markets
Rest up a little after all that walking yesterday!
11am – First thing on the agenda today is the Changing of the Guard. It takes place in front of Buckingham Palace at 11, but you can either head there early to grab a spot, or go to Marlborough Road on the north side of St. James’s Park to watch the cavalry guard gather and move out from St. James’s Palace (and then follow them towards Buckingham Palace). Do check the schedule in advance, as dates/times for the Changing of the Guard can vary and it can be canceled (even at the last minute) due to weather.
12pm – Head towards the Covent Garden area for lunch.
2pm – Check out the British Museum if you like (best to reserve tickets in advance), or keep heading north to the British Library for a more low-key museum-like experience with some amazing historical books.
3pm – From the British Library, you can head to King’s Cross Station (Harry Potter enthusiasts/nostalgics can visit Platform 9 and 3/4) and from there to whatever other neighborhood and potentially whatever markets you want to explore – consider Camden Market, Notting Hill and the Portobello Road Market, or the East End and the Columbia Road Flower Market. (Note that market days and hours vary, so your planning will depend on the day, and you might want to switch it up and head out to market before the library/museum if they close in the afternoon.)
Plenty of dinner options wherever you find yourself exploring!
Essentials for a Weekend in London
- Where to stay in London: London accommodation is famously expensive, so you may find it worthwhile to stay a bit outside of the city center and just plan on taking transit in to spend the day exploring. I visited with my brother in spring 2023 so we opted for an Airbnb apartment-style room with a kitchen and found something for a reasonable price in Pimlico; I would definitely recommend the area if you can find something there, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend the specific place where we stayed.
- Getting around London: The Tube and bus systems are fairly easy to navigate, although if you really want to optimize costs you may want to familiarize yourself with the different “zones” and pricing structure around that. Don’t underestimate distances – it’s a very big city, and walking along the Thames, for example, can take hours even between what seem like pretty central sights.
- Great photo spots in London: Just a starter list here, as I barely had time to explore some of the most central sites! But for Tower Bridge shots I liked the area on the north bank near the “Girl with a Dolphin” statue. For photos of St. Paul’s Cathedral I liked the views from One New Change (both on the ground level near the entrance, and from the roof) and from the plaza walking south towards Millenium Bridge. I got some good shots of Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster from across the street, near Westminster Abbey, and from the Westminster Bridge. And then Borough Market, Leadenhall Market, and Bank Junction are fun for more atmospheric city life photos.
