London city guide: itinerary, costs and local tips

Day by day

Days 1–3 are the core trip. Staying longer? Days 4–5 carry on from the same base, with their own cost breakdown below.

1. Day 1 — Westminster and the river

   ~€353

   Morning.

   Start at Westminster Abbey, then walk past Parliament and Big Ben along the Thames to the London Eye.

   Afternoon.

   Cross to the South Bank, browse the book market under Waterloo Bridge and take the free view from the Tate Modern viewing level instead of paying €41–€53 at The Shard.

   Evening.

   Eat at Borough Market before noon or after 14:30 to dodge the lunch crush — it is closed for hot street food on Mondays and quiet on Tuesdays — then walk the lit river to Tower Bridge and back over the Millennium Bridge.

2. Day 2 — Museums and parks

   ~€282

   Morning.

   The British Museum at opening with a free timed entry ticket booked online — the Egyptian and Greek rooms before the school groups arrive.

   Afternoon.

   Tube to South Kensington for the Natural History Museum or the V&A, both free with a booked slot, then a walk through Hyde Park.

   Evening.

   Pub dinner in Marylebone or Fitzrovia — fish and chips or a pie — quieter and better value than Soho, and Primrose Hill at sunset is ten minutes away by bus.

3. Day 3 — Tower, markets and East London

   ~€341

   Morning.

   Tower of London on the first slot with a pre-booked ticket; go straight to the Crown Jewels first.

   Afternoon.

   Book the free Sky Garden or Horizon 22 viewing platform for the City skyline, then walk into Spitalfields and Leadenhall Market for Victorian ironwork, street art and a plate of pie and mash with liquor.

   Evening.

   Sunset drink at a rooftop bar in Shoreditch, then dinner nearby.

4. Day 4 — Greenwich by river and a West End eveningif you stay longer

   ~€271

   Morning.

   Take the Uber Boat by Thames Clipper from Westminster or Tower Pier down to Greenwich — the cheapest river cruise in London with a contactless tap, and the best way to see Canary Wharf and the Thames Barrier side of the city.

   Afternoon.

   The Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market for lunch, then up through the park to the Royal Observatory for the Meridian Line and the classic free view back over the city from Observatory Hill.

   Evening.

   DLR back to Bank and dinner around Covent Garden, Seven Dials or Soho, with a West End show if you booked ahead or a TKTS same-day seat if you did not.

5. Day 5 — Day trip out, or green west Londonif you stay longer

   ~€294

   Morning.

   Either take a train out of the city — Windsor Castle in about 55 minutes from Paddington, or Oxford in an hour from Marylebone — or stay local and start at Kew Gardens when it opens.

   Afternoon.

   On the day trip: the State Apartments and the old town, back in London by early evening. Staying in town: Richmond Park for the deer and the Isabella Plantation, then Portobello Road and Notting Hill.

   Evening.

   A last roast or steak and ale pie in a proper pub near your hotel, and a slow walk along the South Bank if the weather holds.

Best time to visit London

May to September for long evenings and outdoor pubs; late spring is the sweet spot for price and weather. December is festive but hotel rates jump. January and February are the cheapest months by a wide margin.

Getting in from the airport

Cheapest.

National Express coach from Stansted, Luton or Gatwick, €7–€14 60–100 minutes.

Fastest.

Heathrow: Elizabeth line to central London, about €14 35 minutes. Gatwick Express is 30 minutes to Victoria.

Where to stay in London

South Bank / Waterloo.

walking to Westminster, the Tate and the river — around €165–€224 a night for two.

Shoreditch.

markets, food and nightlife — around €141–€200 a night for two.

Bloomsbury.

museums, quiet streets, good transport — around €153–€212 a night for two.

Getting around

Tap in with a contactless card — daily capping is about €10.47 in zones 1–2, cheaper than any tourist pass. Buses cost €2.06 with a one-hour hopper.

What to skip

• Skip the London Eye if the day is grey — Sky Garden and the Tate Modern terrace are free and the view is as good.
• Skip the paid museum add-ons; the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate and V&A permanent collections are all free.

Deep Research: verified sights & local spots

What travellers consistently praise and warn about, checked against recent reviews.

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Staying longer?

Days 4 and 5 are built into the plan above: Greenwich by river boat, then a train day out to Windsor, Oxford or Brighton — all under 90 minutes — or a green west London day in Kew, Richmond and Notting Hill. With a week, add Hampton Court and a night out in Peckham or Hackney.

London for couples: romantic spots

London is expensive in the wrong places and free in the best ones. These three cost nothing and are worth planning the day around, with somewhere sensible to eat afterwards.

South Bank and the Millennium Bridge after dark.

Walk from the National Theatre east past the Tate Modern and cross the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's lit straight ahead. Do it about an hour after sunset, when the river is quiet and the whole skyline is reflected in the water.

Primrose Hill at sunset.

Ten minutes by bus from Camden, and the clearest free view of the City and the Shard across Regent's Park. Take a bottle and something from a deli; there is no ticket, no queue and no closing time.

Observatory Hill in Greenwich.

The view back over the Old Royal Naval College and Canary Wharf from the hill below the Royal Observatory is free even if you skip the paid Meridian courtyard. Arrive by river boat for the whole trip to feel like an outing rather than a commute.

For dinner, stay out of the West End: a pub in Marylebone or Fitzrovia runs about €65–€88 for two with drinks, and pie and mash in the East End or a plate from Borough Market's evening stalls comes in under €47.

Seeing London without feeling rushed

London is bigger than it looks on a map, and most tiring trips fail the same way: three museums in a day, two long tube journeys between them. This is how to cover the city without ending each evening exhausted.

One major museum and one neighbourhood a day.

The British Museum or the V&A takes two to three hours before attention fades. Pair each museum with a nearby area on foot — Bloomsbury, Kensington, the East End — instead of crossing the city twice.

Book the first slot of the morning.

The Tower of London, the British Museum and Sky Garden are all calmest in the first hour. A booked early slot also frees the afternoon completely, which is when the weather usually decides the plan for you.

Use the buses as rest stops.

A red double-decker from the front row upstairs is a sightseeing tour for the price of a capped fare. Routes 11, 15 and 24 pass most of the landmarks and give your legs half an hour back.

Keep one half-day loose.

On a five-day trip, leave the afternoon of day 4 or 5 unplanned — for a market you liked, a second visit to a gallery, or simply a pub when it rains.

Worth knowing

• Most national museums are free — the British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery, V&A and Natural History Museum all cost nothing to enter, but book the free timed slot online or you can queue 45–60 minutes.
• Skip the Oyster card: tap in and out with the same contactless bank card or phone and the daily cap (about €10–€10.47 in Zones 1–2) applies automatically, with no €8 non-refundable card fee.
• You do not have to pay for a view. The Sky Garden releases free slots about three weeks ahead (Mondays) and Horizon 22 is free too, while The Shard and the London Eye run €41–€53 a head.
• From Heathrow take the Elizabeth Line for about €15.65 straight to Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon or Liverpool Street, rather than €29 on the Heathrow Express to Paddington only.
• The London Pass rarely pays for itself on three days when the biggest museums are already free — price your two or three paid sights separately first.
• Borough Market is closed for hot food on Mondays and only part-open on Tuesdays; the full market runs Wednesday to Saturday.
• Book the Tower of London and any West End show in advance; same-day prices are the worst you will see.
• Eat the classics once each: fish and chips with mushy peas, a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding, pie and mash in an old East End shop, and an afternoon tea away from the hotels for half the price.

London questions, answered

How much does 3 days in London cost for two people?

Around €1,153 excluding flights: €529 on three nights, €353 on food and drink, €141 on paid attractions, €71 on transport and €59 as a buffer.

Is 3 days enough for London?

It covers Westminster, two or three major museums, the Tower and East London. London rewards longer stays, but three days is a full and satisfying first visit.

How can you visit London cheaply?

Use the free national museums, stay outside the West End, eat at markets and pubs rather than restaurants near the landmarks, and travel with contactless daily caps.

What is the best way to get around London?

The tube and buses with a contactless card or phone. Walking between Westminster, the South Bank and the City is often faster than changing lines.

When is the best time to visit London?

May, June and September have the best mix of daylight, weather and prices. January and February are cheapest if you do not mind short, grey days.

Is the London Pass worth it for a 3 day trip?

Usually not. The biggest museums — the British Museum, Tate Modern, the National Gallery, the V&A and the Natural History Museum — are already free, so a typical three-day plan only pays for the Tower of London and perhaps one view. Add those two tickets up before you buy: the pass only breaks even if you cram three or four paid attractions into every single day.

Do you need an Oyster card in London or is contactless enough?

Contactless is enough and usually cheaper. Tapping in and out with the same bank card or phone gives you the identical fares and the same automatic daily cap of roughly €10–€10.47 in Zones 1–2, while a new Oyster card costs €8 that you do not get back. Just make sure both travellers use their own card, never the same one.

Do you have to book free museums in London in advance?

Entry stays free, but you should reserve a free timed slot online for the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the V&A and the big Tate shows. Booked visitors walk in through a separate line; turning up without one can mean 45 to 60 minutes of queueing at the British Museum on a weekend or in school holidays.

How do you get a free view of London without paying for The Shard?

Book the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street — free tickets are released about three weeks ahead, usually on a Monday morning, and go fast — or Horizon 22, the higher free viewing floor nearby. The Tate Modern viewing level and Greenwich Park are free too. The Shard and the London Eye cost €41–€53 a head for the same skyline.

What is the cheapest way from Heathrow to central London?

The Elizabeth Line, at about €15.65 with contactless, runs straight into Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street with no change. The Heathrow Express is quicker at 15 minutes but costs around €29 and only reaches Paddington, where most people still need the tube. The Piccadilly Line is the cheapest of all at roughly €6.59 off-peak, but takes about an hour.

What traditional British food should you eat in London in 3 days?

Have proper fish and chips with mushy peas once, a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding and gravy if your trip includes a Sunday, and pie and mash with parsley liquor in one of the old East End shops. Add a steak and ale pie in a historic pub and an afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream in a café rather than a five-star hotel, where the same thing costs three times as much.

Is 3 days in London enough for a couples trip?

Yes, and the best parts are free. Walk the South Bank and the Millennium Bridge after dark with St Paul's lit across the river, catch sunset from Primrose Hill, and take the riverboat or the DLR out to Greenwich for the view from the Royal Observatory. Dinner for two in a Marylebone or Fitzrovia pub runs about €65–€88.

How do you see London in 3 days without feeling rushed?

Keep to one major museum and one neighbourhood a day, and group each day geographically: Westminster and the South Bank, then Bloomsbury or Kensington, then the Tower and the East End. Book the ticketed sights for the first slot of the morning, and use a red double-decker bus between areas — it rests your legs and doubles as a sightseeing tour for the price of a capped fare.

Is 3 days or 5 days better for a first trip to London?

Three days covers Westminster, two or three major museums, the Tower and the East End at a brisk but manageable pace. Five days lets you add Greenwich by river boat and a day trip to Windsor, Oxford or Brighton, and leaves room for a slow morning. Budget about €1,153 for two over three days and roughly €1,824 over five.

What should you add on days 4 and 5 in London?

Day 4 works best on the water: the Uber Boat by Thames Clipper down to Greenwich for the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market and the Royal Observatory, then back for dinner around Covent Garden or Soho. Day 5 is either a train day out — Windsor Castle in about 55 minutes, Oxford in an hour — or green west London: Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and Portobello Road.

Is a Thames river cruise worth it in London?

The tourist cruises cost €24–€35 but the Uber Boat by Thames Clipper is ordinary public transport: you tap a contactless card, pay a few pounds, and get the same run past the South Bank, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf down to Greenwich. Sit outside at the back for the views.

How do I get from the airport into London?

National Express coach from Stansted, Luton or Gatwick, €7–€14 60–100 minutes. If you would rather not carry bags on public transport: heathrow: elizabeth line to central london, about €14 35 minutes. gatwick express is 30 minutes to victoria.

Is London walkable?

Largely, yes — this plan is built so each day is walkable with at most a couple of short transport hops. Tap in with a contactless card — daily capping is about €10.47 in zones 1–2, cheaper than any tourist pass. Buses cost €2.06 with a one-hour hopper.

Where should I stay in London?

South Bank / Waterloo for walking to Westminster, the Tate and the river (€165–€224 a night); Shoreditch for markets, food and nightlife (€141–€200 a night); Bloomsbury for museums, quiet streets, good transport (€153–€212 a night). This plan budgets €176 a night for two.

Working to a fixed budget? Read our step-by-step guide to planning a trip on a budget.

Still torn? Read our Paris vs London comparison →

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