London · United Kingdom · 4 days

4 days in London

Four days by river and by neighborhood: Westminster and the South Bank, the City and the Tower, South Kensington's museums and the parks, then the East End's markets and Greenwich.

Open in Waystop

Got Waystop on this phone? The button drops the whole plan straight into the app. On a laptop, copy it now and paste it into Import later.

Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.

London: 4 days in London
Photo: Ilya Grigorik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
When to go

May to September for long evenings; the weather is unreliable in every month, so pack for rain. December has the markets and lights; January and February are dark by 4:30 p.m. but cheap.

Where to base yourself

Southwark or Bankside for the river on foot; Bloomsbury for the museums and quiet squares; Shoreditch for the East End; Marylebone or Fitzrovia for central and calm.

Getting around

Tap in and out with a contactless card or phone; fares cap daily. The Tube for distance, buses for the views (the 11 and the 24), the Thames Clipper for the river, and walking between anything within a mile.

Day 1

Westminster and the South Bank

  1. FromYour hotel in Shoreditch
  2. 1
    9:00–11:00 · morning

    Westminster Abbey

    Westminster · 120 min

    A thousand years of coronations and tombs; book online, arrive at opening, use the audio guide.

    £29

  3. 6 min · walk
  4. 2
    11:15–12:00 · morning

    Parliament Square and Whitehall

    Westminster · 45 min

    Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the square, Downing Street's gates, the Horse Guards.

  5. 2.5 km · transit or taxi
  6. 3
    12:15–13:30 · lunch

    Borough Market

    Southwark · 75 min

    Across the river by the 11 bus or a walk along the Embankment: the market's counters, a raclette or a chorizo roll.

  7. 11 min · walk
  8. 4
    14:00–16:00 · afternoon

    Tate Modern

    Bankside · 120 min

    The Turbine Hall and the free collection; the viewing level for the view of St Paul's.

  9. 23 min · walk
  10. 5
    16:30–17:45 · afternoon

    South Bank walk to the London Eye

    South Bank · 75 min

    Past the Globe, under the bridges, the skateboarders at the Southbank Centre; ride the Eye at dusk if you want it.

    £32

  11. 14 min · walk
  12. 6
    19:00–21:30 · dinner

    A pub and a play

    South Bank · 150 min

    The Anchor or the George for a pint; a ticket at the National Theatre or the Globe if the season is on.

Day 2

The City and the Tower

  1. FromYour hotel in Shoreditch
  2. 1
    9:00–11:30 · morning

    Tower of London

    Tower Hill · 150 min

    The Crown Jewels first, before the line builds, then a Yeoman Warder tour on the hour.

    £34

  3. 6 min · walk
  4. 2
  5. 2.0 km · transit or taxi
  6. 3
    14:00–15:30 · afternoon

    St Paul's Cathedral

    City · 90 min

    The dome climb to the Golden Gallery: 528 steps and the whole city.

    £25

  7. 17 min · walk
  8. 4
    16:00–17:00 · afternoon

    Sky Garden

    City · 60 min

    The free garden at the top of the Walkie Talkie; book a slot a couple of weeks out.

  9. 3 min · walk
  10. 5
  11. 1.6 km · transit or taxi
  12. 6
    20:00–21:30 · dinner

    Shoreditch

    Shoreditch · 90 min

    Brat for the grill, Smoking Goat for Thai, or the curry houses on Brick Lane.

Day 3

Museums and parks

  1. FromYour hotel in Shoreditch
  2. 1
    9:30–11:30 · morning

    British Museum

    Bloomsbury · 120 min

    The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, the Great Court. Free; two hours with a plan.

  3. 1.7 km · transit or taxi
  4. 2
    12:00–13:15 · lunch

    Marylebone High Street

    Marylebone · 75 min

    La Fromagerie for lunch, Daunt Books for the room, the Ginger Pig for a pie to go.

  5. 3.2 km · transit or taxi
  6. 3
    14:00–16:00 · afternoon

    V&A or the Natural History Museum

    South Kensington · 120 min

    South Kensington: the V&A for design and the cast courts, the NHM for the whale and the building. Both free.

  7. 13 min · walk
  8. 4
    16:30–17:45 · afternoon

    Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

    Hyde Park · 75 min

    The Serpentine, the Albert Memorial, Kensington Palace from outside; a deck chair if the sun is out.

  9. 2.3 km · transit or taxi
  10. 5
    18:30–19:45 · evening

    Notting Hill

    Notting Hill · 75 min

    Portobello Road as it closes, the pastel streets, a pint at the Churchill Arms under the flowers.

  11. 10 min · walk
  12. 6
    20:30–22:30 · dinner

    The Ledbury or a gastropub

    Notting Hill · 120 min

    Book the Ledbury months ahead; otherwise the Cow for oysters and Guinness.

Day 4

Markets, Greenwich and a last pint

  1. FromYour hotel in Shoreditch
  2. 1
  3. 6.5 km · transit or taxi
  4. 2
    11:00–11:45 · morning

    Thames Clipper to Greenwich

    River · 45 min

    The river bus from Tower Pier past Canary Wharf: 25 minutes, contactless.

    £9

  5. 4 min · walk
  6. 3
    12:00–13:15 · lunch

    Greenwich Market

    Greenwich · 75 min

    Under the covered market: street food from a dozen counters, then the Cutty Sark from outside.

  7. 13 min · walk
  8. 4
    13:30–15:30 · afternoon

    Royal Observatory and the Park

    Greenwich · 120 min

    Up the hill to the meridian line and the view over the Old Royal Naval College to the Docklands.

    £20

  9. 13 min · walk
  10. 5
    16:00–16:45 · afternoon

    Painted Hall

    Greenwich · 45 min

    Sir James Thornhill's painted ceiling in the Naval College, which took him nearly two decades. Forty minutes under it is enough.

    £15

  11. 4.5 km · transit or taxi
  12. 6
    19:00–21:00 · dinner

    A last pub in Rotherhithe

    Rotherhithe · 120 min

    The Mayflower on the river, two minutes from Rotherhithe station on the Overground. It is open daily, so this stop works whichever day you do the markets.

Loading the map…

Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.

The practical bits

From the airport

From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line reaches central London in about 35 minutes; the Piccadilly line is cheapest at around 50 minutes. From Gatwick, Thameslink or the Gatwick Express take about 30 minutes to the center.

What a day costs

About £90 to £140 a day per person. A pub lunch is £15 to £20, most big museums are free, and the Tube is capped at about £8.90 a day in zones 1 and 2 with a contactless card.

Where to stay

Got a day to spare?

Worth knowing

Things you can ask once it’s in the app

Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.

Add a West End show on night twoFind a Sunday roast near Notting HillWe finish at the Tower around 5 p.m. and want a pint near Shoreditch; where do we go?What should we book before we fly?Rain on day 3, swap the parks for something inside

Questions

Do I need an Oyster card?

No. Any contactless card or phone does the same thing at the same fares.

Which paid sights are worth it?

The Tower and Westminster Abbey are. St Paul's dome if you climb. The Eye is a view; Sky Garden is the free one.

Is Greenwich worth the trip?

Yes, for the river ride alone. Half a day covers the market, the observatory and the Painted Hall.

Which day works in the rain?

Day 3: the British Museum, the V&A and the Natural History Museum are free, indoors and a short Tube ride apart. Day 1 has Westminster Abbey and Tate Modern under a roof too. Ask Waystop for a wet-weather version of day 3 and Chat drafts it as a card you accept, with the original left as it is.

Before you go

Lists this city is on

Nearby

Same country first, then the cities people tend to pair with London. Want two or three in one go? String them together in the trip builder.

Your version

Now make it fit your trip.

Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.