As one of the most exciting, iconic, and historically rich cities in the world, London is at the top of almost every bucket list. You can’t go to Europe and not go to London. Your plane is probably landing there. Or maybe you’re tired of being in non english speaking countries and need to order a coffee without stuttering 100 times. You’re gonna end up in London.
I visited London in summer 2023, and this is almost the exact itinerary I followed, with a few tweaks that I would have made if I had known what I know now! I had an amazing time in the city and cannot wait to go back!
This itinerary covers most of the must-see sights, as well as recommendations if you wish to extend your stay.
This itinerary can be rearranged depending on where you want to start or where your accommodation is located.
Short on time? Check out my 2 day London itinerary
*Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate. I may receive a small commission from purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products and services that I 100% trust and believe in*
When to Visit London
London is a great city to explore at any time of year. However, the busiest travel periods are during summer (June-August) and Christmas. If you are travelling during these times of year, make sure that you are pre-booking your flight and accommodation well in advance to get the best price.
How to Get to London
I like to use Google Flights to track flight prices over a couple months; they send you an email when the flight is the absolute cheapest it’s going to get!
Where to Stay in London
$ Hostel $
Onefam Notting Hill
63 Prince’s Square, London, England.
Honestly, London just doesn’t do hostels well. For the most part, they’re not much more than over-priced dungeons. I love Onefam Notting Hill because it is social and vibrant, with outdoor space to hang out, clean bathrooms and a variety of dorm room options. They run social events every single night. I love that it’s located near Hyde Park (love me a park) and Portobello Markets. It’s 7 minutes walk to Bayswater station, which is part of the Circle tube line. Check availability or see other options.
$$ Hotel $$
Kensington Gardens Hotel
9 Kensington Gardens Square, Westminster Borough, London, W2 4BH, United Kingdom.
This hotel is also located in the Notting Hill area, 5 minutes walk from Bayswater tube station. It has simple but clean furnishings and overlooks the gorgeous Kensington Square Gardens. This hotel is adults-only, perfect for a romantic weekend getaway. Check availability or see other options.
How to Get Cheap Accommodation
- Peak time to travel to York is in summer (June-August) and around Christmas. Accommodation is the most expensive during this time. To get the best deal, travel during the off season, when beds can be as low as £20 (as of May 2024). Off season includes January to early May, and September to early December.
- Book in advance, especially during the peak seasons.
- Booking via the official hostel website can sometimes (not always) get you a better deal than booking via third-party websites. However, third party websites do sometimes provide more flexibility for cancellation or changes.
How to Get Around London
London is a HUGE city, spanning 1,500 square kilometres across 32 different boroughs. Lucky London has such a great public transport system: an underground train system, extensive bus services and taxis. Transport for London makes it easy to plan your journeys and figure out which service, station and ticket you need.
Using the taxi service is unnecessary and expensive, I would recommend only taking a taxi if you have a large group to split the cost, it is an emergency, or it is very late at night.
Read my blog post to learn how to use the London tube like a pro, including how to get to and from the airport for cheap!
The London City Pass gives you up to 50% off sights and activities! If you want to visit several of the major sights in a short period of time, check if this Pass will save you some money.
DAY 1: Kensington and Westminster
- Hyde Park (free)
- Kensington Palace (£24)
- Natural History Museum (free)
- Victoria and Albert Museum (free)
- Harrods
- Buckingham Palace (tours in summer cost £20.50 for 18-24 year olds, or £32 for adults)
- Westminster Abbey (£29)
This day involves a lot of walking, so get your comfy shoes on.
Morning
This 4 day London itinerary begins by exploring Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. Rent a bike, or walk around, or just sit and have a picnic brekky and stare at the hot British runners, whatever floats your boat.
I didn’t even go inside Kensington Palace because I was on a strict budget, I’m not a huge royal fan, and the outside was pretty enough for me. Entry tickets are £24.
Head through the park to South Kensington where the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum are located side by side (both free).
The V & A museum is by far my favourite museum in London!
Afternoon
Grab lunch in South Kensington, and don’t forget to check out Harrods.
After lunch, walk up to the Wellington Arch, which was originally the entrance arch to Buckingham Palace, but later became a commemoration to the Duke of Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon in 1815. It costs £6.50 to climb to the top of Wellington Arch for a view of the parks and Buckingham Palace.
Nearby is Aspley House, the Georgian style home-turned-museum of the Duke of Wellington. Entry costs £12.50 in peak season or £10 in the off season.
Walk through Green Park via Constitution Hill to reach Buckingham Palace.
NOTE: The Wellington Arch roundabout can be a bit tricky to get through, so alternatively you could take the tube from Hyde Park Corner to Green Park, then walk along the edge of the park to Buckingham Palace, checking out Spencer House and St James Palace along the way.
Observe the lavish and iconic Buckingham Palace. You can take a tour of the palace in summer for a hefty £32. Take your obligatory photo and your obligatory video through the fence of the guards stomping around.
If you’re there in the morning, the changing of the guard takes place most days at 11am. However, I found that this was the busiest and most uncomfortable time to visit the palace since tourists flock there from 10am onwards to get a good spot. I recommend observing the palace after lunch.
London Travel Essentials
SIM cards: Airalo offers eSIMS for over 200 countries which you can install BEFORE travelling, saving you the stress of running around to find a store or from being ripped off by local vendors. This is perfect for backpackers who are travelling to multiple destinations in a short period of time.
Insurance: You should NOT go overseas without getting travel insurance. Travel insurance protects you in case you get injured or your plans change or are cancelled. I always use Covermore, because the cover is comprehensive and they were easy to work with when I needed to make a claim.
Banking: When travelling and saving for travel I use Up Bank, an online Australian bank, that allows fee-free overseas transactions, unlimited savings ‘pools’ and easy transfers. If you join Up with my invite code we both get $13!
If you come out onto Birdcage Walk, to the left (towards Westminster) is the Guards Museum (£8) where you can learn about the history and life of the royal guards. To the right is a bunch of souvenir shops including Buckingham Palace Shop, Cool Britannia, and London Gifts and Souvenirs (I’m a sucker for souvenir shops).
Continue along Birdcage Walk to Westminster Abbey.
If you still have a bit of steam left in the tank, I would recommend walking along The Mall. This is the ceremonial route where royal processions for coronations and weddings take place. When you reach Trafalgar Square, turn right and head down to Parliament Square.
Along the way you can stop to check out Whitehall, 10 Downing Street, and the Churchill War Rooms (£32).
From Parliament Square you can:
- Observe the Winston Churchill statue.
- Observe Big Ben
- Explore Westminster Abbey (£29)
- Explore St Margaret’s Church (free).
- Rest and listen to the buskers that are probably playing in the square.
Walk along Westminster Bridge and look back to see Westminster Hall in all her glory.
Evening
It is likely evening now, so you could take a ride in the London Eye (£25.50) and observe the city beginning to light up.
Walk back across to Westminster tube station and take the tube to wherever your dinner/drinks reservation is! You deserve it!
DAY 2: City and Southbank
- St Bartholomew the Great Church (free)
- Paul’s Cathedral (£25)
- Leadenhall Market (free)
- Tower of London (£33.60)
- Borough Market
- Southwark Cathedral (free)
- Show at Shakespeare’s Globe (start at £5)
Morning
After breakfast, begin your day by taking a tube to Barbican tube station. One minute walk from there is one of London’s oldest churches dedicated to St Bartholomew the Great. This church is free to visit (tours Wednesday and Friday for a fee) and just celebrated its 900th anniversary!
After this, walk 10 minutes to St Paul’s Cathedral. You have a couple of options here:
- Book a sightseeing ticket for £25 and explore as you like.
- Attend the 8am service to view the interior (you don’t get to wander around, but listening to the morning hymns is nice).
- Or view the exterior for free.
Next, walk along to Leadenhall Market, the Victorian style indoor market that is supposedly the inspiration for Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.
You could grab lunch in one of the nearby restaurants.
Afternoon
After lunch, head to the Tower of London. While tickets are pricey (£33.60) I felt that my visit was totally worth it. The tower and surrounds are so rich in history (William the Conqueror, first King of England built the White Tower in 1066!) and I really learnt a lot about the history of England and the royal family.
If you’re interested in visiting the Tower of London, but you aren’t sure if the ticket price is worth it, check out my post Tower of London: What to expect and is it worth it?
Once you’ve finished up in the Tower of London (and its souvenir shop!) it is likely mid to late afternoon.
Walk across the London Bridge and explore the Borough Market, maybe grabbing a snack or a picnic dinner to have beside the river.
Nearby is Southwark Cathedral (free), the filming location of Bridget Jones, the Tate Modern art museum (free), and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.
Evening
Instead of taking a guided tour of Shakespeare’s Globe for £25, I recommend attending a performance! The Globe has regular performances with a range of ticket options, the cheapest being the standing ticket for £5!
Performances usually begin at 7:30pm and end around 10pm.
I saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a standing ticket, and yes your feet do get a bit tired, but I enjoyed it for the experience. I felt like I was a peasant spending my last penny lol!
After the performance I walked to the Blackfriars tube station to get back to my hostel. I didn’t feel unsafe as there were other performance goers around, but you could totally take a taxi instead.
DAY 3: Markets and Museums
- Portobello Road Market
- Oxford Street
- British Museum
- The National Gallery and The National Portrait Gallery
- Chinatown
Morning
Begin the third day of your 4 day London itinerary by taking a tube to Notting Hill Gate station and spend the morning walking along Portobello Road Market. It is a bit touristy and overpriced but that’s part of the experience.
Don’t forget to stop at the Notting Hill Bookshop and the blue door from the Notting Hill movie (had a big ad on the top when I visited which was slightly annoying).
Next, you’re going to get yourself to Oxford Street for a spot of shopping (or window shopping).
There are so many lunch options in Soho you are spoilt for choice.
Afternoon
After lunch, head to the British Museum (free). You can’t come to London and NOT go to the British Museum; it is basically a requirement.
You could spend a whole day there (I almost did, I got lost), but once you’re done, head down to the National Gallery.
The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are next door to each other and are both free! Additionally, they both stay open late until 9pm on Fridays.
On a budget? Check out 10 FREE or CHEAP things to do in London
Evening
Once you are museumed out, head over to Chinatown. Chinatown gets seriously busy in the evening, I think it must be a favourite of the office professionals. You can eat dinner there, or take a picnic to the Soho Gardens.
After dinner, you could grab drinks at one of the many pubs and bars, go to the movies or go late night shopping (many of the shops in that area stay open to 8-10pm especially in the summer).
DAY 4: Choose your own adventure
Option 1: Harry Potter Studio Tour
*Must be pre-booked well in advance*
Ticket prices start at £53.50 for adults.
To get there, make your way to Euston Station. Take the train to Watford Junction (30 minutes). I recommend stopping in at the Harry Potter Shop at Kings Cross before going to Euston Station.
From Watford Junction, take the free shuttle bus to the Studio.
You will spend the whole day there, so don’t book anything else in the afternoon.
Read: The Magic of the Harry Potter Studio Tour London: What to Expect
Option 2: Camden and Kew Gardens
Take the tube to Camden Town and spend the morning exploring Camden Market.
After lunch, take the train to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (tickets vary from £12 to £22 depending on season and day of the week).
The gardens will take all afternoon to explore the Queen Charlottes Cottage (Bridgerton anyone?), Syon House, the King’s Observatory, and Kew Palace among other things.
In the evening, why not get dressed up and see a musical in the West End? You can book your tickets online or in-person at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square (sometimes they have discounts on the day-of).
What are the best day trips from London?
Are you staying a little longer in London and wondering what else there is to do? Most day trip tours from London combine multiple sights in one, making it super easy to see the best of the surrounding countryside.
One tour takes you to see Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds all in one day! This tour takes you to see Oxford as well as Stonehenge and Windsor. And this tour is a complete exploration of the Cotswolds including the villages of Burford, Stow on the Wold and Chipping Campden.
There are tonnes and tonnes of day trip tours available.
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