two ways to do the day — switch between them.
~9am to evening · 10 stops · ride the loop once, then hop off at the big three.
Big Ben & Westminster
hop off~10:30 St Paul's Cathedral
~13:45 Tower of London
hop off~14:45 Covent Garden
hop off~18:15 ~12:30 to 18:30 · 6 stops · the iconic core plus St Paul's, mostly on foot, dinner at the end.
London Eye & South Bank
~13:45 St Paul's Cathedral
~14:45 Covent Garden
dinner~18:30 do the full loop once before getting off, to find your feet and catch the commentary.
sit up top, bring a layer — the open deck is the point, but london weather turns fast.
48-hour ticket usually pays off if you actually plan to hop off.