This itinerary starts right in the heart of London, with a visit to the Sky Garden, a viewing terrace 155 meters above the Thames.  A place that has become a must-see when traveling to London, especially since the visit is free from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

In order to skip the queue, we advise you to arrive at the Sky Garden early. My recommendation is to go there around 8:30 am, and have a reservation for brunch at the Darwin Brasserie at 9am. This reservation will allow you to access the garden before it opens to the public. In addition, the ticket for the garden is included when making a reservation at the brasserie. By doing so, we had the sky garden almost to ourselves and continued with a delicious brunch at the brasserie while still enjoying the view. When leaving the Sky Garden around 10:30 am, we saw an endless line of people waiting to access the Sky Garden. In other words, going there early is really worth it!

After visiting the Sky garden, walk to the Tower of London and cross the famous Tower Bridge. This iconic bridge is 240 m long and consists of two 65-m towers, connecting the rest of the city to the East End part of London. By walking on the bridge, you can closely see the upper level walkways and the bridge opening mechanisms. 

From the London Bridge, walk up the Thames towards the Tate Modern museum. This route is about a 15 minute walk.  However, there are several points of interest along the way.  If you are not a big walker, you will have more than one opportunity to stop for a break. Starting with the London City Hall and its esplanade from which you will have an incredible view of the London Bridge.

A little further away, make sure to check the Hay's Galleria, and then the Borough market. The market is covered and in full swing every day from 10 am to 5 pm except on Sundays when it closes at 3pm. The market is a great place to grab a bite before continuing with a visit to the Tate Modern Museum.

Built in a former power station, the Tate Modern is today a museum with a collection of modern and contemporary art, and temporary exhibitions. Like most museums in the city, admission is free.

Once in the Tate Modern Museum, make sure to go to the bar located on the fourth floor. From there, you will have a breathtaking view of the Millenium bridge and St Paul's Cathedral.

Cross the Millennium Bridge to reach St Paul's Cathedral and admire it more closely. You may not notice it when standing in front of the Cathedral, but St Paul's Cathedral is located on a hill called Ludgate Hill, making it the highest point of the city. The cathedral's dome has dominated the city skyline for centuries and was even the highest point of the city for more than 200 years. Today, St Paul's Cathedral remains the second largest Cathedral of the country.

After these few kilometers of walking, it's time to take a break in one of the most authentic pubs in London. Go to Ye Old Mitre. The pub is located in the Holborn district, in a listed building built in 1773. 

Continue toward Covent Garden, a pretty covered market hall that is always very lively and has many shops and cafés. Covent garden is surrounded by shops, flowery pubs and street entertainment. A very busy place where you will have to be mindful of the pickpockets. 

A few steps away is Trafalgar Square where you can admire Nelson's Column and the 4 huge Lion's statues surrounding it. The whole monument is 51 m high. It represents the Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson and commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar during which Nelson lost his life.

If you feel like it, visit the National Gallery. Admission is free and the visit takes about 2 hours.

Walk through St James Park to reach Buckingham Palace. We just love going to London in Springtime. As you can see on the below pictures, St James Park is blossoming and so colorful in Spring. It is the perfect place to take a nap or chill on the grass while feeding a few squirrels. Buckingham Palace is the royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. It is protected by the King’s guards that are famous for changing in a ceremony that always attracts a lot of viewers. The ceremony happens pretty much every day at 11 am.

From the Palace, walk toward Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Parliament. After years of renovation work and hidden behind scaffolding, Big Ben, the most prominent symbol of London is now visible again.

To end this first day in London, go slightly backward on this itinerary to reach Kingly Court. This colorful food court is the perfect place for cocktails and a nice dinner. 

Finish the day with a last walk by night to check Chinatown and Piccadilly circus.

Chinatown is located in the district of Soho. It emerged from the ashes of the London great fire but really boomed in the 1960s with Chinese workers moving to London from Hong Kong. Today, Chinatown is an amazing district where you can taste great Asian food while shopping for Asian products or even getting a relaxing reflexology session. 

Piccadilly Circus is located in the city of Westminster and connects Regent’s street with Picadilly. It is a public space often animated with live street shows. By night, Piccadilly glows in the dark with video displays and neon signs.

This second day in London is dedicated to the vibrant district of Camden and its market. It also includes a long (but very nice!) walk along the canal, so make sure you are wearing trainers! 

We had the chance to follow this itinerary on a beautiful sunny day the last time we were in London. It was spring, the entire city was blossoming and the weather was not too hot yet. It was the perfect weather to walk along the canal and enjoy the Cherry trees and Wisteria’s blossoms. 

Here again, I can only recommend you to go to Camden market early, which will be for the opening at 10am. The market is crowded later during the day. If you are traveling with a group of friends, you will for sure lose each other in the market.

Part of the market was built in former stables. It now offers great vintage shops, souvenir shops and a busy food court. It takes at least 3 hours to see the whole market. 

Make sure you also check Camden High street where you will find even more shops. Some shops have decorated facades with moving structures, which is quite amazing.

We were in Camden market all morning and even had lunch there. The food offering is great in the market and it was quite a challenge to decide which type of food to go for. 

The market got very crowded around 1pm. That’s when we decided to start walking towards Notting Hill. The route to reach Notting Hill is very easy. Just follow the canal from Camden Market. This is such a pleasant walk, away from the traffic and surrounded by nature. You will quickly forget that you are in one of the biggest cities in Europe! I really enjoyed watching the barges passing by and the beautiful London houses built by the water. This walk runs alongside the London Zoo. Don't be surprised if you hear animal screams!

Halfway between Camden and Notting Hill, take a break in Little Venice at the pretty D1 café. We can also recommend Café Laville which has a lovely terrace just above the canal. A little further, still along the canal towards Notting Hill, is the heart of Little Venice where

Continue along the canal until you reach the colorful district of Notting Hill. 

Notting Hill is a lively district with an open market right in the center. It is famous for being in many movies but also for all the celebrities who live there. Stroll about while admiring the colorful houses.

After Notting Hill, continue toward the district of Kensington where you can see Kensington Palace in the center of Kensington Garden. 

Kensington is home to one of the most iconic pubs of London, The Churchill arms.

You just cannot miss its facade full of flowers. Inside, the decoration is thought out down to the smallest detail. You will see many references to Churchill, whose grandparents were pub regulars. If you fancy staying for dinner, the Chruchill arms serve delicious Thai food.

To close this day, we couldn't resist the urge to admire London at night once again. We jumped into the underground to reach the city center and admire Big Ben at night.

For this third day in London, take the time to visit one of the city's many museums. The choice is wide and museums in London have the advantage of being free. I can recommend the Natural History Museum, which we visited when following this itinerary, but also the British Museum, which I visited several years ago.

The Natural History Museum of London is located in South Kensington. We were there on a rainy Sunday morning in April. Visiting the museum was then the perfect activity to stay dry and warm. The museum has five pavilions and an amazing collection of dinosaur and marine mammal skeletons. It takes around two hours to walk around the museum and take the time to discover the collection. 

After the museum, cross the district of Chelsea, the Thames and Battersea Park to reach Battersea power station. This Victorian-style power station is now surrounded by luxury apartments, cozy cafés and restaurants. Enjoy a coffee or lunch at Megan’s, a warmly decorated restaurant that serves Mediterranean food and coffees to die for.

From Battersea, take the Uberboat to Bankside station. This is the cheapest and most convenient option to reach the city center while enjoying a great boat tour. You can buy your ticket directly at the Uberboat station in Battersea. The boat is very comfortable and the journey only costs £7.70. The view of the parliament and Big Ben from the Thames is just unreal. You will also appreciate not walking for nearly 40 minutes during this journey through London!

We enjoyed the boat ride back to Bankside station to admire the tower bridge one last time.

Once you have made it to Bankside station, walk to the Leadenhall Market. This Victorian-style market has the advantage of being covered by a glass roof, ideal if the weather turns bad (which can happen, we are in England after all!). We loved the colorful facades of the market and the fact that this little gem is located right in the heart of the City.

When we were in London, we closed this long weekend with a nice dinner at Colonel Saab, a lavishly decorated Indian restaurant in Holborn.