One Day in London: Can You Do It for £70? Free, Mid-Range or Splurge

The loop

One walk links every tier: the Tower, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, the London Eye and Westminster, on foot along the Thames. Start at Tower Hill for the Tower’s opening time; finish at Westminster for every airport line below.

1. Start at the Tower of London, EC3N 4AB, beside Tower Hill Underground (District and Circle lines). It opens at 09:00 Tuesday to Saturday, later on Sundays and Mondays.
2. Walk east to Tower Bridge: seven minutes, 500 metres, from Tower Hill station.
3. Follow the Thames Path west along the South Bank to Borough Market, near London Bridge station, about 15 minutes further.
4. Continue along Bankside to Tate Modern: 600 metres from Southwark, 800 metres from Blackfriars.
5. Keep to the river path past the Southbank Centre to the London Eye, about 25 to 30 minutes further.
6. Cross Westminster Bridge to Parliament Square, then finish at Westminster Underground (Circle, District and Jubilee lines).

Free

Every stop on the loop can be free: the Tower’s walls, the bridge, the market, Tate Modern’s galleries, the Eye’s silhouette and the free view of Big Ben across Westminster Bridge. The only cost is a lunch you choose to buy.

1. Walk the free ground around the Tower: Tower Hill and the riverside Wharf.
2. Cross Tower Bridge on foot: it is open to pedestrians always.
3. Browse Borough Market for a picnic lunch — open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday.
4. Walk into Tate Modern: the Turbine Hall and permanent collection are free every day.
5. Follow the South Bank path to the London Eye and photograph it from below.
6. Finish at Parliament Square, across Westminster Bridge, for the free view of Big Ben.

Mid: about £70 in tickets

Two tickets change the day: the Tower’s standard admission first, a London Eye ticket last. Everything between — the bridge, market and Tate Modern — stays free beyond lunch.

See or book Tower of London tickets →

1. Book the Tower’s standard adult ticket for the morning; it includes the Crown Jewels and a Yeoman Warder tour, last entry 16:30.
2. Allow about an hour for the Crown Jewels before heading to Tower Bridge.
3. Follow the loop to Borough Market and buy lunch from a trader.
4. Spend 45 minutes to an hour at Tate Modern: the Turbine Hall and one collection level is enough.
5. Book a standard London Eye ticket online, timed for late afternoon or early evening.
6. Ride the 30-minute rotation, then finish across Westminster Bridge.

Splurge: about £70 before a guide

The ticket prices barely move here — the same two tickets cover admission. What money buys is a private guide for the Tower and the riverside walk, or an evening on the river instead of queuing for the Eye.

See or book a private Tower of London tour →

1. Keep the standard Tower and Eye tickets, but add a private guide, booked through Tours, for the Crown Jewels and the walk to Tower Bridge.
2. Follow the same route to Borough Market and Tate Modern — a guide adds little there.
3. At the end, ride the Eye as booked, or swap it for a Thames dinner cruise — after dark, from the water instead of above.
4. Do not book both the Eye and the cruise — each already gives the evening’s view.

If you are on a layover

Every London airport reaches a central terminus by rail in under an hour — more than most cities manage. From any terminus, the Circle or District line reaches Tower Hill, this loop’s start, in a few more stops.