London, England is one of my all-time favorite cities. If you’re wondering if there’s enough to do in London for four whole days – the answer is a resounding yes. After visiting this beautiful city several times, I finally created my perfect itinerary for 4 days in London. To be fair, I think I could spend months in London (I almost moved there!), but I also think you can see all the major sites if you have a good London itinerary for 4 days.
Day 1
- London Eye
- Big Ben
- Westmister Abbey
- 10 Downing Street
- Trafalgar Square
- The National Gallery
- Hotel Cafe Royal
Day 2
- Thames Riverfront
- Leadenhall Market
- Tower of London
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Chinatown
Day 3
- Dominique Ansel London Bakery
- Peggy Porschen Cakes
- Buckingham Palace
- Notting Hill
- Farm Girl Notting Hill
- Biscuiteers Boutique and Icing Cafe
- Hyde Park
Day 4
- Regent Street
- Oxford Street
- Covent Garden
- Neal’s Yard
4 Days in London: Getting Around London
In order to fit all of the must-see sights in 4 days in London, we packed each day with a mix of London tourist sites and local favorites. We also chose to walk everywhere during our trip to London, and we usually ended up walking about 10 miles per day. You definitely do not have to walk everywhere while checking of items on your London itinerary. We chose to walk because we felt that we saw more of London and experienced the actual city, rather than skipping through to only see London’s tourist sites. That being said, the choice is yours! There are a number of other viable transportation options, the best of which are London buses and the London tube.
It’s worth noting that while buses and trains are often a cheap travel options, that is not the case in London. On a previous trip, I took the bus or the tube everywhere I went, and it was much more expensive than I was anticipating. If you plan to spend a full 4 days in London, be aware that transportation can cost quite a bit if you choose not to walk.
4 Days in London: Day 1
On our first of our four days in London, we decided to knock out many of London’s must-see tourist sites that date back throughout the city’s long history. You’ll notice that geographically all of our days were grouped together, and this day we focused on the area between Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square.
The first two city staples to make our 4 day London itinerary were Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Since we had been to London previously and done London tours that included these places, we chose to only see them from the outside and check out the area, rather than doing guided tours. If you choose to do a tour (you should if you haven’t previously!), there are tours available when you arrive at the location.
Big Ben and the British Houses of Parliament
Big Ben is the name that was actually given to the hour bell, but it is usually used to refer to the entire clock tower located on the north side of the British Parliament. The clock is known for its extreme accuracy, and it is one of London’s most well-known sites. The reason I note that we visited Big Ben, rather than the British Parliament, is because Big Ben is the first thing you notice when arriving to the area. Should you choose to visit the British Houses of Parliament, you will see what is arguably the most influential location in the U.K., where British law is decided.
Westminster Abbey
Very close to Big Ben and the British Parliament, you will see Westminster Abbey. The abbey houses the tombs of numerous British royals and it is the site of every British coronation since 1066. It is also a church with regular worship services, where numerous significant events in British history have taken place. Westminster Abbey is closed on Sundays and closes by around 3:30pm most days, which is another reason that it’s best to visit this area in the morning. You can also check Westminster Abbey’s hours and ticket prices online.
It’s worth noting that the nearby Westminster Bridge also gives you an amazing view of the Thames and London’s famous ferris wheel, the London Eye (which we didn’t ride this time due to the insane lines, but that’s an option too!).
Trafalgar Square & 10 Downing Street
After checking out London’s historical sites, we decided to see a few of the city’s modern attractions, starting with Trafalgar Square. On the way, we took a few minutes to check out 10 Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister Resides (aka the British version of the White House).
You can’t actually get very close to 10 Downing Street due to security, but you can see it while walking past and there are often protests in the area which makes for an interesting experience and is quite eye-opening to some of the issues facing the city.
Once you get to Trafalgar Square itself, you can enjoy the ambiance and the fountain which is often filled with people playing music, painting and just hanging out. Trafalgar square is surrounded by several museums and galleries, and is overall known as one of the major cultural spaces in London. The square itself is filled with statues and fountains, and you’ll often find Londoners sitting there to enjoy the scenery. In my opinion, Trafalgar Square is an absolute must during your 4 days in London.
The National Gallery is also found at Trafalgar Square, and if you’re one for art museums this is a great one to add to your list! Works from renowned artists like Claude, Rembrandt, van Gogh, da Vinci and more can all be found at the National Gallery. For information on visiting, you can check out the National Gallery website.
In terms of where to eat on your first day in London, there are countless places and in general, we just stopped to eat at random places along the way. I will note though that I am major fan of British afternoon tea, which we had the Hotel Cafe Royal. Needless to say, the tea and scones were amazing – as was the roof view that we were fortunate to see!
4 Days in London: Day 2
On the second day of our 4 days in London, we decided to check out the sites surround the Tower of London. We stayed at the Hilton near Westminster Abbey, so starting from there we walked along the riverfront toward St. Paul’s Cathedral, which I definitely recommend.
Thames Riverfront
If you would like to get a taste of the modern city during your 4 days in London, walking along the Thames is an absolute must. There are numerous stores, restaurants and markets along the riverfront, along with cultural sites like Shakespeare’s Globe theater and the Tate Modern art gallery. Both of those are worth touring and exploring further if you enjoy literature and art.
If you would like to grab a bite to eat while walking the riverfront, we fell in love with the Borough Market. The market is made up of many small outdoor shops which range from flowers and gifts to fresh food and produce. We found that it was a great spot for a quick, healthy bite to eat, especially if you want fruit or a smoothie to take on the go.
St Paul’s Cathedral & Leadenhall Market
Just across the river you can also see St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is gorgeous but quite expensive to tour. We ended up just seeing the outside, which was still worth it to us. If you would like to visit or read more about the Cathedral, you can find more information here.
From St. Paul’s we headed over to Leadenhall Market, which for all of my fellow Harry Potter lovers is where they filmed Diagon Alley. For us poor muggles, the market area may not contain your favorite wand shop, but it does have a lot of amazing food places and numerous shopping spots. If you’re wanting to go full-blown Harry Potter, there are also tours you can take that go over the filming locations.
Tower of London
The next stop on day two of our 4 days in London was the Tower of London, which also offers a great view of Tower Bridge. You do have to purchase tickets to enter the Tower of London complex, but in my opinion they are well worth the money since there is so much to see. For a little context, the Tower of London was built by William the Conquerer in the 1070s, and it still standing nearly 1000 years later. Many of the crown jewels are currently housed at the Tower of London, and let’s just say they put Tiffany’s to shame.
During its long history, the Tower of London has been used as a fortress, a royal palace and a very notorious prison, where several royals were allegedly killed.
Next to the Tower of London complex is also the Tower Bridge, known for its blue accents and prominent position on the Thames. In practical terms, it’s also just really cool to photograph and makes for a really nice view when you’re done touring the area.
On the way back to our hotel, we also stopped by Chinatown for some Bubblewrap Waffles, and to wander around and check out the food scene. I know some people complain that China town is quite similar in every city, but we thought the one in London was definitely worth visiting
4 Days in London: Day 3
On the third day of our 4 days in London, I wanted to stop by some of London’s most instagrammed cafes on our way to see Buckingham Palace (among other things), so we started off by wandering to the area which holds several fan favorites – Peggy Porschen Cakes and Dominique Ansel Bakery. One of the main reasons that I suggest 4 days in London rather than 3 or less is because a long weekend is just enough to not only see the touristy sites, but to also see some of London’s well-known cafes, restaurants and markets.
We ate at Dominque Ansel and loved the vibe (and avocado toast!), while we only stopped by Peggy Porschen for a few photos due to the amount of people there.
The food itself was fabulous, but I would also recommend walking through this area just to see the other adorable stores that are nearby. Since we went in the spring, there were a number of stores that decorated accordingly with flowers. There’s a blend of boutiques and very small hotels, and we thought it was well worth walking through this area on our way to Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace
An obvious must-see stop during your 4 days in London is Buckingham Palace, home to the British Royal Family. There are options to tour Buckingham Palace including State rooms and the expensive furniture and art that adorn them. If you would rather just see the palace from the outside (as many do), just head to the front gate to take pictures and watch the guards.
While I always enjoy seeing Buckingham Palace, it is not a particularly long stop, which in our case was a good things since we had a full day planned.
Hyde Park
After Buckingham Palace, we went through Hyde Park on our way to Notting Hill. Hyde Park is a lovely nature escape in the heart of London, and here we felt like we were able to get away from the tourist scene a bit and see more of people just relaxing with their dogs.
The Park offers some truly stunning city views, and it is very large for those who want to get in a bit of walking.
Notting Hill
After Hyde Park, we wandered over to Notting Hill for some shopping, and again to check out a few cafes that I had heard of. We ate at Farm Girl Notting Hill, which was adorable and tasty. After that, we stopped in several stores to shop in the area and grabbed a latte at another cafe favorite – Biscuiteers. The boutique is actually just that – a boutique – where you can buy iced cookies and even taking icing lessons. While we didn’t opt for a lesson this time, the store was adorable (and also a great spot to grab gifts!), and we enjoyed sitting outside with a latte.
4 Days in London: Day 4
On day four of our 4 days in London, we did some major shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street- where you’ll find a mix of high-end and more affordable shops. Even if you’re not in the market to spend major money, they are both really enjoyable areas to walk around and see the sites.
Covent Garden & Neal’s Yard
Speaking of which, after shopping at those locations, we headed over to another shopping district that is much smaller and boutique feeling – Covent Garden. The entire area is lovely, with a closed-in shopping center that often features live music, ice cream shops (my Italian favorite Venchi was even here!) and more.
Numerous larger brands are also found in this area, and on the day we were shopping we spotted a Jo Malone car that was decked out with flowers as part of what I assume was an advertising campaign. While this obviously isn’t there all the time, it gives you a little taste of some of the creative things we found in this area.
After Covent Garden, we walked to Neal’s Yard – another shopping area known for its brightly colored buildings. There are also a lot of quirky places to eat at in this area, as well as more boutique-style stores.
And that pretty much wraps up my overview of what to see in London – as you can tell, I love a mix of old and new, tourist sites and local hot-spots. If you’re looking for even more must-know details about London – like how to get around, what to expect in terms of cost and hotel recommendations – make sure to check out Creative Travel Guide’s rundown on all things London.
Another tip: if you’re already adding London to your bucket list but are concerned about how expensive the city is (seriously, those rumors are true), here’s an awesome resource on how to travel in the U.K. on a budget.
Did you love a spot in London that I left out? Comment and tell me about it! No, seriously – I want to know!
Much love,
