London Itinerary: Planning Your Time
By Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw
So much to see, so little time. To help you plan your sightseeing, I've listed my ideal one-week itinerary for a first-time London visit, as well as my suggestions for making the most of a shorter first-time visit.
You won't be able to see all of London's worthwhile tourist destinations in one visit, even with a whole week, so don't try. With any luck, you'll be back in London. After dozens of visits myself, I still enjoy a healthy list of excuses to return.
With that in mind, here are my recommended priorities:
London in One, Two, or Three Busy Days
Day 1
Follow my guidebooks' self-guided Westminster Walk (also available as a free audio tour) to link these sights:
9:30 Visit Westminster Abbey.
11:00 Continue on toward Trafalgar Square, visiting the Churchill War Rooms on the way.
13:00 Lunch near Trafalgar Square (I like the café under St. Martin-in-the-Fields).
15:00 Visit the National Gallery and/or the National Portrait Gallery.
Evening Dinner and a play in the West End.
Day 2
8:30 Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off London sightseeing bus tour (from Victoria Station or Green Park).
10:00 Hop off at Trafalgar Square and walk briskly to Buckingham Palace to secure a spot to watch the…
11:00 Changing of the Guard (generally Mon, Wed, and Fri; if you're here on an off day, consider walking The Mall and seeing other Buckingham Palace sights, such as the Royal Mews).
14:00 After lunch, tour the British Museum.
16:00 Tour the British Library and/or stroll Regent Street for its shops (many stores open until 20:00).
Evening Choose from a play, concert, or walking tour.
Day 3
9:00 Tour the Tower of London (opens at 10:00 Sun–Mon).
12:00 Tube to Charing Cross to explore The City (my London guidebook has a self-guided walk; also available as a free audio tour). Along the way, tour St. Paul's Cathedral and/or enjoy a skyscraper viewpoint. Finish at London Bridge.
Afternoon Cross the Thames and walk along its south bank via Borough Market to Shakespeare's Globe.
Evening Consider a play at the Globe.
London in Seven Days
Day 1
9:00 Tour the Tower of London (opens at 10:00 Sun–Mon).
13:00 Have a picnic lunch on a boat cruise from Tower Pier to Westminster Pier.
14:30 Tour Westminster Abbey, and consider their evensong service (usually at 17:00, at 15:00 on Sundays, spoken on Wednesdays).
16:15 Consider touring the Houses of Parliament (guided, multimedia, or Big Ben tour), or just step inside one of the houses to observe a debate.
Evening Choose from a play, concert, or a tour with London Walks.
Day 2
8:30 Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off bus tour (from Victoria Station or Green Park).
10:00 Get out at Trafalgar Square, walk to Buckingham Palace, and snare a spot to watch the…
11:00 Changing of the Guard (generally Mon, Wed, and Fri; if you're here on an off day, consider walking The Mall and seeing other Buckingham Palace sights, such as the Royal Mews).
12:00 Walk through St. James's Park.
13:00 Follow my self-guided Westminster Walk (included in my guidebooks and available as a free audio tour) to Trafalgar Square with a stop at the Churchill War Rooms.
16:00 Tour the National Gallery and/or the National Portrait Gallery.
Day 3
9:00 Tube to Charing Cross to explore The City (my London guidebook has a self-guided walk; also available as an audio tour). Along the way, tour St. Paul's Cathedral and/or enjoy a skyscraper viewpoint. Finish at London Bridge.
16:00 Cross the Thames and walk along its south bank (via Borough Market) and Jubilee Walkway to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the Millennium Bridge.
Evening Choose a sight on the south bank that's open late: the London Eye or a Shakespeare play at the Globe.
Day 4
10:00 Tour the British Museum, then have lunch.
14:00 Tube to Leicester Square to see Covent Garden and Soho, then browse the shops along Regent Street (my London guidebook includes self-guided walks of both areas).
16:30 Enjoy afternoon tea (consider The Wolseley, Brown's Hotel, or the Capital Hotel).
Day 5
Morning: Explore a street market (go on a busy day, often best on weekends; my guidebooks have details).
Afternoon: Visit any of these major sights: the British Library, Tate Britain, Imperial War Museum, Hampton Court Palace, or Kew Gardens (consider cruising to Kew and returning by Tube).
Day 6
10:00 Cruise from Westminster Pier to Greenwich.
11:15 Tour the salty sights of Greenwich.
17:00 From Liverpool Street Station, explore the East End (my London guidebook has a self-guided walk), followed by dinner at a Brick Lane curry house or a trendy Shoreditch eatery.
Day 7
10:00 Tour the Victoria and Albert Museum.
After lunch, fill your last day with more sightseeing, another London Walks tour, or shopping.
With More Time
Windsor, Cambridge, Stonehenge, and even Paris each make a satisfying one-day visit. Any of these is arguably more rewarding than Days 5, 6, or 7 in London.
Gene Openshaw is the co-author of the Rick Steves London guidebook.