London 3-day Itinerary
United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
Website >
Overview >Bucket list experience:
Kensington Palace
Last updated: 06 November, 2022
With a Hyde Park backdrop, this handsome red-brick palace has been modernised over the centuries, but dates back to the 1700s. Much has happened in these hallowed apartments: Queen Victoria was born here and the late Princess Diana lived here; now William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have made it their London home.
The latest big renovation project finished in summer 2012, with newly landscaped gardens, revamped state rooms and exhibitions like Victoria Revealed, an exploration of Victoria’s reign in her own words.
The highlights here are a collection of Queen Victoria’s jewellery, an interactive display where you can step into Victorian garb and a statue of Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden. The palace’s rotating programme of temporary exhibitions is well worth checking out, previously including a display of Princess Diana’s dresses and a look back at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
While you’re there
Take afternoon tea in the Pavilion – the only place in London where you can take tea in the grounds of a royal palace.
Want more recommendations in this destination?
Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
London 5-day Itinerary
United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
Website >
Overview >
London 9-day Itinerary
United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – 9 brilliant, bucket list-packed days recommended by destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
Website >
Overview >Price from: £17
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
The nearest Underground stations are High Street Kensington (Circle and District Lines) and Queensway (Central Line).
You need to buy tickets in advance from the website and for afternoon tea in the Pavilion. There are no tours or audio guides, but a series of self-guided exhibitions.
When to do it
The palace is open year-round, Wednesday to Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
The Kensington Palace Gardens Royal High Tea
London
Experience the original Royal English Tea with traditional sandwiches, cakes & scones in the grounds of the Palace by the Diana Statue.
Fir...
£99 | Rating 4.43 / 5 [180 ratings]
Website >
Tour supplied by:
VIP Tour: Royal High Tea At Kensington Palace Gardens
London
As a VIP, you will receive the option between a glass of English Sparkling Wine or Pimm's cocktail & priority seating.
Experience the origi...
£109 | Rating 4.8 / 5 [15 ratings]
Website >
Tour supplied by:
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Portobello Hotel
London, United Kingdom (UK)
A colourful boutique hotel with an even more colourful rock’n’roll history, in the boho-chic residential quarter between Portobello Road and Notting Hill.
Official star rating:
Number Sixteen
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Dazzling design and local colour abound at this intimate, under-the-radar bolthole in a convenient, upmarket location.
Official star rating:
Sydney House
London, United Kingdom (UK)
A value-for-money Georgian townhouse hotel that offers a pleasingly tranquil feel, set on a refined residential street in the heart of Chelsea.
Official star rating:
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
London, United Kingdom (UK)
A gloriously opulent Edwardian hotel, with Michelin-starred dining, a subterranean spa and a wonderful location overlooking Hyde Park – one of the capital’s most expensive, most luxurious addresses.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
London
Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)
World-class culture, fashion, music, food and history – and a mind-boggling array of bucket list experiences – packed into one extraordinary, incomparable destination.
Website >
Overview >Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Royal Albert Hall
London, United Kingdom (UK)
London’s premier venue, this iconic circular Victorian concert hall hosts everything from circus acts to classical music, with perfectly-crafted acoustics.
Best for ages: 13+ | £15 | 1+ hours
London Science Museum
London, United Kingdom (UK)
The world’s largest science museum, with 40 galleries celebrating three centuries of major scientific advances.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
Natural History Museum
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Dinosaur skeletons, blue whales and chunks of meteorite set in a Romanesque, cathedral-like building – the world’s biggest and best such museum is a treasure trove of natural history.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Known nationwide as ‘the V&A’, this museum focuses on the decorative arts, from fashion to furniture and interior design.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Madame Tussauds
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Meet the queen, get a selfie with Stormzy and take the controls of the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca at the world’s leading and original wax museum.
Best for ages: 8+ | £30
Royal Academy of Arts
London, United Kingdom (UK)
An 18th-century mansion of masterpieces sitting pretty on Piccadilly, home to one of Britain’s oldest collections of fine art and regular blockbuster exhibitions.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
London, United Kingdom (UK)
A magical leafy setting that’s as memorable as the shows themselves, Regent’s Park Outdoor Theatre is one of London’s must-do entertainment experiences.
Best for ages: 18+ | £25 | 1-3 hours
The London Eye
London, United Kingdom (UK)
Sky-scraping observation wheel taking passengers on a stately ride, 450 feet above the Thames.
Best for ages: Any | £31 | 30 minutes
Round-ups that include this experience
101 World’s greatest historic buildings
Multiple countries
The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.
Website >
Overview >