How to Spend 4 Days in London: The Perfect London Itinerary!

Are you wondering how to spend 4 days in London and fit everything into your itinerary?!

When I was first planning my trip to London, I was SO overwhelmed by all the things to do and how best to organize it into an itinerary that made sense logistically. After all, there are so many iconic spots to see in London. However, if you don’t plan it right, you will end up walking WAY more than you need to.

Enter – my perfect 4 day London itinerary! In this post, I’ve mapped out exactly how to spend 4 days in London, organized by neighborhood as best as possible to maximize your time and minimize your steps!

So, keep reading if you’re looking for a done-for-you itinerary for your first trip to London!

London Trip Planning at a Glance

Don’t have a lot of time? Here’s a quick mini guide to London to help plan your epic adventure!

Where to Stay:
– The Z Hotel Covent Garden (Budget)
– The Cavendish London Hotel (Mid-Range)
– The Chesterfield Mayfair (Luxury)

Places to Eat & Drink:
– Dishoom Bombay Street Food
– Sky Garden
– Cahoot’s Underground
– plus Sunday Roast at a pub!

Things to Do:
– Westminster Walking Tour
– Ride bikes through Hyde Park
– Thames River Cruise to Tower of London
– Eat your way through Borough Market
(Read my full list of Things to Do in London here!)

How to Spend 4 Days in London: The Ultimate 4 Day London Itinerary for First Timers

How to Get to London

Before we get into this 4 Day London itinerary, let’s talk about how to get to London!! Because you have some options.

Did you know that London has SIX major airports? There is London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, London Stansted and London Southend. How crazy is that?!

If you are traveling from the USA, almost all of your flight options will fly into either London Gatwick (LGW) or London Heathrow (LHR). These are the two largest London airports and have the most amount of international arrivals.

Heathrow is located about 16 miles (25 km) outside the London City Center, while Gatwick is around 28 miles (45 km) away. However, don’t let the distance of Gatwick deter you – you can still reach the city center in under 30 minutes thanks to the Gatwick Express.

In fact, both airports have several methods of transportation for getting into central London. Heathrow has the Heathrow Express, which takes just 15 minutes to get to Paddington Station. There’s also the Elizabeth line, which takes ~26 minutes for the same route, or the slower Tube lines.

Plus many other options like shuttle buses, public buses, and taxis at both airports! You can read more about the different transportation options on the Heathrow website here or the Gatwick website here.

So, all that to say, you have plenty of options when it comes to arriving in London and getting to the city center. I would choose whichever airport has better flight options for you personally. Some airlines and US cities fly directly to Gatwick, while others fly directly to Heathrow!

💡Travel Tip: When searching for flights, put “London” into the search box instead of LHR or LGW. The booking software will show you options for both airports so you can compare!

Where to Stay in London

Next up, let’s talk about where to stay in London! During our trip, I learned that the City of London is actually a very small area, just over 1 square mile.

So, when people refer to “London”, they are actually referring to the Greater London area which encompasses 32 boroughs plus the City of London. Who knew?!

This means you have PLENTY of options when it comes to accommodation. But don’t worry, I have some recommendations!

If this is your first visit to London, I recommend staying within the purple area on the map below!

This is the heart of central London, so note that prices for hotels will be highest in this area! But it is worth it, especially on your first trip.

There are a few popular neighborhoods to choose from within this area, including SoHo (popular for nightlife), Covent Garden (very walkable), Mayfair (beautiful Georgian buildings), and Westminster (where Buckingham Palace is).

We personally stayed at the Hilton Doubletree Marble Arch in Mayfair, which was walking distance to Hyde Park and Soho, as well as two tube stations!

🚇 Travel Tip: When choosing a hotel, make sure it is walking distance to an Underground station (otherwise known as the Tube). You won’t be able to walk the entire city of London, so the Tube will be your best friend!!

Here are some other great hotel options to consider:

The Z Hotel Covent Garden (Budget)
The Cavendish London Hotel (Mid-Range)
The Resident Soho (Mid-Range)
The Chesterfield Mayfair (Luxury)

Or, read my full guide on Where to Stay in London For First Timers here!

Getting Around London

As mentioned in the section above, public transportation will be your best friend while visiting London!

That’s because London is huge, and your feet would be dead if you tried to walk this entire city. Plus, public transportation in London is safe, convenient, and inexpensive!

The most common public transportation used by tourists is the London Underground – aka the Tube (cue British accent). This is basically the British equivalent of the subway in New York City.

There are Tube stations all around the city, marked by the iconic “Underground” signs (the red circle with blue line). Ticket prices for the Tube vary based on time of day and location.

For example, riding during peak hours (Monday to Friday from 6:30am to 9:30am and from 4pm to 7pm) will cost more than off peak hours. Going outside of Zone 1 will also cost a bit more, but it’s unlikely you will leave Zone 1 much as a tourist.

➡️ Read Next: Traveling to London for the first time? Make sure to read my Ultimate London Beginner’s Guide here! 🇬🇧

Overall, you can expect to pay just a few bucks for a ride on the Tube throughout central London! Plus, the Tube uses contactless payment, so you can use ApplePay straight from your phone without having to buy an actual ticket.

Another great way to get around London is the public bus! Yes, those red, double-decker buses are actual city buses, and they’re super easy to use!

Although buses are a bit slower than the Tube, sometimes you’ll be able to get to your destination faster, especially if you can take one bus from Point A to Point B. Plus, a one-way fare on the bus is only £1.65 for a single journey!!

📱Travel Tip: Download the Google Maps or Citymapper app before your trip! Once in London, these apps will show you the quickest and easiest ways to get around the city, including different routes on the Tube or by public bus!

Day 1: Westminster, Borough Market, & the London Eye

Now that we’ve covered all the basics on how to get to and around London, it’s time to jump into exactly how to spend 4 days in London!!!

This itinerary assumes you have 4 full days in London. However, you could certainly cut out some activities if you have a bit less time and condense into 3 days. And if you only have 2 days, you can check out my 2 Day London itinerary here!

Morning: Walking Tour of Westminster

To start your first of 4 days in London, you’ll be heading on a guided tour of the most famous area of London – the City of Westminster.

Would you have guessed that Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey aren’t actually in the City of London?! They are technically in the City of Westminster, which is part of the overall London area that we talked about earlier.

Located within the City of Westminster are some of the most popular spots in London including Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Big Ben, Parliament, and Downing Street. Luckily, you’ll visit all these places and more on this 5-hour guided tour.

This tour also includes a skip-the-line entry ticket to Westminster Abbey, with 1.5 hours of the tour allotted to exploring this iconic Church! If you are interested in going inside the Abbey, I highly recommend this option!

We weren’t able to go inside because the line was sooo long, and this skip-the-line ticket would’ve really come in handy!

If you aren’t interested in going inside Westminster Abbey, this 2-hour tour is only $20 and hits all the highlights, including the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace if you visit on the right day!

👟 Travel Tip: You will be walking A LOT during this London itinerary. Make sure to pack comfortable walking shoes like these Allbirds sneakers for your trip!

Afternoon: Eating and Shopping at Borough Market

After your walking tour around Westminster, you’ll have worked up quite an appetite. For lunch, it’s time to head across the river to the famous Borough Market! This was one of my favorite things we did in London.

🚇 Transportation Tip: If your tour ended near Big Ben, you can hop on the Jubilee line at Westminster station (right across from Big Ben) and ride 3 stops to the London Bridge Station. From there, it’s a 4 minute walk to Borough Market!

Located in Southwark, this bustling food market offers a huge range of options, from fresh oysters and paella to more British options like sausage rolls and Scotch eggs. They also have artisanal cheeses, freshly baked bread, craft beers, meat stands, and more!

Needless to say, you’ll want to come here on an empty stomach!! And make sure your first day in London doesn’t fall on a Monday, since the market is closed on Mondays! If it does, you can swap Day 1 and Day 2 in this itinerary 🙂

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Evening: River Walk & London Eye

To wrap up your first day in London, you can walk off your food coma after Borough Market along the South Bank, an area along the River Thames that is popular for an afternoon stroll.

Nearby, you can also check out Shakespeare’s Globe, an open-air theatre situated along the River Thames that performs Shakespeare plays in the Elizabethan theatre format as they would have been performed originally.

Also along the Southbank as you head back towards Westminster is the famous London Eye, the 443-foot tall ferris wheel that towers over the London Skyline.

🎡 Travel Tip: If you want to take a ride on the Eye, I highly recommend booking skip-the-line tickets in advance, especially during the summer months!

End your evening early with dinner by your hotel and rest up for another full day of exploring tomorrow! P.S. If your first evening happens to fall on a Sunday, make sure to head to a local pub for a British Sunday roast!!

Day 2: River Cruise, Tower of London, and Sky Garden

Morning: River Cruise & Tower of London

On your second of 4 days in London, you’ll be visiting some more iconic London spots – the Tower Bridge and Tower of London!!!

Did you know that the Tower Bridge is often mistaken for the London Bridge? This bascule structure with its picturesque blue suspension cables can be found on postcards and in travel magazines, leading most people to believe it’s the iconic “London Bridge”.

The London Bridge, that we all famously know for falling down, is a much less impressive, “normal” bridge as it stands today. But don’t worry, you’ll get to see both on your journey to the Tower Bridge and compare for yourself.

To get to the Tower Bridge, I recommend taking a Thames River Cruise!! While some might consider it a bit touristy, we absolutely loved taking this River Cruise from Westminster to the Tower of London and getting to see the main London sites from a new angle.

Plus, you’ll get to hear live commentary on the different landmarks from a local and learn some new facts about London along the way!

⛴️ Check pricing and availability of this Thames River Cruise here! ⛴️

In addition to being a great experience on its own, this cruise drops you off right in front of the Tower of London, your next destination on the itinerary.

The Tower of London is a UNESCO World Heritage site, originally built by William the Conqueror in 1066. Since then, the Tower has served as a royal palace, a prison, and even a zoo.

Today, it’s most famous for housing the Crown Jewels, a dazzling collection of regalia and gemstones used in British coronations. You can also learn more about the Tower’s history, which includes imprisoned queens and famous executions, from the iconic “Beefeaters”.

Similar to the London Eye, you’ll want to purchase your tickets to the Tower of London in advance to avoid waiting in long lines when you arrive.

Afternoon: Tower and Millennium Bridge & St. Paul’s Cathedral

After you’re done at the Tower of London, make sure to grab some pictures in front of the Tower Bridge! If you’re interested in walking across the Bridge, now is the perfect time to do so!

Walking across the bridge is free, or you can go up to the top level of the bridge and walk across a glass floor for a fee.

Afterwards, I recommend heading over to another famous bridge – the Millennium Bridge. This modern steel suspension bridge is for pedestrians only and was actually featured in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!

The bridge also offers striking views of St. Paul’s Cathedral, another iconic landmark. The Cathedral is one of the most breathtaking churches in the world! If you’re interested, you can attend a service here for free.

Or, for a fee, you can tour the entire church and climb to the top of the Dome, known as the Golden Gallery, which has a small balcony that offers incredible views of London!

Buy your St. Paul’s ticket here

Evening: Drinks and Dinner at Sky Garden

End your second day in London with a relaxing evening at Sky Garden, London’s highest public garden that sits atop the “Walkie Talkie” skyscraper, also known as The Fenchurch Building!

The Sky Garden offers spectacular 360-degree views of London, and the best part? Admission is free!

There are a few different restaurants and bars to choose from inside the garden. This is the perfect spot to have dinner and drinks and watch the sun set on London!

🗺️ Great start on the London itinerary! Before the fun stuff, make sure the bigger logistics are handled: international flights, travel insurance, accommodation, money, and phone service. My Passport to Confidence guide is a $7 planning roadmap with a 6-month checklist so you know exactly what to do and when.

Day 3: Squares and Circuses, Covent Garden, Museums, & a Show

Morning: Leicester Square, trafalgar Square, and Piccadilly Circus

Begin your third day in London by exploring the buzzing areas of Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

These three areas are all located in the West End neighborhood and just a few minutes walk away from each other. While these areas are quite touristy, they’re worth at least a quick walk through! Or, consider booking a guided walking tour to learn more about them from a local!

Piccadilly Circus is home to the iconic statue of Eros and the bright neon lights of London’s mini-Times Square.

Leicester Square is known for its cinemas, theaters, and street performers. If you are a Harry Potter fan, make sure to see the Harry Potter statue here! There are also other famous characters as part of this “Scenes in the Square” like Mary Poppins, Mr. Beans, and Paddington Bear.

And lastly, Trafalgar Square is a historic, public square with two large fountains and a large column in the center that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars.

Afternoon: Covent Garden

Afterward, head over to the nearby Covent Garden area, specifically to Covent Garden Market. This famous market actually houses 3 markets in one: Apple Market, East Colonnade Market, and the Jubilee market.

Generally open from 10am-6pm, these markets sell everything from jewelry to prints to soap to sweets and more!

You can grab lunch at one of the restaurants in the market, or head over to the picturesque Neal’s Yard, another area of Covent Garden. This colorful courtyard is tucked along a side street and is home to a variety of restaurants, cafes, and shops to check out!

If you have time leftover in the afternoon, you can check out one of the many famous London museums in the area, like the London National Portrait Gallery (free), London Transport Museum (not free), the British Museum (free), or the quirky Hunterian Museum (free).

If you’re not into museums, another great option is to have afternoon tea! While I didn’t love our afternoon tea experience at the Shard (it felt overpriced and the food was not so great), I think it’s still worth trying during your time in London. The afternoon tea at the Covent Garden Hotel (which is in this area) has great reviews!

Evening: West End Show

To wrap up your evening in London, it’s time to visit the iconic West End – aka London’s broadway! London’s West End is home to a world-famous theatre district.

Here, you can see famous musicals like Wicked or Hamilton and renowned plays like Macbeth or Harry Potter’s the Cursed Child,

These theaters are mostly scattered around the Covent Garden neighborhood (near Shaftesbury Avenue), as well as a few in the Victoria section of Westminster.

If the theater is not your cup of tea (see what I did there?!), another option is to visit a football match (aka soccer game for us Americans)!! London actually has 17 football clubs, including West Ham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Arsenal! This means you have plenty of matches to choose from 🙂

Day 4: Optional Day Trip + Dinner and Pub Hopping

Day Trip Options

In terms of how to spend the last of your 4 days in London, I actually have two options for you!

By this point, if you feel like you’ve seen enough of the city with 4 days in London, I recommend doing a little day trip on your last day in London! There are so many incredible day trips to take from London, but here are a few options:

Oxford: Only an hour outside of London, Oxford is so much more than just a college (there’s actually 43 colleges in Oxford!). Also great for Harry Potter lovers.
Cotswolds: A charming collection of villages around 1.5-2 hours outside of London. Not the easiest to get to, but there are plenty of guided tours available!
Bath: A small city about 1.5 hours outside of London in the county of Somerset, known for its Roman-built baths. Also where Bridgerton was filmed!
Windsor Castle: Less than an hour outside the city, Windsor Castle, where Princess Margaret and Victoria II grew up, can be visited on a half day trip from London!

If you want to see as much as possible of the above, a great option is to book a guided tour. For example, this 12 hour combo tour includes a visit to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath all in one day! Similarly, this 10.5 hour tour includes a trip to the Cotswolds and Oxford!

Harry Potter Studio Tour

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, another great option for your last day in London is to visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

Trust me when I say this is the most incredible place to visit for Harry Potter fans!! You basically feel like you’re in the movies here, as you literally get to walk through the sets and see where so much of the films were brought to life!

The studio is located about 20 miles outside of the city center. To get here, you can book a ticket that includes transportation on their designated double decker bus that departs from central London. However, this option is a bit pricey.

The other option is to take a train from London Euston station to Watford Junction station (a 20-minute journey), and then board the designated shuttle bus to the Studio tour (a 15-minute journey), which is included in your entrance ticket.

⚡ Travel Tip: Tickets to the Studio Tour book out extremely far in advance, so make sure to look at tickets early if this is a must-do for you. If the website is showing sold out, a great back up plan is to check tickets on GetYourGuide!

Hyde Park and Kensington Palace

If you aren’t interested in a day trip during your 4 days in London, I recommend leaving your last day relatively open in terms of an itinerary! This way, you have time to visit any areas you want to get a second look at or that you missed in your first 3 days.

For example, when we visited, we HAD to go back to Borough Market, one for souvenir shopping and two because we didn’t get to try all the food we wanted!

One thing I do recommend for your last day is to rent e-bikes through one of the many bike share companies you’ll see on the street, like Lime and Santander. After your morning coffee, and assuming the weather is nice, grab some bikes and ride through Hyde Park!

Very similar to Central Park in NYC, Hyde Park is a beautiful, 350-acre park in the heart of Westminster with walking trails, bike paths, and lush landscapes.

I recommend biking through Hyde Park all the way down to Kensington Palace. Here, you can walk through the Princess Diana Memorial Garden, which has a statue of the Princess commissioned by her sons in 2017 on her 60th birthday.

Nearby Kensington Palace, you can also check out Harrods, London’s ginormous and iconic luxury department store!

Evening: Dinner and Pubs in Soho

On your last evening in London, I recommend heading to the Soho district for dinner and drinks. For dinner, you must try the famous Bombay-style street food restaurant, Dishoom.

(If you ask anyone for restaurant recommendations in London, I bet they say Dishoom!) But don’t worry, it lives up to the hype. In fact, we even went back for breakfast our last day because it was that good.

After dinner, you can explore Soho’s nightlife scene that it’s famous for! From quirky cocktail bars to historic pubs, Soho has something for every taste!

We loved grabbing drinks at Cahoots Underground, a 1940’s speakeasy style bar that is housed in an old Underground station and is themed accordingly!!

Cheers to your last night in London!

Final Thoughts

That wraps up my guide on how exactly to spend 4 days in London! In my opinion, 4 days is the perfect amount of time to spend exploring England’s capital.

With 4 days in London, you have plenty of time to see the main sights without feeling too rushed, and you can even squeeze in a day trip if you want to!

If you have less than 4 days, make sure to check out my 2 Day London Itinerary, which hits all the main highlights in just 48 hours!

And if you want more ideas for your trip, make sure to check out my post on 30 Fun and Unique Things to Do in London!

Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!