4-day London itinerary

London is one of our favorite cities to visit in Europe. Here you can see everything you can do in 4 days in this magnificent city.

London is an amazing city, full of life, with a lot to see and do.

We have prepared a detailed 4-day itinerary for you with the things you cannot miss on your first visit to the city. You can shorten the itinerary to 3 days, just delete some things from days 3 and 4.

4-day London itinerary

Day 1: South Bank walk

On our first day in London, we decided to do the South Bank Walk. This walk passes through the city's main sights such as Big Ben, the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Tower Bridge. It's a super cute tour and you can do it all on foot, so bring comfortable shoes and come discover the city!

Big Ben and Westminster Palace

We started our walk with one of the most visited symbols of the city - Big Ben.

Big Ben is actually the name of the bell in the Clock Tower of the Westminster Palace. The entire surrounding area is charming, it has lots of red telephone booths with the Big Ben in the background, like a real movie set.

To get there you can take the underground and get off at Westminster station which is really near.

London Eye

We cross Westminster Bridge which has an incredible view of Big Ben and the London Eye and head towards the famous Ferris wheel. The online ticket on GetYourGuide costs £32.50, except Saturday which is more expensive and costs £36. The journey takes about 30 minutes and it is possible to have a 360º view over London, a must-see.

Millennium Bridge

We went all the way along the riverside and passed several points of interest such as the Waterloo Bridge, and the Tate Modern (Museum of Modern Art - free admission) until we reached the Millennium Bridge. This is one of the most iconic bridges in London for offering incredible views of St. Paul's Cathedral which is on the opposite side of the river. In addition, this bridge also attracted our special attention because it appears in the movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and, as true fans, we couldn't miss it.

St. Paul's Cathedral

We crossed the Millennium Bridge to see the great St. Paul's Cathedral and it's really impressive. It is the second largest cathedral in the world and it was here that the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana took place. Tickets for the cathedral cost £18 and the visit takes around 2 hours. We still had a long day ahead of us so we didn't have time to visit it but next time we don't want to miss it.

Borough Market

We crossed the Millennium Bridge again and followed the path along the riverside, passing by some well-known spots such as the Shakespeare Globe Theater, Southwark Bridge, Southwark Cathedral and finally arriving at Borough Market. Borough Market is one of London's traditional markets where you can find a huge variety of tropical fruits, seafood, bread, cheeses and sweets, a little bit of everything you can imagine! It is open from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday is the busiest day and opens from 8 am to 5 pm, on Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm. It is the ideal place to have lunch as it has a huge variety of options to eat and drink for all tastes.

Tower Bridge

After eating something, we headed towards another symbol of the city, the Tower Bridge. This is the bridge that attracts more tourists for its different architecture and we love it. There are many places around where you can stop and rest a little while looking at this scenery. After taking some pictures, we crossed the bridge to the other side and arrived at the Tower of London.

Tower of London

The Tower of London is a place full of history that makes it one of the most visited places in the city. It was considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. The entrance ticket costs £29.90 and can be purchased here. The visit takes about 3 to 4 hours and you can see the queen's jewels, the White Tower, the medieval palace, and the crows residing in the Tower that always attract the attention of those who pass by.

Sky Garden

The Sky Garden is a winter garden on the top floor of one of the newest buildings in the city. Admission is free on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm and on weekends from 11 am to 9 pm, you just need to book online.

The view of the city is still what surprises the most as it offers panoramic views of the city and you can see some of the best-known tourist spots such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

Covent Garden

We ended the day exploring Covent Garden, one of the liveliest areas of the city with several shops, restaurants, bars, and street performers enlivening the atmosphere. In this region, you can visit the Apple Market, a very cute little open mall, it has some cafes, restaurants, souvenirs, and handicraft shops. They say that during the Christmas season, it is even more beautiful.

Day 2 - Buckingham Palace - Trafalgar Square – Chinatown - Piccadilly Circus

Hyde Park

We started our second day in London by taking a stroll through one of the eight royal parks in the city - Hyde Park - one of the city's best-known parks and the ideal place to have a picnic and see some squirrels. Hyde Park is home to the Memorial Fountain of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Buckingham Palace

Even before arriving at Buckingham Palace, we passed through Green Park, another green area in the city, we loved it! In the Palace, we attended the changing of the guards' ceremony. This is free and takes place every day in the months of June and July, the rest of the year it takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The ceremony starts around 10:45 am, lasts about 45 minutes, and counts with the presence of two music bands playing the greatest hits of classical music.

Trafalgar Square

After watching the changing of the guards, we crossed St. James’s Park - yes, London has lots of green areas in the city center - and we arrived at Trafalgar Square. Here is the ideal place to take a break, have lunch, and recharge before visiting the National Gallery.

National Gallery

The National Gallery is one of the most visited museums in the city, with over 2,300 works of art and it's free admission! This museum is 100% dedicated to paintings and you can find collections by artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. Tip: Bring comfortable shoes to discover these unique paintings!

Leicester Square

A two-minute walk from the National Gallery in Leicester Square, a charming square where you can find sculptures of your favorite characters, such as Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, Paddington, Mr Bean, and many more…

The LEGO store

As Marcos loves Legos, we couldn't miss visiting the Lego store… This store is huge and has some icons of the city all made of Lego, such as Big Ben, a telephone booth, and a subway car perfect for taking a picture while side of Shakespeare and a King's guard.

M&M’s World Store

As we both love chocolate, we couldn't resist and visited M&M's World. The store has 4 floors and a chocolate smell that no one can resist and of course, we had to buy a bag to eat on the way.

Chinatown

We continued on our way and found Chinatown, the Chinese atmosphere of this area is simply incredible, the streets are very colorful and they are all decorated with red lanterns. Here you can find several Chinese shops and restaurants, if you are a fan of oriental food this is a great area for dinner, before entering a restaurant take a look at the menu as there are options for all tastes.

Piccadilly Circus

We arrived at the famous giant screens of Piccadilly Circus that we had already seen in some movies. This is one of the busiest squares in London as it has a privileged location since from here you can walk to various parts of the city. It is also one of the liveliest areas of London and one of the best areas of the city for a night out.

That's the end of our second day in London, it's time to head back to the hotel and prepare for tomorrow!

Day 3: Notting Hill - Natural History Museum or British Museum

Notting Hill

One of the most Instagrammable areas of London is, without a doubt, Notting Hill. The popularity of this location grew after the romantic comedy by Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts - Notting Hill. You can still visit some places that appear in the film such as the blue door of William Thacker's house and the "Travel Bookshop". In this region you can find several places with houses painted in colors as in the photo we show you below. The exact place in the photo is on Lancaster Road.

Portobello Market

Located on Portobello Road, Portobello Market is a street market where you can find a little bit of everything - clothing, antiques, flowers, fruit, vegetables, second-hand items, vinyl records, household items, furniture, etc. The best day to visit is on Saturdays, when the fair takes on another dimension and the streets fill with people and it gets very lively. On other days of the week, there are also some clothing, food and antique stores that are worth visiting.

Now, as time is not enough for everything, you can choose to visit the Natural History Museum or the British Museum.

Natural History Museum

After our tour of Notting Hill, we went to visit the Natural History Museum. The museum is huge and very educational, admission is free but an online reservation is required. At one of the museum entrances, you can see a replica of the skeleton of a blue whale. The museum has a lot to see from collections of stones and minerals, dinosaur replicas, fossils, an area about the formation of the planet, volcanoes and it is even possible to simulate an earthquake in a Japanese store. We think it is a must-visit and with children, it should be even better! The visit takes about 3 to 4 hours and you can leave your luggage in the lockers available at the museum, you only have to pay the amount corresponding to the weight of your belongings.

British Museum

The British Museum is one of the oldest museums in the world and has almost 8 million pieces. The museum is divided into several sections: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and other temporary exhibitions. One of the most visited areas of the museum is Ancient Egypt where we can find several mummies and sarcophagi. The Rosetta Stone is also one of the most popular pieces as it was essential for researchers to be able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The British Museum has free admission and is open every day between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm except on Fridays when it closes at 8:30 pm.

Harrods

Harrods is one of the most luxurious stores in the world, it consists of several department stores like El Corte Inglés and Lafayette Galleries in Paris. The store is huge and has brands like Gucci, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Just Cavalli, Hugo Boss, and many others.

Day 4: Camden Town - Madame Tussauds Museum or Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Camden Town

One of our favorite areas is, without a doubt, Camden Town, one of the most eccentric areas of London. It is a place well known for the alternative life of its inhabitants and also for being the neighborhood where Amy Winehouse lived.

In the streets, there are lots of shops with super original facades and several street markets where you can sell a little bit of everything. Camden Market is a market with lots of alternative clothing stores, vintage items, jewelry, souvenirs, antiques, tattoo and piercing shops, everything you can imagine. One of the stores that attract more visitors is Cyberdog, a super alternative store with crazy clothes and accessories, a DJ, and lively music, it almost looks like a disco… In the market and surroundings, there are also many food stores for all tastes and it was here that we had lunch.

Regent’s Canal and Little Venice

In this area, you can take a stroll along the Regent Canal or take a boat trip to Little Venice. The boat passes Regent's Park and London Zoo. The journey takes around 50 minutes and costs £14.

The best way to end this trip is with a visit to the Madam Tussauds Museum or if you are a true Harry Potter fan don't miss the Warner Bros. Studio Tour!

Madame Tussauds Museum

Close to Regent's Park is Madame Tussauds, the most famous wax museum in the world and one of the most visited museums in London. Here you can find world-famous personalities made in wax and in real size. The lines to buy the ticket are usually long, so we recommend that you buy it online, the ticket costs £33.50.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

As true Harry Potter fans, one of the must-see places is Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter.

Well, words for what? Imagine what it's like to be on the sets with the props, accessories, and costumes from your favorite movie! It is a dream! I won't go into details so you don't miss the magic when you visit but I can tell you that I loved it and I'm only thinking about going back!

The magic starts from the moment we take the official bus to the studios. We picked it up at Victoria station and went for about 1h30 to watch one of the Saga movies. Our ticket included entrance + souvenir book + digital guide. Regarding the digital guide, we recommend it HUGE because it has a lot of information, stories of the actors, opinions of the producers, the castings, the backstage, well, a little bit of everything, it's incredible. You can listen to it in English or if you are not so comfortable with the language you have the option to listen in Brazilian Portuguese. On GetYourGuide you can buy the ticket for the studio + round trip bus, but keep in mind that the time spent in the studio on this ticket is 4 hours because the return bus is scheduled. We stayed longer but had to buy another return ticket, I think it's possible to see everything in 4 hours without paying attention to all the details.