On day in London: What to see and where to stay

take the train from Gatwick to Blackfriars station and stay here

http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-blackfriars-fleet-street.html

only you know what you want to see....

Some of the best museums in the entire world are in London, but you might only have the time or energy to see one or two of them in a day. Are you an art fan? History? Modern (or antique) design?

. . . or interested in doing the tourist "must-do" things?

Start at Parliament Square.

Thank you for your reccomendations, Blackfriars looks like a good starting point.

I am huge fan of London Walks, no need to book in advance, just show up and pay 10 GBP to the tour guide.
www.walks.com

The National Gallery is one of the finest art museums in the world, it collects only European painting from the late medieval era to about the 20th century. It is free, with a donation appreciated.

If you stay in the Premier Inn that ramblin' on suggested, you can walk 2 blocks to the north and find Fleet Street, which travels east-west across part of London. The Number 15 bus travels east and west on this street, and is an excellent mode of transportation.

The Number 15 bus, if you take it east, will take you to St. Paul's Cathedral and then onward to The Tower of London. You definitely want to see the Tower, even if you only have time to walk all the way around it and see it from the outside.

The number 15 bus, if you take it west, will take you to Trafalgar Square, where you can find the National Gallery and also the National Portrait Gallery. At Trafalgar Square you will find the Church of St Martin-In-The-Fields, which has an excellent cafe in the Basement, Cafe In The Crypt.

To ride the tube or bus you'll need an Oyster card. This can be bought at Gatwick Airport, at Blackfriars Station, or at the Tourist Information kiosk (shaped like a glass triangle) across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral. You can walk to St. Paul's from your hotel; it's only about 6 or 8 blocks.

There is a great restaurant near this Premier Inn. Walk out the front door of your hotel, walk north up Dorset Rise St., to Fleet Street. Look across the street, and to the left. There you will find Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Excellent place for food and drink.

There are several different trains you can take from Gatwick into London. One of these is the Gatwick Express, which puts you into London in a different location from the Blackfriars Station mentioned in the above posts.

Gatwick Express puts you in at Victoria Station, which is near Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Parliament. There is a Premier Inn hotel about one block from Victoria Station.
http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-victoria.html?cid=GLBC_LKEBAR

From this location, you would have an easy walk to all the sights I mentioned above. You would also be near the Churchill War Rooms, in case you are interested. You would also be not far from the river, where you could walk over Westminster Bridge and along the south bank of the river to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern Art Gallery. There are pubs and restaurants along the riverside. A walk along the river or one of the walks given in Rick's London book would be fun.

If you don't already have a map of London, you will want to get a good one to take with you.