Here are some ideas on what to do if you have a long layover in London or if you only have one day in the city but would like to maximize what you want to see.
In my case, I had a 9 hours layover at LHR and I did not want to spend it at the airport. I decided to hit as many landmarks as possible within the hours I had to spare. Here are the tips of what I did in my long layover.
First (my experience in this post is from a long layover from LHR):
I knew my layover was long, so I checked my suitcase to my final destination and packed a bag pack with only the necessary items I needed to survive in London for hours. That included some snacks, my water bottle, my battery pack (for cell, headphones), my passport, my credit cards and issuance cards, my toothbrush and paste, my tripod and a small change of clothes (as backup).
Transport to the city from the airport (Heathrow Airport):
I used Heathrow express to Paddington station which is a quick way to get to the city (express meaning fast and not many stops). It was about 25 euros one way and it was worth it! I recommend taking the train instead of a cab because you get to avoid any stress of traffic and even the cab prices are higher than the train!
I decided to take a "double decker" bus tour because it gave me an option to see all the major sites and I could hop-on and hop-off as desired. I pre-booked my bus tour from my phone and all I had to do was show the QR code at the Paddington station for the bus tour and they gave me a ticket for the full day in my first bus. I took the Big Bus tour (not a paid advertisement!) which costs like 38 euros. They have different routes and they have a stop right in front of Paddington station (from the blue route), which was very convenient for me. The tour included wifi in the busy, a headset for an audio self tour, which walked me through everything I was seeing in the city.
Here are some of the landmarks I saw (not all of them included here, only the major ones):
🏰 London Eye
🏰 Westminster Bridge
Photo taken from Westminster Bridge - this could be a good "hop-off" spot if you have the time to get out and walk around a bit. It gets crowded because it is a popular area, but it is a stunning view and beautiful walk if you get lucky with good weather (like I did).
🏰 “Big Ben”
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of the House of Parliament in Westminster. Arguably one of the most iconic places in London.
🏰 Tower Bridge
We went under the tower bridge which I thought was pretty cool!
🏰 Trafalgar Square
Maybe you want to take a photo riding one of the lions ;-).
🏰 Westminster Abbey
Definitely one of those "must-see" spots in London.
🏰 Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes)
If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this may be a stop for you. There is even a museum dedicated to Sherlock but I did not have enough time for a Museum.
🏰 Iconic Phone Booths - hahah i know know...
This is a very American "thing-to do"... to take a photo of the iconic red phone booths!.
Just remember to have fun and make the best out of the time you have!!! Enjoy!
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