Planning must-see attractions in a 2-day London itinerary is the fastest way to discover that London does NOT care about your little American dreams. I did it last October, landed at Heathrow looking like a J.Crew catalog, left looking like I’d been dragged through the Thames by Big Ben himself. Here’s the exact chaos that somehow worked.
Day 1 – Rain, Royalty, and the Wheel That Almost Killed Me
I touched down at 9 a.m., took the Elizabeth line like a responsible adult (saved £20, felt smug for 11 minutes), then immediately got lost coming out of Paddington because every exit looks identical and I panicked.
- 11:00 a.m. – Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard was happening, I stood on a random man’s foot to see, he was very British about it)
- 12:30 p.m. – St James’s Park → fed the pelicans because apparently that’s a thing?? one tried to eat my phone
- 2:00 p.m. – Westminster Abbey + Big Ben (Big Ben is smaller than TikTok lied, still cried anyway)
- 3:30 p.m. – London Eye (booked fast-track on the official site the night before or you’ll wait till 2026)
- 6:00 p.m. – fish & chips at Poppies in Soho, spilled tartar sauce on my jeans, wore the stain like a badge of honor
Pro tip: get an Oyster card or just use contactless—don’t be the person holding up the Tube barrier like I was on day one.
Day 2 – Tower, Bridge, and the Borough Market Meltdown
Woke up at 6 a.m. because jetlag is undefeated.
- 8:00 a.m. – Tower of London (booked 8:15 slot on official site, basically had the Crown Jewels to myself for 9 glorious minutes)
- 10:30 a.m. – walked across Tower Bridge (yes it’s the pretty one, London Bridge is ugly and I learned that the hard way)
- 12:00 p.m. – Borough Market → ate my body weight in scotch eggs and raclette, almost proposed to a cheese man
- 2:30 p.m. – Tate Modern (free, climbed to the 10th floor viewing level, pretended I was cultured)
- 4:30 p.m. – Shakespeare’s Globe tour (last-minute £20 ticket, stood in the pit like a peasant and loved it)
- 7:00 p.m. – collapsed at The George pub with a pint and zero dignity left
Random Survival Tips from a Girl Who Lost a Sock in the Thames (long story)
- Book Tower of London + London Eye in advance or you’ll hate yourself
- Walk the South Bank at sunset—it’s free and stupidly beautiful
- Pret A Manger is your friend when everything else is £18 for a sandwich
- Wear waterproof shoes unless you enjoy trench foot (I do not recommend)
- Accept that you will get rained on. Multiple times. Bring a hoodie you don’t care about.
I came home with blisters the size of £2 coins, £400 poorer, and approximately 47 new gray hairs, but also the dumbest grin for weeks. London kicked my ass in the best way.
If you’ve only got 2 days in London. Steal this 2-day London itinerary, swap stuff around, whatever—just don’t skip Borough Market or the Tower at opening. Your stomach and your inner history nerd will thank you.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to eat cold Chinese takeout at 2 a.m. and pretend I’m back at that pub because apparently I have a problem.
