VERDICT: WE GAVE 5 OUT OF 5 TICKETS AND HERE’S WHY!
This guide forms part of our complete United Kingdom Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across the UK.
This article is part of our 3 Days in London: Ultimate Guide. We explored St Paul’s Cathedral, Churchill War Rooms, British Museum, Tower Bridge and Tower of London, experienced Frameless Immersive Art, visited Abbey Road Studios and stayed at the Park Plaza Hotel. Follow our personal experiences and practical visitor tips. Read the complete three-day London guide here.
From Westminster and St Paul’s to Abbey Road, wartime secrets and immersive art
After spending time with family in Bath and Wiltshire, we headed back to London for three days before our flight home to Canada. We have visited London many times, but the city is so vast that there are always important attractions and fascinating neighbourhoods still waiting to be discovered.
After returning our rental car, we caught the train into London and made our way to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London. Its location could hardly have been better. Positioned beside Westminster Bridge, the hotel gave us spectacular views across the River Thames toward Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Westminster Station was close by, making it easy to travel around the city on the London Underground. Several major attractions were also within walking distance, which saved valuable time during our relatively short stay. For anyone planning a similar visit, our guide to using the London Tube explains how we navigated the network.
St Paul’s Cathedral
Our first major stop was St Paul’s Cathedral, one of the most recognizable buildings on London’s skyline. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London, the cathedral’s enormous dome dominates the surrounding streets.
Inside, the scale and detail were extraordinary. We explored the magnificent nave, intricate mosaics and memorials dedicated to important figures from British history. The crypt contains the tombs of Sir Christopher Wren, Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington.
Looking upward into the dome was one of the highlights of our visit. St Paul’s is not simply a beautiful church—it has witnessed royal celebrations, national services and some of the most significant moments in Britain’s history. Our tour gave us a much greater appreciation of the building and its enduring importance to London.
Churchill War Rooms
We then travelled underground—both literally and historically—at the Churchill War Rooms. Hidden beneath Westminster, this secret complex served as Britain’s wartime command centre during the Second World War.
The narrow corridors connect map rooms, offices, meeting spaces and sleeping quarters used by Winston Churchill, senior ministers and military commanders. Many rooms were preserved much as they appeared when operations ended, creating the feeling that their occupants had only recently left.
The Map Room was particularly fascinating, with wartime charts, telephones and markers illustrating how military operations were monitored. The adjoining Churchill Museum provided greater insight into his leadership, personality, speeches and private life.
Walking through the underground rooms brought the pressures of wartime decision-making into sharp focus. It was atmospheric, surprisingly intimate and easily one of the most compelling attractions we visited during our three days in London.
The British Museum
The following morning, we headed to the British Museum. Its collection spans thousands of years of human history, with galleries devoted to ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Middle East, Asia and many other civilizations.
Among its most famous exhibits are the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, Assyrian sculptures and the Parthenon sculptures. Moving between the galleries felt like travelling through centuries of human achievement, conflict, belief and discovery.
The Great Court was impressive in its own right, with its vast glass roof creating a bright central space within the museum. Every gallery seemed to lead toward another remarkable collection, making it almost impossible to decide where to go next.
We could easily have spent the entire day there and still only seen part of it. The British Museum was absolutely amazing and deserves several hours—or a return visit—rather than being rushed into an already crowded itinerary.
Abbey Road Studios
That afternoon, we jumped aboard the Tube and travelled to Abbey Road Studios, one of the most famous recording locations in the world.
The Beatles recorded much of their music there, and the nearby zebra crossing became internationally recognizable after appearing on the cover of their 1969 album Abbey Road. Naturally, we had to recreate the famous walk across the crossing ourselves.
The crossing remains part of a busy public road, so getting the perfect photograph required patience, timing and a watchful eye for approaching traffic. We then visited the outside of Abbey Road Studios and explored the surrounding area connected with its remarkable musical history.
Standing in a place associated with the Beatles and countless other celebrated artists was a memorable experience. It was fun, nostalgic and completely different from the museums and monuments we had visited earlier in the day.
London by Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
Our final day began at a more relaxed pace with a London hop-on hop-off bus tour. After two busy days of walking and using the Underground, sitting aboard an open-top double-decker bus was a welcome change.
The route offered another perspective of London’s streets, neighbourhoods and major landmarks. It also allowed us to revisit some familiar sights without having to create another complicated transport plan.
We always find these sightseeing buses useful in large cities. They provide an easy overview, help visitors understand how different districts connect and offer plenty of opportunities for photography along the way.
Frameless Immersive Art
That afternoon, we visited Frameless Immersive Art, which delivered one of the most unusual experiences of our London stay.
Instead of viewing traditional paintings hanging silently on gallery walls, we stepped inside rooms where famous artworks moved across the floors, walls and ceilings. Music, animation and digital projection transformed familiar masterpieces into enormous, constantly changing environments.
Each gallery created a different atmosphere. Colours swept around us, landscapes shifted beneath our feet and well-known works appeared in ways we had never experienced before.
After visiting ancient collections, religious landmarks and wartime rooms, Frameless provided a striking modern contrast. It demonstrated how London continually finds fresh ways to present art, culture and storytelling.
A Final Return to Westminster
After Frameless, we took the Tube back to Westminster Station and returned to our hotel to pack for our flight home. During our visit, we also made time for the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, two places we never tire of seeing whenever we return to the city.
These three days delivered an ideal combination of familiar landmarks and completely new experiences. We explored ancient artifacts, famous recording history, underground wartime headquarters, architectural masterpieces and immersive digital art, all within one remarkable city.
London never disappoints. No matter how many times we return, there is always another neighbourhood, museum, story or attraction waiting to be discovered. For more inspiration, see our top ten things to do in London.
Favourite Destinations:
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL: Climb the iconic dome, explore historic galleries and admire London’s sweeping skyline views.
British Museum: Explore ancient civilizations, legendary treasures and extraordinary artifacts from around the world.
Best Experiences:
ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS(Video): Recreate the Beatles’ famous crossing and visit the legendary Abbey Road Studios exterior.
FRAMELESS IMMERSIVE ART (Video): Step inside spectacular digital artworks where colour, movement and music surround you.
HOP ON HOP OFF BUS: See London’s greatest landmarks aboard an iconic open-top double-decker sightseeing bus tour adventure.
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS: Britain’s secret wartime headquarters and Churchill’s leadership beneath London’s streets.
TOWER OF LONDON: Explore the Crown Jewels, meet resident ravens and uncover centuries of royal intrigue.
MORE EXPERIENCES
Explore these places in England
- England Ultimate Travel Guide
- Visit Castles: England & Wales
- St Michael’s Mount
- King Harry Ferry
- Land’s End
- Liverpool
- Bodmin Jail
- Salisbury Cathedral
Continue exploring London
Nearby London attractions
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