In August 2019 I planned a fast paced Europe trip that brought me to 4 different countries in just 15 days. London was the first stop that was more of a long layover, but there is so much you can fit in 30 hours! Here is my 30 hour summer London itinerary.
Getting to London
My partner, Philip, and I flew from LAX to Gatwick on a Friday night and arrived in London midday Saturday. From there we took the Gatwick express to Victoria Station followed by the underground to get to the Corus Hotel Hyde Park. This hotel is located north of Hyde Park near Paddington Station which was convenient for getting to Heathrow Airport the next day.
We dropped our bags at the hotel then set out to tour the city. This was my third time in London, but my Philip’s first, so I wanted to show him the hot spots.
Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye
The 30 hour adventure began with a carefully routed walk that took us through Hyde Park > Wellington Arch > Buckingham Palace > St. James Park. From there I routed us past Westminster Abbey and across Westminster Bridge for views of Big Ben, which was under construction at the time.
We took the Queen’s Walk along the river past the London Eye (the iconic Ferris wheel) and street performers, skipping all the attractions. We crossed back to the north side of the river into the Covent Garden neighborhood with Punjab as our destination.
Dinner and Drinks in London
Punjab is an Indian restaurant located in the Covent Garden neighborhood with Tandoori and Punjabi dishes. We ordered saag paneer, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, seekh kebab and boti kebab. Everything was delicious and they have some great sampler and combo options.
After dinner we hopped around to a few pubs in the area drinking local beers. We thought about heading to Shoreditch for a more wild night, but this was day 1 of a much longer trip and we didn’t exactly get the best sleep on the plane!
Tate Modern and St. Paul’s Cathedral
The next morning we started the day with breakfast at the hotel. Our flight to Inverness was at 6pm so we had a good chunk of the day to see more sites and neighborhoods. We took the underground toward St. Paul’s Cathedral which is an impressive building from the 1700s. Then we crossed the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern Museum which is in a decommissioned power plant (Bankside Power Station – electricity generator) which was operating until the 1980s.
The Tate Modern has free entry which is always a plus! We spent about an hour exploring the modern art galleries and ended our time at the museum with a coffee on the roof. The rooftop has an amazing view of the city and is free (there is a tip box).
Shakespeare’s Globe and Primrose Hill
After Tate Modern, we walked past Shakespeare’s Globe which is a neat building and is a recreation of the Globe Theater from the 1500-1600’s. Then we stopped in at Sainsbury’s to buy picnic supplies before jumping back on the underground.
Next we got off the underground near Primrose Hill which is a fantastic park that has a more ‘locals’ feel. We found a spot and enjoyed our food with a view. There were many other picnickers enjoying their Sunday at the park. We were surprised how many construction cranes we could see in the skyline.
Exploring Camden Town, London
I had heard good things about Camden Town with it’s Venice-like canals and wanted to check it out. We walked from Primrose along the canal to the Camden Market which has multiple pubs, food stands, and a massive indoor market that sells everything from clothes to pottery to candles. The area was poppin with people enjoying their weekend.
There were boats consistently passing through the canal – both tours and private rentals. We enjoyed a beer at Lockside Bar and Kitchen and explored the market before realizing we were cutting it close with our flight. Fortunately we made it to the airport with little time to spare!
Final Notes on London
This was a very quick tour in London with only 30 hours to explore, 8 of which were spent sleeping! I am happy with how much we fit in and that I got to share some of London’s historical sites with Philip. Of course more time is always better, and there is so much more to do than what we did.
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