What to see in London in 1 day on your own – route, photo, description, map
London like a magnet attracts tourists from all over the world with a unique variety of attractions, captivating with their history and special British sophistication. Once in the British capital for a while, find out what to see in London in one day on your own, so that this beautiful city will forever remain in your memory and photographs as a memory that warms your soul.
Tower Bridge
We will start our tour of the city in the Tower Hamlets area from the Tower Bridge, which adorns the historic center. Having connected the banks of the Thames in 1894, the suspension and at the same time drawbridge became a recognizable symbol of the British capital. Its lower gallery serves for traffic and is parted for the passage of ships, while pedestrians pass along the upper gallery.
Support towers rise on both sides of the bridge with stairs leading to a pedestrian gallery, which has served as an excellent viewing platform in recent years. From its height, through huge windows, breathtaking views of The Shard skyscraper with an observation deck on London City, the dome of the Greenwich Observatory and St. Catherine's Docks open up.
After admiring the city landscape, it is interesting to visit the museum located in the gallery. It is open from April to September from 10.00 to 18.30, from October to March from 9.30 to 18.00.
Tower Bridge Tickets £9.80
View from The Shard Skyscraper – Entrance Ticket & Champagne £24.95
Tower of London
Located in the area near Tower Bridge, the Royal Palace is a historic castle museum. Over the past centuries, he managed to serve as a royal residence, a repository of treasures of the English crown and a prison where high-ranking prisoners were kept in custody in Beauchamp Tower. The castle, which received its name from the White Tower erected in 1066 – the “tower” today appears as a Gothic architectural ensemble of 40 buildings from different eras, surrounded in two rows by fortress walls.
In the Tower, you will be lucky enough to see the Royal Treasures of 23,578 precious stones and the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Fusiliers Museum and a unique exposition with full-length equestrian statues of 10 kings in knightly armor. It is interesting to look at the guards of the Royal Regiment, traditionally guarding the Tower, who hold the ceremony of handing over the keys every day at 21.53.
Open for visits:
Tower of London and Royal Treasure Exhibition Ticket £26.80
Coca-Cola London Eye £25.20
Harry Potter Drive and Warner Brothers Studio Tour £80
River Thames Cruise £25.60
Sky Garden Observation Deck
Tower Castle overlooks the 160-meter Walkie Talkie skyscraper, which is a stone's throw from Monument underground station. Its original observation deck Sky garden was popularly called the “sky garden of London”. The upper floors of the skyscraper are a space glazed on all sides, occupied by gardens located on terraces facing the east and west sides. Londoners come here to relax surrounded by tropical palms, ferns, lianas and flowers.
Opposite sides of the glass cube are equipped with viewing platforms and an open terrace, from which a panorama of the City of London opens up. The Sky Garden is open on weekdays from 10.00 to 18.00, on weekends from 11.00 to 21.00. Visitors are admitted 1 hour before closing.
Entrance to the garden and the observation deck is free of charge, pre-booked on the website, indicating the date and time of the visit. After passing through the frame with a ticket, take the high-speed elevator to the 35th floor of the Sky Garden.
Tate Modern Gallery
The Tate Modern gallery, located near the underground station – Southwark line Jubilee Line is widely represented by contemporary art. Its industrial building of the former power plant with a hundred-meter pipe can be seen from afar. Having preserved the external historical appearance of the building, the space inside was redesigned as a gallery, covered with a glass roof.
Industrial structures and dark brick walls have become a stunning backdrop for avant-garde art paintings and large-scale exhibits – installations. The gallery presents a variety of art genres, starting from 1900 – impressionism, cubism, abstractionism, surrealism, pop art and many modern trends.
The museum's collection exhibits works by famous impressionists Claude Manet and Matisse, paintings by avant-garde artists – Kandinsky, Malevich and Picasso, original posters by Andy Warhol. They can be seen free of charge on Friday and Saturday from 10.00 to 20.00, from Sunday to Thursday from 10.00 to 18.00.
Millennium Bridge
From the art nouveau gallery we go out to the bridge, named after the new millennium, which was built specifically for the onset of the Millennium. Its opening took place in the middle of 2000, but 2 days later it was closed due to lateral vibrations for reconstruction. So he got a second name – Shaky Bridge. Today, this suspension footbridge spanning the Thames is a popular attraction.
Its original exterior is memorable, with two Y-shaped pillars and four steel cables supporting the 370-meter-long and 4-meter-wide bridge deck. The bridge, built specifically for pedestrians, is completely safe and able to withstand 2,000 people at the same time. From the Millennium Bridge we exit to St. Paul's Cathedral, towering on the north bank of the Thames.
Order a private transfer from the airport to your hotel for 5 805 RUB
St Paul's Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Paul, which is the residence of the bishop, appears to the eye in the form acquired at the beginning of the 18th century. Its main attraction is the dome, similar in appearance and design to the dome of the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, erected later – during the time of King Charles II. From the outer gallery of the dome, a picturesque view of the center of the British capital appears. The domed gallery inside the cathedral is famous for its amazing acoustics.
It is called “whispered”, as the words spoken there in a whisper will be heard anywhere in the gallery. The interior of the temple amazes with the beauty of mosaics, the openwork of forged lattices and the skill of sculptures. St. Paul's Church has long been known as the highest building in the city. But even today, with its grandeur, it is not lost among London skyscrapers. The cathedral is open for tours from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 to 16.30. Ticket offices close at 16.00. Sunday services are held in the cathedral and admission is free.
St. Paul's Cathedral: Fast Track Ticket – £16
covent garden
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, located near the Piccadilly underground station of the same name, is one of the main attractions. The baroque building, erected in 1858, is the home stage for the theater's opera and ballet troupes. The theater has existed for more than 280 years under the auspices of the monarchs.
Its hall, accommodating 2268 spectators, is equipped with chairs, in the backs of which screens are mounted to demonstrate the libretto of performances, and a screen is placed above the proscenium, where titles are shown. For tourists, there are several tours of the building. The 1 hour 15 minute Behind the Scenes tour shows the inner life of the theater and rich scenery.
During the tour “Velvet, Gilding and Glamour”, in 45 minutes from the elegant foyer you will be taken to the Royal Room, designed to receive high-ranking guests, they will tell you about the architecture of the theater and its legends, you will be allowed to climb to the very top of the building and see from a height all the splendor of the hall.
Buckingham Palace
You will see the official residence of the Queen – Buckingham Palace in all its glory opposite Pall Mall and Green Park. Baroque and rococo wonderfully intertwined in the palace ensemble with traditional English architecture. In addition to the palace building, which has 775 rooms, the interiors of the ballroom, the Queen's office and the Royal stables are of interest. The main building of the palace is guarded by guardsmen dressed in historical uniforms serving in the Court Division.
Many tourists come to watch the traditional changing of the guard ceremony. It is possible to see the luxurious palace interiors only in August and September, when the queen leaves the palace. All year round, visitors can visit the Royal Stables, where the royal horses are kept and vehicles used by the royal family are exhibited. You will admire the golden carriage for coronations and the transparent carriage for brides.
In the gallery, art connoisseurs will be impressed by the Queen's art collection of paintings by Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, Faberge eggs and an extensive collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. The gallery is open from 9.30 to 18.30, admission until 16.15 daily. To get to Buckingham Palace, you can take the underground to the stations: “St. James's park”, “Victoria” and “Green park”.
Queen Victoria Memorial
A memorial dedicated to Queen Victoria was erected 10 years after her death on the square near the palace, becoming an expression of the achievements of the country during the 64 years of the reign of the Empress. 2300 tons of white stone went to the monument, which rose 25 meters to the sky. On a massive pedestal, made in the form of a quatrefoil with curved ends resembling a ship's prow, in the center is a 6-meter figure of Queen Victoria, sitting on a throne with a scepter and an orb.
She is looking at Trafalgar Square. On three sides of the empress, sculptural compositions are installed on pedestals, personifying Truth, Justice and Motherhood with their inherent environment. The top of the monument is crowned with a sparkling gold winged Victory, surrounded by Courage and Constancy. In the arches of the monument, fountains beat, decorated with figures of marine life, personifying Britain as a sea power.
Wellington Arch
The Wellington Arch, which rises on the corner of Hyde Park and looks like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Britain immortalized the victory over Napoleon's army. It was erected in 1830 and moved to its current location half a century later. In the name of the Duke of Wellington, an outstanding commander and prime minister, the arch began to be called from 1846, when, during his lifetime, he was crowned with a huge equestrian statue.
During the transfer of the arch, the statue of the commander was removed from it, decorating it with a bronze quadriga depicting a chariot driven by an angel of peace. Inside the arch is a museum that highlights its history. Upstairs there is a terrace overlooking the Royal Artillery Memorial, Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar Square
A visit to Trafalgar Square, located at the intersection of Strand, White Hall and Mall, is included in the program of many excursions. Architecturally, it looks like a colorful ensemble of surrounding buildings, including the National Gallery, St. Martin's Church and the Admiralty Arch. Significant events in the history of Britain are reflected in its memorial objects. In the center, the 44-meter granite Nelson Column, guarded by a huge figure of a lion, attracts attention.
The base of the column is decorated with bas-relief compositions cast from captured Napoleonic guns. The top of the column is crowned with a statue of an outstanding commander 5.5 meters high. At the four corners of the square there are pedestals, where sculptures of prominent citizens of the country rise on three. On the fourth pedestal, which had been empty for a long time, in anticipation of a new hero, in the spring of 2016, a ten-meter bronze hand with a thumb raised was installed.
National Gallery
A majestic building with columns, completed with a dome – the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square is one of the largest art collections in the British capital. More than 2,000 pictorial masterpieces of Europe of the 12th-20th centuries are exhibited in its halls. The work of the Venetian masters is represented by paintings by Mantegna and Bellini, the Italian Renaissance – by an extensive collection of works by Titian.
The Spanish Hall is famous for the world's largest collection of paintings by Velasquez. Dutch painting is shown with 24 paintings by Rubens and late paintings by Titian. Separate rooms are devoted to the works of German, French, Flemish and English masters of painting.
The gallery is open: Saturday – Thursday: from 10.00 to 18.00, Friday from 10.00 to 21.00. Free admission. From here, focusing on the Big Ben tower, in 15-20 minutes you can walk to Westminster sights or take the tube to Westminster station, where the yellow Circle line, the green District line and the gray Jubilee line intersect.
Big Ben
Big Ben is a powerful bell weighing 13 tons, located in the Elizabeth Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, towering 96 meters. Inside the tower there is a spiral staircase with 334 steps leading to an open compact area with a bell that announces the time every hour. The famous bell with a base of 3 meters and a height of 2 meters gave its name to the clock mounted on the tower.
The giant clock with a diameter of 7 meters and hands measuring 2.7 and 4.2 meters long began counting time in 1859 and is still considered one of the largest chimes in the world. They are also notable for their four dials, which are made of opaque glass and bordered by gilded frames.
It is difficult to overestimate the global significance of this clock, with the first stroke of which the new year officially begins on planet Earth on January 1st. Today, for security reasons, the entrance to the tower is closed for tourists. But all the same, guests rush to admire Big Ben and check their watches.
Parliament building
The Palace of Westminster serves as the seat of the British Parliament. Until 1529 it was the residence of the English kings. The 11th-century reception hall and the Treasury Tower, where the treasury was saved, survived from the medieval building, which was damaged by fire. The neo-Gothic architecture of the Palace of Westminster delights with its scale, grandeur and openwork decor of the facades. The palace has 11 courtyards, 1200 rooms, 100 stairs and 5.5 kilometers of corridors.
On the tour, tourists follow the route of the Queen, going to speak in Parliament. Starting from Westminster Hall, then see the royal dressing room, the Royal Gallery, the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the House of Princes, Stephen Hall with statues of the patron saints of Britain. It is better to visit the parliament building with a tour conducted in Russian 2 times a day: at 13.40 and at 16.15 on Saturdays and during parliamentary holidays.
Church of Saint Margaret
The Church of St. Margaret, built in the late Gothic style, faces the Parliament Square. Its history dates back to the 12th century, after the reconstruction of the 16th-17th centuries it serves as the parish church of the British Parliament. The facade of the temple, lined with light Portland limestone in the 1730s, and the narthexes added to it in the 19th century, finally shaped its appearance.
Inside the church, skillful stained-glass windows of the 16th century conquer – three-part, decorating the longitudinal facades and the main four-part stained-glass window located behind the altar. The church is famous for its medieval organ and the weddings under its arches of members of aristocratic families, including former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Outstanding people are buried here, as evidenced by the figured stained-glass windows with their image. The temple is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is open for free visiting: Monday – Friday from 9.30 to 15.30, on Saturday until 13.30, and Sunday from 14.00 to 17.00.
Westminster Abbey
The architecture of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter or Westminster Abbey captivates with the silhouette and external decor of the two church towers, the numerous openwork arches. Luxurious stained-glass windows, wall paintings, sculptural compositions, exquisite architectural details are delightful in the church interior. The abbey is famous for its pantheon, where prominent citizens of the country – writers, scientists, politicians – are buried.
Visitors will see about 3 thousand tombstones, including the graves of Queens Elizabeth and Victoria, the poets Chaucer and Burns, the scientists Newton and Darwin, the politician Chamberlain, the writers Dickens and Kipling. Westminster Abbey also appears as a real treasury, where a large number of artistic masterpieces, rare church utensils and priceless folios are collected.
The temple can be visited on Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 9.30-15.30, Wednesday from 9.30 to 18.00, Thursday from 13.30 to 15.30, Saturday from 9.30 to 12.30. Services are held on Sunday.
Entrance ticket to Westminster Abbey and audio guide – £20
Piccadilly Street
Respectable Piccadilly Street has been popular with the English elite for more than 3 centuries and is notable for its luxurious mansions.
Tourists are interested in the unique architectural and cultural attractions of the street:
In addition to cultural institutions, Piccadilly is notable for the underground Criterion Theatre, the huge London Pavilion and luxury hotels.
Sherlock Holmes Museum
It will not be difficult to get to the Sherlock Holmes detective museum, familiar to everyone from childhood from the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, by subway to the Baker Street station, where a sculpture of Sherlock Holmes is already greeted at the exit. On the street of the same name, you will find a four-storey house number 239, built in the style of the Victorian era, where a policeman in uniform of the 19th century meets the door. Crossing the threshold, you will be met by guides dressed in the uniform of the maids of those years.
They lead them into a living room with windows overlooking Baker Street, which served as Holmes's study and his bedroom. In the office, the atmosphere is recognizable from novels: Holmes' violin, a stack of letters, flasks and test tubes for chemical experiments, a pistol belonging to Dr. Watson.
Here you can take a picture while sitting with a detective's pipe in an armchair near the fireplace. Entering the 3rd floor, you will see the situation with personal belongings in the rooms of Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson. On the top floor you will get acquainted with the wax figures of the heroes of the creations of Conan Doyle.
The museum welcomes guests seven days a week from 9.30 to 18.00.
Madame Tussauds museum
From the Sherlock Holmes Museum to the Tussauds Museum, founded in 1835, it will not be difficult to walk in 2 minutes, turning from Baker Street onto Marylebone Road. Today, the world's greatest collection of wax figures of world celebrities – cinema, sports, show business, scientists and politicians – is presented here. Huge popularity is caused by halls with political figures of the world (“World leaders”), including Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and others.
In the “Party” and “Music” halls, you can take pictures with the Liverpool Four, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Madonna. The exposition “Spirit of London” impresses with wax scenes of life from different eras. I admire the realism of individual figures who can move, speak, express their emotions to the reaction of visitors. With any wax figure, you can take a picture for memory. The museum is open from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 16.00/17.00, and on weekends from 9.00 to 16.00/17.00.
Ticket to Madame Tussauds – £29
Zoo
From Baker Street tube station (line C4) to the zoo, located on the north side of Regent's Park, bus number 274 goes to the London Zoo stop or you can walk in half an hour. The London Zoo opened in 1828 and became the pioneer in the world of aquarium, serpentarium, insectarium and children‘s zoo. Today, the zoo is home to 755 animal species and more than 16,800 individuals.
Here you will see the largest collection of sea and river inhabitants, consisting of three halls of the aquarium, a variety of birds in the African bird safari exposition. In conditions close to real, it is curious to observe tigers, lions, lemurs and meerkats. Large animals – elephants and rhinoceroses are absent in the zoo, but even without that it will take at least 3 hours to see most of its inhabitants.
The zoo opens at 10.00 and is open from September to mid-February until 16.00, from February 15 to February 24 until 17.00, from February 24 to March 28 until 17.30 and from March 29 to September 7 until 18.00.
How and what to save
There are several ways to make your visit to London cheaper and save money. In the British capital, it is possible to save on phone calls by purchasing a SIM card from a mobile operator, tickets for sightseeing, ordering them on official websites or buying Combination Tickets, and of course, on transport and excursions.
Oyster Transport Card
You can save money on public transport trips by buying an Oyster electronic card online, at the airport, railway stations and metro stations for £ 5, and replenish the account on the card there. With this card you pay for travel on the underground (Tube and DLR), all types of surface urban transport within 1-2 zones of Greater London.
Use the Emirates Air Line cable car and get a 25% discount. Traveling by river bus will become cheaper by 10%. When traveling on the subway and commuter trains, the Oyster card is swiped to the yellow reader (validator) when entering the station, and then at the exit to accurately calculate the distance.
In buses and trams, the card is applied to the validator once at the time of boarding. The Oyster card is automatically charged the minimum cost of single trips during the day, taking into account the zone and travel time, until the price of the day pass is reached. It is noteworthy that the amount remaining on the card can be returned or spent during a return visit.
Hop-on hop-off bus tour
With a 1-day stay, the most important sights can be easily explored on the hop-on hop-off bus on the London's Original tour. Having bought a ticket for 24 hours, it will be valid for this time, starting from the first boarding of the bus. With this ticket, tourists on an open-top bus will be able to tour 3 routes, making 60 stops. Hop-on hop-off buses leave every 15-20 minutes.
During the tour, a guide or audio guide in Russian will tell you interesting facts about the sights of the route. You will drive along the respectable Piccadilly Street, appreciating the architecture of its buildings and the atmosphere prevailing there, stop at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, in the Westminster area, inspect the Parliament, the famous Big Ben and St. Peter's Cathedral, see the Tower, bridges over the Thames and many others historical and cultural monuments.
All you have to do is choose a date and place an order online. The cost of a 24-hour ticket is from 2890 rubles. from a person. If for any reason you cannot use the service, the order must be canceled 24 hours in advance. In this case, the full cost will be refunded.
Hop-on hop-off bus tour – from £32
London Pass Tourist Card
For fans of walking on historical and cultural monuments, a great way to save money is to buy a London Pass ticket, which provides free admission to 60 attractions, museums and excursions. The cost of a one-day ticket starts from 6080 rubles. from a person.
When ordering, you must specify the contingent of participants and the date, paying with a paper voucher or by phone. By promptly receiving confirmation, a booklet with maps and descriptions of attractions, you can enjoy the benefits of the London Pass:
To activate the card, it is presented at the box office or at the entrance to the attraction, which is included in the program.
London Pass tourist card – from £69
Excursion: All the most important in the city in 2.5 hours
If you have very little free time, it is possible to cover the iconic sights on a walking tour lasting 2.5 hours. It is conducted by a professional Russian-speaking art historian. A private tour for 1-4 people will cost £130 and £30 per person if there are more.
The tour starts at Trafalgar Square. From the height of the steps at the entrance to the National Gallery, admire Nelson's Column, the Palace of Westminster, the parade ground of the Royal Horse Guards, St. James Park and learn many interesting facts about them. On Downing Street you will see the residence of the Prime Minister, then passing under the Admiralty Arch, we will go to the Parliament with the famous Big Ben clock. Then the path will lead to Westminster Abbey with a nine hundred year old garden and St. James Park, where you will enjoy its vegetation, design and architectural forms.
From the park we will go to Buckingham Palace with a variety of styles of its many buildings, from where we will continue our acquaintance with the history of the Royal Court near St. James's Palace. Along the historic streets of Pall Mall and Regent Street, where along the way you will learn many exciting stories about the mansions located on them, we exit to the respectable Piccadilly Street. Near the Royal Academy, the tour comes to an end. Gorgeous photos and great mood are guaranteed!
Excursion: The whole city in 4 hours by car
An excellent option for express sightseeing is this self-guided tour in a comfortable minibus with an experienced guide. You will see a kaleidoscope of attractions that create a unique atmosphere of the British capital. You will learn many interesting facts from the history of their creation, architecture and outstanding people of the country.
Private tour for a group of 8 people, its cost is £ 340. On the tour you will see the stunning architecture of the Palace of Westminster with Big Ben and St. Peter's Cathedral, the residence of the Prime Minister and the residence of the Queen – Buckingham Palace, the medieval Tower of squares and streets of Piccadilly, famous bridges and picturesque parks.
But the tour is not limited to popular tourist sites. You will see a house with real ghosts, the apartment where John Lennon lived, the family home of Queen Elizabeth II, the oldest toy store in the world. And many more exciting discoveries and pleasant surprises are waiting for you on the auto tour!
Excursion: Welcome to London
London captivates its guests with the beauty of architectural masterpieces, the monumentality of historical monuments and the atmosphere of the City. It is possible to take a look at the sights that have become the main symbols of the British capital on the first visit, to learn their fascinating history in a group sightseeing tour.
After walking through the historical quarters of the city for 2.5 hours, tourists will admire the view of the architectural ensemble of Westminster Abbey, where they will see the tombs of British kings and queens. The Palace of Westminster, which today serves as the British Parliament, and its Clock Tower with a unique Big Ben will not be left without attention. The mastery of diverse architectural styles will conquer the royal residence – Buckingham Palace, and the royal Albert Hall – an abundance of priceless art and scientific exhibits.
Almost the entire history is reflected in the centuries-old Tower Castle, where you will be mentally transported centuries ago to the times when it served as a fortress, the home of kings and a prison for important people. You will visit the majestic Cathedral of St. Paul, where you will be imbued with its divine atmosphere and see the tombstones of citizens who glorified Britain. The tour is led by experienced guides with groups of up to 50 people and costs £55 per person.
How to get from the airport to the center
Air Harbor – Heathrow Airport has 5 terminals, which are connected by a free shuttle. To get to the central part upon arrival, you can use one of the proposed options.