How to See the Best of London in One Day as a First-Time Visitor

So, you only have one day in London. Maybe it’s a layover, maybe it’s the free day at the end of a work trip (hello, that was me), or maybe you want a taste of the city before you commit to a longer visit. Whatever the reason, I have good news — you can absolutely see the best of London in one day. You just need to be a bit strategic about it.

In my last post, I shared exactly how I spent one very ambitious day in London, timestamps and blisters included. Almost immediately, the questions came in. Where should I stay? Should I do the bus tour? Do I need an Oyster card? Is it true that people snatch phones in London?

This post answers all of that. Think of it as the practical companion to my itinerary, aka the things I wish someone had told me before my first trip, and the things I now tell every friend who asks.

If you’re travelling on a Nigerian passport, make sure you sort out your visa first. My step-by-step guide to applying for a UK eVisa walks you through the process.

With that out of the way, let’s get into my recommendations! Just keep in mind that these are based on my personal experiences and preferences. What works for me might not work for you, so consider your budget, available time, mobility needs, and travel style when deciding what’s right for you. Here goes!

1. Skip the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

I know, I know. The open-top red bus looks like the most “London” thing you can possibly do, and it seems like the perfect shortcut for a one-day visit. But hear me out.

I’ve done this type of bus tour in several cities, and my experience has been mixed. Some have been absolutely worth it, like the one in Cape Town, while others, such as the tour I did in Dubai, didn’t quite live up to expectations. I also tried one in Oxford, which was decent but nothing particularly memorable. London, however, is one city where I’ve never done a bus tour, and honestly, I probably never will.

When you only have one day, time is your most valuable currency, and the bus tour is very good at spending it for you. You will most likely spend a good chunk of your day either waiting at a stop for the next bus or sitting in central London traffic, watching people on foot overtake you. Those minutes add up quickly, and before you know it, half your day is gone, and you’ve seen most of London through a bus window.

If you love the idea of a guided experience, there are better options. A short walking tour, a river cruise along the Thames, or even a photography tour (which is what I did) gives you context and great views without the traffic jams. Save the bus tour for a longer trip when you have time to spare.

2. Walk, Walk and Walk Some More

Walking is genuinely one of the best ways to see the best of London in one day. Many of the city’s most famous sights are much closer together than they look on a map, and walking between them often takes about the same time as going underground, finding your platform and coming back up again.

On foot, you also get all the in-between moments that make London so charming — a pretty side street, a hidden church garden, a coffee truck with a view of Big Ben. Some of my favourite moments on my one-day trip were completely unplanned and only happened because I was walking.

A few tips to make it work:

• Group sights by area. Westminster, Big Ben, the London Eye, St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace sit close together. The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Borough Market make another cluster. Covent Garden, Chinatown, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus are a third.
• Wear your most comfortable shoes. I ended my day with blisters on both feet. Learn from my mistakes!
• Mix walking with the Tube. Walk within each cluster, then hop on the Tube between clusters when your legs need a break.

If you want my exact walking route with times, it’s all in my one-day London itinerary.

3. Stay Somewhere Central (I Recommend Victoria)

If you only have one day, where you sleep matters more than you’d think. Stay far out, and you’ll spend a big part of your morning commuting in. Stay central, and you can walk out of your hotel straight into the sights.

My pick for first-time visitors is the area around Victoria. Here’s why:

• You can walk to the big sights. Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are all within walking distance.
• Transport links are excellent. Victoria Station connects you to the Victoria, Circle and District lines, plenty of buses, and trains to Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.
• There’s a range of budgets. Victoria has everything from simple guesthouses to big-name hotels, so you’re not forced into luxury prices just to be central.
• It’s a calmer base. You’re close to the action but not in the middle of the late-night crowds of Soho or Leicester Square.

Where to stay in London

On this trip, I stayed at the Wellington Hotel by Blue Orchid on Vincent Square, about a 10-minute walk from Victoria Station. It’s quiet and leafy, and I walked to Big Ben, Westminster and St James’s Park from there.

If Victoria doesn’t work for your dates or budget, these areas are also great bases for a short trip:

Area	Why stay here	Best for
Victoria / Westminster	Walkable to the royal and political sights, great transport	First-timers, short stays
South Bank / Waterloo	River views, London Eye on your doorstep, easy walk to Westminster	Couples, night views
Covent Garden / Soho	Theatres, restaurants and nightlife at your door	Theatre lovers, foodies
Bloomsbury	Quieter, near the British Museum, central Tube lines	Museum lovers, families

4. Getting Around: You Don’t Need an Oyster Card

This is one of the most common questions I get, so let me save you a trip to the ticket machine — you don’t need to buy an Oyster card for your short trip to London. Just tap in and out with your regular contactless debit or credit card, or with Apple Pay or Google Pay on your phone.

Contactless works on the Tube, buses, the Elizabeth line, the Overground and the DLR, and you pay the same fares as Oyster. A physical Oyster card, on the other hand, comes with a £7 non-refundable fee. For one day, it simply isn’t worth it.

A few things to get right:

• Always tap in and out on the Tube and trains. If you forget to tap out, you’ll be charged a maximum fare. On buses, you only tap once when you get on.
• Use the same card or device all day — especially if you want to take advantage of the fare cap, which only works if every journey is on the same card. Switching between your phone and your physical card means two separate caps.
• Watch out for card clash. Don’t tap your whole wallet or phone case on the reader. Hold out just the one card you want to pay with.
• Check your card before you travel. If you’re travelling from Nigeria, confirm that your card works internationally and check its foreign transaction fees and spending limits before you leave. A dollar or pound card is often the easier option.

5. Beware of Phone Thieves

I wish I didn’t have to include this one, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I left it out. Phone snatching is a real problem in London, especially in busy tourist areas like Westminster, Oxford Street and the West End. Thieves often work on bikes or e-scooters, grabbing phones straight out of people’s hands while they’re taking photos or checking directions.

I was so conscious of it on my last trip that I booked a photographer for the morning, partly as an excuse to keep my phone tucked away. You don’t have to go that far, but a few habits help a lot:

• Don’t stand at the edge of the pavement with your phone out. Step back towards a wall or a shop front, away from the road.
• Hold your phone with both hands when taking photos, and use a wrist strap or crossbody phone lanyard if you have one.
• Put it away once you’re done. Check your map, then pocket it rather than walking with your phone in your hand.
• Keep a zipped bag in front of you in crowds and on the Tube.
• Set up Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) before your trip, and write down your IMEI number.

None of this should scare you off London. Just stay alert the same way you would in any big, busy city.

6. A Few More Tips for Seeing the Best of London in One Day

• Start early. Westminster and Big Ben were noticeably quieter before 10am, which made photos so much easier.
• Book your must-dos in advance. Afternoon tea, a West End show, or a photographer gives your day structure. But also compare prices — I got lower prices for the musicals I attended when I bought tickets in person on the day of the show.
• Don’t try to go inside everything. The queues at the Tower of London can eat up hours. On a one-day trip, admiring the big sights from the outside is perfectly fine.
• Pack for every kind of weather. London can go from sunny to grey to drizzly in one afternoon, so carry a light layer or a small umbrella.
• Leave room for the unexpected. Some of the best parts of my day were the things I never planned.

The Sum Up…

Seeing the best of London in one day as a first-time visitor is completely doable. Stay central (Victoria is my pick), skip the bus tour, walk as much as your legs allow, tap in with your bank card, and keep your phone close. Do that, and you’ll be amazed by how much of the city you can squeeze into a single day.

Ready to plan your day? Follow my exact one-day London itinerary stop by stop, and if you have extra time, take the train for a day trip to Bath or a 24-hour trip to Cardiff.

Have you been to London before? What’s your number one tip for first-time visitors? Tell me in the comments!