Four days of London, walked and checked. Set how long you have and which day you are here, and the itinerary reshapes itself. Tick stops off as you go.
Key
- Start or end of a day
- Major stop, do not miss it
- Regular stop
- •walk time
What to cut
- 1. Windsor goes first. It costs a quarter of a short trip for one building.
- 2. Then the paid interiors. Pick one and see the rest from outside, and if you pick one make it Westminster Abbey.
- 3. Do not cut the walking. That is the part you remember.
Bermondsey Station
Jamaica Road, London SE16 4RX
Jubilee line, aim to be here by 9:30am.
5 minute walk to the market
Maltby Street Market
Ropewalk, London SE1 3PA
The local's version of Borough Market under the railway arches. Get a coffee, then walk one street over to the St John Bakery arch on Druid Street for the custard doughnut. Best thing you will eat in London, about four pounds.
15 minute river walk through Shad Thames
Shad Thames and Butler's Wharf
Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE
Old spice warehouses with the iron walkways still crossing overhead. Nobody sends tourists here and they should.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP
Walk across it. Skip the paid exhibition unless the glass floor appeals to you.
Tower of London
St Katharine's & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB
The Yeoman Warder tour is included and is the best part, so time your entry to catch one. The Crown Jewels move past on a travelator, so do not expect to linger.
10 minute walk up Fenchurch Street
Sky Garden
1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF
Top of the building everyone calls the Walkie-Talkie. Best free view in London. Free but ticketed, and slots release three weeks ahead.
Borough Market
8 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TL
The must-see. Bread Ahead for doughnuts. Monmouth for coffee, though they tend to be closed Sundays. Padella on Southwark Street for pasta if you will queue, no reservations, but the cacio e pepe is worth thirty minutes of standing.
Kappacasein Dairy
1 Stoney Street, Borough Market, London SE1 9AA
The Montgomery cheddar toastie, griddled to order. Worth planning your week around. There is always a queue and it is always worth it.
The George Inn
75 to 77 Borough High Street, London SE1 1NH
The last galleried coaching inn left in London, owned by the National Trust. Have a pint in the courtyard and look up at the wooden balconies.
10 minute walk along Bankside
The Anchor Bankside
34 Park Street, London SE1 9EF
Rebuilt in 1676 after the Great Fire. Samuel Pepys watched the fire from roughly this spot.
Shakespeare's Globe
21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT
Worth the look even from outside. Tours run daily and need booking. The Swan next door is a good sit-down meal.
Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Cross the Millennium Bridge with the dome straight ahead of you. That approach is one of the best walks in the city.
John's advice: do not pay to go inside both the Tower of London and St Paul's on the same day. Pick one, see the other from outside, and save your legs for the walking.
Home from St Paul's
St Paul's Station, London EC2V 6AA
Central line, or Blackfriars for the District and Circle.
Waterloo Station
Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SW
Jubilee, Northern and Bakerloo lines.
10 minute walk to the bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge, London SE1 7GA
The view of Big Ben from the middle of that bridge is the postcard shot, and it is better in person.
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0AA
Standing outside is enough for most people. Tours exist but eat an hour and a half.
Westminster Abbey
20 Deans Yard, London SW1P 3PA
If you only go inside one building on this whole trip, make it this one. A thousand years of kings, poets and coronations under one roof.
The Red Lion
48 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2NH
Where Members of Parliament drink. There is a division bell on the wall that rings to call them back to vote, and you will see the place empty out when it does.
10 Downing Street and Horse Guards
Whitehall, London SW1A 2AJ
You see Downing Street through the gates, that is all anyone gets. Horse Guards Parade opens out on the left.
St James's Park
St James's Park, London SW1A 2BJ
The prettiest park in London and most people skip it. Stand on the bridge over the lake, Buckingham Palace one way, Whitehall the other. St James's Cafe on Horse Guards Road is a good sit-down, open from 8am.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA
Changing the Guard is Mon, Wed, Fri at 11:00 and Sun at 10:00. Get there by 10:30 for a spot at the railings. The State Rooms are open through September 27th and are worth it if the timing works, but book in advance.
15 minute walk up through Green Park to Piccadilly
Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER
Go in even if you buy nothing. The ground floor food hall is a museum. Open to 8pm Mon to Sat, 11:30 to 6 on Sunday.
The Red Lion, St James's
2 Duke of York Street, London SW1Y 6JP
Different pub, same name as the one on Whitehall. Tiny Victorian gin palace five minutes off Piccadilly Circus, with the original etched and cut mirrors still on every wall.
Home from Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus Station, London W1B 3AG
Up Regent Street. Victoria, Central and Bakerloo lines all meet here.
Marble Arch and Speakers' Corner
Marble Arch, London W1H 7EJ
Speakers' Corner is liveliest on Sunday mornings, when anyone can stand up and say anything.
Hyde Park and the Serpentine
Hyde Park, London W2 2UH
Grab a Santander bike if you feel like it, day pass is about £3.50 and each ride's first hour is included. Or just sit by the water. The Serpentine Bar & Kitchen at the east end opens at 8am.
Harrods
87 to 135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
The food halls are the reason to go, not the handbags. Mon to Sat 10 to 8, Sun 11:30 to 6. There is a dress code and they do enforce it.
Kensington Palace and Gardens
Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX
Daily 10 to 6, last entry 5:30. The Queen's State Apartments are closed for restoration until spring 2027, so you are seeing a reduced palace. The Sunken Garden and the grounds are free and lovely regardless.
The Churchill Arms
119 Kensington Church Street, London W8 7LN
The pub buried under hundreds of flower baskets that you have seen in photographs. There is a Thai restaurant in the conservatory at the back and it is genuinely good and cheap.
Home from Notting Hill Gate
Notting Hill Gate Station, London W11 3HQ
Central, District and Circle lines. Or High Street Kensington.
Windsor does not fit in a short trip. See What to cut.