How to Maximise a Layover of 12 hours in London

Last updated: 4 September 2023

Do you have a short layover in London and wondering what you can do with your time? Well, we faced a similar question a few years ago when Travelex approached us with a challenge to create the best day possible on a layover of 12 hours in London. We jumped at the chance to create a bespoke itinerary and the below is the result of our 12 hours in London on a limited budget. 

The Challenge

Travelex gave us $150 Aussie dollars in the form of a prepaid Cash Passport.  After downloading the paperwork online, we popped into Travelex branch in Russell Square to collect our Cash Passport card. Handing over my identification, I waited anxiously to see how the Australian dollar was doing on the day.  It hasn’t been doing well recently, so that $150 AUD quickly dropped to a £76.96 (Sept 2023).  So we had just one day to see as much of London as possible.

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How to spend a layover of 12 hours in London

Transport

First things first, there was a time where the Oyster card was essential if you wanted to take public transport in London. A dedicated reloadable transport card that was synonymous with catching the Tube but has now been superseded by contactless card/mobile phone payments.

With that said, Oyster cards are still available so if you wanted one for your 12 hour layover in London (a relatively cheap souvenir) then you can pick one at many locations, including Tube stations. It’ll cost you £7 and then you need to add credit, we suggest loading it with enough to cover the daily travel cap (over zone 1-2) so all the public transport we need all day will cost us a maximum of £8.10 each.

• Oyster card top-up: £15.10 (Sept 2023)

Coffee Fix

We’ve always believed that no good day starts without a coffee so we popped into Waterloo station for a caffeine fix.  Smiles all around as I swiped my card through the payment machine. Breakfast was done.  I opt for the tall Cafe Latte and Russ goes for his traditional favourite, a black Americano. Now onto explore the city of London, after all we had 12 hours and the clock was ticking. 

• Coffee at Starbucks: £6.15 (Sept 2023)

Exploring the London Landmarks

Heading straight for Southbank, the queue for the London Eye was enormous.  Another opportunity came up, so signed up for a walking tour to explore Bankside and enjoy a few hours in the sunshine.  Deal!

Strolling along the Thames while learning about the City of London and fun historical facts that start with “Did you know…”.  We wandered past famous landmarks along the way.  The National Theatre, Gabriel’s wharf and the Oxo Tower, I even stopped into Shakespeare’s Globe to use the loo.

• 3 hour tour walking tour of London: FREE (tips extra)
• Bonus: Loo at Shakespeare’s Globe:  FREE

Lunch

The walking tour ended just near Borough Market, I know right, how lucky are we? That meant lunch was sorted.  First step was to ensure the stalls took card payments, which most of them do. Smart traders!  If you’ve never been to Borough Market then it’s a rite of passage for any foodie.  Be warned, on weekends, it’s really crowded.   We let our noses do the walking, and I found myself in a queue for some delicious wraps but no matter what type of food you’re after, you can bet that it’s available at Borough Market! 

Beef and prawn wrap filled with mixed salad, coriander and spring onions. YUM!

Read more: Lunch at Borough Market 

• Lunch at Borough Market: £6

More Iconic London Landmarks

By now, it’s afternoon and the clock is ticking.  There’s still so much to see, after all we’ve got just 12 hours in London.  We walk from Borough Market at London Bridge to City Hall at Tower Hill. 

It’s here you’ll see some amazing London scenery. Tower Bridge, the famous Tower of London and many of the city’s skyscrapers all visible and ready for Instagramming! As we stroll across Tower Bridge I’m reminded how much I love this city.

Now is no time to dawdle and be all romantic about the view, we jump on the Tube at Tower Hill and head for Westminster.

Like all tourists visiting London, we headed to Buckingham Palace for a chance to see The Monarch.  Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t home when we visited so we weren’t invited in for tea, so we snapped a pic and moved on.

Next stop, the Elizabeth Tower.  Yes, I have my facts right.  The Elizabeth Tower is in actual fact the tower.  Big Ben as we all know it, is the bell inside the Tower.  Call it what you like, it’s very pretty at dusk!  During our visit, there was no opportunity to go inside the palace or climb the tower, so we quickly move on.

We wandered over to say hello to the statue of Sir Winston Churchill at Parliament Square enroute to Westminster Abbey.  Unlucky for us, Westminster Abbey was closing for the day, so it was another picture with the Palace of Westminster before heading up Whitehall to visit 10 Downing St, home to the British Prime Minister.

By now, the sun has set and the cold is beginning to set in.  I moan, but I still have more to see on my 12 hours in London list. A quick pep talk, some snacks from Tesco on the fly and we push on. We take the next bus up Whitehall. Next stop, Trafalgar Square.

• Snacks at Tesco: £6.70

At night the fountains of Trafalgar Square sparkle as they’re illuminated in colour with the National Gallery as the backdrop.  It’s surprisingly peaceful for a Saturday night.  We sit on the steps, open our snacks and look up at Nelson, sitting a top of his famous column. Tourists scramble past us to get the perfect selfie, and we realise we have just two hours left on our 12 hour day.

Our tummy’s grumble, yes we need dinner.  I call ahead to a few familiar places in Soho.  No luck, they’re fully booked.  Then I remember a place near Leicester Square I’d heard good things about.  What better place to end the day than in tourist mecca of Leicester Square?!

It’s another stroll past London landmarks as we head for the Hippodrome.  We get a table at Heliot Steak House.  Service is swift and the food is amazing.  I have what I’ve wanted all day; steak, scallops and more prawns! The main menu has changed since we dined at Heliot Steak House but the current menu (Sept 2023) has Surf & Turf option – Hereford filet and grilled half lobster – for £38 so it will bump up your total cost.

Dinner: £56 | £76 Surf & Turf 

The Essentials | Cost breakdown for our day

• Transport: £15.10
• Food: £74.85
• Entertainment & Sightseeing: FREE

Total expenditure for 12 hours in London? £89.60

Those with an eye for detail or good with math will see we overspent.  The budget was slightly stretched courtesy of my second glass of wine so we topped this up with our own cash.

Disclaimer 

A huge thanks to Travelex for involving us in such an amazing experience.  To find out more about the Travelex multi-currency cash passport and how you can get one, pop into any Travelex branch or visit their website. Other than the Cash Passport we were not financially compensated for this post.