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A week is the length London rewards most. With four days you choose; with seven you can have the icons and the quiet corners, the great museums and the markets, a proper neighbourhood day and a day beyond the city limits, without the forced march that ruins a shorter trip. This itinerary is built for the discerning first-time visitor who wants to see London properly, with the pace, the logic and the geography arranged so that each day holds together rather than scattering you across the map.
How to structure a week in London
Group your week by geography, not by checklist: spend each day in one or two adjacent areas so you walk between sights rather than crossing the city repeatedly. A sensible rhythm pairs the royal and ceremonial core, a museum-heavy day, a markets-and-neighbourhoods day, the City and Tower, and one day out of town entirely.
- Day 1: Westminster, Whitehall and the South Bank
- Day 2: The West End, royal parks and Buckingham Palace
- Day 3: South Kensington museums and Knightsbridge
- Day 4: The City, St Paul's and the Tower of London
- Day 5: Markets and a neighbourhood day
- Day 6: A day trip beyond London
- Day 7: Galleries, shopping and loose ends
Days 1 and 2: the icons and royal London
Begin with the postcard London everyone pictures, then expand outward. Day one runs along the river and through Westminster; day two covers the West End, the great parks and the ceremonial heart of the monarchy. Together they give you the landmarks first, so the rest of the week can go deeper.
On the first day, start at Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben above them, then walk across Westminster Bridge to the South Bank for the London Eye and a riverside stroll past the Southbank Centre towards Tate Modern. Day two belongs to the parks and palaces: St James's Park, the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, and the long green sweep of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. If you have only a few days, our 4 days in London itinerary covers this same core at a brisker pace.
Day 3: South Kensington and the great museums
Devote a full day to South Kensington, home to three of the world's finest free museums within a few minutes' walk of each other. The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum sit together, so you can move between them and still surface for the surrounding streets.
Choose two of the three rather than racing all of them; each deserves a couple of unhurried hours. The V&A is the standout for design, fashion and decorative arts, while the Natural History Museum rewards anyone travelling with children. Afterwards, walk north to Knightsbridge for the famous halls of Harrods, or browse the food and homeware floors of Harvey Nichols. Reach the cluster on the Piccadilly, District or Circle lines to South Kensington station. For more on the collections themselves, see our museums guide.
Day 4: the City, St Paul's and the Tower
Spend a day in the City of London, the historic square mile where the capital began. Pair St Paul's Cathedral with the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, linking them on foot or by river so you cover almost two thousand years of history in a single, walkable stretch along the Thames.
Climb to the dome of St Paul's for one of the best high views in central London, then cross the Millennium Bridge if you want to combine it with the South Bank. Continue east to the Tower of London for the Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders, and walk out onto Tower Bridge for the river panorama. This dense, history-rich day is one we treat in detail in our 5 days in London itinerary.
Day 5: markets and a neighbourhood day
Give yourself one day away from the headline sights to feel how Londoners actually live. Build it around a market and the neighbourhood that surrounds it: Borough Market for food, Columbia Road for flowers, or Portobello Road in Notting Hill for antiques and the pastel terraces around it.
Markets keep their own days and rhythms, so plan around the one you most want to see. Pair Borough Market with a wander through Bankside and the South Bank; pair Columbia Road with the galleries and vintage shops of Shoreditch and Spitalfields; or pair Portobello Road with a slow morning in Notting Hill. Explore the options in our markets guide and our neighbourhoods guide.
Day 6: a day trip beyond London
With a week to spend, give one day to somewhere beyond the city. The fast trains make several classic excursions easy as day returns: the university city of Oxford, the spa town of Bath, the castle and college at Windsor, or the cathedral and Roman walls of Canterbury.
- Windsor for Windsor Castle, the oldest occupied castle in the world, an easy half-day or full day from Paddington or Waterloo
- Oxford for the colleges, the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum
- Bath for the Roman Baths and Georgian crescents, best given a full day
- Cambridge for the colleges and punting along the Backs
Book train tickets in advance where you can, and choose one destination rather than two. For more ideas and how to reach each, see our day trips guide.
Day 7: galleries, shopping and the loose ends
Keep the final day flexible to catch whatever the week left undone. A natural last day pairs a great gallery with the shopping streets of the West End: the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, then Covent Garden, Regent Street and the bookshops and boutiques of Mayfair and Soho.
If a single landmark has been nagging at you, this is the morning to return for it. Otherwise, the National Gallery and the adjacent National Portrait Gallery make a fine, free finale, and Trafalgar Square puts you within walking distance of the theatres of the West End for a closing evening. Browse what else is nearby in our attractions guide.
Getting around over a week
Use a contactless card or phone to tap in and out across the Underground, buses and most rail; daily and weekly caps mean you never pay more than a set ceiling, so a single payment method covers the whole week. Walking between adjacent sights is often faster than the Tube for short hops.
- Tap the same card or device every journey so fare capping applies automatically
- Buses are cheaper than the Tube and let you see the city above ground
- Stand on the right on escalators and let people pass on the left
- Walk the short central hops; many landmarks are closer than they look on the map
7 Days in London FAQ
Is 7 days enough to see London?
Seven days is enough to see London properly: the major landmarks, two or three world-class museums, a couple of neighbourhoods and markets, and a day trip beyond the city. You will not exhaust London in a week, but you can leave feeling you saw it well rather than rushing through a checklist.
How should I split a week in London?
Split the week by area: a Westminster and South Bank day, a West End and parks day, a South Kensington museums day, a City and Tower day, a markets and neighbourhood day, a day trip, and a flexible final day. Grouping nearby sights together keeps walking sensible and avoids crossing the city repeatedly.
Which London museums are free?
Most of London's great national museums are free to enter, including the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Special exhibitions usually charge separately, and a donation at the door is always welcomed.
Should I take a day trip during a week in London?
Yes. With seven days you can spare one for a day trip without missing the essentials. Fast trains reach Oxford, Bath, Windsor, Cambridge and Canterbury within a comfortable day return. Choose one destination, book ahead where possible, and treat it as a refreshing change of pace mid-week.
What is the best way to pay for transport?
Use a contactless bank card or a phone, tapping in and out on the Underground, buses, trams and most rail. Daily and weekly fare caps mean you are charged no more than a fixed ceiling, so there is no need for paper tickets or a separate travel pass for a week-long visit.
Where to go next
Browse the full collection of routes in our itineraries hub, or compare timings with our 5 days in London itinerary and our 4 days in London itinerary if your trip is shorter.
