London itinerary: 4 days for a first visit

November 8, 2026 · 7 min read

London is huge, and the first mistake visitors make is to treat it as one place. It is a collection of villages that grew into each other, and crossing from one side to the other can take an hour. Four days is enough to see the famous things and still have time for a market, a pub and a walk beside the river.

This plan keeps each day in one part of the city, so you spend your time looking rather than changing trains. It also leaves gaps. London is better when you let a day wander a little, and some of its best moments are the ones nobody planned: a park in the sun, a street band, a pub with a fire on a wet afternoon.

Before you go: the short version

How long: four days. Five lets you add Kew, Hampton Court or a day trip to Oxford or Cambridge.
Where to stay: Covent Garden, Bloomsbury or the South Bank for a central first base; Kensington for quiet streets and museums; Shoreditch for nightlife and a younger crowd.
From the airport: from Heathrow, the Elizabeth line reaches central London in about 30 to 40 minutes, and the Piccadilly line takes around an hour. From Gatwick, trains to central stations take about 30 minutes.
Getting around: the Underground, buses and the river boats. Tap in and out with a contactless card or a transit card. More in the United Kingdom travel guide.
Book ahead: the Tower of London in busy months, West End theatre and anywhere you want for Sunday lunch.

Day 1: Westminster and the South Bank

Morning. Start at Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower known as Big Ben stand beside the river. Walk past Westminster Abbey, the coronation church, and through St James's Park, with its pelicans and its view up The Mall to Buckingham Palace. If you want to see the Changing of the Guard, check the schedule before you go and arrive early to get a place.

Afternoon. Cross Westminster Bridge to the South Bank, the stretch of the Thames where Londoners themselves go for a walk. The London Eye is the obvious attraction, and queues are shortest if you book a time slot. Walk east along the river, passing the National Theatre and the skate park under the Southbank Centre, where the second-hand book stalls set out their tables under the bridge.

Evening. Carry on to Tate Modern, a former power station, and the replica of Shakespeare's Globe, then to Borough Market, the old food market under the railway arches. Eat there while the stalls are open, or wander the streets behind for a pub with a decent dinner. Cross the Millennium Bridge at dusk for the view of St Paul's.

Day 2: Bloomsbury, Covent Garden and the West End

Morning. Begin at the British Museum in Bloomsbury, one of the great museums of the world. It is too big to see in a morning, so choose three things in advance: the Rosetta Stone, the Egyptian galleries and the Parthenon sculptures are the usual ones. Afterwards, wander the Georgian squares around it, home to bookshops, university buildings and quiet gardens.

Afternoon. Walk south to Covent Garden, where street performers work the piazza outside the old market hall. From there, Leicester Square and Chinatown are a few minutes away, and Soho beyond them has a dense grid of small streets with cafés, bars, bakeries and independent shops. Stop at Trafalgar Square on the way, and climb the steps of the National Gallery to see its collection of European painting.

Evening. Go to the theatre. London's West End is one of the best places in the world to see a play or a musical, and a seat in the middle of the stalls matters less than a good show. Book ahead for popular productions, and eat early or after, around Soho or Covent Garden. For a late drink, find a traditional pub in a side street and order a pint of bitter or a cider.

Day 3: the City and the East End

Morning. Take the Underground to St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's masterpiece, and climb inside the dome for a view across the city. Walk east through the City, the old financial district, where glass towers rise beside medieval churches and the narrow lanes of the old street plan. Go to the Tower of London early, since it is large and the crowds grow through the morning: the White Tower, the walls and the Crown Jewels need a couple of hours.

Afternoon. Cross Tower Bridge on foot, the distinctive bascule bridge that most people mistake for London Bridge. Then head north to Spitalfields Market, a covered market of crafts, food stalls and shops, and on to Brick Lane, lined with curry houses and bagel bakeries. The street art in Shoreditch, a short walk further, changes constantly.

Evening. Shoreditch and Hackney are the best places for a night out in East London, with a mix of cocktail bars, small music venues and street-food courts. If you'd rather sit down to dinner, the area around Columbia Road and Broadway Market has good independent restaurants. Come back by the Overground or a night bus, which run late.

Day 4: Greenwich and the river

Morning. For a change of pace, take the river boat to Greenwich, which runs from Westminster or the Tower in about an hour. The ride alone is worth it, taking in the bridges and the old docklands from the water. Greenwich is a World Heritage site: a historic naval town with the tall ship Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Naval College and the covered market.

Afternoon. Climb through Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory, where you can stand with a foot in each hemisphere on the Prime Meridian line. The view from the hill over the Thames and the towers of Canary Wharf is one of the best in London. Walk back down for lunch in the market, then stroll along the river or through the foot tunnel to the Isle of Dogs.

Evening. For your last night, take the Underground or the boat back and walk along the river from Westminster to Embankment, where the bridges are lit. Eat in a pub with a roast, or try one of the many Indian, Turkish or Caribbean restaurants for which London is known. If you've saved one more night for a show, this is the moment.

With more time

Kensington and the museums: the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum stand side by side, with Hyde Park next door.
Notting Hill and Portobello Road: pastel houses and a long street market, best on a Saturday morning.
Hampton Court and Kew: a royal palace and a botanic garden, each a half-day trip by train or boat.
Further on: Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Brighton are all within a couple of hours by train. The train travel in Europe guide explains how to plan rail trips, and the Eurostar runs to Paris and Brussels.

Where to stay

Covent Garden and Bloomsbury: central and walkable, with the theatres, museums and several Underground lines nearby. A good first base.
The South Bank: close to the river and the main attractions, with good transport and views.
Kensington and South Kensington: elegant and quiet, with the big museums on your doorstep, but further from the East End.
Shoreditch and the East End: for restaurants, bars and nightlife, with fast connections into the centre.

Hotel rooms in London are costly in central areas, so for a group an apartment can make sense. Compare it with staying a little further out on a fast line. See where to stay with a group.

Getting around

The Underground is the quickest way to cover long distances, and the map is simple once you've used it once or twice. Buses are slower, but the upper deck of a double-decker is a good way to see the city between sights. Walking between sights is often faster than people expect, particularly in the centre. Check that your last train or night bus runs home, and stand on the right on escalators. For how a rail and bus system works in any new place, see public transport in a new city.

Planning London as a group

London is easy for a group if you accept that you won't all want the same things. Book the Tower of London and a West End show for everyone at once, so you're in the same row. Agree on a meeting point each morning, because it is easy to lose people in the crowds. And keep the shared costs, like the pub rounds, the taxis and the theatre tickets, in one place, so nobody has to remember who paid for what.

What to pack

A waterproof jacket and comfortable shoes are the essentials; the weather can change within an hour, and you will walk a long way on hard pavements. Bring a power adapter for the British three-pin plug, and a small bag that closes, since you'll be on the Underground at busy times. The packing list for a city break covers the rest.