What to do in 24 Hours in London

This is a collaborative post.

Coming to London for 24 hours is such a tough one as there are a million and one things to do, so how on earth do you pick what to do? Well, as a bit of London nerd, I mean, I am a Google London City Guide, I thought I could share some of my favourite things to do around town to make it a little easier for you.

A Guided Tour

I always think a great way to start in any new city is by doing a walking tour or a guided bus tour. It’s such a great way to see so many things in one hit and you can pick a tour that suits your timings; want to spend all day being guided then book a full day tour or want to do some self-exploration, book a tour that only lasts a couple of hours to help get your bearings. I’d recommend a bus tour if you want to see a lot more in a shorter amount of time as you can cover more by road than you can on foot!

Top Attractions

If you are planning on doing a lot of London attractions, such as the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Madame Tussauds or Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre ten it could well be worth you picking up a London Pass. With the London Pass, you can gain access to over eighty different attractions in London. Whenever I visit a new city I tend to grab one of these passes and I set myself a challenge to visit as many sites as I possibly can; see how I did in York here.

Afternoon Tea

If you want to keep things really traditional then you must grab yourselves an afternoon tea considering as it started here in London. If you want to go to where it all started then book the Palm Court at The Langham Hotel, but if you want to do something a little crazy then there are plenty of themed offerings such as for literary lovers the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea and the Mary Poppins Tea, for fashion lovers the Prêt-à-Portea, for the artists try the Art Tea and the scientists will love the Science Tea! There are just so many amazing options in London so be sure to do your research first!

London Markets

If you time your trip just right you can find some incredible markets in London. The most notable ones are Notting Hill with their multi-coloured shops, Camden for something a little more alternative and Greenwich for food and antiques. Brick Lane has so many different markets of a weekend including vintage clothing, a whole food market and local independent sellers with a whole array of goods. If you’re into trying incredible vegan food then once a month Vegan Nights are also hosted along Brick Lane.

Shopping

If you come to London and don’t go shopping then there’s no point even coming to visit, right? If you want to avoid Oxford Street and Regent Street I’d recommend Carnaby Street and Soho as they have far more eclectic shops and make for quite pretty shopping too. Whilst you’re in Carnaby Street stop by Choccywoccydoodah for the best hot chocolate ever and pop by The Great Frog for some incredible handmade jewellery!

London is such an amazing place, so make sure you cram as much in as you can!