London In 3 Days

Our 3 day plan for the perfect weekend in London

Tower of Big Ben in London

In a nutshell: Our tips for 3 days in London!

  • In one weekend in London you can see all highlights like Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The Shard and many more.
  • However, for more than the absolute must-sees, the time is not enough.
  • London is super touristy. You should definitely buy your tickets online in advance.
  • You can expect expenses of at least 500 euros with accommodation, flights, sightseeing and food.

Day 1: Arrival in London

Airplane over the city
Arrival day is always stressful – rather start intense sightseeing on the second day

Usually, your arrival day is stressful and there’s not much you can do. With the flight itself, the airport transfer and the check-in, your first day is almost over. So we suggest you take it easy to save your energy for day 2 and 3 – you’ll need it.

Find flights to London

Flights to London are incredibly cheap. From Berlin, you can pay as little as 20 euros one way. We always book our flights on Skyscanner, because there we have an overview of all prices and connections – super convenient.

Find flights to London on Skyscanner

Transfer from London airport to the city

There are six different airports in London. Most likely, your flight will land at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. 

Get an Oyster Card

The Oyster Card in London

When you arrive in London, you should get an Oyster Card right at the airport. This is a rechargeable card that you can use for all public transportation. You can either buy it in advance online at visitbritain or on site at the ticket machine.

For more info on how to use the card, check out our article about the Oyster Card.

Things to do in London on your first night

To get you in the mood for your London city break, here are some tips for cool activities for your first night out.

  • Try fish and chips in a typical English pub. Good places to go include the Anchor Bankside or 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 museum in London at night. The Tate Modern for example is open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Day 2: London Highlights and Thames Cruise

On your second day, you’ll begin power sightseeing and explore London highlights that should definitely be on your itinerary during your first visit.

We have put together a suitable itinerary for you. If you want to learn more about each attraction, check out our article about the top sights in London.

Map of our route for your second day in London as PDF

Our route for the second day of sightseeing in London on a map
Our route for the second day of sightseeing in London

Buy tickets for London highlights online in advance

London is very touristy and on the second day you’ll rattle off the absolute main attractions of the city. We strongly advise you to buy tickets online in advance. This way, your entrance is guaranteed and you don’t have to queue for so long. In the table below, you can find all necessary tickets for the second day.

SightPrice per personLink
Tower of London30 poundsGet your ticket
Tower Bridge11 poundsGet your ticket
The Shard27 poundsGet your ticket

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace in London
Buckingham Palace is a major attraction in London and perfect for starting your weekend in London

After a relaxing breakfast, watch the guard change at Buckingham Palace at 11 am. It’s best to get there half an hour earlier.

Westminster

Big Ben im Palast von Westminster, London
In Westminster, the sights are lined up right next to each other, so you can visit them all at once

From Buckingham Palace, it’s a 20-minute walk along St. James Park to Westminster Pier. On your way, you’ll pass many highlights like Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. 

Boat trip on the Thames

Classic boat tour in London with the whole family
The classic Thames cruise is great for kids: not too long and with lots of exciting things to see

At Westminster Pier, take a riverbus of the lines 1, 2 or 6. The ticket costs 8.30 pounds and you can pay for it with your Oyster Card. Take the boat to Tower Pier. On the way, you’ll see some London attractions like the London Eye or the Tate Modern museum.

Tower Bridge

View of Tower Bridge in London
Visiting Tower Bridge in London with family is definitely worth it

When you arrive at Tower Pier, you can first take a look at the Tower of London. It’s right across of the pier.

Then you walk over the Tower Bridge, which is right next to the tower. The lower level is free for pedestrians. But we think that a ticket for the upper floor at a height of 42 meters and with a glass floor is definitely worth it.

The Shard

The giant tower The Shard in London from the Thames
The Shard is one of the absolute highlights of London

At the southern end of Tower Bridge, turn right, walk a short distance along the Thames and follow the signs to London Bridge train station. The Shard is located directly behind the station. You can’t overlook the tower.

Don’t miss the view from the 72nd floor. Since there are always a lot of people waiting in line at The Shard, you should definitely buy your ticket online in advance, otherwise you might not even get your turn.

Borough Market

Borough Market in London
Borough Market is one of the top highlights among London’s markets

From The Shard, just walk down Thomas Street for five minutes and you’ll reach Borough Market. You can have a great dinner here and it is one of the most beautiful markets in London. Then you can go back to the hotel – after all, it was a busy day!

Day 3: London’s most beautiful neighborhoods

On your last day, you should just let yourself drift through London’s quarters. Because in the evening, unfortunately, it’s already time to go back home – for us, that’s Germany. Have a look at our route for your last day:

Map of our route for your third day in London as a PDF

Map with a route for the third day of sightseeing in London
Our route for your third and last day of sightseeing in London

Soho

Soho in London
Soho is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in London for us

After the power sightseeing on the first day, you’ll take it easy today and just drift through London’s most beautiful neighborhoods.

You start in Soho, London’s nightlife district. Nearby, you’ll also find the shopping street Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus. 

Covent Garden

Covent Garden Market in an old market hall in London
Covent Garden Market with its beautiful ambience has unfortunately become a very touristy attraction

If you leave Soho towards the southeast, you’ll immediately come to the next neighborhood: Covent Garden. Here, you’ll find numerous restaurants and stores. The streets are full of street artists and there’s always a lot going on.

Bricklane Market

Brick Lane Market in London
Definitely one of the most beautiful markets in London is Brick Lane Market with its cool stores

Walk to Embankment tube station and take the green District Line from here to Aldgate East station. After about a ten-minute walk, you’ll reach Bricklane Market.

At the market, there are stalls with antiques and decorations, but above all really delicious food. Perfect to end the day.

Our hotel tips for a London weekend

Room at The Henrietta London
The Henrietta is nice and central and perfect if you’re only in London for three days (© The Henrietta London)

If you’re only spending three days in London, you’ll need a central hotel to avoid wasting time on the public transport if possible. We have three hotel tips for your London weekend. 

The Henrietta: a really cozy boutique hotel in the West End with breakfast. You have a good connection to Heathrow Airport.

Hotel 41: typically British in the style of a London gentlemen’s club. Right behind Buckingham Palace. Free British snacks during the day. 

The Z Hotel Strand: perfect for a smaller travel budget. No knick-knacks, but an unbeatable location.

There are plenty hotel choices in London. If our top-3 hotel tips don’t have the right hotel for you, check out our in-depth articles on hotels in London:

Is a Citypass for three days in London worth it?

With a London City Pass, you pay once for the pass and then get free or discounted entry to many attractions, boat trips and city tours in London

Whether a City Pass for three days in London is worth it depends on how many sights you want to visit and not just see from the outside.

We’ve listed all attractions from our program with their ticket price. Below, we present two London City Passes. So you can easily compare whether a pass is worth it for you.

Our tip: Even if you don’t save money with a City Pass, it can still be worthwhile. With these two City Passes you can skip the queue at some attractions and save valuable time. 

  • The Shard: £32
  • London Eye: £36
  • Westminster Abbey: £25
  • Tower of London: £30
  • Tower Bridge: £12.30
  • Themsen ride: £21

#1 The London Pass: for double-time sightseeing

Picture of the London PassThe London Pass is a time-based City Pass which means that you can see as many sights as you want during the validity period.

It includes all London attractions from our list except the London Eye. We recommend you to visit The Shard anyway.

What does The London Pass cost?

  • 1 day: £79
  • 2 days: £104
  • 3 days: £122

The London Pass is worth it if you’re power sightseeing and really want to see a lot of attractions in the three days.

Alternatively, you can buy the pass for just one day and spend the other two days only visiting attractions that are free anyway (e.g. Borough Market). That’s how it is in our program above.

#2 London Explorer Pass: for the relaxed ones

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 do so.

This pass also includes all of our London attractions except for the London Eye. 

How much does the London Explorer Pass cost?

The London Explorer Pass costs between £50 for two and £123 for seven attractions. 

Since you only pay for the attractions you actually visit, the pass is worth it even if you take a more relaxed approach to sightseeing. If you choose expensive attractions such as The Shard and Westminster Abbey, it’s worth it for as few as two sights. 

Looking for more information on London City Passes? Then take a look at this article.

London Pass Comparison: Which City Card is worth it?

Important questions and answers about London in 3 days

You still have a few question marks in your head for the perfect weekend in London? No problem, we’ll give you a helpful answer for sure.

Are three days in London enough?

A weekend in London is actually not very long, especially because the day of arrival is usually almost skipped.

Nevertheless, three days are enough time to see the most important sights and to let yourself drift a bit through the city. In our opinion, a three-day trip to London is definitely worth it!

How much do three days in London cost?

It’s hard to give a general answer to this question, as it depends on the season as well as your needs. We’ll give you some rough numbers.

  • Flights: Flights from Berlin, for example, start at 20 euros. If you start from a less prominent airport, it can be 200 euros.
  • Accommodation: Cheap hostels are available from about 26 pounds per night. For a double room in a nice and central boutique hotel you should expect at least 130 to 175 pounds.
  • Sightseeing: With the tickets from our table you pay about 70 pounds. Then it depends on what you want to spend in the markets.
  • Public transport: For the public transport we’d plan to spend about 13 pounds in total. This doesn’t include the cost of the airport transfer. The cost for the transper depends on which public transport you choose and where you end up.
  • Eating and drinking: Eating out in London is expensive. In a London restaurant, you can expect to pay 17 to 21 pounds for one person. If you eat international cuisine or snacks like fish and chips, you can get away much cheaper.

All in all, with luck and flexibility, you can travel to London for a good 250 Euros. But then you really have to watch your budget. We would rather calculate with 500 to 600 euros.

Is London in 3 days worth it with children?

Definitely! We have written a separate article for vacations with children in London, where you can find lots of tips for cool things to do.

To reduce the amount of walking you have to do, it’s also worth taking a tour with the hop-on hop-off bus in London.

What can you do in four or five days in London?

London definitely offers you enough possibilities for four or five days – to be honest also for four weeks!

  • These are by no means all the highlights. In our article about the top 22 London sights, you will find many more tips for your London weekend.
  • You can also take part in various city tours. You can find our favorites for example in the article about the 11 coolest London tours.
  • Go on excursions such as to the Harry Potter film studios, see a musical or visit Stonehenge. In this article, you’ll find the 11 best activities in London.

Do you have any tips for a perfect weekend in London?

This was our London 3-day plan. Have you already spent a weekend in the metropolis? Do you have another tip that we should not leave unmentioned? Feel free to tell us more in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!