Is three days enough for London?

Enough for the classic centre if you group sights by area: Westminster and the West End, the City and Southwark, and the South Kensington museums. It is not enough to add Greenwich, Windsor or Kew without cutting something else.

How much does transport cost for three days in London?

About £8.90 a day, which is the pay as you go daily cap for Zones 1-2 with contactless or Oyster. Buses are £1.75 with unlimited changes within the hour under the Hopper fare.

Which London museums are free?

The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A all have free permanent collections. Temporary exhibitions are usually ticketed.

What should I book in advance in London?

The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, the Sky Garden, which is free but needs a slot, and any West End theatre show.

Do I need an Oyster card as a tourist?

No. Contactless bank cards and phones give exactly the same fares and the same daily and weekly caps, and you avoid the Oyster card deposit and any leftover balance.

3 Days in London: A Realistic Itinerary That Actually Works

London is enormous, and most three-day itineraries fail for the same reason: they zig-zag across zones and burn two hours a day underground. This plan groups sights by neighbourhood so each day is mostly on foot, with one or two Tube hops. It also tells you what genuinely needs booking — the Tower, St Paul's, Westminster Abbey — and what is free, because London's national museums still charge nothing for the permanent collections. Budget around £8.90 a day for transport, which is the pay as you go cap for Zones 1-2 with contactless or Oyster.

Day 1 — Westminster, the river and the West End

Start at Westminster station, come up under Big Ben and walk Parliament Square to Westminster Abbey, which is ticketed and worth booking a morning slot for. Continue up Whitehall past Downing Street to Trafalgar Square, then step into the National Gallery, free and best in the first hour after opening. Walk through Admiralty Arch and St James's Park to Buckingham Palace; the Changing of the Guard does not run daily, so check the official schedule that morning rather than turning up hopefully. Afternoon: cross the river at Westminster Bridge for the South Bank walk to the London Eye and Southbank Centre, then finish in Covent Garden or Soho for dinner and a theatre show. Total walking is around 8 km, all Zone 1.

Day 2 — The City, the Tower and Southwark

Begin at St Paul's Cathedral, ticketed, and climb to the Golden Gallery if the queue is short. Cross the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern, free, then walk east along Bankside past Shakespeare's Globe to Borough Market for lunch — go before 13:00 on a weekday if you dislike crowds. Cross London Bridge into the City, walk to Leadenhall Market and the Monument, then finish at the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower is the one attraction where a timed ticket saves genuine time; the Crown Jewels queue is shortest right at opening or in the last two hours. Around 7 km on foot, again all Zone 1.

Day 3 — Museums, parks and a choice of endings

Take the Tube to South Kensington, where three great free museums sit side by side: the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A. Pick two, not three. Walk north into Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, then either continue to Notting Hill and Portobello Road, best on a Saturday for the market, or head to Camden for the Lock and the food stalls, which is a busy but memorable last afternoon. If the weather turns, swap the park for the British Museum in Bloomsbury, also free, and treat it as a two-hour targeted visit rather than a full sweep. End with a river bus on the Thames Clipper, which counts as a scenic transfer rather than a tour.

All free

Keep it handy while in London

Add it to your home screen: works offline too
Save your favourite spots
Turn on Congestion Charge & ULEZ alerts (free)

My favourites

What to book, what is free, what to skip

Book ahead: Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's, the London Eye and any West End show. Free without booking: the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, the Natural History and Science Museums, the V&A, the Museum of London Docklands and the changing exhibitions in the National Portrait Gallery's free galleries. Skip, unless you have a specific reason: the Shard viewing platform at over £30 when the Sky Garden is free with an advance booking, and the open-top bus tours, which are slower than the Tube and cost more than three days of contactless travel.

Getting around and what it costs

Use contactless on your phone or a bank card; there is no need to buy an Oyster card and no need for a Travelcard for three days. Pay as you go caps at £8.90 a day in Zones 1-2, which is less than a Day Travelcard. Buses are £1.75, and the Hopper fare gives unlimited bus and tram changes within one hour of the first touch in. Always touch in and out on the Tube, and only touch in on buses. Peak fares apply 06:30-09:30 and 16:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, so an off-peak start after 09:30 is cheaper if your plan allows. Walking between neighbouring Zone 1 stations is often faster than changing lines.