3 Days in London is just enough amount of time to see all of the best places to visit in London and best things to do in London !
Based on my time living in London and getting to know the city really well, this 3 day London itinerary will take you to all of the London tourist attractions that make the city so iconic but my London 3 day itinerary will also show you some local sides of London that are definitely worth seeing!
3 Day London Itinerary
This 3-day London itinerary is the best London itinerary for your first visit to London, and a great reminder of where to visit in London if you have been before but can’t quite remember where to go so you can visit London in 3 days!
Here are the places you can visit in London with 3 days in London using this 3 day London itinerary:
- Westminster & London Eye
- Southbank & Tower Bridge
- Borough Market
- Shoreditch
- Nottinghill
- Kensington
- Hyde Park
- Buckingham Palace
- Leicester Square
- Covent Garden
- Oxford Street
- Soho
- Camden Town
- Primrose Hill
- Hampstead
Day 1 – River Thames & East London
Morning:
Start your 3 day London itinerary by taking the tube to Westminster station to see top London attractions like Westminster, Big Ben and the London Eye.
Spend the rest of the morning walking along the River Thames to the East exploring the Southbank to see the famous London icons such as the Millennium Bridge & Tate Modern Museum.
Here’s my River Thames Walking Guide From Tower Bridge to the London Eye so read this to help you work out what to see!
St Paul’s Cathedral is somewhere you must visit when planning things to see in London in 3 days because it is a famous icon so make sure you cross over the river to see it properly! Things to do near St Paul’s Cathedral include going to the top floor of the One New Change shopping centre to see a free view of London from above.
Head back onto the River Thames and keep walking along the Thames until you reach the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and The Shard!
You can get London attraction tickets or a London Pass to enter the Tower of London, the Shard and even go up inside the famous Tower Bridge. These are good places to add to your 3 day London itinerary with family!
I’d recommend getting tickets in advance and using Get Your Guide to get the best prices. But also be sure to look out for 2 for 1 London Tours to help you save money! Here are some great London tour options:
Talking of London Attraction Tickets Let Me Introduce You to The London Pass!
The London Pass offers access into 80+ of the top London attractions. If you plan on going on the London Eye, taking Boat Trips, going into Tower Bridge and St Pauls Cathedral and even plan on going outside of London to Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace, it would be cheaper to buy the London Pass so you save money on entrance fee’s and get fast track entry, perfect for if you only have a few days in London!
The London Pass is valid for 2 years once purchased and you can buy a 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10-day pass so you can visit so many of London’s best attractions in the cheapest possible way!
Click here to look into the options and to buy your pass now while you’re thinking about it!
Lunch:
There are lots of lunch places close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Borough Market behind London Bridge station one of the best street food markets in London so I recommend going here to start your London itinerary in true London style!
Late Afternoon:
Walk North away from the River Thames with your aim being to reach Spitalfield’s Market and Liverpool Street station in East London. In-between the River and Liverpool Street station is the business part of the City of London, on the weekend it is very quiet but on weekdays it’s pretty busy with office workers.
If you want to jump on the tube to save time you can get the Northern Line North from Borough Station or London Bridge Station to Moorgate Station and then walk into Shoreditch from Moorgate Station as it’s very close, or you can get on the Circle / Metropolitan Line East one stop to Liverpool Street Station.
For the best things to do in London in 3 days, you need to head to Shoreditch because this is one of the hipster parts of London and one of the best areas to see in London, it’s really diverse and one of my favourite areas so make sure you explore this more local side of London.
Walk along Brick lane, go to Shoreditch Box Park and look out for lots of street art! For more idea’s on what to do in Shoreditch I have a Shoreditch Guide here!
Evening:
Curries are a popular thing to eat on Brick Lane because there are so many Indian Restaurants along Brick Lane and they’re cheap and yummy. There are also lots of food markets in Shoreditch and Hoxton like Box Park, Urban Food Fest, Dinerama so you could go to one of these for a real local London experience and most of the time they are filled with Londoners.
For the best bars in Shoreditch go to Shoreditch High Street. I like Barrio Shoreditch and The Queen of Hoxton is good with an awesome rooftop!
Day 2 in London – West London & Central London
Morning:
For the best way of how to see London in 3 days you need to head to West London too, so on the morning of day 2 on this London 3 day itinerary, in the morning take the tube to Notting Hill Gate Station.
From the station head towards Portobello Road (on Saturdays this area is busy with the markets but on the weekdays it’s a lot nicer as its quiet). Explore Portobello Road and the colourful houses off of it.
Brunch in London is so popular so if you want to brunch in Notting Hill like a local, check out Farm Girl & Granger & Co Notting Hill. For your 3 days in London Tripadvisor is a good way to check the best restaurants in London so you don’t waste any time!
For more brunch ideas check out my post: My Ultimate List of Recommended London Brunch Spots!
Lunch:
Go back to Notting Hill Gate Station and take the tube 1 stop to High Street Kensington (Circle or District Line), or walk you can walk.
There are lots of places to eat on Kensington High Street and all of the buildings are really impressive to see inside and outside!
Afternoon:
From High Street Kensington walk towards the Natural History Museum but take all the smaller side streets to see all the posh houses and to come across London’s famous Mews!
For more information on where to see the best mews in London and what to do in Kensington, check out my Kensington London Guide.
There are 3 world-class London museums in South Kensington – the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A. Visiting the museums are a great way to spend a rainy day in London and because you have time on this London 4 day itinerary I suggest visiting one or two of them, all 3 museums are free to enter!
If you want to see Buckingham Palace in London, you should do it today, take the Piccadilly line from South Kensington Station to Green Park, walk through Green Park to the Royal Buckingham Palace.
Get back on the tube at Green Park and go to Covent Garden station which is also on the Piccadilly line.
Hyde Park is also close to South Kensington so head here if you want to.
Covent Garden is one of the best places to visit in London on a London itinerary because not only is it famous and iconic with it’s Apple Market and great shopping, it is also close to many other popular London tourist attractions like Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
It’s also close to Regents Street and Oxford Street, the best shopping streets in London!
Here’s my guide to Covent Garden for more information!
Dinner:
If watching a show in Soho is on your London bucket list, you’re in the right area to do it and therefore enjoying a show or even dinner and a show on day 2 of this 3 day London itinerary is a good idea.
There are so many places to eat dinner around Covent Garden and Leicester Square but I recommend going into the Soho area for the best choice and to join all of the Londoners who have finished work for the day!
Day 3 in London – North London
Morning:
You can’t visit London and not visit the very famous area of Camden Town, so on your last day in London on this London 4 day itinerary, I recommend you head to Camden mid-morning.
For all the details of things to do in Camden, have a read of my Camden blog post here.
I recommend you spend your morning in Camden browsing the Camden Market, walking along Regents Canal and visiting Primrose Hill if you feel like a bit of a further walk.
Lunch:
Camden Food Market is incredible with so many food choices so you won’t want to have lunch from anywhere else!
Afternoon:
I always recommend that visitors to London visit Hampstead which is a few tube stops north of Camden.
Hampstead is easily the prettiest and one of the fanciest neighbourhoods in London and with 4 days in London you have enough time to spend all afternoon there.
Things to do in Hampstead including walking it’s pretty streets, visiting Hampstead Heath, going into the art museums and simply relaxing, here’s my post for 30 things to do in Hampstead so you know just how much it has to offer!
Dinner:
Hampstead is home to a lot of really nice restaurants and plenty of English pubs which are all perfect places to enjoy dinner in and a great way to end your 3 day London itinerary!
Here are the best pubs in Hampstead to visit, and the best restaurants in Hampstead to visit!
London Resources
LONDON PASS
The London Pass offers access into 80+ of the top London attractions. If you plan on going on the London Eye, taking Boat Trips, going into Tower Bridge and St Pauls Cathedral and even plan on going outside of London to Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace, it would be cheaper to buy the London Pass so you save money on entrance fee’s and get fast track entry, perfect for if you only have a few days in London!
The London Pass is valid for 2 years once purchased and you can buy a 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 day pass so you can visit so many of London’s best attractions in the cheapest possible way!
Click here to look into the options and to buy your pass now while you’re thinking about it!
LONDON TOURS
To help you see London in the best way possible, I do suggest mixing exploring on your own with some London tours! Get Your Guide is by far the biggest operator of tours in London with so many tours to choose from so get planning your 2 day London itinerary with them:
How To Get To London
London is served by 5 Airports – London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.
Once you are at one of these airports it is easy to get the train or bus into the city of London. I always use The Train Line to book my trains and buses and I recommend you do too. Book them in advance to save money rather than waiting until you land!
How to Get Around London
The London Tube is the best way to get around London as it’s quick and easy to use.
If you are travelling with a contactless bank card that doesn’t charge you fees every time you use it, you can pay for your tube journeys by tapping it. There is a cap the cost the end of the day/week depending on when and where you use it.
The other option is to buy an Oyster card like a local and top it up with credit. This is much easier and more time-efficient than buying tickets every day, even when you have just four days in London!
Where to Stay in London
With 3 days in London, I recommend you book accommodation in London that is central so you do not spend too much time travelling into the centre of the city, as the below London 3 day itinerary is based around Zone 1 and 2 in London.
So book accommodation within Zone 1 or 2 and you’ll be central and for an extra special trip, check out these quirky London Hotels!
Hotels & Hostels in London
London has so many hotels and hostels available to book. Bare in mind that you pay for what you get in London and space might be tight so be sure to check the reviews, I use Booking.com to book my hostels and hotels so search for you London accommodation here on Booking.com!
I hope this helps you plan your 3 days in London!
- More of my London Posts:
- My London With Kids Itinerary 2-3 Days & Tips For Planning a Trip to London With Kids!
- 13 Things To Do in London in Winter Suggested by a Local!
- Complete Guide to Camden Town!
- Things to do in Shoreditch!
- The Best Places to Get Brunch in London!
- Things To Do in London When it Rains!