Hi All,

I will be in London from March 31st until April 2nd 2018. I need suggestions from you guys as to what all places are a must go?
I will be staying in Central London. I want to know if Greenwich is worth the visit since I only have 3 days. Is there a way I can include Edinburg in my plan?
Or else, should I only stay in London for the 3 days that I will be there. In that case please list some of the best places to visit?

Thanks,
Mrin

There's no way that you can include Edinburgh in a 3 day trip - it's approx 4.5 hrs each way by train.

With your 3 days in London, I would pick the Tower as a must-see, one park or heath (say Hamsptead), one market (Borough for Broadway for food, Portobello or Alfies for antiques), one museum or gallery that fits your preferences, one quirky thing eg James Smith umbrella shop, God's Own Junkyard neon emporium, mudlarking on the shores of the Thames) and an afternoon tea.

That's two things per day and you can find your own evening entertainment and preferred dining options.

>>In that case please list some of the best places to visit?<<

There are (literally) scores of 'best' places for a first visit. Have you ever read anything about London? What sorts of things do YOU want to see/do? I suggest you read the London entry on the 'DESTINATIONS' link above and come back with just a teensy bit more focus.

Greenwich is great -- but so are many other places . . . So tell us which places you are considering.

Do you actually have 3 days in London? OR are you arriving on the 31st and leaving on the 2nd? if so, you'd have a little over one day.

I would say the Tower and Globe theatre but for a tour, not a play - these are "only in London" attractions IMO. Maybe a show if that appeals and yes many museum options depending on your interest. Also a cruise along the Thames is a good overview but I think going all the way to Greenwich would eat up too much time best spent in the city. You might want to check out London Walks for a nice walking tour in a part of the city that appeals.

As others have said, Edinburgh is waaaay to far for a 3 day London visit. Hopefully there will be a next time!

I recommend getting a guidebook and deciding what are the most important sites to you. If Greenwich interests you most, go there.

My top destinations would include: the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and strolling by Big Ben, strolling by Buckingham Palace but not waiting for the changing of the guard, the British Museum, popping into a few pubs, seeing a couple of plays, having afternoon tea, and strolling through Trafalgar square. With a bit more time I would add the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, shopping at Harrods, Churchill's War Rooms and St. Paul's Cathedral. I would only add the Globe Theatre after doing the above, but those are my preferences.

There is much more to do in London than I have listed which is why you will need to figure out what interests you most.

Here's the problem with your question - who knows?

What interests you?

Everyone is saying "go to the Tower" but last year I was shocked (and amazed) that my old man, who's been to London 20x and was stationed there for two years and loves the Brits and the city &c, had never gone inside. If it doesn't interest you, then having us suggest it means you could spend 2+ hours (and about $35 in admission) puttering around somewhere that bores you. The demographic of this site tends to be late middle age and up.

So do this: go to Londontown.com. Go to Timeout.com. Figure out what interests you. Asking this board to list the best places to visit is lazy - there are tons of resources about London both on this website and throughout the internet. Ultimately, it's your bloody trip and if you hate museums or castles or houses of worship or WWII history, then you won't want to go to one or more of the places where KTravel suggested (which are all sites listed among the main tourist punch lists and all of which scream LONDON).

If you want to go to Greenwich, go because it's right outside London. If you want to go to Edinburgh, don't go to London because it's not a day trip from one to the other and is a waste when you only have three days.

Where you coming from =- U.S. or is this part of a wider ranging trip - if flying from U.S. figure being wiped out much of first day.

we really don't know what we're dealing with until the OP comes back. Three days in London (meaning arriving on the 30th and leaving on the 3rd) vs. 1-ish day (arriving on the 31st/leaving on the 2nd) makes a huge difference. And we have no idea what may be of interest.

In such a short time frame it can be difficult to get more than a brief over-view of such a huge city so this is perhaps one of the rare times that I would recommend a HOHO bus. However, London goes one better than that and has the No 11 which will take you round most of the main sights for a fraction of the price and will be more frequent too. Hop on at Victoria, and you will be taken past Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, round Parliament Square, up the Mall [look left to see the end of Downing Street] up into Leicester Square, along the Strand and round the Aldwych, past Temple Bar and along Fleet street [passing the Royal courts of Justice - mock not real Gothic - on the left, the Temple on the right] up Ludgate Circus and past St Paul's, through the city to Liverpool street station. You can of course HO and HO at any time.

otherwise many guide books have suggestions for 2-3 day itineraries - why not look at some of them?

Take a ride on the London Eye - a kind of Ferris Wheel (but technically not) first thing and see all of London at once. Great way to orient yourself to London generally. And take Thames sightseeing boats to Greenwich and tube back or not as far as Greenwich if not wanting to go that far.

Take in a West End play at night. See at least the British Museum for a few seconds.

Walk the Royal Mews and see Buckingham Palace.

Walk around Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly circus areas.

Have a pub lunch.

Walk along the South Bank Walk - so so pleasant!

And enjoy!

Oh and walk around always interesting Covent Gardens too - lots of street performers and neat little shops.

The Imperial War Museum is also really good. The Royal Mews is a fun stop and doesn't take a lot of time if you are near. The Tower for sure, Westminster Abbey, The British Museum and then any of the others that you would like to see. Afternoon tea somewhere (lots of choices) would be a nice break in the afternoon after all you sight seeing. We had tea at Fortnum and Mason and it was very nice, our waiter was great and they refill everything as much as you want and you can "take stuff home", they pack it up in a nice box. We have a great snack in our hotel later that night. We also shopped the food court for tea and marmalade and other treats. We had some shipped home (not all that expensive) so we weren't lugging it around in our suitcase. Jars of Blood Orange Marmalade can weigh a bit.

If you aren't totally exhausted, a play is a great way to end the day.

There are mainees for plays too on some days - weekends I think.

>>There are mainees for plays too on some days - weekends I think.<<

Matinees are mostly on Wed and Sat afternoons - a few on on Thurs. The problem w/ matinees is they take up often precious daytime sightseeing hours, whereas evening performances are. . . . in the evening when other sites/activities are closed. When one has less than 3 full days like the OP, spending 3 hours of it at a matinee isn't probably the best use of time.

In any case, taking in a West End play is to me one of the best things to do in London - the theatre often being as neat as the play.