24 Hours in London

What sorts of things do you like?
* Museums?
* Pubs? (Guinness? ;-)
* Fine dining?
* Local specialty fare?
* Shopping? If so, for what?
* Churches?
* Militaria?
* Palaces?
* Food trucks/street food?
* Scenic strolls?
* Parks?
* Skateparks?
* Thrifting?
* Ethnic food?

With more info, we can give better advice. And what ever you do, you are in for a treat. London is a blast!

I doubt you'll want to do very much walking, considering your jetlag and your looming Parisian adventures!

I think that walking gets rid of jet lag better than anything I know. If I were to ensconce myself in a plush theatre seat after a long flight, I'd be asleep 5 minutes after the opening.

@gardn128, I would take a look at the Rick Steves' walking tour. It's in his guidebook but also online. It takes you to all the major sites like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and many more, and will give you a good look at London in the short time you have. https://podcasts.ricksteves.com/pdfs/westminster_map.pdf

From Heathrow, take the Piccadilly Line to Piccadilly Circus. (If you tell us what hotel we might be able to give better directions.)

Eurostar suggests you arrive 90 minutes prior to departure. You could give up to two hours if you don't mind waiting around a bit. More than that is overkill.

It will be getting dark pretty early in London in November. Perhaps a nice afternoon stroll then an evening boat ride on the Thames to see Parliament all lit up. If you decide you want to do one tourist thing you could visit the Tower, see the jewels, then get on the boat there and head toward Westminster. Ride in a black cab at some point.

As noted if you share hotel name easier for us to provide intel.

That said I’d walk over to Parliament Square where you’ll see Parliament with Elizabeth’s tower and if lucky you’ll hear Big Ben toll. Westminster Abbey is also nearby.

I’d then walk to the Two Chairman pub and have lunch. From there walk over to the Cockpit Steps and into Saint James park where you can follow Birdcage Walk up to Buckingham Palace. If the Royal Standard is flying it means the King is in residence .

Then back to your accommodation, check out and off to St Pancras. While waiting for your train have tea at the Booking Office.

We are staying at the Zedwell on Great Windmill Street.

We are trying to eat Vegan or something close to it most of the time so any recommendations anyone has for either a vegan restaurant or something ethnic that is vegetarian friendly would be greatly appreciated.

As for what we like to do, we will definitely be coming back on a trip dedicated to London and broader England in the future so we don't want to necessarily rush through anything just to check a box if we aren't really experiencing it, so while we love museums and castles and palaces, I don't want us to have to run through them. I love the walking tour idea - did tons of those in Italy via Rick Steve's earlier this year, and the boat ride at night sounds fantastic also.

Your hotel is right near the Piccadilly Circus tube station so the Piccadilly Line makes senses. Direct from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus.

There is a Whole Foods--yes the US chain--a couple of blocks from your hotel. They have both hot and cold prepared foods as well as a place to sit and eat. Plenty of vegan selections.

A meal at a good Indian restaurant covers my shortlist of London experiences and can be vegan, so you’re set there. Dishoom is popular, but I’d confidently stroll in just about anywhere and expect a decent meal.

Quick hits? Head to Westminster and get a look at Big Ben and Parliment buildings. It’s the quintessential “I’m in London!” moment. I’d also put seeing Westminster Abbey on my short list, and it’s not as exhausting as a museum. Grab some lunch, maybe wander around Covent Garden/Trafalfar. I suspect you might be running low on gas at this point.

The next day, St. Paul’s would be a decent thing to squeeze in the morning. In the afternoon, the British Library is literally next door to St. Pancras. Storing your bags at the station while you see the treasures for an hour or so seems very doable!

For your vegan and ethnic food desires, pretty close to where you’re staying, try Govinda’s, a very long-established London Indian restaurant. It’s largely but not entirely vegan (it does serve paneer, for example.)

It’s actually part of the Hare Krishna movement and has been there for ever.

https://govindas.london/

I also like the Sagar restaurants - a mini chain of vegan Indian restaurants with good dosas etc. A couple of branches close to you.

https://www.sagarrestaurant.co.uk/

I haven’t done this, but I did a similar thing in Dublin and enjoyed it very much. They serve tea while driving around in a vintage bus. Vegan option available. https://b-bakery.com/