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The 18 Essential Things to Do on Your First Trip to London (+6 We’d Skip)
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If you’re visiting London for the first time, don’t try to see EVERYTHING. There’s simply too much, and honestly, some of the city’s most famous attractions aren’t even worth your time.
We’ve lived in London for over ten years and still explore the city almost every weekend. Having done hundreds of things here, we’ve got pretty strong opinions about the best things to do in London for first-timers.
Our advice? Mix some of our favourite famous landmarks with a few lesser-known ones. Explore the Tower of London, enjoy a proper afternoon tea, walk across the glass floor inside Tower Bridge, and grab lunch inside a restored church at Mercato Mayfair.
We’ve picked 18 experiences we’d recommend to friends visiting London for the first time. Together, we think they give you a brilliant taste of what makes this city so special.
And we’re also sharing six popular attractions we’d skip, including the famous London Eye!
Don’t miss these!
Our Top Picks for Your London Trip
London is one of Europe’s most visited cities, so you’ll want to book tours and hotels early. These are the ones we’d book again ourselves.
Top London experiences
- Tower of London (our #1 pick, an almost 1,000-year-old fortress with the Crown Jewels inside)
- Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour (the ultimate film fan experience; we LOVED walking through the original sets)
- Westminster Abbey (the church where kings and queens are crowned, a must for history lovers!)
Where to stay in London
- The Hoxton Southwark (our favourite London hotel, super stylish warehouse-style rooms with walk-in rain showers close to the river)
- Apex City of London (steps from the Tower of London, with one of the best breakfast buffets we’ve had in London)
First time in London? A few things to know
Before we jump into the list, here are a few things we wish every first-timer knew:
What to do in London on your first visit (from locals)
You won’t fit all of these into one trip if you only have one or two days in London… and that’s fine!
Pick the ones that match what you love, and use our top tips to get the most out of each one. With about five days, you can comfortably do the whole list, including a day trip.
1. Explore the Tower of London
Even after more than a decade in London, the Tower of London still feels a bit surreal. There’s an almost 1,000-year-old fortress sitting right between the glass office towers.
The Crown Jewels are as ridiculously opulent as you’d expect. But the highlight for us is the medieval palace, which was redone in 2025 to look as it did in the 1200s.
Inside, we always do the Crown Jewels first while it’s quiet, then join a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour. Tours are included in your ticket and run every 45 minutes.
In six visits, we’ve never had a dull guide. One warned us that people are still tortured at the Tower today… in the gift shop.
Our top tip: The Tower is one of London’s top-selling tickets, and we’ve seen the gate queue hit two hours at peak times. Popular slots (and sometimes whole days) can sell out. Turn up on the day, and you may be rebuilding your plans around whatever’s left. That’s why we recommend booking your Tower of London ticket ahead of your trip. You choose your slot and go straight in.
👉 Get your Tower of London tickets sorted in advance so you don’t queue for hours.
2. Treat yourself to a proper afternoon tea
Afternoon tea is the one London tradition where we happily overeat. You’ll get finger sandwiches, scones and all sorts of cakes, so you definitely won’t leave hungry.
We’ve done the classic hotel version at the Ritz, Fortnum & Mason and the Goring. For a first visit though, we’d pick this afternoon tea cruise on the Thames (our #1 pick ⭐).
This afternoon tea bus tour is a close second. If you’d rather see the West End’s iconic sights than the river, the bus is actually the better pick.
After hours of walking, sitting down with tea and cake while London did the sightseeing for us felt SO good. We kept interrupting our scones because another landmark had floated into view.
Weekend sailings do fill up, so it’s one of those London things you need to pre-book.
👉 We’ve tried a lot of afternoon teas in London. This cruise is still our favourite.
3. Snap photos of Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament
You’ll recognise this building from almost every film set in London. It’s a classic for good reason, and no London travel guide would be complete without it.
But technically, Big Ben is the bell, not the tower. The tower is officially the Elizabeth Tower, but nobody actually calls it that.
The Houses of Parliament sit right on the Thames, and we really love the Gothic Revival look. The only parliament building we’ve come across that’s even more beautiful is the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.
Most tourists get off at Westminster station because it’s the closest. We’d say skip it and get off at Waterloo instead.
That way you walk across the bridge towards the building. On the way, you’ll pass the very BEST Big Ben photo spot (📍location).
Our top tip: For the best chimes, stand roughly halfway across Westminster Bridge. You’re close enough to feel the bells but far enough away to see the whole tower. Big Ben only strikes on the hour, and it strikes once for each hour. At 1pm you get a single bong, and at noon you get twelve. So we’d aim for 11am or noon and arrive about five minutes early.
4. Visit Westminster Abbey, the coronation church
London’s two big-name churches are Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s. We’ve been to both, and for a first visit, we’d pick the Abbey.
It has been the coronation church since 1066, and Elizabeth II and Charles III were both crowned here. Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are buried here too.
Walking past all those medieval tombs, British history suddenly feels very personal.
The spot we like most there is the Lady Chapel at the very back. Its fan-vaulted ceiling is so intricate that we always end up standing there with our heads tilted back.
Our top tip: Living in London, we’ve tried quite a few times to get tickets on the day, or even the day before. They were often sold out, because entry is limited. So book your Westminster Abbey tickets as soon as your dates are set, rather than risking a wasted trip.
You might have read that you can attend Choral Evensong (a short sung evening service) for free.
But from your seat, you only see a small part of the Abbey, and photos aren’t allowed. All the best bits (the Lady Chapel, Poets’ Corner and most of the tombs) stay off limits.
St Paul’s is still great, especially if you want to climb its 528-step dome. But London has plenty of free viewpoints, so we’d save St Paul’s Cathedral for a second trip.
👉 Westminster Abbey is the one we’d choose for a first visit. Here’s the ticket we book.
5. Walk across the glass walkway inside Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is one of London’s most iconic landmarks (and no, it’s not “London Bridge”… that’s the boring one upriver). Crossing it is free, but most people walk past without realising you can go inside!
The Tower Bridge Experience takes you between the two towers on a glass walkway. Traffic and the Thames are directly below your feet.
We were a bit nervous about stepping onto the glass at first. After a minute, we were wandering around freely, hunting for the best view through the floor.
It’s fun watching other visitors. Some lie flat on the glass for photos. Others refuse to step on it and shuffle around the opaque edge. We stood there for a while and found the contrast funny.
Our top tip: If you time it right, you can stand on the glass walkway while the bridge lifts to let a ship through. Check the lift schedule first, then book your Tower Bridge ticket for a slot about 45 minutes before that time. Slots fill up fast, so lock it in as soon as you know the time.
👉 Book your Tower Bridge ticket and see the Thames through the glass floor.
6. Spend an afternoon in London’s free museums
One of the things we love about London is how many world-class museums are FREE!
For a first trip, start with the British Museum. The Great Court alone is worth the visit, with its modern glass roof set against the old stone architecture.
The collection is extraordinary too (though we have to acknowledge that some of it was acquired in problematic ways).
Our top tip: The British Museum is huge, and after quite a few visits we still haven’t seen everything. For a first visit, we highly recommend this 2-hour guided tour of the highlights of the British Museum. It was well paced and gave us an excellent introduction to the museum. We got a real flavour of the history without being overwhelmed by detail.
And we always use the back entrance on Montague Place, where the queue is usually shorter than at the main one. If you’ve booked a free ticket online, you’ll get priority entry too.
With more time, the Natural History Museum in South Kensington is the next one we’d pick. The blue whale skeleton hanging in the main hall still gets a “wow” from us.
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), the Science Museum and the National Gallery are totally worth a visit too, but we’d save those for your next visit.
7. People-watch in Covent Garden
Covent Garden is hectic, and honestly, we still love it after all these years here. Yes, it’s crowded… but it’s crowded for a reason!
We’ve never really come here for the shopping. The market hall is the draw, with its old iron arches and glass roof. The best moment for us is up on the gallery, looking down as a singer performs somewhere below.
Some stalls are very much hit and miss. A few are lovely, and others sell the same fridge magnets you’ll find everywhere on Oxford Street.
If you’re after unique London souvenirs, we’re obsessed with Benjamin Pollock’s 3D miniature pop-up cards!
Cutting across the Piazza should take two minutes. At weekends, though, a juggler draws a crowd and our shortcut takes five minutes longer.
The London Transport Museum shop on the Piazza has seen us far more often than the museum (which is worth a visit too).
Oh, and at Christmas in London, Covent Garden turns into one of the most BEAUTIFULLY decorated spots in the city.
8. End your day with a West End show
We’ve lived in both London and New York and seen more than 200 shows. Overall, we prefer the West End (sorry, Broadway!).
The acting and singing are just as strong, but tickets cost noticeably less. Many West End theatres also date back to Victorian and Edwardian times, which gives a night out quite a special atmosphere.
There’s hardly a musical in London we haven’t seen. For first-timers, you can’t go wrong with Wicked, The Book of Mormon or Oliver! Wicked is still a favourite, and dare we say it, much better than the film adaptation.
Not into musicals? The Mousetrap has kept audiences hooked for decades without a single song.
Our top tip: For cheap same-day seats, check Today’s Tickets by Official London Theatre. It’s run in partnership with TKTS, so it’s completely legit. We’ve used it at least 50 times and always found a good deal. TodayTix’s lottery also once got us front-row Hamilton seats for £10 each!
9. Get London’s best free views at Sky Garden
When tourists want a view over London, they usually head for the London Eye or the Shard. We’ve done both, and we’d skip both of them.
The London Eye is slow and overpriced, and the Shard charges for a view you can get at the Sky Garden for free (more on both below).
What we like most about Sky Garden is that nobody’s rushing you out. And of course the indoor garden is really cool as well!
It sits on floors 35 to 37 of 20 Fenchurch Street (the “Walkie Talkie”), with views over the Tower of London, St Paul’s and the Shard.
It’s free, but you should pre-book on the Sky Garden website (up to three weeks in advance). Walk-ins exist in theory… we’ve just never seen one.
If you can’t get a slot, the Garden at 120 is a good plan B and doesn’t need booking. Horizon 22 and The Lookout are other good options, but they need (free) tickets too. Tate Modern’s Level 10 view is another solid free option.
10. Cruise along the River Thames
We’ve been to more than 450 cities, and London’s skyline from the water still ranks near the top for us.
This cruise from Westminster to Greenwich passes many of the top things to see in London, including the London Eye, the Shard, Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe. And you see them from an angle you can’t get at street level.
We took friends visiting London for the first time, and even after years of living here, we enjoyed it just as much as they did. The open top deck has plenty of seats, and the live commentary was informative and quite funny.
We already raved about the afternoon tea cruise earlier. If you skip that one, make this the Thames cruise you do.
You’ll spot Uber Boats on the Thames too. They’re brilliant for getting from A to B, but most seats are inside and there’s no commentary. They’re more commuter ferry than sightseeing cruise.
11. Stroll around St James’s Park
St James’s Park is our favourite green space in central London. It’s easy to walk straight past on the way to Buckingham Palace, and we think that’s a mistake.
Hyde Park is bigger and better known, but if you only have time for one, we’d pick St James’s.
Every time we go, our stress levels drop immediately. From the bridge over the lake, you get Buckingham Palace in one direction and the London Eye in the other. But the secret stars are the pelicans.
Sometimes you’ll find them standing directly on the footpath, completely unbothered by everyone around them. Watching visitors’ reactions is just as interesting as watching the animals. It never gets old!
In 2026, we even spotted pelican chicks, the first the park has had in over 360 years.
You can also watch the pelicans being fed (it’s public). Just head to Duck Island Cottage at around 2:30pm.
12. Join a walking tour (or two)
We typically do at least one walking tour in every city we visit, ideally in the first few days. After more than a decade in London and roughly 40 walking tours, we still think it’s one of the best ways to understand a city properly.
If it’s your first day, a London highlights walking tour is a great way to get your bearings.
But the tours that we liked most were two themed ones:
Both themed tours sell out fast (especially in peak season), so book at least a week ahead.
13. See Piccadilly Circus light up at blue hour
Piccadilly Circus is often compared to Times Square in New York or Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. We’ve been to all three and have to admit that Piccadilly is much smaller.
But it also has much more history around it, and the red buses make it feel unmistakably London.
Its giant screens appear in countless films (like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and 28 Days Later… in case you’re wondering). You’ll WANT to stop for photos.
We think it looks best at blue hour. That’s the short window just after sunset when the sky turns deep blue and the screens glow brighter against it.
After seeing Piccadilly Circus, we usually walk straight into Soho for dinner, or stroll down the grand curve of Regent Street.
Our top tip: Walk 5 minutes along Piccadilly to the Royal Academy of Arts. In its grand arched entrance stands the original wooden prototype of London’s red phone box, designed in 1924. We walked past it probably a hundred times before we noticed it. Most people miss it, but it’s pretty cool to see the original of something now recognised around the world.
14. Admire the gorgeous Tudor-style interior of Liberty London
Liberty is probably the coolest department store we’ve ever been to… and we definitely don’t go for the shopping (luxury shopping just isn’t our thing).
It already stands out from the street with its black-and-white Tudor timber. The building was made from the timbers of two old navy ships, and inside it feels more like a stately home than a shop.
There are carved wooden animals dotted around and old wooden staircases everywhere. We often pop in when we’re in the area, just to look around.
Our favourite spots are the three atriums. Looking down through the wooden galleries, you get a good sense of the size of the place, and it’s easy to forget you’re in a department store at all.
Liberty’s own prints make lovely souvenirs you won’t find outside London, even if they’re on the pricier side.
Oh, and there are free toilets, which are rarer in central London than one would think. 😉
15. Try a seriously unique food hall at Mercato Mayfair
We’ve been to (and eaten in) MANY food halls across the globe, and Mercato Mayfair stands out… It’s set inside a restored old church just off Oxford Street, with marble floors, brass fixtures and stained-glass windows.
It’s not your average lunch spot. Every time we bring friends or family here, this is THE place they mention afterwards.
On our last visit, we went straight to Bindas Eatery for lamb samosas and chaat loaded fries, tamarind-drizzled and piled with yoghurt. Try them when you go!
Don’t stop at the ground floor, either. There’s a wine bar down in the crypt and a rooftop terrace up top, and both are cool spots for a drink.
It never feels chaotic in here, even when Oxford Street absolutely is.
16. Explore the buzzing stalls at Camden Market
Camden Market is loud and a bit rough around the edges, and that’s exactly why we like it.
And there’s street food EVERYWHERE. We’ve had everything from a Yorkshire pudding burrito to halloumi fries with pomegranate and deep-fried Neapolitan pizza… and the food has always been excellent.
Yes, prices here are steep, and some stalls are pretty touristy. But the fun is in the mix, and for us, it’s still a London must-see.
For us, the highlight is Camden Stables Market. It used to be horse stables along the canal, and you can still spot some original features among the shops and bars.
Just be prepared that weekends get very busy. Go on a weekday if you can, or aim for before 11am or after 5pm.
Afterwards, walk about 25 minutes from Camden Lock along Regent’s Canal to Coal Drops Yard. It’s one of our go-to walks in London, because it feels so un-London.
17. Head to Battersea Power Station (most tourists never do)
Battersea Power Station is the first place we suggest when friends ask us where to go in London beyond the classics. And everyone we’ve brought here so far has loved it.
It’s also a great example of how London turns old industrial buildings into something completely new. The power station is now basically a shopping centre, just a very unusual one.
Original machinery still stands in the huge turbine halls.
We’re usually sceptical of paid viewpoints, but the Chimney Lift is worth it. A glass lift climbs up inside one of the chimneys, and it’s as much about the building as the view.
And in December, the Christmas lights and ice rink make it feel extra magical… a highlight of the festive season in London!
18. Take a day trip from London
London has plenty to keep you busy, and we still find new things to do here all the time. Even so, we ALWAYS try to fit in a day trip when we visit a new city, just to get a broader feel for the place.
If your London itinerary has a spare day, here are the two day trips we’d pick for first-time visitors:
Looking for more ideas? Here are some of the best day trips you can take from London by train.
What to Skip in London (and Why)
There are some attractions that receive loads of hype, but, honestly, they left us pretty underwhelmed. If it’s your first time in the city and you’re short on time (or patience), here are spots we think you can safely skip:
London Eye
The London Eye is one of London’s top attractions and the views are lovely, sure. But we’d still skip it. We went in winter and, after a LONG queue, were crammed into a pod with 24 strangers in thick coats.
The wheel moves very slowly, and a full rotation takes 30 minutes. That’s far longer than you need, especially as much of it is spent fairly low down. The moment at the top is over too quickly.
Walk-up tickets are £39 (about US$52 or €46), and we think that’s way too much for what you get. For £5, we wouldn’t complain. At £39 though, it feels like a tourist trap rather than an authentic London experience.
You can get equally impressive views for free at Sky Garden and the other rooftops we mentioned above. We’d admire the London Eye from the South Bank and leave it at that.
If you’re absolutely set on going, grab your London Eye tickets in advance. Online tickets are cheaper, and you won’t waste precious holiday time in the queue.
Buckingham Palace (unless you can go in)
We were really disappointed the first time we saw Buckingham Palace. From the outside, it’s a fairly plain building. You take a photo and move on.
The Changing of the Guard isn’t much better. We arrived 15 minutes early last time and still mostly saw heads and phones. Horse Guards Parade is a much quieter alternative, and the guards there are on horseback.
The exception is the Buckingham Palace State Rooms, which only open in summer. We’ve been inside, and they were well worth it, even if photos aren’t allowed.
Otherwise, we’d pick the Tower of London or Hampton Court Palace for your royal fix.
Madame Tussauds
Frankly, just skip this one. It’s overcrowded and not even unique to London, since there are branches all over the world. At £39 on the door (about US$52 or €46), it’s also overpriced.
Some figures are impressive up close, but not all of them. And you’ll need the patience of a saint to actually get near them.
If you do go, book your Madame Tussauds tickets in advance. Online tickets are cheaper, and a weekday morning is your best bet for smaller crowds.
(And turning up without a ticket at one of London’s most popular attractions is a big London tourist mistake.)
The Shard
The view from the Shard is great, but the experience? Not worth tickets from £28 (about US$38 or €33), and more for popular afternoon slots.
The viewing area lacks atmosphere, and the fake grass on the floor doesn’t help. Most people we saw spent about ten minutes there before heading back down.
We’ve been up loads of observation decks around the world, including Taipei 101 and Top of the Rock in New York. The Shard was one of the least memorable.
With so many free viewpoints in London, we’d rather spend that money elsewhere. The Sky Garden wins for us every time.
M&M’s Store
The shop on Leicester Square is admittedly huge, but it’s loud and packed. Mostly, it sells sweets you can get for a fraction of the price elsewhere. We’ve walked through it and can’t think of a single reason to go back.
If you’re craving something sweet, Bread Ahead in Market Place is just a minute away and famous for its doughnuts. Or head two minutes over to Chinatown Bakery Tong Tea.
Leicester Square
If it’s your first time in London, you’ll probably feel drawn to Leicester Square. That’s understandable, because it’s so famous!
But unless you happen to stumble into a film premiere, like we did for Barbie and Top Gun: Maverick, there’s not much here.
It’s always packed, the restaurants are mostly overpriced chains, and it’s not a place you’ll want to linger. London’s Soho area and Covent Garden are just around the corner and a MUCH better use of your time.
Ready to plan your first London trip?
London is so iconic that a first visit can feel overwhelming, and there’s an endless list of things to do. We’ve seen a lot of it over the years, and these are the ones we think no first-timer should miss.
Many of them are free. If you only want to pay for one, make it the almost 1,000-year-old Tower of London. Between the Crown Jewels and the royal armour, you’ll learn more about London there than anywhere else.
Before you start booking, these will help you plan the rest:
We hope you’ll love London as much as we do, and that this first trip isn’t your last.
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