London needs more time than most city breaks: plan four days for a first visit, five if you want a day trip or a show. The reason is simple geography — London is several cities stitched together, and crossing it eats time.
2 days — Westminster, Tower of London, one free museum. Constant motion, worth it only if it’s all you have.
3 days — add South Kensington’s museums and a West End evening. The minimum comfortable visit.
4–5 days — our recommendation: everything above plus markets, Greenwich or Camden, at human pace.
6+ days — day trips: Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge or the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
The distance problem
First-timers consistently underestimate travel time. Tower Bridge to Notting Hill is not a stroll, it’s a 40-minute Tube ride. The fix is to plan by zone: one area per half-day, and pick accommodation near a well-connected station. Our London city guide breaks the city into workable clusters.
The free museum advantage
London’s superpower for budget travellers: the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Natural History Museum and V&A are all free. That flips the usual planning logic — book the paid landmarks (Tower of London, London Eye, Westminster Abbey) and treat the world-class free museums as flexible filler around them.
A realistic 4-day outline
| Day | Focus | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Westminster, Abbey, St James’s Park, National Gallery | Soho |
| Day 2 | Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market | South Bank walk |
| Day 3 | British Museum, Covent Garden | West End show |
| Day 4 | South Kensington museums or Camden & Regent’s Park | Notting Hill |
Comparing capitals? Read Paris vs London, or browse all our European city guides.