After two rainy weeks in Iceland, we touched down in sunny London around 5.30pm. We took the Gatwick Express just as the sun was going down, and within half an hour reached Victoria station — a genuinely well-located base for a short stay. With just one day in London, we had to make the most of it.
We booked two nights at The Z Hotel, right next to the station. The rooms were smaller than expected, but they made up for it with free cheese and wine for guests every evening between 5pm and 8pm.
That first evening we skipped the wine hour for a dinner booking at El Pirata in Mayfair, about a 20 minute walk away. Excellent tapas, and steaks that were genuinely melt-in-your-mouth good. Highly recommend it.
Morning
We left the hotel and headed to the nearest pub for a full English breakfast — that turned out to be The Shakespeare, right next to Victoria station. From there, without much of a plan, we walked towards Green Park and found Buckingham Palace.
One Day in London — Buckingham Palace
London was properly busy that day — school midterm break combined with a Sunday. We continued through St James's Park, where the London Eye is visible across one of the ponds, passed the War Museum, and spotted Big Ben.
One Day in London — Big Ben
We squeezed through the crowds crossing Westminster Bridge and, after deciding against the London Eye given the queues, made today a walking day instead. We continued along the Queen's Walk towards the Jubilee Bridge.
One Day in London — views from the Jubilee Bridge
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Afternoon
After a quick coffee, we continued along the Strand and up to Covent Garden — markets, street performers, a genuinely great atmosphere. We spent a long time watching a unicyclist perform before making our way towards Leicester Square. Along the way we found Amorino, a small ice cream shop that shapes each scoop into a rose.
Amorino ice cream, shaped like a rose
From Leicester Square (busy as always) we continued up to Piccadilly Circus and along Regent Street. Squeezing through more crowds wasn't quite the plan, so we made our way to Oxford Street instead, browsed a few shops, then walked back through Hyde Park towards the hotel.
One-Day London Tip
Skip the London Eye if you're only in the city for a single day — the queues eat hours you don't have. Walking the Southbank and central parks gives you just as much of a sense of the city without the wait.
Evening
We ended the day at the pub next to our hotel — The Victoria, appropriately named — for a proper English dinner: sausages and mash, and fish and chips. Back at the hotel we made the most of the evening wine hour, which turned out to include biscuits, chocolates and even a round of ice cream to pair with the wine. A genuinely good hotel choice.
We loved our one day in London. There are plenty of guided tours worth doing if you have more time, but doing our own thing on foot gave us exactly the day we wanted.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A walking route covering Buckingham Palace, St James's Park, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, the South Bank, Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus is entirely doable on foot in a day, with time for a proper breakfast and dinner along the way.
