how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

How to Spend 3 Days in London as a Super Tourist

BySunny London

There are some sights in London that never get old. After living here six years as an American married to a born and bred Londoner, it is hard for me not to take pictures of iconic London landmarks every time I am near one. Well, Big Ben is currently an exception to this because it is covered in scaffolding for the next few years.

how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

This phenomenon compares to what I experienced growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida. Every time I went to Disney World or Universal Studios I was overcome with excitement and energy, no matter how many times I went.

That’s the reality for me living in London. But, you will find that most Londoners don’t whip out their phone for a photo every time they pass Buckingham Palace or the London Eye. Most of them haven’t been to the iconic attractions recently.

Yet, I wonder how they give friends and family who come to visit them advice about what to do when they are in London to see the sights. Since they aren’t as keen to pay attention to “attractions”, much less the deals for ticket entry, do they know strategies to get the best prices?

how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

For these reasons, I have been a great resource to blog readers and friends who visit London. One of the top recommendations I have for people to save money on London attractions is to get a London Pass.

But, in order to make it worth it, you have to truly live like a tourist for a day or more, depending on which one you choose.

Based on the success of the blog I published about the Things to Do Near the Tower of London, I have put together several itineraries for the ultimate tourist days in London. If you follow them, you could save tons of money, Sunny friends!

How to Spend 3 Days in London: Day 1

  • Tower of London (£27.20)
  • Tower Bridge Exhibition (£9.80)
  • The Monument to the Great Fire of London (£4.50)
  • St Paul’s Cathedral (£20)
  • View from the Shard (£25)

If you paid for an adult ticket each of these individual attractions “at the door”, your total would be £86.50. An adult London Pass for one day is £75.

Yes, this would be one packed, exhausting day visiting attractions in London. However, if you want to see as much as possible in a short period of time, it is the way to go.

how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

How to Spend 3 Days in London: Day 2

  • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (£17)
  • Golden Hinde (£5)
  • London Bridge Experience (£29)
  • HMS Belfast (£16)
  • The View from the Shard (if you were too tired on Day 1)
how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

How to Spend 3 Days in London: Day 3

  • Kensington Palace and the Orangery (£20)
  • Royal Albert Hall (£8)
  • Westminster Abbey (£23)
  • Thames River Cruise (£19) take this to Greenwich
  • Royal Observatory Greenwich (£16)
  • Cutty Sark (£15)

The price of a 3 day London Pass is currently £109. Do the math on all the attractions I listed and see how much you will save!

how-to-spend-3-days-in-london-tourist

How to Spend 3 Days in London: Planning

In the spirit of honesty, these aren’t itineraries I could do back to back in three days. Mr Sunny and I are really lazy foodie travellers. One activity a day is enough for us. We generally make the regional cuisine our main event.

However, you would be amazed at the sample itineraries my blog and Sunny News YouTube viewers send me as possibilities. I write amazed because the activities they plan for each day would involve running from one direction to the other side of the London and then back again. Sometimes I wonder where they learned their map reading skills.

However, I think they just put things in order according to their list of priorities. This initially could seem like a good idea. But, for people who know and live in London, we understand that it is a very wide city in comparison to others. Further, the Underground and busses are great, but you need to know how much time to build in for travel as well.

My itineraries above are grouped together by location. And on the Day 3 itinerary, I even suggest using the London Pass for a cruise which takes you from one part of the city to another. In fact, most people don’t get to Greenwich because it is kind of out of the way. But, if you sight see along the way and have a plan of things to do when you get there, it is well worth your time (get it?!) to go to Greenwich.

So if you like to see as much as possible, condense your daily plans to attractions that are in the same general vicinity. Or…

How to Spend 3 Days in London: Final Thoughts

If you are a bit of a gambler and free spirit, there is a new tool on the London Pass website you might want to try. It’s a Spinner feature and is a new innovative way to randomise, jazz-up and create spontaneity during your London break.

Maybe you could use it to decide where to start your day of living like a tourist and then move around the above itineraries from there?

Let me know how it goes, Sunny friends. And if you need suggestions of where to eat when you’re out and about, I have something below for you too.

Want a Food Freebie in London?

Subscribe to the Sunny in London email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. The Guide has top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!