The City of London and the River Thames
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London in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 8.2 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days, London stops being a race and becomes a walk that makes sense. The first day is for postcard London and its legends; the second for the old City and the south bank of the Thames. Between walks there's room for a gallery, a market and some proper meals. Expect about 5 miles of walking routes, plus whatever you wander between the extras.

Day 1Postcards and shadows

Start at Trafalgar Square with «From Nelson to the royal balcony», which runs down Whitehall to Westminster and ends at Buckingham Palace. Have fish and chips, for example at The Rock & Sole Plaice in Covent Garden, and spend your free afternoon at the National Gallery and Covent Garden itself, ten minutes away on foot. As the light fades, head to London Stone for «Ghosts, hangmen and a demon barber»: Newgate, Smithfield and Fleet Street to the Temple. Then dinner is pie and mash at M. Manze in Bermondsey.

  1. Morning

    From Nelson to the royal balcony: picture-postcard London

    Mixed · 2.6 km · 2 h

    1. Trafalgar SquareLondon's great square celebrates a naval battle fought off Cádiz and the admiral who died winning it.
    2. Horse Guards and the Banqueting HouseMotionless horsemen on one side of the street and, on the other, the window Charles I stepped through to the scaffold.
    3. Big Ben and the Palace of WestminsterA fire in 1834 gave London its most famous skyline, and the bell everyone calls Big Ben cracked within months.
    4. Westminster AbbeyEnglish monarchs have been crowned here since 1066, and above its door stands an archbishop from El Salvador.
    5. St James's ParkLondon's oldest royal park has had pelicans since 1664 and, from its bridge, the loveliest view of the palace.
    6. Buckingham PalaceA duke's house turned into the world's most famous palace, with a balcony that has seen more than a century of history.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Fish and chips at The Rock & Sole Plaice. 47 Endell Street, Covent Garden

  3. Afternoon

    National Gallery

    One of the world's great picture galleries, right beside Trafalgar Square, with European painting from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. With a free afternoon, be selective: pick two or three rooms and don't try to see everything. General admission is free.

    Directions

    Covent Garden

    A former fruit-and-vegetable market turned into a corner of shops, cafes and street performers under a large covered hall. It's a short stroll from the National Gallery, ideal for a cup of tea or a breather before the evening walk.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Ghosts, hangmen and a demon barber

    Mysteries & legends · 2.9 km · 2 h

    1. London StoneA block of limestone behind glass in an office front, on which London's fortunes depend, according to a fake prophecy.
    2. St Sepulchre and the Newgate bellOpposite the old Newgate Prison, this church keeps the handbell that announced their last night to the condemned.
    3. The Golden Boy of Pye Corner and Cock LaneA plump golden boy marks where the Great Fire stopped, on the corner of the street of the 18th century's most famous ghost.
    4. St Bartholomew the Great and SmithfieldA vision in Rome, London's oldest church still in use and the open ground where William Wallace was executed.
    5. St Dunstan-in-the-West and Sweeney ToddTwo giants striking the hours, a statue of Elizabeth I said to be made in her lifetime and fiction's most fearsome barber.
    6. Temple ChurchThe round church of the Knights Templar, with stone knights lying on the floor and a secret invented by a novel.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Pie and mash with eels at M. Manze. 87 Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey

Day 2From Roman ford to Thames

Start at Tower Hill with «From Londinium to Wren's dome»: the Roman wall, the Tower of London, the Monument and the Royal Exchange lead you to St Paul's. If you want to go inside the Tower, book and arrive early. For lunch, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding at a classic such as Rules or Simpson's in the Strand. In the afternoon, cross the river on the Millennium Bridge, step into Tate Modern and follow the bank to Borough Market for a snack and a farewell to London.

  1. Morning

    From Londinium to Wren's dome: two thousand years in the City

    History · 2.7 km · 2 h

    1. The Roman wall at Tower HillThe stones that enclosed Londinium still stand beside the Tube station, guarded by a bronze emperor.
    2. The Tower of LondonThe fortress William the Conqueror built to keep an eye on Londoners has been a palace, a prison, an arsenal and a mint.
    3. The Monument to the Great FireA 61-metre column whose height matches the distance to the bakery where the fire of 1666 began.
    4. The Royal Exchange and BankLondon's first exchange was born at this junction, named by a queen and is still crowned by a golden grasshopper.
    5. Guildhall and the Roman amphitheatreThe City has been governed from here for six centuries, right above the arena where Romans watched gladiators fight.
    6. St Paul's CathedralChristopher Wren's masterpiece: the dome that rose from the ashes of 1666 and survived the bombs of 1940.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at Simpson's in the Strand. 100 Strand

  3. Afternoon

    Tate Modern

    Modern and contemporary art in a former brick power station on the river. You can walk there from St Paul's over the Millennium Bridge. Pick the galleries that interest you most, and step out on the terrace of the new building for a view of the City from the far bank.

    Directions

    Borough Market

    A food market with centuries of history, under the railway arches, a few minutes' walk from Tate Modern along the Thames. Ideal for a mid-afternoon bite. Very close by is The George Inn, London's last surviving galleried coaching inn.

    Directions

The map

London in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for London in 2 days

  • Pay for the Tube and buses with a contactless card or your phone: it's the easiest way, and daily spending is capped.
  • If you want to go inside the Tower of London, St Paul's or Westminster Abbey, book ahead and check the opening times; the abbey isn't open to tourists every day.
  • Bring a light umbrella and comfortable shoes: it can rain at any time of year, and the City has cobbles and uneven pavements.

Questions

London in 2 days: your questions

Is 2 days enough to see London?

For the essentials, yes: Westminster, the City, a major gallery and a market fit in comfortably. You won't see everything, but you'll have a very good first visit. If you want more, the 3-day plan adds the British Museum and Soho.

How much walking is there in 2 days?

The routes add up to about 8.2 km (5.1 miles): 5.5 km on the first day (Westminster and the mysteries) and 2.7 on the second (the City). Add whatever you walk between extras, meals and stations; the second day is lighter.

Where should you eat on this itinerary?

On day one, fish and chips in Covent Garden; on day two, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding at a classic such as Rules or Simpson's. Dinner on day one is pie and mash in Bermondsey. Check opening times before you go.

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