2 days in London might not be much, but you can definitely cover a lot of major sights, see a few hidden gems, and try lots and lots of good food (my personal priority on any trip.)
If it’s your first time in the capital of Great Britain, I’d highly recommend starting with the most popular tourist attractions — they are popular for a reason. This was my strategy anyway. And now that I’ve seen the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace and walked on Tower Bridge, I can plan to see off-the-beaten-track spots on my next visit.
Besides all the museums, palaces, and department stores, London has an inordinate number of great places to eat. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it is that I take my trips seriously and spend hours doing research (so you don’t have to.) I had several dozen London restaurants on my list before ever stepping foot in England. Trying all of them is a different story, of course.
All this is to say that this itinerary for 2 days in London includes many great spots to eat both English classics and foods from around the world, as well as coffee and baked goods. I hope my suggestions help you enjoy London!
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
If a truly great cup of coffee and a pastry sound like a great breakfast to you, look no further than Nostos Coffee. Their coffee shop in Orchard Place is a perfect start to your two days in London: major attractions, like Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, are a few minutes walk away.
But apart from its unbeatable location, Nostos offers some of the best coffee in London, as a well as an array of breakfast pastries.
Best described by the owners themselves, “Nostos Coffee, aptly named after the Greek word nostos, encapsulates the profound significance of homecoming… Nostos isn’t merely about physical return; it’s about reconnecting with our roots, our essence, and our values.”
I tried their coffee at the original location in Battersea (on the pictures above), but for the purposes of this itinerary, head to the one in Orchard Place (near St. James Park.)
Nostos Coffee — 6 Orchard Place
A 5-minute walk from Nostos Coffee
While there may be a whole lot of important sights to visit in London, the good news is: most of them are located close to each other. So let’s check them off one by one starting with Westminster Abbey, an Anglican church that has served as the place of coronations, weddings, and burials since 1066. Most recently, King Charles III was crowned at the Westminster Abbey.
With 2 days in London, you have enough time to do a tour, but you should get your tickets in advance.
A 5-minute walk from Westminster Abbey
Here’s what your walk may look like to cover some of the most famous attractions in London.
Palace of Westminster is located only a few minutes away from Westminster Abbey, right on the bank of the River Thames. It is also referred to as the Houses of Parliament and is home to the UK government.
Big Ben is part of the Palace of Westminster, a clock tower located on the northern side of the iconic Neo-Gothic building.
Westminster Bridge across the Thames is the place where you get that perfect picture with Big Ben as the background on the one side, and London Eye — on the other side. This is where I took the pictures above.
Once you cross Westminster Bridge, you will find yourself on the South Bank. This is where you get the picture-perfect view of the Palace of Westminster across the river. You can also see the City (the financial heart of London) and St. Paul’s Cathedral further away.
The London Eye is a giant observation wheel located on the South Bank. This is something I haven’t done because the line of people was too long. If you’d like to do it, it’s best to get skip-the-line tickets.
If you are not planning to do the ride, cross the Westminster Bridge back and head to the next stop on our itinerary.
10 Downing Street is the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister. I wish it was possible to see the famous door, but the street is fenced off. So you can only get a glimpse through the fence.
A 20-minute walk from Downing Street
Take a walk through St. Jame’s Park, one of the 8 royal parks of London, to Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British monarch. There are multiple ways to see the Palace. In this itinerary I included the time only to admire it from the outside through a fence.
If you are visiting in summer, you could take a self-guided tour of the State Rooms. Get your tickets in advance on the official Royal Collection Trust website. (You will have to skip something later in the day, if you take this tour.)
On some days you can also watch changing of the guard in front of the Palace. It’s free of charge. Check the official schedule here. (You will have to rearrange this itinerary to arrive at the Palace by 10.45 since the ceremony usually starts at 11.00.)
A 10-minute walk from Buckingham Palace to Piccadilly Street
From Buckingham Palace take a walk through Green Park, another royal park of London, to the famous Piccadilly Street. Here’s what to see in this area.
Piccadilly Street is a lively street lined with many high-end hotels and shops. This is where you’ll find the Ritz, the Wolseley, and Fortnum & Mason.
Fortnum & Mason is an iconic department store on Piccadilly that is most famous for its tea and biscuits selection. It’s the place to get your (edible) souvenirs from London, albeit the prices are not for the faint of heart.
Optional: if you make a reservation ahead of time, you can have afternoon tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, possibly the most famous afternoon tea in the whole of London. This would be your lunch then. You might have to skip something later in this itinerary.
Keep walking on Piccadilly Street and you will reach Piccadilly Circus, a lively junction famous for its many neon ads and the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain.
Regent Street starts right from Piccadilly Circus — this is where you can take the iconic picture of the curved buildings.
Walk on Regent Street until you come to Oxford Circus, another lively intersection. Then turn onto Oxford Street.
A 15-minute walk from Oxford Circus
To reach Chinatown, you will walk through the Soho neighborhood. There’s not much time to explore it properly, but you’ll get a glimpse. Located between Soho and Leicester Square, Chinatown offers a myriad of options for great food: from supermarkets to restaurants to bakeries.
Here’s what I tried in Chinatown on the recommendation of my friend Keshi and can wholeheartedly recommend you try too.
Bun House is a casual restaurant serving steamed buns filled with pork, chicken, beef, lamb, or veggies. I tried lamb and pork buns, both of which were exceptional. The most surprising part? The dough! I mean, you don’t expect much flavor from steamed dough, right? Yet, it was soft and fluffy and sweet in ways that I never expected. Its mild flavor was a perfect counterpart for the fatty and spicy filling.
This is one of the most popular restaurants in the neighbourhod, so expect a line of people outside. Reservations are not possible, you can only wait for a table. You can also just take your buns to go, which is what we did.
Bun House — 26-27 Lisle Street
Chinatown Bakery is another staple in London’s Chinatown inspired by the bakeries of Hong Kong. I can best describe it as a canteen for Asian baked goods. Upon entering you grab a tray and then pile anything and everything that looks good on top of it. The cashier is by the exit.
I tried pandan cloud cake which is so named for a reason. If you ever wondered what biting into a cloud might feel like, just try this cake. It has the most unexpected, wonderful texture I’ve ever experienced.
Chinatown Bakery — 72 High Street
A 3-minute walk from Chinatown Bakery
A few steps away from Chinatown are two charming streets that you simply cannot miss. Cecil Court is a pedestrian street lined with independent bookshops and antique shops. Goodwin’s Court is a narrow alley that will instantly transport you into Old London. It is said to have inspired the Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.
Tip: if you need an afternoon pick-me-up, Knoops on New Row, just a few steps away, makes delicious hot chocolate.
A 5-minute walk from Goodwin’s Court
Trafalgar Square is one of London’s most famous squares and the one I distinctly remember from my 5th year English textbook. The square is surrounded by many important buildings and features the imposing Nelson’s Column in the center. But you know where you get the best view of the square? From the balcony of the National Gallery.
London, being an expensive metropolis that it is, has one huge advantage: most of the major museums are free of charge! And given that you have 2 days in London, you actually have enough time to visit them.
My rule of thumb is to spend no more than two hours at any given museum to avoid museum fatigue and to always know exactly what I want to see and start there. Any accidental discoveries along the way are a pleasant bonus. On my visit I covered the rooms dedicated to impressionism and post-impressionism. One of the most popular art works is, without a doubt, Sunflowers by Van Gogh.
The Gallery boasts over 2300 paintings, among which are masterpieces by Raphael, Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat and many more incredible artists.
Tip: the National Gallery closes at 18.00, so I’d try to be here no later than 16.30.
A 7-minute walk from the National Gallery
While you can find pretty much any cuisine known to man in London, I did want to try a few English classics on my first trip. Poppies has been making some of the best fish and chips in the city since 1952.
Their location in Soho is close to Trafalgar Square. I was able to get a table without a reservation, but if you are planning ahead, I would book a table online. It gets crowded in the afternoon.
The most popular items on their menu are deep-fried haddock and cod. Both are served with French fries (or should I say chips?) and homemade tartar sauce. I was told that haddock is crispier and cod is juicier, in case you are not sure which one to select.
Both fish and potatoes come from trusted producers and are delivered to the restaurant fresh daily. There’s a cool infographic on their website that shows an hourly breakdown of how fish and potatoes are delivered to and prepared at Poppies.
Poppies Fish and Chips — 55-59 Old Compton St (Soho location)
A 2-minute walk from Poppies Fish and Chips in Soho
From the outside, all you see is an Italian grocery store (an excellent one, by the way). But step inside and you’ll be taken through a backdoor to a tiny dark bar in the basement. This might be the most fun way to finish the first of your 2 days in London! I, for one, would have never found this place if my friend hadn’t pointed it out to me.
Bar Lina — 18 Brewer St (Soho location)
Start the second of your two days in London at Borough Market, located right by London Bridge. This is one of the most iconic markets in London, if not the world, and an absolute must to visit.
When I say breakfast at Borough Market, I mean trying lots of different foods at multiple stalls, rather than having a meal at one place. Simply walk around and see what looks good. If you need a few pointers, here’s what I tried and loved!
Monmouth coffee makes some of the best coffee in London. It’s a standalone cafe just across the road from the market.
The Ginger Pig is most famous for its sausage roll, a classic English pastry. Two people can easily share one sausage roll — it’s enormous.
Tacos Padre makes amazing authentic tacos. I tried the one with pork which was scrumptious.
Tip: if you’d like to start your day earlier than 10.00, take a walk along the South Bank first. You can start at London Eye — we made it that far on day 1 — and then walk along the river all the way to Borough Market. The route is about 1.5 miles and will take 35 minutes.
Steps away from Borough Market are a few popular tourist attractions we are going to see.
The Shard is the tallest building in London and all of the UK that resembles a shard of glass. You will see it right upon exiting Borough Market — it stands at 310 meters and is hard to miss. You don’t have to walk to it, unless you want to visit the observation platform at the top.
A 15-minute walk from Borough Market
Next head to Tower Bridge, the famous Victorian bridge that serves as a symbolic getaway to London. There will be a nice photo spot on the Thames Riverbank right before you enter the bridge itself.
It is possible to take a self-guided tour of Tower Bridge, which includes access to both towers, a walk over the 42-meter-high glass walkway, and visiting the engine rooms. I didn’t plan the time for the tour in this itinerary, but if it is a priority, book your tickets here.
A 5-minute walk across the Tower Bridge
Once you cross Tower Bridge, you will see the Tower of London, a historic fortress right on the bank of the Thames that at different points in time served as a royal palace and a prison. It boasts over 1,000 years of history.
I didn’t plan the time for the tour in this itinerary, but if it is a priority, book your tickets here.
A 13-minute walk from the Tower of London
We are now heading to the City, the financial heart of London. Leadenhall Market is a beautifully restored Victorian market that makes you feel like you stepped back in time. It has been around since the 14th century when meat and poultry were sold here. In the 19th century, the wrought iron and glass structure you see today was designed by Sir Horace Jones.
Today, you will find boutique shops and restaurants here, frequented by office workers and tourists alike, as well as Harry Potter fans. The market was a filming location for Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter movie. You can even find the entrance to Leaky Cauldron at 42 Bull’s Head Passage.
A 16-minute walk from Leadenhall Market
Another iconic landmark of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican church designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren in the late 17th century. Since you have 2 days in London, there’s enough time to take a self-guided tour of the cathedral that includes visiting the cathedral floor, the crypt, and the dome galleries. Do book your timed tickets in advance.
If you did Borough Market right (that is to say, tried anything and everything that looked delicious and got a few goodies to go) you shouldn’t be hungry yet. So let’s pay a visit to another free museum!
A 13-minute walk from St. Pauls’s Cathedral
To get to Tate Modern from St. Paul’s Cathedral you simply need to cross Millennium Bridge back to the South Bank. Contemporary art pieces are housed in a former power station: the industrial feel is unmistakable. Some of the most popular artworks include Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, Jackson Pollock’s Yellow Islands, and Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych, to name a few.
Tip: if you need a snack, GAIL’s Bakery Millennium Bridge is located right on the way from St. Paul’s Cathedral to Tate Modern. You can get a coffee and a pastry or a sandwich.
A 30-minute walk (or 18 minutes by public transport) from St. Paul’s Cathedral
The British Museum, one of the most famous museums in the UK and, possibly, the world, boasts a collection that spans 2 million years of human history. You could easily spend several days exploring the many artifacts on display, so I strongly suggest you have a plan of what you’d like to see first.
Some of the most famous pieces on display are the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and the Bust of Ramesses the Great. You can find several options for suggested routes of the museum on the official website.
Tip: if you need a snack, 5 minutes away from the British Museum is Eggslut Fitzrovia (it almost feels inappropriate to write Eggslut and the British Museum in one sentence) that serves egg sandwiches in a casual setting. Inside the British Museum you’ll find several cafes too.
A 16-minute walk from the British Museum or 28-minute walk (20 minutes by public transport) from Tate Modern
May I suggest you try Sri Lankan cuisine for dinner? This is not as random as you might think. If you are new to this blog, my husband is from Sri Lanka and I spent a lot of time on the island. London has an array of amazing Sri Lankan restaurants, Adoh! being one of the newest additions to the culinary scene of the city.
The menu has a focus on Sri Lankan street food. If I can recommend one thing for you to try, it’s without a doubt, kottu. This rich, carb-heavy dish is made by mixing strips of Godamba roti with meats, vegetables, and spices on a grill. We also tried vadai that one could describe as savory doughnuts. Served hot with chutneys, they were extremely satisfying.
Alternatives: Hoppers is another ultra famous Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho — I do insist you try Sri Lankan, I promise it’s amazing! But just in case I couldn’t convince you, Bao makes great bao buns. You could also head to Dishoom Covent Garden for great Indian cuisine. If you’d rather spend an evening at a traditional British pub, then Lamb & Flag is a great option.
Adoh! — 36 Maiden Ln
Adoh! (and some of the alternatives I recommended) is located in the Covent Garden district, most famous for its historic market halls, boutique shops, and a myriad of restaurants. Many shops are open as late as 8 pm (until 6 pm on Sundays, though), so you can get some (window) shopping into your 2 days in London itinerary.
The theatre district is right nearby, so you could catch a show after early dinner. For example, Les Misérables at Sondheim Theatre, The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre, or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Palace Theatre, and so much more.
If you have more than 2 days in London, explore some of its neighborhoods, like Chelsea and Notting Hill. If you are not a museum fan, you could do Chelsea in the afternoon of the second day of this itinerary (instead of Tate Modern or the British Museum). It’s easy to get from St. Paul’s Cathedral to Sloane Square in Chelsea. You could have a meal at Ottolenghi and walk down King’s Road.
Notting Hill is a bit further away, but well worth a visit, especially if you are a fan of the namesake romantic comedy with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. You can find the filming locations, like the famous blue door and the travel book shop, here. Portobello Road market also attracts a lot of locals and tourists.
If the weather is nice, Hyde Park is a must. And while you are there, pay a visit to Kensington Palace. Not too far are 3 popular (and free) museums: Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
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