2 days in london

Hi Kim. Does the two days include departure and arrival date? For example, do you arrive on a Monday and leave on a Tuesday? There is a lot to do and see in London. If you narrow down your interests, people can be more specific in their suggestions. Must do/see itineraries will vary from person to person.

Without knowing much about your interests, with limited time, you might consider one of the hop on/hop off tours. It is a good way to be sure you at least drive by the major sites. And you can "hop off" to see the things that interest you most.

Yes, what Kristen said, we need more info.
Until we get that info, here's a list, you'll only get a few of these done in 2 days.

Westminster Abbey
British Museum
St. Paul's Cathedral
Tower of London
National Gallery (of Art)
Victoria and Albert Museum
British Library
Trafalgar Square
Covent Garden
Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
London Eye
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Shakespeare's Globe
Kensington Palace
Natural History Museum
Courtauld Gallery
Churchill War Rooms
National Portrait Gallery

You need to check these out in a guidebook.

You don't have time for any of the usual day trips.

Working off the list above, unless you are a big-time art person or huge into Churchill, with only two days you should focus on what I have below (I removed art museums, V&A museum, Natural History Museum, British Museum and Churchill War Rooms. I'm focusing on things that are truly "British" and history).

You absolutely NEED to at least go by these places, if not tour them:
Westminster Abbey
St. Paul's Cathedral
Tower of London
Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

Make sure to spend some time walking thru:
Trafalgar Square
Covent Garden
....and I'll add the nearby Picadilly Circus, Big Ben (hard to miss!), and Hyde Park (including Prince Albert Memorial/Royal Albert Hall),

If you are big on military history, the best by far is the Imperial War Musuem. And it's free.

If you are big on the Royals, I've enjoyed the Royal Mews right by Buckingham Palace.

If you had another day or two, I'd add a daytrip to see Windsor Castle/Bath/Stonehenge via a tour bus company.

And eat at nice pubs!

Enjoy!

You absolutely need the Rick Steves Pocket Guide to London:
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=156&id=464

Kent has already given you a great list of must-see sights. The Rick Steves pocket book has a map of London, map of the tube, descriptions of all the sights Kent mentioned plus seventeen pages of recommended cafes and restaurants in easy-to-browse table form. If you are spending a couple of thousand dollars on your trip, why not spend $12. for a guidebook to make sure you get the most out of London?

The British Museum and the Tower Of London both have their own very good cafes. Most of the museums have their own cafe, and can be relied upon for a good soup and sandwich or a salad. So if you are in one of the museums you could eat there at the museum. Convenient.

Chances are good that in the short time you are in London, when you get hungry, you will just eat at the first decent looking place you see. Most of the time, that will be a pub. Most pubs serve decent food; sandwiches or fish and chips.

Covent Garden was mentioned by Kent. This is an area filled with great restaurants, everything you could want, from good Indian food (I recommend Dishoom or Moti Mahal) to steakhouses. Walk around in Covent Garden. Then choose a place that looks good to you.

The above posts are spot on. You will need to look at the "highlights" as others (including Rick Steves) define them, then be ruthlessly selective about what your own priorities are. Look at several guidebooks to see which one fits your style and needs best, and do be sure to bring one. Look into sights that have extended hours to stretch your sightseeing, or plan to see a show in the evening.

There is no right or wrong way to see London, and if you ask 10 people who've visited there what they would recommend you do, you'll get 10 different answers - all valid. With such a short time, you won't want to "wing it," so you should definitely have a plan - which, of course, you can change on the fly if desired.

As for eating, I also agree with Rebecca. Unless you want to make a special meal a priority, in such a short visit you'll likely be grabbing food wherever and whenever it's convenient for the rest of your sightseeing.

If you do want more specific recommendations, we'll need to know exactly how much time you will be in London (how many nights and the times of your arrival and departure) and whether you'll be jet lagged (i.e. are you arriving from North America or somewhere else?).

As Harold said, if you want more restaurant recommendations, we can give them. We would need to know what price range you are wanting, what location, if you are wanting these places to be near the hotel where you are staying, and so on. There are thousands of restaurants in London. If you want a dinner suggestion near the hotel where you are staying, for example, that would narrow it down.