Sometimes I’m able to find flights that have long layovers in places I really want to go.  Originally, Jordan and I planned to take a 10-day vacation to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin this summer, but because of my illness, we ( I ) decided less time away from home was necessary.  Consequently, we augmented the vacation to an Ireland road trip for which I have zero regrets.  Our experience in Ireland was absolutely amazing, but I also really, really wanted to experience London.  Hence, I figured out a way to secure a long layover in the city on the way over.  With a long layover booked, I then asked myself: “What does one do with less than 24 hours in London??” I’m sure there are a lot of options, but I’m pretty happy with how we spent our day.

This was our first time to London, so I wanted to see everything!  But of course, there wasn’t time for that.  So, we decided to book one tour and then buy tickets for the hop-on hop-off bus to get in as much sightseeing as possible.

 

The Tour – Buckingham Palace

Our first stop of the morning was Buckingham Palace. I’m not a big follower (or fan) of celebrities, but I do have a special appreciation for the British royal family.  Buckingham Palace is where the Queen of England normally lives and it isn’t always open for visitors. So, when I heard the palace was open for tours while we were there, I signed us up! The tour covered the staterooms and featured a display of art selected by the Prince and Patron. The palace was GRAND. It was soooooo crazy to stand in the rooms seen in photos on the news and realize how insanely ornate they actually were. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. But I’m mentioning it here because it was absolutely worth the visit – even if you don’t care about the Royal Family.

Pounds, Backside of Buckingham Palace, The BEST Mint CChip!

 

Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus

After our visit to the palace concluded, we did a little shopping at Harrods (or gawking – same thing) before finding the on the hop-on, hop-off bus.

Harrods

There is a large selection on hop-on hop-off busses in London, but we went with The Original Tour.  We actually booked the tour tickets from the comfort of our beds the night prior.  So, it was quite convenient. The buses were a decent way to see all of the “sights” without having to figure out public transportation. We also got to ride on the top, which made for great views and personal excitement!

 

We spent the remainder of the day hopping-on and hopping-off and here are some of the sights we were able to visit:

Marble Arch, Queen Elizabeth Gate, The Shakespeare 

 

London Eye, Palace of Westminster, Westminster Bridge, The Shard

 

Tower of London, Tower Bridge, River Thames, Trafalgar Square 

So, was less than 24 hours in London enough? Enough to make me want to come back for more!  That’s for sure!

If you have any suggestions for “must sees/dos” in London, please leave your suggestions in the comments.  I can’t wait to return!