One Day Trip Ideas in London - What to Do in a Day

The Tower of London is one of London's most famous internationally-recognized landmarks, located along the northern banks of the River Thames within the city's downtown district. The tower, which is officially known as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, has played a significant role in British history since its founding in 1066 and serves as one of the United Kingdom's most famous tourist attractions today, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tower visitors can take guided or audio tours and see famed sights such as the 23,578-gemstone collection of the Crown Jewels, on display to the public since 1669. Other attractions include daily gun salutes, historic reenactments, and the traditional Ceremony of the Keys, held every night for 700 years at the Tower. Four onsite casual and fine dining options make the Tower a great choice for all-inclusive date itineraries.

Address: The Tower of London, St Katharine's & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB, UK, Phone: +44-84-44-82-77-77

Hyde Park the largest of London's four Royal Parks located at the entrance to Kensington and Buckingham Palaces, originally established in 1536 by Henry VIII. Throughout its history, the park has been home to a number of internationally-renowned demonstrations, concerts, and cultural events, including the Great Exhibition of 1851, the regular Speaker's Corner debate forum, and rock concerts held as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics ceremonies. Visitors can bathe at the historic Hyde Park Lido, rental pedal boats at the Serpentine boathouse, or stroll through its seven-mile Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, which documents the royal figure's life via a set of 90 plaques. During the holiday months, the park is also host to the annual Winter Wonderland event, one of Europe's largest Christmas celebrations, featuring holiday markets and London's largest ice skating rink.

Address: Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH, Phone: 030-00-61-20-00

Patron Cave a Manger is a Parisian-style brasserie and wine bar in London’s Kentish Town neighborhood. Exposed brick walls, long narrow banquettes, and a delightful semi-circular red bar create a romantic atmosphere that feels so Parisian. There are a few tables outdoors for those rare sunny days. The menu is small but perfect, with classic small plates such as French onion soup, escargot, steak tartare, frogs legs, charcuterie, and cheeses. There are only four main dishes, including Patron’s signature open fire onglet steak, duck confit and moules frites, all served with a side of your choice. The bar offers a few cocktails and an affordable wine list.

26 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HB, UK, Phone: +44 20 7813 2540

Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery is an historic manor in west London that once served as the country estate for renowned 19th-century architect John Soane. Soane constructed the estate between 1800 and 1804 as a show of his architecture skills, designed to showcase his extensive collection of art and host elaborate parties. Today, the estate is open to the public as a living history museum, public park, and art gallery, placing Soane's gorgeous architectural design on display alongside fine works of art showcased in the Pitzhanger Gallery. The home's beautifully-landscaped grounds showcase plantings common to the early 19th century, along with a children's playground, learning center, and serpentine lake. Visitors can dine at the Soane's Kitchen restaurant, also accessible without home admission through Walpole Park.

Mattock Ln, London W5 5EQ, UK, Phone: +44-07756866739

Annka Kultys Gallery is a top commercial contemporary art gallery in east London, owned and operated by its namesake curator since September of 2015. The gallery serves as a leading platform for current and up-and-coming contemporary artists, with a focus on artists working in multimedia art and digital media. At least six solo exhibitions are showcased each year at the gallery, along with two group exhibitions showcasing the worlds of new and recently graduated artists. Live performances are also showcased periodically, and art fairs are presented at remote sites throughout the year in collaboration with other galleries and organizations.

1st floor, 472 Hackney Road Unit 3, London E2 9EQ, United Kingdom, Phone: +44-20-33-02-60-70

Hang-Up Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in London's hip and eclectic Stoke Newington neighborhood, originally opened in 2008 as an online gallery showcasing collectible street and urban art. The gallery quickly made a name for itself as a prime source for selling Banksy works to international collectors, with a focus on rare, limited edition, and canvas prints. Today, the gallery's physical location presents a dynamic annual exhibition program showcasing the works of vibrant, forward-thinking young artists presented alongside established luminaries in the art world. In addition to 100% guaranteed authentic Banksy works, the gallery also sells works by established artists such as Harland Miller, KAWS, and Invader, along with emerging artists such as Anja Niemi, Russell Young, and Stanley Donwood.

81 Stoke Newington Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16 8AD, UK, Phone: +44-20-36-67-45-50

RHODES is an independent contemporary art gallery that is housed within the former gallery space of the Lawrence Alkin Gallery, originally opened as the TomTom Gallery. The split-level boutique gallery strives to help develop the next generation of global artists throughout the showcase of significant emerging and mid-career artists working in a variety of mediums. Throughout the gallery's past incarnations, it traded and exhibited works from acclaimed international artists such as Andy Warhol and Banksy. Today, solo exhibitions showcase emerging artists on the London scene, including Keaton Henson, Miss Bugs, Eelus, Stanley Donwood, Jake Wood-Evans, and Sepe and Noah Taylor.

Arebyte Gallery is a cross-disciplinary gallery that has been named as one of London's best new galleries by TimeOut in 2018, acclaimed by major international publications such as VICE, Sky News, and The Guardian. The gallery, which has been in operation in east London since 2013, works with regional and international artists both in person and online to to support the development of new and emerging media forms, including performance art and digital works. Multimedia installations are showcased throughout the year, including works containing elements working with virtual reality, AI, 3D printing, and CGI. Creative and coworking spaces managed by the gallery are available for London artists at affordable rates, overseen by the gallery's partners Arbeit Project Limited.

Java House, 7 Botanic Square, City Island, London 0LG, London, United Kingdom