In a nutshell
- This guide gives you a day-by-day plan for 3 days in London — covering all the must-sees like Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The Shard, and more.
- London is seriously touristy. Buy your tickets for London’s attractions online in advance — we’ll also tell you exactly whether a London City Pass is worth it for your trip.
- For a full weekend including accommodation, flights, sightseeing, and food, budget at least 500 euros.
- Very important: Apply for your Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) at least three days before your trip — this has been mandatory for all visa-free travelers since April 2025. Apply for your ETA here. Also check out our London travel tips before you go.
Day 1: Arrival in London
Your arrival day is always a bit hectic, and there’s honestly not that much you can do after you land. Between the flight itself, the airport transfer, and check-in, your first day is practically over. Our advice: take it easy and save your energy for Days 2 and 3 — you’ll need it.
Finding Flights to London
Flights to London can be seriously cheap. We always book through Skyscanner because it gives a clear overview of all prices and routes — super convenient.
Find flights to London on Skyscanner
Haven’t decided when you want to travel yet? We’ve put together a full overview of the best time to visit London and what the weather’s like each month.
Transfer from London Airport to the City
There are six different airports in London in total. Most likely your flight will land at Heathrow, Gatwick, or Stansted.
If you want to know how to get from the airport into the city as quickly as possible on arrival day, check out these articles:
Getting an Oyster Card
When you arrive in London, you can pick up an Oyster Card right at the airport. It’s a rechargeable card that works on all public transportation. You can either buy it online in advance from visitbritain or grab one at a machine when you arrive. An alternative is the tap system, where you pay for rides with a contactless credit card. The Oyster Card is especially good value if you’re visiting London with kids.
You’ll find more details about the card and the tap system in our Oyster Card guide.
Activities in London for Your First Evening
To get you in the mood for your London city trip, here are a few ideas for your first evening.
- Try fish and chips at a classic English pub. Good spots include the Anchor Bankside or the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.
- Enjoy the view from the Sky Garden with a glass of champagne.
- See a musical in the West End.
- Visit a London museum at night. The Tate Modern, for example, is open until 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.
Our tip: On the rooftop terrace of the Tate Modern, one of our favorite under-the-radar spots in London awaits: a stunning 360° panorama over the city, completely free of charge.
Also read our tips for London in the rain!
Day 2: London Highlights and Thames River Cruise
On your second day, it’s full power sightseeing mode — you’ll be hitting the must-sees that are absolutely essential on any first visit to London in 3 days.
We’ve put together a handy route for you. If you want to dive deeper into any of the individual attractions, check out our article on the top sights in London.
Buy Tickets for London’s Highlights Online in Advance
London is seriously touristy, and on day two you’ll be hitting the city’s absolute top attractions. We strongly recommend buying your tickets online in advance — that way your entry is guaranteed and you’ll skip the longest lines. The table below lists all the tickets relevant for day two.
| Attraction | Price per person | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Tower of London | 36 pounds | Buy now |
| Tower Bridge | 16 pounds | Buy now |
| The Shard | 32 pounds | Buy now |
Buckingham Palace
After a relaxed breakfast, head over to catch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace at 11 AM. It’s best to arrive half an hour early to get a good spot.
Westminster
From Buckingham Palace, it’s a 20-minute stroll through St. James’s Park to Westminster Pier. Along the way, you’ll pass major highlights including Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben.
Boat Trip on the Thames
At Westminster Pier, hop on a Riverbus on lines 1, 2, or 6. The ticket costs £9.50 and you can pay with your Oyster Card. Ride the boat to Tower Pier — along the way you’ll already spot landmarks like the London Eye and the Tate Modern.
More tips for boat tours in London:
Tower Bridge
Once you arrive at Tower Pier, take a look at the Tower of London first — it’s right across from the pier.
Then stroll across Tower Bridge, which sits right next to the tower. The lower level is free for pedestrians. We think the ticket for the upper level at 42 meters high — complete with a glass floor — is absolutely worth it.
The Shard
At the southern end of Tower Bridge, turn right, walk a short stretch along the Thames, and follow the signs to London Bridge station. The Shard is right behind the station — you can’t miss it.
Don’t skip the view from the 72nd floor. There are always huge lines at The Shard, so buy your ticket online in advance — otherwise you might not get in at all.
Lies auch:
Borough Market
From The Shard, walk down Thomas Street for five minutes and you’ll reach Borough Market. It’s a fantastic spot for dinner — one of the most beautiful markets in London. After that, head back to the hotel — it’s been a seriously full day!
By the way: Borough Market is one of the many Harry Potter filming locations in London!
Day 3: London’s Most Beautiful Neighborhoods
On your last day of this 3-day London itinerary, just let yourself wander through London’s neighborhoods. We’ve put together another route to guide you.
Soho
After the power sightseeing of day two, today you take it easy and wander through London’s most beautiful neighborhoods.
Start in Soho, London’s lively nightlife district. Right next door you’ll also find the shopping street Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus.
Covent Garden
Head southeast out of Soho and you’ll arrive almost immediately in the next neighborhood: Covent Garden. There are plenty of restaurants and shops here, street performers fill the piazza, and there’s always a lot going on.
Bricklane Market
Make your way to Embankment tube station and take the green District Line to Aldgate East. After about a ten-minute walk, you’ll reach Bricklane Market.
The market has stalls with antiques and décor, but above all some really delicious food. The perfect way to wind down your London weekend.
Our Hotel Tips for a London Weekend
With just three days in London, you need a centrally located hotel so you don’t waste precious time on public transit. Here are three hotel picks for your London weekend:
The Henrietta: a really cozy boutique hotel in the West End with breakfast included. Great connections to Heathrow Airport.
Hotel 41: quintessentially British in the style of a London gentlemen’s club. Right behind Buckingham Palace. Free British snacks are available throughout the day.
The Z Hotel Strand: perfect for a smaller travel budget. Nothing fancy, but an unbeatable location.
London’s hotel selection is huge. If none of our top three picks is quite right for you, take a look at our in-depth hotel guides for London:
Is a City Pass Worth It for Three Days in London?
With a London City Pass, you pay once and then get free or discounted entry to many sights, boat trips, and city tours.
Whether a City Pass makes sense for your London 3-day itinerary depends largely on how many of the paid attractions you actually want to visit rather than just admire from the outside.
We’ve listed all the attractions from our itinerary along with their ticket prices below. After that, we’ll walk you through two London City Pass options so you can easily decide whether a pass makes sense for you.
Our tip: Even if you don’t save money with a City Pass, it can still be worth it. With both of these passes, you’re allowed to skip the line at select attractions — which saves you serious time on a weekend trip.
- The Shard: £32
- London Eye: £29
- Westminster Abbey: £30
- Tower of London: £36
- Tower Bridge: £16
- Thames river cruise: £25
#1 The London Pass: for Turbo Sightseeing
The London Pass is a time-based City Pass, meaning that within the validity period you can visit as many attractions as you want.
It covers all the London attractions from our list except the London Eye.
How much does The London Pass cost?
- 1 day: £124
- 2 days: £174
- 3 days: £214
The London Pass is worth it if you’re doing power sightseeing and genuinely want to pack in a lot of attractions across all three days.
Alternatively, you can buy the pass for just one day and spend the other two visiting only attractions that are free anyway (like Borough Market). That’s actually how we’ve structured our itinerary above.
#2 London Explorer Pass: for a More Relaxed Pace
The London Explorer Pass is an attraction-based City Pass. You choose how many attractions you want to visit and then have up to 60 days to use them.
This pass also covers all our London highlights except the London Eye and The Shard.
How much does the London Explorer Pass cost?
The London Explorer Pass costs between £54 for two and £139 for seven attractions.
Since you only pay for the attractions you actually visit, the pass is worthwhile even if you take a more laid-back approach to sightseeing. If you pick pricier spots like Westminster Abbey, it pays off with just two attractions.
Go to the London Explorer Pass
Looking for more detailed info on London City Passes? Then check out this article.
Important Questions and Answers About 3 Days in London
Still have a few questions about the perfect weekend in London? No problem — you’ll find the answers right here.
Are three days in London enough?
A weekend in London isn’t a long time — especially since the travel day usually eats up most of day one.
That said, three days are absolutely enough to hit the most important sights and wander through some great neighborhoods. In our opinion, a three-day trip to London is totally worth it!
What does three days in London cost?
It’s hard to give a single number since it depends on the season and your travel style. Here are some rough figures to give you an idea.
- Flights: Prices vary widely depending on where you’re flying from and how far in advance you book — shop around on Skyscanner for the best deals.
- Accommodation: Budget hostels start at around 30 euros per night. For a double room in a nice, centrally located boutique hotel, budget at least 150 to 200 euros.
- Attractions: With the tickets from our table, you’re looking at around 80 euros. Then it also depends on how much you want to spend at the markets.
- Public transit: We’d budget around 15 euros total for getting around. That doesn’t include the airport transfer, which depends on which mode of transport you choose and which airport you land at.
- Food and drinks: Eating out in London is expensive. At a London restaurant, expect to pay around 20 to 25 euros per person. If you stick to street food or snacks like fish and chips, you can spend significantly less.
All in all, with a bit of luck and flexibility, you can do London for as little as 250 euros. But you’ll need to watch your budget closely. We’d rather plan on 500 to 600 euros.
Is London worth visiting in 3 days with kids?
Absolutely! We’ve written a separate article about visiting London with kids, where you’ll find plenty of tips for great activities.
To cut down on walking, a hop-on/hop-off bus tour in London is also well worth considering.
What can you do in London in four or five days?
London gives you more than enough to fill four or five days — honestly, even four weeks wouldn’t cover everything!
- There are so many more highlights to discover. In our article about the Top 22 London Attractions, you’ll find loads more ideas for your trip.
- You can also join various guided city tours. We’ve listed our favorites in the article about the 11 coolest London tours.
- Take day trips to the Harry Potter Film Studios, catch a musical, or visit Stonehenge. This article covers the 11 best activities in London.
