Quick stopover in London? There’s so much to see in just 24 hours!!!
Indulge in a high tea and walk to the major sites like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Jubilee Gardens, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham palace, Hyde Park and more!
- Grab a train from Heathrow ($10 on subway, 45-60 mins), or from Gatwick to London take the Southern train (30-40 mins, $20-$50) or bus (1.5-2 hrs, $12-19 EasyBus or National Bus). Book train tickets in advance for online discounts and pick up at Gatwick or Victoria Station. Oyster Cards are great if you live in London, but you cannot return/refund them at Gatwick so they’re not useful for visitors, unless you travel to London a lot
- Afternoon tea at the Grosvenor Hotel (now called the Clermont Hotel Victoria Tea Lounge), pre-booked with online discount, located 2 mins from Victoria Station. This is a delicious and traditional treat – be sure to know your etiquette rules for which of the 3 tiers to eat when!
- 45-60 minute walk to stretch your weary jetlagged legs and view the major sites (1 hour doesn’t include going into any stops, just the walking time): Westminster Abbey (pre-book tickets/times for £25, or use a London Pass for £80 of 1-day sights), House of Parliament (£30 tours), Big Ben Clock Tower (may have tours available), Westminster Bridge, Jubilee Park & Gardens, London Eye (book ahead for cheaper: £30 instead of £36 onsite), Jubilee Bridge, Trafalgar Square (note that there are free public washrooms here), walk the Mall & St. James Park to Buckingham Palace (£30 open only certain times of the year) and the Queen’s Gallery for art (£17)
- If you have time, you can walk another 37 mins from Buckingham Palace through beautiful Hyde Park past the Diana Memorial Fountain to the Serpentine Gallery (prebook an online entry for free), or carry on walking for 10 more minutes to Kensington Palace (open seasonally, £20)
- Or, if you have lots of time, enjoy the free (prebook entry online) British Museum – it is massive at nearly 1 million square feet with exhibits around the world – check online before you go, as they close on various days (we didn’t have time to visit, but I hear it’s amazing!) – the British Museum is a 17 min walk from Trafalgar Square
- If you’re staying overnight at a hotel, you want to consider getting one near the train station back to your airport so you don’t have to lug your bags very far (ask if you can store them if you arrive early or leave later than your check-in/out times), or pay to lock up your bags at the airport (expectation setting: London is very expensive with very tiny rooms)
- You can often Fly from London to anywhere in Europe for cheap! For example, our flight to Dublin, Ireland on Aer Lingus was $27 plus a carry-on luggage fee of $14. If you can fly with just carry-ons, it will save you time, money and trunk space if renting vehicles! And if you’re staying in places without elevators, carry-on luggage only is a big perk!