Two days aren't enough for London, but they're enough to see the city from its most beautiful side. Here is our hour-by-hour plan – private museums, terracotta streets, afternoon tea, a three-star dinner and an evening in London's most famous bar.
London is a city that rewards those who choose. In 48 hours you won't manage to see everything, but you will be able to see the best of London's West End: private museums where the collectors still feel present, streets built by dukes and tailors, an afternoon tea in the Palm Court, and a three-star dinner. The plan below keeps to areas that can be reached on foot or by a short taxi ride.
Day 1 – Marylebone, Mayfair and Piccadilly
10am: Wallace Collection
Start at Manchester Square and the Wallace Collection, the Marquesses of Hertford's collections at Hertford House. Around 5,500 works of art – French 18th-century art, Rembrandt, Velázquez and Gainsborough, furniture and armour – are displayed as in a private home across 25 galleries. Entry is free, and an hour is enough for the main galleries.
11.30am: Marylebone High Street and Daunt Books
Head north to Marylebone High Street, once voted London's best street by BBC Radio 4 listeners. Step inside Daunt Books, housed in an Edwardian bookshop from 1912 with oak galleries and skylights, and seek out your destination among the shelves, which are arranged country by country.
1pm: Lunch at Scott's, Mount Street
Take a taxi or walk south to Mount Street in Mayfair, the street that was rebuilt in brick and terracotta between 1880 and 1900. Scott's at number 20, which began as an oyster bar in Haymarket in the 1850s and was a favourite of Ian Fleming, is the classic lunch choice. After lunch: Mount Street Gardens and Purdey's Audley House on the corner towards South Audley Street.
3pm: Bond Street, Savile Row and Burlington Arcade
Head east to New Bond Street with Sotheby's and the Allies statue, turn into Savile Row to see the tailors at work, and take the Burlington Arcade from 1819 down to Piccadilly. Remember: whistling is forbidden in the arcade.
4.30pm: Tea at the Ritz
The Palm Court at The Ritz, with its gilded mirrors and the apricot shade that César Ritz chose to flatter the complexion, has been London's place for tea since the First World War. Book well in advance and follow the dress code.
7pm: Dinner at The Connaught
End the day at The Connaught on Carlos Place. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught is one of London's six restaurants with three MICHELIN stars in 2026, and after dinner, The Connaught Bar awaits, named the world's best bar in 2020 and 2021.
Day 2 – Chelsea or Kew, Belgravia and the Strand
10am: Chelsea Physic Garden – or Kew
If you have the whole morning and more, head to Kew Gardens and see the Palm House before it closes for renovation in 2027. If you have less time, go to Chelsea Physic Garden, the apothecaries' walled garden from 1673, with Britain's largest fruit-bearing olive tree.
Noon: King's Road and Saatchi Gallery
From Chelsea Physic Garden, it is a few minutes to King's Road, Charles II's old private road. Walk east towards Sloane Square, past the Saatchi Gallery in Duke of York's Headquarters, where admission to the exhibitions is free, and the department store Peter Jones with its glass façade from 1936.
2.30pm: Belgravia's mews
From Sloane Square, you enter Belgravia, Thomas Cubitt's stucco quarter from 1830–1847. Seek out Eaton Mews North and South behind Eaton Square and continue towards Belgrave Square and Wilton Row – narrow mews streets that today are among London's most expensive addresses.
4pm: Tea at The Goring
Head on to Beeston Place and The Goring, the family-run hotel from 1910 that was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II. The hotel's afternoon tea has won awards, with views over one of London's largest private gardens.
7pm: The Savoy and the American Bar
End the evening at The Savoy on the Strand. The American Bar was one of the first in Europe to serve American cocktails, and The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930 is still in print. You can have dinner on the premises, and if you want one last view of the Thames, the Savoy's façade facing the river is one of London's most beautiful evening views.
Plan in brief
| Time | Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Wallace Collection, Marylebone | Chelsea Physic Garden or Kew |
| Lunch | Scott's, Mount Street | King's Road |
| Afternoon | Bond Street, Savile Row, tea at the Ritz | Belgravia's mews, tea at The Goring |
| Evening | The Connaught | The Savoy, American Bar |
Read more about the streets in VERA PI's street files for Marylebone High Street, Mount Street, King's Road and Eaton Square, start at VERA PI's London guide, and find more city guides at metromode.co.
Wallace Collection
Day 1, morning
Free admission.
Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U
The Ritz London – Palm Court
Day 1, afternoon tea
Book ahead; dress code applies.
150 Piccadilly, London W1J
The Connaught
Day 1, dinner and bar
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught and The Connaught Bar.
Carlos Place, London W1K
Chelsea Physic Garden
Day 2, morning
The apothecaries' garden from 1673.
Royal Hospital Road, London SW3
The Savoy – American Bar
Day 2, evening
One of Europe's first cocktail bars.
Strand, London WC2R
Monaco, every street of it
Every MICHELIN table and the grand hotels – Metro Mode with VERA PI.