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16 places to visit with 3 days in London

In a city packed with countless landmarks, it’s hard to decide which to visit, especially when you’re on a tight schedule. London is filled with historic sights (four of which are World Heritage Sites), iconic structures and holds claim to the oldest underground railway network in the world. With only three days in the city, it is possible to visit more than a dozen places you’d recognize from the movies, if you plan your itinerary strategically.

Before you begin visiting the attractions, whip out your map and mark out the attractions that are within walking distance from each other. That way, you save a lot of time.

DAY 1

Covent Garden/ Leicester Square

Covent Garden
Covent Garden, where you can find plenty of quirky shops and cafes for a good meal.

There’s a Covent Garden stop on the Piccadilly Line, where you can start your day with. The area is an upmarket shopping district with bars, pubs and specialty shops. If you’re not one for shopping, it’s still interesting to window shop, you may discover quirky finds in one of the craft shops or boutiques. Plus, you can always plonk yourself down at a bar for a drink and a quick bite.

Then wander over to Leicester Square to soak in the site where most of British film premieres are held. There are plenty of bars here, but the most fascinating place I came across is the M&M’s World. It’s massive and even if you’re not a chocolate fan, it’s worth the while to waltz in for a shot spell.

Leicester Square
There are lots of theaters in Leicester Square.
M&M's World in Leicester Square.
This gigantic M&M’s World isn’t just a store, it’s an attraction all by itself!
M&M's World in Leicester Square.
There are three storeys of M&M goodness here.

M&M's World in Leicester Square.

M&M's World in Leicester Square.
This is my favorite display in M&M’s World.

M&M's World in Leicester Square.

While in the area, you might as well grab some lunch, depending on how long you spend shopping, you might have worked up an appetite already.

Grabbing a bite in Leicester Square.
When in London, you have to try Fish & Chips, or course.

After you’re done, a short walk will bring you to Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square

This iconic public space has been used as backdrop for films such as Captain America, The Edge of Tomorrow and a few of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies.

Trafalgar Square
Finally, Trafalgar Square, we meet.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square was named to honor the Battle of Trafalgar, a naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars by Britain over France and Spain on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar in Spain. It was almost named “King William the Fourth’s Square, which thankfully didn’t see the light of day, it would have been too narcissistic and self-indulgent. There are a handful of commemorative statues here, so it’s worth some time to hang around and take some Instagram-worthy shots.

Trafalgar Square
Can you see Big Ben in the distance?

Did you know: If you stand at a certain spot in the Square, you’ll be able to take a picture of the Square’s surroundings and capture the Big Ben in the distance.

Tip: If you heading straight to Trafalgar Square, take note that there are two Underground Stations within the vicinity of the Square- Charring Cross and Bakerloo. Depending on which direction you’re coming from, you can exit at either one of these stations and land on the Square.

The walk from Trafalgar Square to the Westminster Abbey is a pleasant one, because you’ll pass by more commemorative statues (in the middle of the road), those iconic British telephone booths , Horse Guards- the Household Calvary and the famous house on Downing Street- No 10, the official office to the British Prime Minister.

artwork in London.
I love this piece of artwork.
British Telephone booth
I love these classic British telephone booths

The Horse Guards is the official ceremonial entrance to St James’s and Buckingham Palace and is the headquarters to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment who provide troops for The Queen’s Life Guard.  You can explore the grounds of the place here, and check out the area that the current guards train in for their ceremonial duties as the escorts on state occasions.

Horse Guards- the Household Cavalry in London
The entrance to the Horse Guards- the Household Cavalry.

 

Horse Guards- the Household Cavalry in London
This guard takes his job very seriously.

Horse Guards- the Household Cavalry in London

Horse Guards- the Household Cavalry in London
This is where the guards train.

As for No. 10 Downing Street, you don’t have to try too hard to look for it. You’ll see crowds hovering outside the place before you even reach it. There’s really nothing to see here, because the gate is up and there are Police standing guard outside.

No. 10 Downing Street.
No. 10 Downing Street. You can’t see it in this picture, but there’s a huge crowd standing outside the gates.

In no time, you’ll hit the Westminster Abbey.

The Westminster Abbey/ Palace of Westminster/ Big Ben

If Trafalgar Square looks familiar to you, then the Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster must seem like places you’ve visited before.

A predominantly Gothic church, the Westminster Abbey lies just west of the Palace of Westminster. It’s the most famous church in the UK and the de facto place for coronation and serves as a burial site for the British monarchs.

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament is the Parliament seat in the UK. Originally built in the 11th century, it had to undergo renovations in the 19th century after a fire, and the current building is primarily of Victorian- neo-Gothic style. While it looks grand from a distance, it’s a sight to behold up close, with intricate details carved on each section of its façade.

The Westminster Abbey in London
The Westminster Abbey, one of the most iconic structures in London

At the corner of the Palace is the Elizabeth Tower, or more widely known as the “Big Ben”. One of London’s most recognisable landmarks, the clock tower has the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. You cannot leave here without taking the perfect shot and I know just the spot for your picture.

The Westminster Abbey, one of the most iconic structures in London
The famous Big Ben!
The Westminster Abbbey
Up close view of the intricate Victorian Neo-Gothic style structure.

Cross the street to the opposite side where you see an Underground sign, then tilt your camera upwards so that you can capture the Underground sign with Big Ben in the background. What can be a better shot than having two of London’s most recognizable icons in one picture?

London Underground sign and the Big Ben
This is the money shot you NEED to take when visiting the Big Ben!

 

After you’re done gawking at the clock, you’d be able to gaze upon the River Thames. This river runs through London, and is the longest river in England. Sadly, I only saw murky waters. Cross the London Bridge to the opposite side and you take a 15-minute walk to the London Eye.

River Thames and the London Eye.
The brilliant blue sky (a rarity!) is a stark contrast to the dreary waters of the Thames.

London Eye

London Eye
Don’t visit the Eye in the morning, where everywhere is misty or dreary.
London Eye
Each capsule can hold up to 30 people. Pretty spacious.

If you want to get a Bird’s eye view of the city, there’s nowhere better to see it than from the Eye. I’d recommend going in the afternoon instead of the morning, so you are more likely to avoid misty sights. Morning London weather can get a little dreary, while afternoon skies are likely to clear. Read about my experience from the London Eye.

View from the London Eye
I’m glad I went on it. The views are uh-mazing!

After the London Eye, it’s about time to call it a day, dusk would have fallen by now and it’s also time to grab a bite.

Tip: London weather is mostly dreary, and rain can be expected, so bring along a brolly or a poncho. If you don’t like the inconvenience of the two, wear a jacket that has a hoodie to cover up when it does rain.

DAY TWO

Abbey Road Crossing

Abbey Road Crossing
Look! At 9am, there’s no traffic and hardly anyone crossing!

This is arguably the most famous crossing in the world, so it’s best you visit the first thing in the morning. The St John’s Wood Underground station is the nearest to the crossing. It takes you five minutes to get to the Abbey Road Crossing. If you’re here early enough, you can take your time to take pictures of yourself crossing the road (if you have a travel companion of course). Otherwise, apart from battling traffic, you have to fall into an unofficial queue to cross the road to get that perfect Beatles shot. I went at nine in the morning, and there was only one other sheepish looking guy taking pictures of the crossing. We took turns, politely acknowledging each other and nodding when we’re done for the other party to go ahead. Before long, groups start to mushroom and half hour later, we were taking turns with over ten groups of people.

Buckingham Palace

There are three Underground stations that have access to the Buckingham Palace, depending on where you come from- Victoria, St. James Park and Green Park. If you happen to visit on the right day, you’ll be able to catch the changing of the guards  which typically takes place at around 11:30am. After your Abbey Road trip, you should have ample time to arrive at the Palace, which I did. Alas though, because the ceremony happens on alternate days, I didn’t get a chance to catch it. There’s nothing much to do here if there isn’t the Changing of the Guard ceremony to view. All we did was to stand around on tiptoes to look over the shoulders of lines of people trying to take a peek at the Palace. I suggest to take some pictures/ selfies in front of the palace and move on. There’s no need to linger around, because no activity is likely to happen.

Buckingham Palace
Of course it had to rain. After 10 minutes of staring at the building, I was questioning my decision to visit.
Buckingham Palace
Just look at the crowds, doing nothing but stare at the building, as though they were hypnotized.

Buckingham Palace

Tip: the lesson learnt here is to check in advance when the Changing of the Guards ceremony takes place before visit, if you’re into that sort of thing. Otherwise, it’s quite a bummer.

Piccadilly Circus

Hop onto the Underground again to the Piccadilly Circus to grab some lunch and bask in the atmosphere of this busy junction.

Piccadilly Circus
Here we go, Piccadilly Circus!

A déjà vu moment is gonna hit you the moment that you come out of the station, because it’s the top film location in London. Movies filmed here include American Werewolf in London, Fast & Furious 6,  Austin Powers and of course, Harry Potter. There are many food joints, souvenir shops and fashion outlets here to keep you occupied for a few hours.

Piccadilly Circus
Oh yeah, this place is crowded with people hanging out, or people watching.
Piccadilly Circus
Plenty of shops lined the streets of Piccadilly Circus. So shop away!

London Tower Bridge/ Tower of London

The nearest Underground station to the Bridge and Tower is the London Bridge Underground station. It takes around eight minutes to get to the bridge. The Tower Bridge is unique because it’s both a bascule (movable) bridge and a suspension bridge. It can be lifted to allow boats to cross on the Thames river below it. The bridge’s two towers are its highlight, both sporting identical intricate designs that gives the bridge a majestic feel. There’s a pedestrian path on the bridge, which you can use to cross over to the other side and head to the Tower of London.

London Tower Bridge
I’m pretty thankful it was a bright and sunny day when I visited.

London Tower Bridge

 

London Tower Bridge
London Tower Bridge

Tip: the best place to take pictures of the bridge is not on it, but somewhere further down along the river so that you can capture its grandness.

The Tower of London is a historic castle also known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. It costs 18.40 pounds for adults (8.40 pounds for kids) to enter the Tower, a little steep, but you can spend hours and hours here. The compound stretches over 12 acres with different structures sprawled all over, grab a map before you begin, so you can keep track of the buildings you’ve visited. The White Tower is the most striking, it was deemed as  “the most complete eleventh-century palace in Europe”.

Tower of London
This is it! Tower of London.
Tower of London
It gets crazy crowded in the afternoons.
Tower of London
The famous White Tower in the Tower of London compound.
Tower of London
I like how these structures are exposed so we get a feel of its history.

Tower of London
Tower of London

Tower of London
You really can spend hours here, and because of its expansive grounds, remember to get a map!
Tower of London
This tower is where the crown jewels were kept, the queue is estimated to be two hours long at this point!
Tower of London
It’s like a little village within the Tower grounds.

Tower of London

Tower of London
Besides touring and admiring the physical structure of the Tower, it also serves as a museum, and this is the armory exhibit.

Tower of London
Tip: wear comfortable shoes, because you’ll be doing a lot of walking in this cobbled-stone medieval styled compound.

Do visit the various towers to experience how it was like to stand guard at the castle, or be one of the occupants living in the castle. You get to take the narrow winding stairs up the tower and explore the cold, tiny rooms people in those days contend with. There’s even a prison tower for you to explore. There are also numerous exhibits on display here, from crown jewels to medieval armor and ancient weapons of that era. After the visit, you really get a good sense of life in those days.

DAY 3

Harry Potter Studio Tour

Harry Potter Studio Tour
Visit in the morning for the best Harry Potter experience

Any Harry Potter fan should make this pilgrimage to the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Leavesden, Hertferdshire. You can either join a tour that includes transport there plus admission tickets, or you can find your way there by train and grab tickets separately. Whichever you pick, do so early. Tickets to the studios sell like hotcakes. I did some research and decided on Golden Tours, which offers a wide range of timings and convenient pick-up locations, at 50 pounds. I’ve read about the popularity of the studio tours, so I picked the earliest tour time slot of 9am. The bus journey takes an hour, so I had to be at my selected pick-up location at 7:15am. Golden Tours offers pick up at either Buckingham Palace Road or Dorset Square, near the Baker Street Underground Station. I picked the latter. The bus was a fashionably 10 minutes late, and you can’t miss it- it’s a Harry Potter themed bus.

The Harry Potter tour is extensive, prepare to spend around 3 to 4 hours there. There are enormous movie sets like the Great Hall where meals take place, to set props like the Nimbus 2000 broom and the various costumes the cast wore on the show. Going early means the thin crowds would not be in the way of your photo-taking.

The Great Hall in Harry Potter movies
The Great Hall set.
Griffyndor Drawing Room in Harry Potter
There are lots of set pieces on display, such as this Gryffindor drawing room set.
Harry Potter Studio Tour
There are also outdoor sets, like the House on Privet Drive.

 

The Harry Potter Creature Shop
These pieces from the Harry Potter Creature shop are incredibly realistic.

 

Diagon Alley at the Harry Potter Studio Tour
One of my favorite sets- Diagon Alley!
Miniature Hogwarts in the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
The grand finale is this amazing model of Hogwarts.

Get an in-depth tour of my experience at the Harry Potter studio tour here.

Visit Harrods

After you return, it’ll be in the afternoon, so grab this chance to do some shopping, you can visit the famous Harrods and spend an idyllic afternoon there. The 5-acre department store has over 300 departments, making it the biggest departmental store in Europe. Don’t forget to visit the Food Halls, it’s one of the more popular departments here. It’s literally your one-stop shop if you’re pressed for time. Located at  Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, you can take the Underground and get off at the Kinghtsbridge stop along the Piccadilly line.

Harrods Food Halls
I’ve heard so much about these Food Halls, they’re my first stop!

Harrods Food Halls

 

Harrods
Harrods also has a pretty extensive Toy department too.

Harrods Toy department

Tip: Don’t forget to visit the memorial of the late Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, at the base of the Egyptian Escalator.

Harrods
This tribute makes me a little blue. She is gone, but definitely not forgotten.

 

King’s Cross Station

If you can squeeze in some time, make a visit to the King’s Cross Railway Station. Linked from the  King’s Cross St. Pancras tube station, you get to witness the famous 9 and ¾ platform seen in the Harry Potter movies. Except it’s not a real platform but a fixture at a wall in the massive railway terminus. Fans would crowd here to take a picture with a trolley that looks like it’s halfway entering the magic platform.

King's Cross Station
The giant King’s Cross Station, now where is Platform 9 and 3/4?
King's Cross Station
Oh there you are!
King's Cross Station
And this is what people do at Platform 9 and 3/4.
King's Cross Station
And I do mean lots of people. The queue doesn’t end here actually. There’s another section at the side of the building where the queue continues. It’s broken up like this to avoid crowd collision during busy times.

Apart from all these above, one of the highlights in London is its Underground network. You have seen the words Mind the Gap and the famous Underground logo in movies, posters and magazines. Each Underground station is different. The newer ones have escalators, but the older ones don’t, and the design for the stations differ as well.

London Underground
I love looking at how different each Underground station is from one another.
London Underground
An Underground map made from Lego pieces, how cool!

London Underground

Tip: There are stations that service more than one lines, so it’s important to have a map in order to navigate well. An incorrect turn might mean several flights of unnecessary stair-climbing.

There you have it. It sounds like a lot, but if you plan in advance, you can achieve all these in just three days in London. Good luck and safe travels! Were there any major attraction I’ve missed out?

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So long, London!

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