10 Must-dos on your first trip to London

London is enormous, a sprawling map of villages which have expanded over decades, and deciding what to do on a trip here is honestly so hard. I get asked a lot what are the 10 must-dos on your first trip to London, and over a few pints a few expat mates and I decided on the below shortlist.

These are the absolute London essentials in our opinions – ones that never get old no matter how long you live here.

They’re also the ones that never lose their magic when you’re sharing them with family and friends visiting – that’s how they’ve ended up on this list of 10 Must-dos on your first trip to London.

1. Visit the crown jewels in the Tower of London

This is a tourist-central activity, but it’s honestly one of my favourites. It’s not cheap at £30+ for an adult, but if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip…! Sometimes there are ways to get 2-for-1s (like via National Rail’s London Days Out [not sponsored, but probably should be, haha] – just buy a cheap train ticket for the actual day if you don’t already have one and make sure it’s via a legit website) and make sure to book ahead.

2. Watch the Tower Bridge rise for tall ships

This is a magical moment – especially at twilight – see the live bridge lift schedule here. (Nb: you don’t need to book a time, that’s for the boats themselves.)

3. Eat a Sunday Roast in a cosy pub

You cannot beat an old, cosy pub on a Sunday, especially when you’re about to have a plateful of Sunday roast put down in front of you. This is a family tradition in English households and in my personal opinion must include (plus meat if you’re that way inclined) roast potatoes, at least one Yorkshire Pudding – two is optional, carrots and parsnips, peas, cauliflower cheese and gravy. You can get as fancy as you like, or keep it beautifully simple. Do I have a particular recommendation for you? No, because this post will hang out for years online – there are many good ‘uns around the capital and you’re better off messaging me via social media or email, or Googling a list of current favourites.

4. Catch the views from the London Eye

It’s a classic for a reason (and depending on the time of year, you might also be able to book a 2-for-1) – for views you could also go up The Garden at 120 (free), go up to the Sky Garden (free, book ahead) then brunch up there, or have a cocktail/enjoy afternoon tea in The Shard (book ahead + dress nicely).

5. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

At the time of writing this, they march Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 11am. NB: Always check the confirmed dates & times for Changing the Guard as schedules can change, sometimes at short notice. Following a march by a detachment of the Old Guard, with musical support, from St. James’s Palace and the New Guard led by a Regimental Band from Wellington Barracks the ceremony on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace starts at 11:00 and lasts for approximately 45 minutes.

It’s popular, and does get busy (as with all crowded places, pickpockets have been known to operate in this area) – and if you’d like to experience some of it without the crowds, stand on the curb opposite Wellington Barracks or St James’ Palace at 10.30am (this video explains it beautifully.)

6. Go to a West End musical or theatre performance

Now, my personal faves in the long runners are: Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked – but there are always new, niche shows coming to London – both in the West End and in the outskirts. Make sure you shop around for the best priced tickets (use seat planner to check the view is ok) and you can get some same-day bargains last minute via places like TodayTix or London Theatre Direct.

7. Wander around one of the fantastic free museums

There are so many both large and small – my personal favourite is the V&A, and I have a real soft spot for the Tate Britain, the Fan Muse and the Sewing Machine Museum.

8. Have an early evening drink in Covent Garden, watching one of the many street performers

There are tons of places to go into & eat – just be mindful of your bags, phones & pockets when watching the performers as pickpockets are known to operate there.

9. Explore the amazing food array of Borough Market (avoid Saturday mornings) or one of the smaller markets like Ropewalk.

Ignore the old adage of food in England being rubbish – the cuisine here is incredible, and you can eat from one side of the world to the other. Yes, the traditional English dishes of fish & chips, bangers (sausages) and mash, pie and mash etc are pretty beige in makeup – but so are burgers. There are great greasy spoon cafes that are amazing, there are incredible food courts/halls/markets – it’s just narrowing down what you want and where you want to travel to. Pay attention to online reviews and get local recommendations.

10. Straddle timezones at the Greenwich Observatory

Bonus 1: take a day train trip out of London

London is incredible, it is, but you can’t beat Bath for soaring Georgian gorgeousness, Oxford for the ‘haunting spires’, Hever Castle for a stunning hit of Anne Boleyn history or Stonehenge for ancient history. They’re all quite easily accessible by train – to get to Stonehenge is to take the train to Salisbury, where there are plenty of local transport options to the site. Once you’re at Salisbury station, the most common option is to take the Stonehenge Tour bus which runs directly from the station.

Bonus 2: Are you a Harry Potter fan?

If so, you must visit the Warner Brothers set, it’s just incredible.

Stay tuned for the London things and experiences you should definitely avoid and a few secrets that tourists miss…