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Captivating aerial view of Westminster Palace, Big Ben, and River Thames in London, UK.
Photo by Gianluca Pugliese on Pexels
Captivating aerial view of Westminster Palace, Big Ben, and River Thames in London, UK.
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London in 5 Days — Westminster, the Tower, and Greenwich

London, United Kingdom
5 days33 stopsmid-range prices

5 days · 33 stops · moderate pace · 7.7 h a day

29 of 31 venues clear · 2 field notes · checked 15 Aug 2026 · the field log

Five clustered days in London: Westminster, the Tower and St Paul's, South Kensington, the British Museum, and Greenwich by boat.

≈ £354 per person

the whole trip · in GBP

indicative, 18 Oct 2026 · Rates By Exchange Rate API

Copies all 33 stops into a trip of your own, on your dates.

Photo by Gianluca Pugliese on Pexels

≈ £354 / person for the tripRates By Exchange Rate API
moderate pace · 7.7h/day · 1 heavy dayBest in spring, summer & autumnBest inspring, summer & autumnGood forfirst-timers✓ CHECKED 65 DAYS AGO4.2editorial score · traveller ratings replace it at 3
4.2/5
Editorial pick
Value
4.0
Location
4.4
Activities
4.4
Food
4.0
Pacing
4.2

Scored by our reviewer at publish time — traveler ratings replace it at 3.

Five neighborhood-clustered days covering every first-visit essential: Westminster Abbey and the South Bank, the Tower of London and St Paul's across the river, the South Kensington museum quarter into Notting Hill, the British Museum and Covent Garden through Soho, and a river-boat day trip to Greenwich for the Prime Meridian. Nearly every big sight now needs timed-entry booking, and several are closed on specific days — Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are shut to sightseers on Sundays, Borough Market is closed Mondays, and Kensington Palace is closed Monday and Tuesday — so Day 1 works best Tuesday–Saturday and Day 3 should land Wednesday–Sunday. Almost everything is walkable within a cluster, with the Underground, buses, and the Thames Clippers river boats bridging the rest.

day1day2with an account3with an account4with an account55 days · 33 stops · ≈ £354 per person

Day by day

day 1 of 5 · 7 stops · £83

Day 1 — Westminster and the South BankWestminster and the South Bank

08:00
Regency Cafe
food · 45 min · £12
Regency Cafe, 17-19 Regency Street
Art-deco 1946 greasy spoon a few minutes from Westminster Abbey — a proper English breakfast fry-up for about £10. Open Mon–Fri 07:00–14:30 & 16:00–19:15, Sat 07:00–12:00, closed Sunday. No cards for small orders at busy times; cash is safest.
£12
09:30
Westminster Abbeybook ahead
sight · 105 min · £27book ahead
Westminster Abbey
Closed to sightseeing on Sundays (worship only) — this day needs to land Mon–Sat. £27–31 online, timed entry; audio guide included. Poets' Corner and the Coronation Chair are the highlights; allow the full 90 minutes.
£27book ahead
11:30
Parliament Square and Big Ben
sight · 30 min · free
Parliament Square
Free. The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Houses of Parliament from outside — interior tours need booking weeks ahead and run Saturdays only for non-UK residents, so this is a photo stop, not a visit.
12:15
St James's Park and Buckingham Palace
sight · 60 min · free
St James's Park
Free. Walk the lake path to the Buckingham Palace railings. The Changing of the Guard runs a reduced schedule (roughly Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun at 11:00, confirmed about six weeks ahead on the official site) — check before counting on it; the walk is worthwhile regardless.
13:30
Borough Market
food · 75 min · £15
Borough Market
Closed Mondays (open Tue–Sun, 10:00–17:00 most days, till 16:00 Sun). Walk or bus down the South Bank from Westminster (~35–40 min) via Westminster Bridge and the London Eye. Graze the stalls for lunch — cheeses, salt beef, doughnuts — £10–15 covers a good spread.
£15
15:00
Tate Modern
sight · 90 min · free
Tate Modern
Free permanent collection (special exhibitions ticketed separately). The old Bankside Power Station's Turbine Hall is worth the visit alone; the 10th-floor viewing level is free and looks straight across to St Paul's.
17:00
London Eyebook ahead
sight · 45 min · £29book ahead
London Eye
£29–33 online for a standard rotation if booked ahead (walk-up nearer £39); book a slot near sunset for the best light over Westminster. Ten-minute walk along the South Bank from Tate Modern via the Golden Jubilee footbridges, or one stop on the river bus.
£29book ahead
day 2 of 5 · 6 stops · £109

Day 2 — Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and St Paul'sTower of London, Tower Bridge, and St Paul's

09:00
Tower of Londonbook ahead
sight · 165 min · £37book ahead
Tower of London
£37 online, book ahead — the Crown Jewels queue is the pacing bottleneck, so do them first. Open Tue–Sat 09:00–17:30, Sun/Mon 10:00–17:30 (last entry 17:00). The Yeoman Warder tour (free, included) is the best orientation.
£37book ahead
12:00
Tower Bridge Exhibition
sight · 60 min · £12
Tower Bridge
Open daily 09:30–18:00 (last entry 17:00). About £12 for the glass walkway, the towers, and the Victorian engine rooms — check ahead if the bascules are due to lift while you're there.
£12
13:15
The Hung, Drawn and Quartered
food · 60 min · £18
The Hung, Drawn and Quartered, 26-27 Great Tower Street
Fuller's pub two minutes from the Tower — pies and fish and chips, £15–20. Small dining room and popular with office lunches; arrive right at opening or expect to wait for a table.
£18
14:45
St Paul's Cathedralbook ahead
sight · 105 min · £27book ahead
St Paul's Cathedral
Closed to sightseeing on Sundays (worship only) — pair this day with Day 1's Mon–Sat window. £27, timed entry; the Whispering Gallery climb (257 steps) up to the Golden Gallery is the reward for clear weather. Tube or a 25-minute walk along Cheapside from the Tower.
£27book ahead
16:45
Millennium Bridge to Bankside
sight · 20 min · free
Millennium Bridge
Free. The wobbly footbridge from St Paul's straight across to Tate Modern's forecourt — the classic dome-and-river photo, best walked at golden hour.
17:30
Padella
food · 60 min · £15
Padella, 6 Southwark Street
Fresh pasta at Borough Market, £8–12 a plate — no bookings, counter seating only, join the virtual queue on the Dojo app on arrival and grab a drink nearby while you wait; it moves fast.
NOTE · field note · PRICE: the Borough Market menu now runs £9.50-£16.50 a plate (pappardelle beef shin ragu £15, nduja fettuccine £13.50); the stop says £8-12, which no longer covers the signature dishes (verified 2026-08-15).
£15

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On the map

All 13 stops mapped · first 2 days

Field checks & ratings

Field log29/31 VENUES CLEAR · 2 FIELD NOTES✓ CHECKED 65 DAYS AGO

Every venue in this itinerary was checked against current public sources — opening hours, prices, closures — before it was published. Stops that aren't venues — transit legs, walks between them — aren't in the count.

Checked against rmg.co.uk · tripadvisor.com · thebettervacation.com · britishmuseum.org · greenwichmarket.london · hrp.org.uk + 21 more

How we check

Anything with a kitchen or a ticket gate is verified individually: the official site where one exists, plus recent traveler reviews. Public squares, parks and viewpoints get an existence check. A venue we can’t confirm is flagged below rather than quietly kept, and the whole itinerary is re-checked on a cadence — past 12 months without one, the checked claim is dropped and the date above stops being a promise.

NotePadella — PRICE: the Borough Market menu now runs £9.50-£16.50 a plate (pappardelle beef shin ragu £15, nduja fettuccine £13.50); the stop says £8-12, which no longer covers the signature dishes (verified 2026-08-15). · via padella.co, guide.michelin.com

+1 more flagged venue on the days beyond this preview.

checked 15 Aug 2026 · 29 of 31 venues clear · 2 field notes

Every venue was checked against current public sources — hours, prices, closures — before it was published. Walks and transit legs are not in the count.

checked against rmg.co.uk · tripadvisor.com · thebettervacation.com · britishmuseum.org · greenwichmarket.london · hrp.org.uk + 21 more

field note · day 2PadellaPRICE: the Borough Market menu now runs £9.50-£16.50 a plate (pappardelle beef shin ragu £15, nduja fettuccine £13.50); the stop says £8-12, which no longer covers the signature dishes (verified 2026-08-15). · via padella.co, guide.michelin.com

1 more flagged venue on the days beyond this preview.

How we check

Anything with a kitchen or a ticket gate is verified individually: the official site where one exists, plus recent traveler reviews. Public squares, parks and viewpoints get an existence check. A venue we can’t confirm is flagged below rather than quietly kept, and the whole itinerary is re-checked on a cadence — past 12 months without one, the checked claim is dropped and the date above stops being a promise.

4.2/5
Editorial pick · the score it was published with — traveler ratings move it
Value for money
4.0
Location & logistics
4.4
Activities & sights
4.4
Food & drink
4.0
Pacing & feasibility
4.2
≈ £354per person · 5 days
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