5 Things You Can See in London in One Day

Guest Post by Cherrye Moore

Seeing London in one day? Impossible! Or is it?

Just last week I traveled from my expat home in southern Italy to London with my nine year old nephew and although we were technically there for three days, I only had one day to show him the sights.

So I did what any self-proclaimed travel-savvy expert would do … I looked to other experts. I researched one-day itineraries, perused London blogs and read up on which sights would most appeal to a nine year old heart. And we had a blast.

Here are five things you can do in London in one day…

1. See Big Ben and Parliament – When many people travel to London, they picture themselves in a post-card perfect picture posing in front of Big Ben and Parliament. I know of everything on our to-do list, my nephew was most interested in seeing these famous landmarks and after a quick stop at Westminster Abbey and a stroll along the Thames, Seeing Big Ben and Parliament was checked off the list.
   
2. Ride the London Eye – From there, the capsules of the London Eye guided us down the Thames and beckoned us to take a ride. If you are sure you will ride the London Eye, then purchasing advanced tickets, along with a discount pass into one of London’s other attractions, is a good idea. I wasn’t sure the nine year old would go for it once he saw the sight, with its 443 feet of Ferris wheel glory. He went for it, though-and that was one more thing we’d proudly accomplished in our day in London.
   
3. Chill Out with Fish and Chips – When photo ops and Ferris wheel-riding get you down, it’s time to refuel on fish and chips. We had friends who were also in London for the day, so we met them at Dickens’ famous, although overly-touristy, I’ve been told, Red Lion Pub, located off of Pall Mall and St. James. We had a lengthy lunch, recounted the morning’s events and planned our afternoon tour of England’s capital.
   
4. Mind the Gap – Little boys love trains and kids from Texas-who aren’t accustomed to riding subways, need to Mind the Gap a few times when they are in London. We rode the underground several times-and even took the train to our hotel in East Croydon. While many people might consider this a means of transportation-using the underground to get around was an added attraction to our one day in London.
5. Cruise the Thames – After lunch, we took the underground to the Tower of London, walked across the Tower Bridge, and then took a leisurely Thames River cruise back to Big Ben and Parliament. The trip cost just £8.00 for both of us, lasted about 25 minutes and featured a charming tour guide who offered detailed history and cute commentary on the passing sites.
   

What would you do if you had just one day in London?

Cherrye Moore is an American freelance writer and Calabria tour consultant living in southern Italy. She writes about living and traveling in Calabria on her site, My Bella Vita.

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.