You could easily spend months exploring London. But if you’re short for time, one of the best things to do is walking along the South Bank of the Thames.

This is the first place I take my friends when they come to visit, as you can see a bunch of the city’s highlights at once.

So here’s a step-by-step itinerary for a leisurely day in London:

1. Eat something first:

Start your day by taking advantage of one of many places around London that do great brunch. My suggestion is Milk, in Balham (I discovered it recently and it was AMAZING!), but there are loads of places around.

2. The London Eye

Start your walking tour at Westminster Bridge. There you get one of the best views of the city: Big Ben and the Parliament on one side, London Eye on the other.

The view from the London Eye is awesome (on a sunny day), but the ridiculously long queues are really off-putting. If you are planning to go, book in advance as it saves time and sometimes you can get a good discount (an adult ticket costs £26.96, ouch!).

3. The South Bank Centre

Continuing along the river, the Southbank Centre is a great venue for arts, so check out what they have going on.

4. The Tate Modern

You will then reach the Tate Modern. Admission to the permanent collections is free, so you should really stop and have a look around.

There are also some good cafes and restaurants (as well as a great shop), so you can stop for lunch there.

5. The Globe Theatre

Right next to the Tate is the Globe Theatre, which is the original Shakespeare theatre (although it had t be rebuilt after a fire).

There are always performances on (not all of them are Shakespeare plays), and standing tickets cost only £5! I see something there at least once a year, and it’s always great.

6. Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s

Across from the Tate is the Millennium Bridge, which leads to St Paul’s Cathedral. This is another great place to get a good view of London.

You can continue along the river all the way up to Tower Bridge, but I always prefer to split this up in two days – so I’ll leave that for a future post…