London: Westminster Abbey Entrance Ticket
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Planning a trip to London requires careful preparation, especially when time is limited.
Britain’s capital boasts over 170 museums, four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a transport network connecting 32 boroughs in less than an hour. Whether you have a long weekend or a full week ahead, mapping out a day-by-day itinerary will help you make the most of every moment without missing the must-see experiences.
The London Underground will be your greatest ally, whisking you across the city in 15-20 minutes, though you’ll undoubtedly also use the iconic red double-decker buses. Consider purchasing the London Pass, which typically offers savings on admission to major attractions, particularly worthwhile if you’re staying for at least 3 days.
Below you’ll find recommended itineraries based on your available days. Each day includes a main attraction worth booking in advance, plus alternative suggestions for those preferring a more relaxed pace.
Before you go, always check updated opening times and book major attractions online. During peak seasons (April-September and the Christmas holidays), queues can exceed two hours at the most popular sites.
Two days in London demand a strict prioritisation of what matters most. This itinerary concentrates the must-see sights in Westminster and South Bank, the two areas that best capture the capital’s historical and contemporary character. Expect to cover roughly 25,000 steps daily and book everything in advance to avoid queues.
Start at 9:00am at Westminster Abbey, arriving 15 minutes before opening to beat the organised tour groups. The Abbey deserves at least 90 minutes to properly appreciate the Henry VII Chapel, Poets’ Corner and the coronation throne. The included audio guide provides fascinating details on the 17 monarchs buried here and the 3,300 commemorated individuals.
Cross Parliament Square to admire the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben from the outside. Continue along Whitehall to Downing Street for a photograph of the Prime Minister’s residence through its famous gates.
Make your way to Buckingham Palace via St James’s Park, stopping by the lake to spot the resident pelicans (fed daily at 2:30pm). The Changing of the Guard takes place at 11:00am on weekdays (check the official schedule). Position yourself at the main gates at least 30 minutes early for a good view. From August to September, the State Rooms are open to visitors.
Lunch around Victoria or at cafés on St James’s Street, then head towards the Tower of London (15 minutes on the Underground from St James’s Park to Tower Hill). Book a 2:00pm entry slot to avoid the morning crowds. Allow at least two and a half hours to see the Jewel House with the Crown Jewels, the White Tower and to walk the medieval walls. The Beefeaters offer free tours every 30 minutes, packed with historical anecdotes.
End your day at Tower Bridge, just 5 minutes’ walk away. Climb onto the glass walkways for panoramic views of the Thames and the City (last entry 5:30pm in winter, 6:30pm in summer). Should the bridge raise to let ships pass (check times on towerbridge.org.uk), wait on the south side to photograph the entire sequence.
Spend the morning at the British Museum, open from 10:00am with free admission. Arrive at opening to leisurely explore the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon marbles and Egyptian mummies. The galleries dedicated to ancient Egypt (rooms 62-63) and classical Greece (room 18) each merit at least an hour. Download the official app for free thematic audio tours.
Walk 10 minutes south to Covent Garden, where the covered market hosts craftspeople and street performers. The Punch & Judy pub on the piazza offers prime views of the shows. Explore Neal’s Yard for its colourful architecture and independent boutiques, or Seven Dials for vintage shops. Lunch at restaurants along Long Acre or in the piazza’s food markets.
In the afternoon, choose between two options. The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square houses masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and Leonardo, with free entry and audio guides available. Alternatively, ascend the London Eye for a 135-metre aerial perspective (book your 4:00pm slot online to catch the sunset and save 15% on admission).
If you’re travelling with children, just steps from the London Eye lies the SEA Life Aquarium, an attraction guaranteed to keep them entertained.
Cross the Thames towards South Bank, the pedestrian riverside promenade stretching 3 kilometres between Westminster and Tower Bridge. Stroll amongst street artists, second-hand book markets under Waterloo Bridge and the Southbank Centre, a cultural hub with free daily events. If you’re visiting in December, the Winter Market features local crafts and street food.
Wrap up the evening exploring Soho, reached by 15 minutes on the Underground from Waterloo. The neighbourhood comes alive after 6:00pm with West End theatres, jazz clubs and international restaurants. Carnaby Street retains the bohemian atmosphere of the 1960s, while Chinatown offers authentic Asian cuisine at reasonable prices.
The third day allows you to venture beyond the main tourist trail and add experiences requiring more time. Keep the first two days as outlined above, then dedicate day three to a mix of contemporary art and alternative neighbourhoods.
Begin at Tate Modern at 10:00am, when the seven permanent galleries are still quiet. The former Bankside power station houses works by Picasso, Warhol and Rothko spread across five floors. The ground-floor Turbine Hall features monumental temporary installations that change 3-4 times yearly. Climb to the tenth floor for free views from the panoramic terrace overlooking the river and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Cross the Millennium Bridge towards the City, pausing mid-span to photograph the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Explore the medieval alleys around Carter Lane and Watling Street, survivors of the Great Fire of 1666. Time permitting, visit St Paul’s Cathedral, climbing 528 steps to the Golden Gallery for 360-degree views.
Lunch at Borough Market (15 minutes’ walk south), London’s oldest food market, operating since 1014. Open Wednesday to Saturday, it features over 100 stalls with artisan British products and international cuisines. If you can, grab a spot upstairs for a breathtaking view of The Shard.
Dedicate the afternoon to Camden Town, reachable in 20 minutes by Underground from London Bridge. Camden Lock, Stables Market and Camden Market form a labyrinth of 1,000 stalls selling vintage goods, art and street food. Cyberdog in Stables Market preserves the cyberpunk aesthetic of the ’90s with techno music and UV lighting.
Walk along Regent’s Canal towards Regent’s Park (30 minutes on foot). London Zoo within the park (last entry 4:00pm) houses over 750 species, including Sumatran gorillas in the Gorilla Kingdom section. Alternatively, explore Queen Mary’s Gardens with 12,000 roses across 85 varieties, spectacular from May to September.
For an alternative evening, head to Notting Hill (20 minutes from Camden Town). The neighbourhood retains a village feel with pastel Georgian townhouses lining Portobello Road. Visit on Saturday and Portobello Market runs from 9:00am to 7:00pm with antiques, vintage goods and food stalls. Hidden mews like Lancaster Mews offer photogenic spots away from the crowds.
Four days allow you to include day trips to nearby destinations or explore specialist museums more deeply. Follow the first three days as outlined, then choose between a fourth day focused on culture or a countryside excursion.
South Kensington concentrates three world-class museums within 400 square metres. Start at the Natural History Museum at 10:00am, entering via Exhibition Road to bypass the main queues. Hintze Hall displays a 25-metre blue whale skeleton, while the first-floor dinosaur galleries feature the iconic animatronic T-Rex. Spend time in the Earth Hall with its earthquake simulator and a fragment of Martian rock.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is a 2-minute walk away, offering 145 galleries of art and design. Collections range from Vivienne Westwood dresses to the Raphael Gallery displaying preparatory cartoons for the Sistine Chapel. The ground-floor Cast Courts showcase monumental reproductions of masterworks like Trajan’s Column and Michelangelo’s David, created in the Victorian era when travel was impossible for most people.
Lunch at the museum cafés or explore the streets around South Kensington Station. In the afternoon, visit Hyde Park, entering at the Memorial Gate. Hire a pedalo on the Serpentine Lake or walk to the Diana Memorial Fountain. The Speakers’ Corner at the north-east corner comes alive Sunday afternoons with speakers freely debating topics since 1872.
Traverse the park towards Kensington Palace, home to the late Princess Diana until 1997. The State Apartments reveal the private rooms of William III and Mary II with original 17th-century decorations. The sunken garden and orangery provide tranquil respite away from central London.
For a taste of the English countryside, dedicate day four to a day trip. Windsor is 40 minutes by train from Waterloo Station with departures every 30 minutes. Windsor Castle, a working royal residence for 950 years, requires 2-3 hours to visit the State Rooms, St George’s Chapel and gardens. The Changing of the Guard occurs at 11:00am Monday to Saturday.
Oxford is reachable in 60 minutes from Paddington Station. The Bodleian Library and Christ Church College (a Harry Potter filming location) can be visited on guided tours booked online. Make time for Radcliffe Camera, the iconic rotunda library from 1749, photographable only from outside.
Cambridge requires 50 minutes from King’s Cross. King’s College Chapel represents the pinnacle of English Perpendicular Gothic architecture. Hire a punt to navigate the River Cam, gliding beneath the “backs”—the college gardens bordering the water.
With five days, you can explore distinctive neighbourhoods and dedicate time to immersive experiences. Follow the itinerary of the first four days, adding a fifth thematic day.
Head to Greenwich by river boat from Westminster Pier (35 minutes of scenic navigation). Disembark at Greenwich Pier and walk 10 minutes to the Royal Observatory, where you can position yourself on the Prime Meridian with one foot in the Western Hemisphere and one in the Eastern Hemisphere. Entry to the courtyard with the meridian is free, whilst museum access is paid.
Visit the Cutty Sark, the last surviving tea clipper, restored after the 2007 fire. You can walk beneath the raised hull and explore the decks where the crew transported 10,000 tonnes of tea from China in 100 days. Greenwich Market, open Wednesday to Sunday, offers local crafts and food from around the world in a Victorian covered market.
In the afternoon, return towards the centre stopping at Canary Wharf, the financial district with skyscrapers such as One Canada Square (235 metres). Underground shopping centres connect the towers with shops and restaurants. Continue to Shoreditch by underground (15 minutes from Canary Wharf DLR station to Liverpool Street).
Shoreditch is the heart of London’s street art scene, with murals by Banksy, ROA and Stik along Brick Lane and in side streets. The Nomadic Community Garden on Redchurch Street hides a community-run urban garden. Brick Lane comes alive on Sundays with vintage markets, independent galleries and famous Bengali curry houses (try Aladin or Needoo for authenticity).
Finish by exploring Spitalfields Market, a covered market with design stalls, antiques and street food. Thursdays are dedicated to antiques, Friday to fashion, and weekends to variety. Christ Church Spitalfields, a baroque masterpiece by Nicholas Hawksmoor, hosts free classical music concerts on Monday at lunchtime.
Harry Potter fans can dedicate the fifth day to the Warner Bros Studios at Leavesden (20 miles north-west). Tours depart from Watford Junction, reachable in 30 minutes from Euston Station. You must book online and select an entry time slot. The visit takes 3-4 hours to explore original sets such as Hogwarts’ Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the scale model of the castle used for aerial shots.
Six days allow you to experience London at a more relaxed pace and include specialised experiences. Keep the first five days as in the previous itineraries, dedicating the sixth to specific interests.
Start the day at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for the 10:00 tour. The reconstruction of the Elizabethan theatre offers guided tours explaining 16th-century theatrical techniques and allows you to step onto the stage. From April to October, watch afternoon performances standing like “groundlings” (tickets are sold on the day from 9:30).
Cross the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul’s, then head to Leadenhall Market, a Victorian covered market with mosaic floors used as a filming location for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. Covered passages such as Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly and Royal Opera Arcade at Pall Mall showcase Georgian luxury shopping with specialist shops in tobacco, hats and jewellery.
Lunch at Old Spitalfields Market or explore Columbia Road Flower Market if visiting on Sunday (8:00–15:00). The latter is London’s most charming flower market, with vendors calling out cockney bargains as they clear plants late in the afternoon.
Spend the afternoon at Tate Britain, reachable in 20 minutes by underground from Liverpool Street to Pimlico. The museum holds the most important collection of British art from 1500 to the present day, including Turner’s complete works in the Clore Galleries. The British Art Rotations change annually, always offering fresh perspectives on national artistic identity.
For the evening, book a show in the West End. Theatres offer spectacular long-running musicals such as The Lion King, Mamma Mia! or Moulin Rouge. Buy tickets in advance online or last-minute at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square (open from 10:00, discounts up to 50% for evening performances).
Dedicate your final day to Richmond, a riverside village 40 minutes by underground from the centre (District Line to Richmond). Richmond Park, the largest royal park with 2,500 acres, hosts herds of red and fallow deer roaming freely since 1637. Walk up to King Henry’s Mound for protected views of St Paul’s Cathedral 10 miles away, the only sight line protected by law in England.
Kew Gardens is 15 minutes’ walk from Richmond along the Thames. The 326-acre complex includes 30,000 plant species, Victorian glasshouses such as the 1844 Palm House and the Temperate House, renovated in 2018. The Treetop Walkway at 18 metres high offers aerial perspectives of the canopy. Allow at least 3 hours to explore the themed gardens, the herbarium with 7 million specimens and the orchid collections.
Lunch in Richmond village, which is full of historic pubs and riverside restaurants. The White Cross Pub has a garden that floods during high tide, a tradition maintained since 1835. Take a stroll along Richmond Riverside to Ham House, a 17th-century Stuart mansion with original interiors and formal gardens.
End your trip with a river cruise on the Thames from Richmond to Westminster (2 hours), admiring London from the water as you navigate towards sunset. Boats depart every hour from Richmond Pier until 18:00 in summer, allowing you to see the monuments you visited over previous days from a fresh perspective.
Check the page on London airports for all the information needed to reach the centre from whichever airport you land at.
Once in the city, if you’re staying for at least 5–6 days, it may be worthwhile to purchase an Oyster Card, otherwise you can simply use your contactless debit or credit card for public transport. You’ll find all the information in the article dedicated to London’s underground.
If you get the chance, don’t miss the opportunity to take a Thames cruise, perhaps at sunset or at night – you won’t regret it!
Beyond the classic attractions, also try some of the newer and more modern experiences London has to offer, such as Frameless, the Chimney Lift ascent at Battersea Power Station, or a ride on the Cloud Cable Car.
Regarding where to stay in London, consider well-connected areas such as King’s Cross, Paddington, Victoria or Southwark, avoiding the more touristy areas of Westminster, which tend to be expensive and empty in the evenings. Budget hotels are concentrated in zones 2–3, reachable in just 15–20 minutes by underground from the centre.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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