From Rotterdam, we took the Eurostar to London! In just under three hours, we arrived at St. Pancras International, and our city trip could begin. In this blog, we’re sharing our itinerary for three full days in London—excluding the arrival and departure days.

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Day 1: The Highlights

Through a great deal on Get Your Guide, we scored tickets for the London Eye, a river cruise on the Thames, and a 24-hour hop-on hop-off bus pass. We picked up our tickets at the Big Bus stop near the London Eye and quickly booked a time slot to ride the Ferris wheel. The view from the London Eye is amazing—you can see both the City of Westminster and the City of London. Two birds with one stone!

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After the ride, we walked across Westminster Bridge towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, took some photos, and then continued to the City Cruise stop across from the London Eye. We hopped on the boat and enjoyed the sunny ride towards Tower Bridge—such a cool way to see it from the water! We got off at Tower Millennium Pier and explored the area around the Tower of London.

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We deliberately chose not to get a London City Pass because we knew we wouldn’t have enough time to properly explore everything on our list. That meant we mainly saw many of the highlights from the outside.

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After a quick lunch at PRET A MANGER (you’ll find them all over London), we hopped on the hop-on hop-off bus. We chose the blue route, which circles past most of the highlights. Since I (Iris) was traveling with my mom, we decided to save our legs on the first day and get a good overview of the city.

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After about two hours, the bus ride started to drag, so we got off and explored the areas around Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Piccadilly Circus. In other words: shopping! Afterward, we wandered into the lively Soho neighborhood and ended the day in Chinatown. We definitely recommend it. The vibe is great, with lanterns mixed with British flags and amazing food smells everywhere.

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Highlights overview: London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, River Cruise on the Thames, Hop-on Hop-off Bus, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Soho, and Chinatown.

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Day 2: Walking Along the Thames

We started the day with the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Check their website for the schedule and make sure to get there early for a good spot. After the ceremony, we walked down The Mall to Trafalgar Square and from there to Covent Garden. Covent Garden is a fun and lively part of London with a charming market, nice restaurants, and plenty of cool shops and concept stores. Highly recommended! We had a coffee here before continuing down The Strand to the stunning St. Paul’s Cathedral.

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The cathedral sits at the end of the Millennium Bridge—a beautiful pedestrian bridge that offers great views over the Thames and connects both sides of the river. We crossed over to the Tate Modern museum, which is free to enter and features amazing modern art. After our museum visit, we strolled along the riverside to Borough Market! This bustling food market has stalls serving delicious dishes from all over the world. A great place to rest and soak up some sun. From our sunny spot, we had a beautiful view of another London highlight: The Shard.

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We didn’t have time to visit The Shard, but you can go to the top and enjoy incredible views from there. After a bit of a break, we wrapped up the day with a walk across Tower Bridge—still such an iconic symbol of London!

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Highlights overview: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, The Strand, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, The Shard, Borough Market, London Bridge, Tower Bridge

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Day 3: Shoreditch, Kensington & Notting Hill

On the third day, we explored some of London’s neighborhoods. We stayed at the Point A Hotel in Shoreditch—a neighborhood that used to be rough but is now full of creativity. We walked past cool sports and gaming bars and Boxpark on our way to Spitalfields Market. Another great market, but this time focused on art and (vintage) clothing rather than food. Around the market, you’ll also find small shops from bigger brands. After a bit of browsing, we continued to the heart of Shoreditch: Brick Lane! Known for its street art and the best bagels in London.

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After our morning in Shoreditch (East London), we took the Tube to South Kensington on the other side of the city. We started our Kensington tour at the Natural History Museum, which, like Tate Modern, is free to visit. Don’t want to wait in line? Book a time slot online in advance. After admiring all the old dino bones, we grabbed a coffee at Joe & The Juice and walked to Gloucester Road. This street is full of beautiful white houses that perfectly match the Kensington image you might already have. From Gloucester Road, we took the Tube to Kensington High Street and walked to Kensington Palace and its gardens. Got time left? Cross the gardens to Hyde Park and enjoy the sun!

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From Kensington Gardens, we caught a bus to Notting Hill! It wasn’t hard to find our stop—the pastel-colored houses were instantly recognizable from the Julia Roberts movie. Of course, we snapped some photos, but for us, the real highlight in Notting Hill was Portobello Road Market! A fun market with all sorts of unique finds and a great atmosphere. We definitely recommend it. Of course, no trip to London is complete without a visit to Harrods, so that’s where we ended our final day!

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Highlights overview: Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Boxpark, Kensington, Natural History Museum, Gloucester Road, Kensington High Street, Kensington Palace & Gardens, Hyde Park, Notting Hill, Portobello Road Market, and Harrods