A Local’s London 4 Days Itinerary: See the Best of London

I’ve been living in London since 2018, so I know the city pretty well! I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to Big Ben, London Eye and the Tower Bridge. In this London Travel Itinerary I will share with you how you can spend 4 full days in London.

While 4 days in London are nowhere near enough to explore everything this city has to offer, it will be just enough time to see the best of London. Don’t worry, a local got you covered!

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

Heads up! Some links in this blog are affiliates. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only recommend stuff I’ve tested or trust. You can read more about our affiliate disclaimer here.

⭐️ Join my London Travel Tips FB Group to ask questions, get advice and engage with our community.

📖 Read my How to Spend 2 Days in London: London’s Main Attractions blog post.

How to Get to London

There are 2 options on how to get to London: by flight or train.

Most likely you will get to London by air because that’s the easiest and often the cheapest option. If you’re flying overseas, most likely you will land at London Heathrow, London’s biggest and busiest airport.

However, if you’re based out of Europe, North Africa and often The Middle East, you can also find the low-budget flights to London. Ryanair usually has the most competitive prices, but often that means you will land at Stansted Airport, which is actually outside of London, though it’s relatively easy to get to the city centre, but it takes longer than from Heathrow or Gatwick.

✅ Check the flight prices here.

You can also catch a EuroStar train to London St Pancras station.

Once you’re at the airport and depending at which one you land, you can get to the city centre either via tube (use contactless card for that), via train, National Express bus, private transfer or by Uber.

How to Get around London

Getting around London is pretty easy. While it is a big city, most sites are just a short walk from one to the other.

This 4 days London itinerary is designed in a way to have you use public transport as little as possible because not only is it the best to experience London by walking, but also the public transport is expensive!

If you’re staying in Zone 1 (city centre) which is my recommendation, then you may from time to time use either underground or bus. As said above, you can pay contactless (my preferred way) or with Oyster Visitor or Travelcard if travelling as a family or in a large group.

Where to Stay in London

As mentioned above, the best is to stay in Zone 1, which is the city centre. That way a lot of sights will be within walking distance and you won’t be dependent on public transport that much.

📖 For more, have a look at my hotel recommendation blog posts:

– Top 11 London Hotels with the Best Views (All Budgets!)
– 6 Best Hotels with Amazing Views of Tower Bridge in London
– 5 Best Hotels with Big Ben Views in London for Every Budget

When to Visit London

It’s a million dollar question. Good weather is NEVER guaranteed in London, even if you come during the summer months.

As a Londoner, my number one advice is DON’T visit during the winter months, from January to March. It is cold all the time, it’s very rainy, windy, barely any sun, so avoid at all costs!

Your safest bet would be July and August, and if lucky, you can even experience some proper summer temperatures! May, June and September can be pleasant months to visit too.

I personally love London in December too because the Christmas vibes are the best! Yes, it’s cold, but it is still not rainy and windy like in Jan-Mar, and there’s mulled wine on every corner to keep you warm.

📖 Read my Best Festive Things to Do in London for Christmas blog post.

How Many Days in London is Ideal

The more, the better. I’d say 7 full days are the best, but even with 4 days in London, you will be able to cover its main sights and really get to experience the best the city has to offer.

✅ If you plan on going inside London’s main attractions, then I highly recommend getting a London City Pass. The more attractions you cover, the more you save.

Day 1 in London

On your first day in London, you will focus on the Westminster and the Southbank area.

✅ Consider taking this best rated Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Buckingham Palace Tour.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is a royal residence of the British Royal Family and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom.

💡If you plan on visiting the Buckingham Palace inside, you can only do it from June to October. Make sure to get your tickets before they get sold out.

If you’re interested in the Changing of the Guards, know that this is happening outside Buckingham Palace every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:45am and lasts around 45 minutes, with the actual change that takes place at 11am.

Westminster Abbey

If there is one church you absolutely have to visit both outside and inside it’s Westminster Abbey.

It’s the most historical sacred and royal building in London. The kings & queens have been crowned there since 1066! The last coronation was of King Charles III in May 2023. He was the 40th monarch to be crowned there.

And you know what’s cool? You can see the coronation chair inside the Abbey. The one you see now has been used since 1296 when King Edward I brought it to be crowned there.

Inside the Westminster Abbey you will find many royal tombs, with the oldest one that of Edward the Confessor, reinterred in a shrine behind the High Altar in 1163.

Apart from kings and queens, many famous scientists and writers have been buried there too, such as Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll to name a few.

✅ The Westminster Abbey entrance ticket is well worth the price.

Big Ben & Westminster Parliament

I’m sure when you think of London, the first thing that comes to mind is Big Ben, or as officially called The Elizabeth Tower.

Big Ben has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.

It is part of the Westminster Parliament (former Westminster Palace, also UNESCO site). You can tour both Westminster Parliament and even climb Big Ben, but you have to buy your tickets months in advance (for example, in August they release tickets for November!).

💡INSIDER’S TIP: There’s a nice little cafe with great Westminster Palace & Big Ben views. It is called 2 Love.

📖 Check my 5 Best Hotels with Big Ben Views in London for Every Budget blog post.

London Eye

On the opposite side of Big Ben is London Eye, another epic landmark.

The London Eye is the highest observation wheel in Europe. The views were pretty amazing from it, especially of Westminster Parliament and Big Ben.

✅ You need to buy a timed ticket to avoid queuing for the tickets (the queue is long even with the pre-purchased tickets, but it goes faster!).

📖 Read my 37 Best London Instagram Spots with Google Maps blog post.

Southbank

Southbank is a pretty chilled area in London. I love coming there, especially in the summer months. There are many eating and drinking shops and restaurants with outside tables and benches.

My favourite thing is to get to Southbank Street Food Market, get some food, drinks and enjoy the views by the river. Highly recommending it to you.

Westminster to Greenwich River Thames Cruise

I would recommend you to end your day with Westminster to Greenwich River Thames Cruise. Honestly, there’s no more perfect way to see all the sights from your day 1 from the river.

📖 Read my 11 Romantic Things to Do in London for Valentine’s Day blog post.

Day 2 in London

Your 2nd day of this London 4 days itinerary is focused on the central east area.

This is my favourite part of London because I just love the views of Tower Bridge and the contrast of old and modern architecture.

Tower Bridge

For me, it is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.

Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 and was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales on 30 June 1894.

It is often confused with London Bridge which is a short minute walk from Tower Bridge. Unlike Tower Bridge, London Bridge is nothing special, but it offers great views of Shard, Tower Bridge and the surrounding area.

What’s cool about Tower Bridge is that it opens approximately twice a day to let tall boats pass through, which is about 800 times a year. Perhaps you’d be lucky to see it.

Another cool experience at Tower Bridge is actually going up and walking its glass floor.

✅ You need to buy tickets for this activity as it’s not free of charge.

💡P. S. I recommend this cool pub that not many people know of, but it has amazing views of Tower Bridge! While I always sit outside, the inside of this pub is actually inside the bridge’s pillars!

Tower of London

The Tower of London is the most historic castle and landmark in London. It was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror after he had won at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose. The tradition of housing the Crown Jewels, a collection of royal ceremonial objects, in the Tower of London probably dates from the reign of Henry III.

✅ While the Tower of London is pretty impressive from the outside and you can almost circle around it, if you’d like to go inside and to see the Crown Jewels, you need to buy your entrance ticket.

📖 Read my Top 20 Things to do in London for History Lovers blog post.

Street Food Market

Nearby you will find Borough Market, London’s most famous street food market. Honestly, as a local it is not my favourite because it’s a tourist favourite. And nothing wrong with that because I even brought my parents there, but just be prepared for crowds, especially if you’re visiting over the weekend.

✅ Consider joining this best rated Borough Market Foodie Walking Tour with Tastings.

If you want a more local experience with better food choices and much, much more seating space, I recommend Mercato Metropolitano which is just a 10 min walking distance from Borough Market!

Skydeck

While you’re in this part of London, I highly recommend visiting at least one skydeck .

St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London, the seat of the Bishop of London. It is on Ludgate Hill, the highest point of the City of London. St Paul’s Cathedral was built on a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana.

The cathedral is beautiful inside, but my favourite part is its dome. You can climb it, but be aware there are 528 steps.

For me, it was one of the most difficult ascents, especially from the balcony to the very top because the stairs are spiral, tiny and you see everything down from there. But the views are well worth the climb! St Paul’s Cathedral offers 360 degree views of the city. I especially loved the views of Millennium Bridge and east centre.

You can only visit the inside of St Paul’s Cathedral for free on Sundays during the mass. But you can’t explore it freely, you can only attend its Sunday service.

✅ All the other days you need to buy the ticket to get inside. The ticket includes the crypt (you will find Nelson’s, Wellington’s and Fleming’s tombs), the cathedral and the dome. You can’t buy a ticket for the cathedral only as everything is immediately included within the ticket.

Millennium Bridge

Millennium Bridge opened in 2000 and it’s a pedestrian-only suspension bridge. It connects the St Paul’s Cathedral with Tate Modern, so it’s very easy to explore this area.

Harry Potter fans will recognise it from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

✅ If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then consider joining this best rated Harry Potter Walking Tour.

📖 Read my 10 Best Literary Towns in the UK to Add to Your Bucket List blog post.

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a modern and contemporary art gallery in London with a collection from the 1900s onwards. Inside you will see Duchamp’s Fountain, Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych and Dali’s Lobster Telephone to name a few.

While you can visit it for free, check out if there are some interesting exhibitions happening. I loved the Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room that was going on in 2022.

✅ However, if you’d like to see the highlights of Tate Modern (because the museum is huge!), I recommend to join this guided tour.

Day 3 in London

Day 3 in London of this London itinerary is focused on the Kensington and Knightsbridge area.

Hyde Park

You can’t come to London and not take a walk through Hyde Park. It’s my favourite weekend activity: take a coffee and go for a walk. Therefore, I’m suggesting you to do the same.

Hyde Park is a Royal Park that was established by King Henry VIII after he took the land from Westminster Abbey to use it as a hunting space. Today you can’t hunt, but you can enjoy its wildlife (many, many cute little squirrels out there).

Kensington Palace & Gardens

Next to Hyde Park you will find Kensington Palace & Gardens where Queen Victoria was born and raised.

While the palace is not pretty from the outside, especially compared to others, it is still an important and culturally significant landmark in London.

✅ You can experience the royal afternoon tea here btw!

Albert Memorial

Queen Victoria erected this memorial after her beloved husband Albert passed away. What I particularly like is that on each corner of the memorial, you will see sculptures representing 4 different continents: Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe.

Royal Albert Hall

Across the street from Albert Memorial, you will find the Royal Albert Hall.

There are many interesting concerts and shows happening there. My favourite is a film in concert. Practically, they play the movie on the large screen while the philharmonic orchestra plays the movie music.

I watched all 3 Lord of The Rings movies and honestly, this is still my favourite experience in London.

✅ I definitely recommend you to check what’s going on there during your visit.

You can also take a guided tour to see where The Beatles have graced the stage, and if lucky enough, you can even see a rehearsal.

Museums in Kensington

I definitely recommend you to choose to visit at least one museum in Kensington.

There are 3 museums almost one next to the other: Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and Science Museum.

This is also exactly the order of how I like them, so if you have only time or will for one museum, I would choose the Natural History Museum, especially if you’re with kids.

However, V&A Museum has the best exhibitions, so I’d recommend checking out what’s going on there. Also, V&A Museum has an amazing cafe, highly recommending it!

Harrods

If there’s one luxury shop you have to visit in London, that must be Harrods. It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world, but also the most beautiful if you ask me.

Inside you will find a memorial of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son. You probably know that Princess Diana had an affair with Dodi and they died together in an accident in Paris.

Obviously, there’s a lot of controversy going on around it, but we won’t go into that. The memorial is really beautiful and it is next to the Egyptian Hall, so if you want to experience a little bit of Ancient Egypt while in London, this is a place to go.

Harrods gets especially beautiful for Christmas.

Elan Cafe

Nearby you will find Elan Cafe (EL&N) which is the ultimate girls’ dream (think 50 shades of pink). BUT, their cakes are seriously SO GOOD, I highly recommend you to go there.

Day 4 in London

Our final day of this 4 days travel itinerary in London is focused on the West London area. It’s a mix of sightseeing, shopping and cultural activities.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a large square in London that commemorates General Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar against Napoleon.

It’s a really beautiful square, but it is always busy, especially as the National Gallery is just there.

National Gallery

The National Gallery is one of my favourite museums in London. Not only do they have my favourite collection of art (Van Gogh, Monet, Da Vinci), but the whole building is a piece of art for itself. The architecture is gorgeous and inside it looks like you stepped into a palace.

I still remember the excitement when I first saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. I highly recommend entering, even if you’re short on time, just pick a few art pieces you’d like to see and go inside because the entrance is free!

✅ However, if you have more time and would love to learn more in depth about the collection highlights, I definitely recommend this private exclusive guided tour that is suited to your interests also.

West End

Honestly, you can’t come to London and not see a West End Show.

📖 If you’re visiting in Christmas, then check my 10 Best Christmas Shows in London This Christmas blog post.

Covent Garden

Close to the West End is Covent Garden. This part of London reminds me of Italy a little bit. The square is so beautiful with many shops and restaurants.

It is especially beautiful for Christmas.

✅ If you’d like to learn more about London transport, see some old trains and buses, I recommend you to visit the London Transport Museum which is in Covent Garden.

Leicester Square & Chinatown

A few minutes walk from Covent Garden, you will get to Leicester Square which is also full of shops, restaurants and theatres.

You will also find Chinatown here.

Piccadilly Circus

Aka London’s Time Square.

The junction is connecting West End with Regent Street. It’s always lively here with lots of street performers, live music, plenty of shops, restaurants and theatres.

Regent Street

Regent Street is the most beautiful shopping street. Here you will find many luxury shops from Michael Kors and Armani to Prada and Saint Laurent.

The street gets even more beautiful for Christmas when they display angels all over it.

Oxford Street

Intersecting with Regent St is Oxford Street. Another shopping street with high-street shops, from Zara to Primark.

Oxford Street is gorgeous for Christmas too, though Regent St is still my favourite.

British Museum

The British Museum is definitely the best museum in London if you ask me, and it’s completely free to visit!

Inside you will find collections of different historical periods: from Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian, to medieval Europe and highlights of Middle East, Africa and Asia to the very least!

✅ I highly recommend you to take a guided tour or a completely private and exclusive tour tailored to your interests!

Is London worth Visiting

Around 20 million people visit London every year!

The city is full of history, culture, great food, it’s fun and lively! It is truly one of the best cities in the world.

London has something for everyone, whether you love fashion, culture, history, football, you name it! It is very accessible and great for any kind of traveller: solo, couples, friends, family, adultery.

I live here and it’s hard not to be biassed, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone who didn’t like it here. Yes, the weather is often miserable, the city has its flaws, but overall, London is SO WORTH visiting.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

Like this post? Pin it!📍