Here's a 3-day London itinerary built entirely from TikTok and Instagram saves. Every market, pub, and hidden gem on this list came from a video we saved to Plotline. London's food and culture scene has completely transformed in the last few years — and TikTok is where the best recommendations live now.
Forget the tired guidebook London of double-decker buses and fish and chips. The city that shows up in your feed — the Borough Market stalls, the underground cocktail bars, the free world-class museums — that's the London worth flying for. We spent months saving every Reel and TikTok that made us stop scrolling, and this is the trip that came out of it.
Day 1 — South Bank, Borough & Soho
Morning: Borough Market
Start your London trip where every food TikTok tells you to: Borough Market. This is one of the oldest food markets in the world, and the morning energy is unbeatable. Grab a pastry and a flat white from Monmouth Coffee — the line moves fast and the coffee is worth every second of waiting. Once you're caffeinated, work your way through the stalls. The pad thai stand has been viral for years and the queue speaks for itself. Raclette cheese melted over potatoes, fresh oysters, Turkish gozleme — you could eat breakfast here three days straight and never repeat a dish.
Mid-Morning: South Bank Walk
Walk east along the South Bank of the Thames. This stretch is one of London's best free experiences — street performers, bookstalls under Waterloo Bridge, and views across to St Paul's Cathedral. Stop into the Tate Modern (free entry, world-class modern art) if anything catches your eye, and walk past Shakespeare's Globe — a faithful reconstruction of the original Elizabethan theater. Cross the Millennium Bridge for one of the most iconic London views: the wobbly footbridge framing St Paul's dome ahead of you. This whole walk takes about an hour and costs nothing.
Lunch: Dishoom
For lunch, head to Dishoom — the Bombay-style cafe that has become a London institution. The King's Cross or Covent Garden locations are both excellent. The move here is the bacon naan roll, which has gone completely viral on TikTok and genuinely lives up to every second of hype. Smoky streaky bacon stuffed into a freshly baked naan with cream cheese and chili jam. Also order the black daal (slow-cooked for 24 hours) and a masala chai. Dishoom doesn't take reservations for small parties at most locations, so aim for an early lunch or be prepared to queue.
Afternoon: Covent Garden & Seven Dials
After lunch, explore Covent Garden — the covered market with street performers, boutique shops, and the grand piazza. Duck into Neal's Yard, the colorful hidden courtyard tucked behind the main streets that's become one of London's most Instagrammed spots. The painted buildings in blues, greens, and purples surrounding a tiny courtyard are genuinely charming, not just a photo op. From there, wander through Seven Dials — seven streets converging at a sundial pillar, lined with independent shops and cafes.
Late Afternoon: Soho & Chinatown
Walk south into Soho, London's most vibrant neighborhood. Cut through Chinatown — the ornate gates and lantern-strung streets are particularly atmospheric as the afternoon light fades. Carnaby Street and the surrounding lanes are packed with shops, vinyl stores, and the kind of independent businesses that make Soho feel nothing like the rest of central London.
Evening: Bao & Cocktails
Dinner at Bao in Soho. This Taiwanese bun spot has been a London phenomenon since it opened — the fluffy steamed buns with braised pork, fried chicken, or lamb shoulder are extraordinary, and the small-plates format means you can try everything. After dinner, drinks at Cahoots — a cocktail bar built inside a disused 1940s tube station, complete with vintage train carriages and swing music. It's theatrical without being cheesy. If you want something more refined, Swift on Old Compton Street does some of the best cocktails in London across two floors.
Day 2 — East London, Markets & Culture
Morning: Brick Lane or Columbia Road
If it's Sunday, start at Columbia Road Flower Market — a narrow East London street completely taken over by flower sellers, with the Victorian shopfronts opening their doors to sell coffee, ceramics, and baked goods alongside the blooms. Get there by 9 AM before it gets crushingly packed. Any other day, head to Brick Lane for vintage shops, record stores, and the famous bagels. Beigel Bake has been open 24 hours a day since 1974 — the salt beef bagel is legendary and costs almost nothing.
Brunch: E Pellicci or Dishoom Shoreditch
For brunch, E Pellicci on Bethnal Green Road is a London institution — a family-run Italian-British cafe that's been serving full English breakfasts since 1900. The Art Deco interior is Grade II listed, the portions are enormous, and the family who runs it will make you feel like a regular on your first visit. If you want something lighter, Dishoom Shoreditch does the same incredible breakfast menu as the other locations, and the Shoreditch space itself is beautiful.
Afternoon: Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Spend the afternoon exploring Shoreditch. The street art here rivals any city in the world — entire building facades covered in murals that change constantly. Walk through Boxpark (a shopping mall made from shipping containers) and browse Spitalfields Market, which has been operating since 1638 and now houses a mix of food stalls, vintage clothing, and local designers. The area between Brick Lane and Shoreditch High Street is endlessly walkable.
Late Afternoon: Sky Garden
Book a free ticket to Sky Garden — a public garden on the 35th floor of the Walkie Talkie building with panoramic views across all of London. You need to reserve in advance (slots open three weeks ahead and fill fast), but it's completely free. The garden itself is lush and tropical, and the views stretching from The Shard to Tower Bridge to the City skyline are spectacular. There's a bar up there too, if the view calls for a glass of something.
Evening: Dinner & Rooftop Drinks
For dinner, you have options depending on what you're craving. Mangal 2 in Dalston is a legendary Turkish grill — charcoal-cooked kebabs that have attracted everyone from local families to celebrity chefs for decades. If pasta is more your speed, Padella near Borough Market serves hand-rolled pasta at prices that feel like a mistake (dishes from about six pounds). The pappardelle with beef shin ragu is extraordinary. Expect a queue, but it moves quickly. End the night with rooftop drinks at Netil360 in Hackney — a rooftop bar with views over the East London skyline and a laid-back atmosphere that feels nothing like central London.
Day 3 — West London, Museums & Parks
Morning: Portobello Road Market
Head west to Notting Hill and walk the length of Portobello Road Market. Saturday is the big day (antiques at the top, food in the middle, vintage at the bottom), but the permanent shops are open all week. The pastel-colored houses lining the surrounding streets are impossibly photogenic — every travel Reel shot in London seems to include that row of candy-colored townhouses. Browse antique silverware, vintage leather jackets, and street food stalls selling everything from paella to freshly made churros.
Brunch: Farm Girl or Granger & Co
Stop for brunch at Farm Girl in Notting Hill — a health-focused cafe that's become a staple of London's brunch scene. The acai bowls and rose-petal lattes photograph beautifully, and the food is genuinely good, not just pretty. If you want something more substantial, Granger & Co (from Australian chef Bill Granger) does ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters that rival anything you'd find in Sydney.
Afternoon: V&A or Natural History Museum
Walk to South Kensington for one of London's free museums. The V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) is the world's largest museum of applied arts and design — fashion, furniture, sculpture, photography across 145 galleries. If you prefer natural wonders, the Natural History Museum next door has the famous blue whale skeleton and a dinosaur gallery that's stunning regardless of your age. Both are completely free, and both are architecturally breathtaking buildings in their own right.
Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens
After the museum, walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. These two connected royal parks form a massive green space in the middle of the city. The Serpentine lake, the Italian Gardens fountains, Kensington Palace — it's the perfect mid-afternoon reset before your final London evening. In good weather, Londoners spread out on the grass with picnics and takeaway pints. Do as the locals do.
Late Afternoon: Afternoon Tea
Time for a proper London tradition. Sketch in Mayfair is the most Instagrammable afternoon tea in the city — the Gallery room is entirely pink, floor to ceiling, and the food is excellent to match. Book well in advance. If you want something more relaxed (and easier to get into), Peggy Porschen in Belgravia has a flower-covered pink facade that's been on every London influencer's feed, and the cakes are legitimately some of the best in the city.
Evening: Farewell Dinner & Drinks
For your last London dinner, go big. The Palomar in Soho serves Jerusalem-style cooking at a buzzing counter — the polenta with asparagus and truffle, the kubaneh bread, and the deconstructed kebab are all spectacular. It's the kind of meal that reminds you London's food scene can compete with any city on earth. For a final drink with a view, Radio Rooftop at the ME London hotel overlooks the Thames, the South Bank, and the city skyline. If you can get a reservation at Sushisamba on the 38th floor of Heron Tower, the sunset views are some of the best in the city.
Practical Tips for London
- Getting around: Use contactless payment (credit card or phone) on the Tube and buses — it's cheaper than buying an Oyster card now, and there's a daily cap so you'll never overpay. The Tube runs until midnight (later on Fridays and Saturdays on some lines).
- Museums are free: Nearly all of London's major museums — Tate Modern, V&A, Natural History Museum, British Museum, National Gallery — are completely free. This is one of the best things about London and saves you hundreds compared to other European capitals.
- Tipping: Service charge (12.5%) is often added automatically at restaurants. Check before tipping on top. At pubs, tipping isn't expected — you order and pay at the bar.
- Pub etiquette: Order at the bar, not at your table (unless the pub has table service). Rounds are a thing — if someone buys you a drink, you buy the next one. Most pubs stop serving at 11 PM on weeknights.
- Where to stay: Shoreditch or Dalston for East London vibes, Soho or Covent Garden for central access, Notting Hill for west London charm. Avoid staying near major train stations — the neighborhoods around them tend to be uninspiring.
- Rainy day backup: It will rain. Accept it. London's covered markets (Borough, Spitalfields, Camden), museums, and cozy pubs mean a rainy day can be just as good as a sunny one.
- Theater tickets: The TKTS booth in Leicester Square sells same-day West End tickets at up to 50% off. Get there when it opens for the best selection. London theater is world-class and significantly cheaper than Broadway.
From Saved Videos to Boarding Passes
London was the city that filled up our Plotline map fastest. A Borough Market food tour here, a Shoreditch street art walk there, that pink room at Sketch, the view from Sky Garden — every video got shared to the app, and before we knew it we had 40+ places pinned across the city. Dragging a circle around central London and letting Plotline build the itinerary was the easy part.
The best London recommendations aren't in guidebooks anymore. They're in the TikTok from the guy who found that underground cocktail bar, or the Reel from someone eating their way through Borough Market at 8 AM on a Saturday. The hard part was always organizing all of those scattered saves into something you could actually follow. That's what Plotline does — turns your saves into pins on a map, and your map into a trip.
If your London saves folder is already bursting, you're closer to this trip than you think.