London in 1 Day

An open-top bus and/or boat tour will take you on a giant best-of loop through six of the city's key districts, with a stop at the 953-year-old Tower of London and a finish in entertainment hub Soho. Start early, with the first ride of the London Eye at 10 am; you'll have the rest of the day to explore at whatever pace you wish, but be sure to get to Buckingham Palace before the sun sets or you'll miss out on some great photo opportunities.

Your morning ride on the London Eye will offer an unrivaled bird's-eye view of the city. Then board a Thames River cruise from the Eye's namesake pier. It will take you past four famous bridges and the notorious Traitors' Gate through which many unfortunate prisoners were taken to the iconic Tower of London.

You can disembark at the Tower to take in the Crown Jewels and the sites of famous royal executions on tours offered by the Yeoman Warder's (aka the Beefeaters) before jumping on a double-decker bus that takes you past Tower Bridge and the Monument, then down the Embankment and up to Piccadilly and Oxford circuses and Park Lane. Stop at Trafalgar Square, where you can glimpse Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and where you can stop for lunch at a historic Westminster pub. Then take a walk over to Westminster Abbey, where a self-guided tour will take you through centuries of British history contained within one awe-inspiring building (note that the Abbey closes early on Saturday). A short stroll through nearby St. James's Park takes you to Buckingham Palace; you'll have missed the daily Changing of the Guard, but that means the viewing area will be less crowded, with more photo ops. End the day by heading over to the excellent restaurants and lively nightlife of buzzy Soho.