London in 3 days, on foot

This 3-day self-guided walking plan for London covers 41 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 3 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; London rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Big Ben & Elizabeth Tower: The iconic clock tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, and one of the most recognisable symbols of London.
2. Tower of London: A 1,000-year-old castle on the Thames that has served as a royal palace, prison, and home of the Crown Jewels.
3. Buckingham Palace: The official London residence of the British monarch, famous for the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
4. Tower Bridge: London's iconic Victorian bascule bridge, with glass-floored walkways 42 metres above the Thames.
5. British Museum: One of the world's greatest museums, home to the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and eight million artefacts spanning human history.
6. St. Paul's Cathedral: Sir Christopher Wren's baroque masterpiece, crowned by one of the largest cathedral domes in the world.
7. Westminster Abbey: The coronation church of English and British monarchs since 1066 and final resting place of kings, queens, poets, and scientists.

Afternoon

1. Hyde Park: One of London's eight Royal Parks, spanning 142 hectares of green space with the Serpentine lake and Speakers' Corner.
2. London Eye: Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, offering breathtaking 360-degree views over London from 135 metres.
3. Trafalgar Square: London's grand central square, dominated by Nelson's Column and flanked by the National Gallery.
4. Kensington Palace: A royal residence in Kensington Gardens that has been home to members of the Royal Family since the 17th century.
5. Natural History Museum: A stunning Romanesque cathedral of science housing 80 million specimens, from dinosaur skeletons to the world's largest collection of meteorites.
6. Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): The world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, with 2.3 million objects spanning 5,000 years of creativity.
7. Science Museum: A world-class museum exploring human scientific achievement, from Stephenson's Rocket to the Apollo 10 command module.

Day 2

Morning

1. Tate Modern: Britain's national gallery of modern and contemporary art, housed in the iconic former Bankside Power Station on the South Bank.
2. Tate Britain: Home to the world's greatest collection of British art from 1500 to the present day, including masterworks by Turner, Constable, and Hockney.
3. National Gallery: One of the world's great art museums, housing over 2,300 Western European paintings from the 13th to the 20th century, free to enter.
4. Houses of Parliament: The seat of the UK Parliament, a spectacular neo-Gothic palace on the banks of the Thames housing the House of Commons and House of Lords.
5. Churchill War Rooms: The underground bunker where Winston Churchill directed Britain's war effort during WWII, preserved exactly as it was left in 1945.
6. HMS Belfast: A WWII-era Royal Navy light cruiser permanently moored on the Thames, now a floating museum ship.
7. Shakespeare's Globe: A faithful reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse where Shakespeare's plays were first performed, on the original South Bank site.

Afternoon

1. Borough Market: London's oldest and most celebrated food market, trading since the 13th century beneath the railway arches of London Bridge.
2. Camden Market: London's eclectic, colourful market district beside Regent's Canal, famous for street food, vintage fashion, and alternative culture.
3. Covent Garden: A lively piazza with street performers, boutique shops, and restaurants, centred around the historic covered market building.
4. Piccadilly Circus: London's iconic junction known for its dazzling neon billboards, the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, and its status as the heart of the West End.
5. Oxford Street: Europe's busiest shopping street with over 300 shops stretching 1.5 miles from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road.
6. Regent's Park: An elegant Royal Park in central London, home to London Zoo, the Open Air Theatre, Queen Mary's Gardens, and stunning Nash terraces.
7. St. James's Park: The oldest Royal Park in London, offering iconic views of Buckingham Palace across the lake and a home to resident pelicans since 1664.

Day 3

Morning

1. Royal Observatory Greenwich: The home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian, where you can stand with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and one in the Western.
2. Cutty Sark: The world's sole surviving tea clipper, beautifully preserved in dry dock at Greenwich as a museum of maritime history.
3. The Shard: Western Europe's tallest building at 310 metres, with a public viewing gallery offering 360-degree views stretching up to 40 miles.
4. Sky Garden: London's highest public garden, a stunning three-storey indoor garden at the top of the "Walkie-Talkie" building with free panoramic views.
5. Madame Tussauds: The world-famous wax museum founded in 1835, home to lifelike figures of celebrities, world leaders, and cultural icons.
6. Harrods: The world's most famous luxury department store, occupying an entire block in Knightsbridge with 330 departments across seven floors.
7. Notting Hill & Portobello Road: A charming neighbourhood of pastel-coloured houses and the famous Portobello Road Market, the world's largest antiques market.

Afternoon

1. Platform 9¾ (King's Cross): The iconic Harry Potter photo spot at King's Cross station, where a trolley appears to vanish through the wall to the Hogwarts Express.
2. Abbey Road: The world's most famous zebra crossing, immortalised on the cover of The Beatles' 1969 album "Abbey Road."
3. South Bank: London's vibrant cultural riverside strip, home to the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre, street performers, and riverside dining.
4. Millennium Bridge: A sleek steel pedestrian bridge linking St Paul's Cathedral to Tate Modern, famously nicknamed the "Wobbly Bridge" after swaying on opening day.
5. Kew Gardens: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's largest collection of living plants, spanning 326 acres of stunning gardens and glasshouses.
6. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: A walk-through behind-the-scenes attraction at Leavesden Studios where the Harry Potter films were made, featuring original sets, costumes, props, and the spectacular 1:24 scale Hogwarts Castle.

Full London guide and all stops → · Other itineraries: 2 days