London in 4 days: Westminster, the Thames, museums and parks

According to VisitBritain, every coronation since 1066 has taken place at Westminster Abbey, the natural opening of the Westminster day. The Cloisters, College Garden and Chapter House are included in general admission. As a working church, the Abbey can sometimes close at short notice, so check the calendar for your day. Afterwards, see the Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower from outside and walk towards St James's Park.

Walk along the lake in St James's Park to Buckingham Palace. The park's pelicans arrived in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador to Charles II, and more than 40 pelicans have lived here since. In the October 2026 calendar, the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00; pick one of these days to watch the royal ceremony for free. If you miss it, the palace front and the park stay on the route; then follow The Mall to Trafalgar Square.

After lunch in Covent Garden or Soho, head into the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, with more than 1,000 paintings from Uccello and Gentileschi to Turner and Van Gogh. Enter through the Sainsbury Wing; the audio guide covering more than 50 works is free. Building work has closed some rooms and moved some paintings, so if there is a particular work you want to see, check its location on the site's floor plan. On Fridays the gallery is open until 21:00, so you can also move the visit to the evening.

Visit the cathedral whose dome is a symbol of the London skyline first thing in the morning; the crypt and dome galleries look out over the city. Because the last sightseeing entry is usually 16:00, we put the cathedral at the start of the day. Then cross the Thames on the Millennium Bridge to Bankside.

At Tate Modern, at the south end of the Millennium Bridge, the collection is free while exhibitions are ticketed. An hour and a half is enough for a few floors of the collection and the river view. From the museum, walk along Bankside to Borough Market.

Presented by VisitBritain as the mother of London's food markets, with a history going back to the 13th century, Borough Market is the lunch stop on day two. Wander the stalls and decide there what to eat; it can be crowded, especially on Saturday afternoons, and parts of the ground are cobbled.

Walk along the south bank to Tower Bridge: the high walkways, glass floor and Victorian engine rooms are all included in the ticket, and the income goes to the City Bridge Foundation's charitable work. At the north end of the bridge, the Tower of London is a former palace and prison where the Crown Jewels are displayed, the medieval heart of London and the close of the day.

The longest museum visit of the plan. Between September 2026 and June 2027 the Bayeux Tapestry is on show at the British Museum, crossing the Channel for the first time in 900 years; VisitBritain recommends booking early for the exhibition. You cannot see the whole collection in one visit, so pick a few sections and focus on them.

After lunch in Soho, spend free time on Carnaby Street and in Covent Garden, with shops, street performers and cafés. End the evening in the West End with a show or dinner; the area is also within walking distance of the places in Michelin's Soho selection.

The galleries of these two neighbouring museums on Cromwell Road are free. Give the morning to the Natural History Museum and the afternoon after lunch to the V&A South Kensington. The nearest tube is South Kensington (Piccadilly, District, Circle), about a 5-minute walk, with step-free access via the subway tunnel. There can be queues at the Natural History Museum at weekends and in school holidays; you can book a free entry ticket to guarantee entry.

Walk up Exhibition Road into Hyde Park. At its centre are the Serpentine lake, lakeside paths and cafés, and the Lido is home to England's oldest swimming club. In Kensington Gardens to the west, see Kensington Palace from outside; according to VisitBritain it was home to many royals, including Queen Victoria, William III and Queen Anne. Head back to South Kensington for a farewell dinner.

If you'd rather spend day four in Greenwich, the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House and the Royal Observatory are within easy walking distance of each other, and you can also get there by boat. Pay as you go works on Thames Clippers river buses. The National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House are free; booking is recommended.