Ready-made trips · United Kingdom
London in 4 days
Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and St Paul's, and an evening on the South Bank.
- Length
- 4 days
- Best time
- April to September, December
- Pace
- Moderate
- Day trips
- None, all in the city
Four days in London: The Tower, the City and the Globe; Westminster and the Royal Parks. Each full day is one of our own checked days, planned to be walked in order, with opening hours checked and lunch and dinner suggestions close to the stops.
Day by day
1First Evening in LondonArrival
- When you arriveSouth BankThe riverside walk from the London Eye to Tower Bridge, past theatres, book stalls and street performers.Tip: The second-hand book market under Waterloo Bridge runs every day.
Lunch nearby: Gordon's Wine Bar or Spring at Somerset House
Dinner: Four Seasons Chinatown or The Two Chairmen
2The Tower, the City and the Globe
- MorningTower of LondonHistoric fortress housing the Crown Jewels.Tip: Book the Crown Jewels early morning slot — the moving walkway past them gets shut down entirely once tour groups arrive mid-morning.
- AfternoonSky GardenA free indoor garden at the top of the Walkie-Talkie, with 360° views.Tip: Free tickets are released three weeks ahead and go fast; midweek slots are easiest.
- If you have timeSt Paul’s CathedralIconic dome and historic cathedral.Tip: Climbing to the Whispering Gallery and beyond offers genuinely good city views — Christopher Wren's masterpiece survived the Blitz largely intact.
Lunch nearby: The Lamb Tavern or Simpson's Tavern
Dinner: Great Queen Street or Spring at Somerset House
3Westminster and the Royal Parks
- MorningWestminster AbbeyGothic abbey and coronation church.Tip: Book online in advance to skip a potentially long queue — genuinely worth the included audio guide, given how much royal and literary history is packed into the building.
- AfternoonChurchill War RoomsWWII underground bunker museum.Tip: The underground bunker rooms are preserved almost exactly as they were left in 1945 — book ahead, as this smaller, more intimate museum has limited capacity and can sell out.
- If you have timeSt James's ParkThe royal park between Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards, with its pelicans.Tip: The pelicans are fed at 2.30pm by the lake; the bridge view to the palace is the postcard.
Lunch nearby: The Two Chairmen or The Cellarium Café
Dinner: Bao Soho or Rules
4A Last Morning in the West EndLast morning
- Before you leaveNational GalleryWestern painting from Giotto to Van Gogh, free, on Trafalgar Square.Tip: Go straight to Room 43 for Van Gogh’s Sunflowers before the crowds, then work back.
Lunch nearby: Four Seasons Chinatown or Gordon's Wine Bar
Dinner: Dishoom Carnaby or Bar Italia
Where to stay
Covent Garden & Soho
The heart of the West End: theatres, restaurants and the piazza, with most sights a walk away.
Covent Garden and Leicester Square tube (Piccadilly and Northern lines); walk to Westminster, Soho and the South Bank.
South Bank & Southwark
The riverside from the London Eye to Borough Market: views, galleries and the best food market in town.
Waterloo and London Bridge stations; the Jubilee line is step-free; walk along the river to Westminster and the Tower.
South Kensington
Elegant white-stucco streets by the great museums and Hyde Park.
South Kensington tube, with a tunnel straight to the museums; the Piccadilly line runs direct to Heathrow.
Everything in the plan is ready to book
The full plan has a map of each day, directions between stops, opening hours, restaurant choices, hotels in these areas and tickets, tours and trains linked to book with the provider you choose.
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