Speed traveling: Seeing London in 2 days or less!

London is one of the "great" cities which should be enjoyed slowly. But sometimes, time is just too tight and if you just have one or two days, is it possible to see London's main sights?

Yes, absolutely. Here is my tried-and-tested itinerary for those short on time.

Day 1
7am - 9am: Airport to hotel
Assuming you land at Heathrow, take the Heathrow Express` which stops at Paddington in a short 15-minute ride (trains depart every 15 minutes... and there is free wifi onboard!). From Paddington, take another train to your hotel as needed. I highly recommend the Amba Hotel Charing Cross, which is on the Bakerloo and Northern lines; Bakerloo is a line serving Paddington as well. The service is fantastic, the rooms are good with complimentary minibar, wifi and iPad use. Best of all, of the two times I stayed there, they allowed me an early check in at 7.30am and 8.30am. How many hotels actually let you do that? This hotel also has great reviews online, and the cost is not exorbitant. Plus, the location is very good and of walking distance to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

9am - 11am: Westminster area
Take the Tube to Westminster and visit the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The Eye of London can also be seen from this area for a nice photo opportunity. 10 Downing Street is also nearby. Walk (15 mins or so) from here to Buckingham Palace, stopping before / after at St James Park for a quick stroll. Do note that the changing of guards at Buckingham Palace takes place at 11.30am, so if you do want to see that, you can change the timings a bit. There is also a nice shop at the Buckingham Palace that sells souvenirs and stuff.

Westminster area: (Clockwise from top left) Big Ben and the London Eye in the distance, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street and flowers in St James' Park.

11am - 1pm: Tower of London area
Next, hop on to the trusty Tube once again and alight at Tower Hill station to see the Tower of London. Since this is a whirlwind tour of London, you need to decide which ones you want to go in and see, and which are just a photo stop. I didn't go in, choosing to move on to Tower Bridge. From Tower Bridge, you can see the "famous" but ugly London Bridge to your right and wonder what all the fuss is about. Tower Bridge is much more beautiful! You can also see more modern designs like the Shard.

Stop for lunch at the Borough Market. I had a very lovely burger there (not quite British food maybe, but nonetheless, delicious).

Tower Hill area: (Clockwise from top left) Tower Bridge, view of the Shard and London Bridge in the distance, burger at Borough Market, Tower of London

1pm - 2pm: St Paul's Cathedral
Take the Tube to St Paul's for some nice photos of Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece.

2pm - 5pm (or however long you need): Shopping
Time for some shopping. Take the Tube to Oxford Street to check out Selfridges and Marks & Spencer. The Marble Arch is also in the middle of nowhere. Then move on to Knightsbridge, home of the infamous Harrods. You might want to stop at Hyde Park and check out the tranquil Serpentine before that, assuming you are not bogged down with too many shopping bags.

Top: Serpentine at Hyde Park; Bottom: St Paul's Cathedral

Dinner can be had at Harrods' Food Hall (caviar and champagne, grilled meats, seafood!) or restaurants. 

Dinner: Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Covent Garden
If not, there are many pubs that serve decent pub grub (pies, fish and chips) around Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Check out the small little statue of Eros at Piccadilly too. Covent Garden market is pretty cool, with shops such as Whittard of Chelsea, Laduree, Chanel etc there. 

Sleep at a decent hour tonight, assuming jet-lag is hitting on. Remember to take some photos at the impressive Trafalgar Square, which is just a minute away from the Amba Hotel Charing Cross.

Day 2
8.30am - 9.30am: Breakfast at Cafe in the Crypt, just a couple of minutes from the hotel on foot. The food is nothing to shout about, but it is housed in the Crypt of St-Martins-in-the-Fields, so you can eat over tombstones. The church is also quite pretty.

9.30am - 11.30am: Make your way by Tube to the British Museum. It opens at 10am and the best thing is... it's free though you are encouraged to make a five-pound donation. That is pretty amazing as the museum is huge and has really good artefacts. It is one of my favourite museums in the world, along with Louvre and The New York Metropolitan Museum.

British Museum

11.30am - 12.30pm: Diagonally opposite (and a few more doors down) the museum entrance is Tea and Tattle. A little bookshop is on the ground floor but when you go down the little stairs, you'll find a quaint little tea room serving sandwiches, scones, cakes and tea. As the British love to say... "lovely!"... or "perfect!"... or "brilliant!". Yes, it's morning and perhaps not quite time for "afternoon tea", but who cares? The food is the same and I am happy to eat "afternoon tea" food at anytime of the day. Also, it's better to visit the British Museum in the morning where the crowds are less, so for convenience sake, you might want to just have your "afternoon tea" at Tea and Tattle at whatever time you finish at the museum. Beware though - the food is extremely filling even though it's "tea nibbles". After eating the scone, i could only finish half the Victorian sponge.

A spot of traditional English tea at Tea & Tattle to refresh yourself after a visit to the British Museum

12.30pm - 2pm: If you are a Sherlock fan, then it's on to Baker Street next and to call on the "world's most famous detective" at 221B Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes Museum). For 10 pounds, you can go up to his "house" and see his study, rooms etc. The shop downstairs is pretty cool as well. Don't forget to check out Sherlock's statue at the entrance of the Baker Street station.

Sherlock Holmes statue at Baker Street station

2pm - 3.30pm: If shopping is your thing, don't forget to check out the Camden Lock Market with its grungy, edgy, 3D billboards and never-ending rows of shops. Perhaps more for youngsters, but still worth taking a look. Don't forget to bargain!

Bargain when you're at Camden Lock Market!

Do whatever else you wish for the rest of the afternoon (the title of the post did say two days or less!) but you might want to catch a musical at the West End area. The theatres are usually around the Piccadilly, Leicester Square and Covent Garden areas, all easily walkable from the Amba Hotel. Here is a good online listing of what's available, complete with reviews and seating plans.

Also, here's a link which is helpful to find out which Tube stations are nearest to the sights you want to go.

Have fun!