What kind of traveller are you? Think about it and read the paragraphs to find out what other things in London that can be packed into my 1-day-route might be of interest to you. So let's get started!
The culturally interested
London itself with all its historical buildings and ancient history is a great place for all culture fans. Regarding this tour, this means simply wandering through the streets looking carefully to spot the tracks of a great meaning behind something seemingly normal.
Additionally, there are some museums that can be visited: The National Gallery as well as the National Portrait Gallery right behind it are free to visit and located literally on Trafalgar Square.
In case you are also interested in such, you can visit the Museum of Transport right at the beginning of your tour in Covent Garden. Unfortunately, you'll need to buy a ticket here, but the specacular exhibition is definitely worth it!
Also around Covent Garden is the Royal Opera House often hosting free lunch time concerts with classical music. Simply check the schedule online to see what's on.
The natural ones
As I already showed in my 1-day-tour, you can choose to have a walk through Hyde Park if you like to. It is a truly beautiful green area in London!
Additionally, you can make your way through Green Park to see another one of the stunning parks in the city. It is closely located to St. James's Park which makes it very easy to incorporate it in the tour,
And actually St. James's park is the next advice. When making your way to Buckingham Palace, but especially when going on to get to Big Ben etc., you can walk through here and actually see the ducks at the pond and cross the little bridge which allows views of Buckingham Palace in one direction and London Eye in the other one.
In order to get a healthy meal, I'd suggest Whole Foods to you. This is slightly hidden at Piccadilly Circus offering a buffet to choose from. It is absolutely delicious there with a big number of options available for vegans and vegetarians!
The shopping addicts
For all of you who can't have enough of shopping, I definitely recommend seeing Regent's Street at least shortly. Te buildings itself are gorgeous already. There are plenty of amazing stores here and also in the Carnaby area right next to it you will find plenty more.
A true hidden gem is also Liberty's which is the oldest shopping mall in London and still has its very traditional charm. It is located a little left of Regent's Street quite at the top. Also, on Regent's Street there is the famous toy store Hamley's® that definitely shouldn't be missed!
Should you choose option 2 in my 1-day-tour, which is walking to the southern corner of Hyde Park, you can also go a little further west down here before heading back to the city centre. This allows you to go and see the luxury mall Harrods in its beautiful building. Timewise I would suggest to make part of the tour by public transport then to make sure you don't need to stress in the end.
The (vehicle nerds?)
The first thing you could potentially add to your tour is the Museum of Transport in Covent Garden right when you start your day in the morning. Here you get plenty of information on London's public transport, there are fantastic installations for kids and real historical artefacts to look at.
Additionally, I'd recommend popping over to Charing Cross station when you are at Trafalgar Square to see the iconic train station.
Probably you also want to make art of the tour in one of the red busses, for example along Oxford or Regent's Street. Check the Citymapper® app to find out which routes suit your tour.
The foodies
There is a fantastic hidden gem right behind Oxford Street for all of you guys. Look carefully for a tiny sign pointing in a narrow alley between two buildings on the road's north side. Here, behind the Debenhams store there is St. Christopher's place, which is a little square with lots of nice restaurants in all the streets around. It is a real cosy atmosphere here!
When you are at Leicester Square you can make use of one of the pre-theatre menu options. Pretty much every restaurant here offers these for a reasonable price. Simply choose a cuisine that you like, there are plenty available and have a great dining experience for very little money.
In case you are a fan of Asian food, you can obviously also make your way up one of the streets going away form Leicester Square to find a traditional restaurant in China Town to dine in.