7 Days in London: How We Fit the Highlights Into One Week
Seven days in London. One very long wish list.
My daughter Callan was headed to Newcastle University for six weeks of summer research, which gave us the perfect excuse to spend a week together in London first. And we knew exactly what kind of trip we wanted. We weren't looking for leisurely mornings at the hotel or two-hour lunches. We wanted to see London—the royal history, famous landmarks, colorful neighborhoods, food markets, museums, theater and a few less obvious attractions we might discover along the way.
And we fit in a lot.
The secret was planning each day geographically. We grouped sights in the same general area so we spent less time crisscrossing London and more time actually seeing it. We traveled entirely by Tube, regional trains and our own two feet.
We also bought a four-day London Pass and put it to very good use. The pass includes admission to a long list of participating attractions over a set number of consecutive days. Some require advance reservations, while others allow you to simply show your pass for admission.
One of the biggest benefits was something I hadn't anticipated. The pass encouraged us to try experiences that hadn't even been on our radar. A food tour, an immersive art experience and a Sherlock Holmes escape room all became trip highlights largely because we thought, It's included. Why not?
Before You Copy Our London Itinerary
A word of caution: this itinerary worked for us.
Callan and I are both fit, enjoy walking and don't mind long sightseeing days. We also weren't particularly food-focused on this trip. Most days, we ate one substantial meal and grabbed smaller snacks as we went.
That makes an enormous difference.
Had my husband and sons been traveling with us, this exact itinerary never would have worked. Three sit-down meals, snack and drink stops and a little more downtime would have changed how much we could reasonably fit into a day.
Use our itinerary to see which attractions pair well together, then adjust the pace to fit the people you're traveling with.
Day 1: Hitting the Ground Running
After an overnight flight, we collected our bags, took the Tube into the city and headed to the Z Hotel Trafalgar. Our room wasn't ready, so we left our luggage with the hotel and headed straight back out. In retrospect, there's an important piece of foreshadowing here.
Before leaving home, I'd offered Callan one of my brightly colored luggage tags. Her suitcase was plain black and looked remarkably similar to approximately 100,000 other suitcases circling the globe. She declined. She knew what her suitcase looked like. Remember that.
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Our First Walk Along the Thames
From Trafalgar Square, we walked about 20 minutes to Westminster Abbey. For a first morning in London, it was a pretty perfect place to start.
From Westminster, we walked past Parliament and Big Ben, crossed Westminster Bridge and continued along the Thames. After months of planning and little more than airplane sleep, we were finally in London—red buses, Big Ben, the Thames and all.
We eventually made our way to Tate Modern. It was a short visit. Modern art simply isn't our thing, and on our first day we were much more interested in getting back outside and soaking up London's energy. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery later in the week were much more our speed.
Three Markets—and an Unexpected First Dinner
Our next activity was a Three Markets Tour, another experience included with our London Pass. We explored Borough Market, Leadenhall Market and Spitalfields Market, getting our first taste—literally—of London's market scene. Borough Market alone can be overwhelming. There are food stalls everywhere, with flavors from all over the world and far more choices than we could possibly sample.
The tour ended on Brick Lane with dinner at Aladin, where the meal had already been selected for our group. Plate after plate arrived for us to share, and everything was delicious. I also tried my first mango lassi. Where has this been my whole life? Indian food probably wouldn't have been our choice for our first dinner in London, which is exactly why I'm glad the tour chose it for us.
By the time we returned to the hotel, we were ready for showers and bed. Instead, we discovered Callan's suitcase was missing.
The Case of the Missing Black Suitcase
The hotel had no idea where it was. We didn't know whether another guest had taken it accidentally, someone had stolen it, or whether we'd ever see it again. By then, the clothing stores were closed, and we had about 30 minutes to race to a drugstore and grab enough toiletries to at least get Callan through the night.
Several hours later, we finally found out what had happened. A woman in her 70s who was also staying at the hotel had an unmarked black suitcase of her own. When she'd collected her luggage earlier that day, she'd accidentally taken Callan's instead. She didn't discover the mix-up until she'd traveled all the way to the airport. Thankfully, she made the trip back into London, returned Callan's suitcase and retrieved her own. We were incredibly relieved to have it back. It was an entirely innocent mistake.
Travel lesson learned: A distinctive luggage tag isn't only there to help you recognize your suitcase. It's there to keep someone else from thinking it's theirs.
Callan uses a luggage tag now.
Day 2: One of the Best Ways to See Central London
We started our second morning on two wheels with a 3½-hour classic London bike tour—a great way to get our bearings and learn the layout of the city. Even better, the tour was timed so that we caught the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace along the way. We also walked our bikes through Leake Street Tunnel, a legal graffiti tunnel where the walls are constantly changing as new street art appears. We covered far more ground than we could have managed on foot, without spending half the morning underground on the Tube.
Buckingham Palace itself wasn't open for tours during our visit. I hadn't realized that the State Rooms are only open to visitors during certain times of the year. If touring the palace is high on your London list, check the official opening dates on the Royal Collection Trust website before planning your itinerary.
London From 443 Feet Up
That afternoon, we boarded the London Eye. From 443 feet up, we could pick out many of the landmarks we'd already spent hours walking and biking past.
Afterward, we stumbled across the South Bank Book Market tucked beneath Waterloo Bridge. Tables filled with secondhand and vintage books, maps and prints made it an easy detour for two book lovers.
Then we headed to Chinatown for dim sum and a wander through the neighborhood's shops and markets.
We ended our day back on the river, taking an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers as the sun went down and the city began to light up.
London by bike in the morning, from above in the afternoon and from the Thames at sunset. Not a bad day.
Day 3: 27,000 Steps Through London's History
Day 3 was our biggest walking day: more than 27,000 steps. We started at St. Paul's Cathedral, with its enormous dome and the very aisle where Charles and Diana walked on their wedding day.
From there, we headed toward the Tower of London but made a quick detour into one of the prettiest little surprises of the trip: St. Dunstan in the East. The ruins of the former church have been overtaken by greenery, creating a garden tucked among London's modern buildings. It was a quick stop, but we took some of my favorite photos of the trip there.
Walking through this part of London also gave us great views of some of the city's more unusual modern buildings—the Walkie Talkie, the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater, and the Scalpel.
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge
Next came the Tower of London, with enough stories of royal prisoners, executions, intrigue and questionable behavior to keep us entertained for hours.
A short walk away is Tower Bridge—the beautiful bridge with two towers that appears in countless photos of London. And for anyone else who had these confused: Tower Bridge and London Bridge are not the same bridge. The pretty one you're probably picturing is Tower Bridge.
By this point, we'd had our fill of history for the day. Enter Frameless.
The Attraction We Almost Wouldn't Have Done
Frameless wasn't on our original London must-do list. It was included with our London Pass, it sounded interesting, and after 27,000 steps on a hot summer day, it was indoors and air-conditioned. Sold.
The immersive art experience uses enormous moving projections, music and effects to surround you with famous works of art. We loved it.
After several history-heavy attractions, Frameless gave our brains a break. We weren't listening to a guide, reading plaques or trying to remember which Henry did what to whom.
We were just having fun. It became one of the unexpected highlights of our trip.
Day 4: Notting Hill, Sherlock Holmes and the Great Sunday Roast Miscalculation
Day 4 took us west.
We used a hop-on-hop-off bus to reach Notting Hill and joined a four-hour walking tour through the neighborhood and Kensington Gardens. The tour took us through the pastel-colored streets of Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market, with a quick stop at the famous blue door from Nottingham Hill, before continuing through Hyde Park and to the Princess Diana Memorial. It was an easy way to see several places we wanted to visit without having to figure out the route ourselves.
Then we switched gears completely. Our next stop was Sherlock: The Official Live Game, a Sherlock Holmes-themed escape-room experience. It wasn't something we'd traveled to London determined to do, but was included with our pass, so we gave it a try. We had an absolute blast. After several days of churches, museums, palaces and history, spending a couple of hours solving puzzles in an air-conditioned escape room was exactly what we needed.
We also made our way to Harrods. We looked around, admired plenty of beautiful things, quickly determined that most of those beautiful things were not coming home with us and settled for tea and chocolates from the gift shop.
About That Sunday Roast...
We'd decided that Sunday in London required a proper Sunday roast. What we didn't realize was that Sunday roast is traditionally served more as a lunch or afternoon meal, often from around noon until 5 p.m. We began looking around 5. Oops.
Several places had already sold out, but eventually we found our roast near Carnaby Street and Soho—and I discovered that Yorkshire pudding is not, in fact, pudding. The roast was, however, delicious. If Sunday roast is on your London list, have it earlier in the day.
We finished the evening amid the lights and crowds of Piccadilly Circus before finally calling it a night.
Day 5: Can You See Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath in One Day?
Yes.
Should you? That depends.
With only one day available for exploring outside London, we chose a guided excursion combining Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath.
Our first stop was Windsor Castle, one of the royal family's residences and the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth II. Photography wasn't permitted inside, but the State Apartments were every bit as regal as you'd expect. One of my favorite surprises was Queen Mary's Dolls' House, an incredibly detailed miniature mansion complete with electricity, running water and tiny luxury cars.
From Windsor, we continued to Stonehenge. For us, an hour was plenty of time to walk the site, see the famous stone circle and take it all in.
Then came Bath. And that's where I wished we'd had more time. With its honey-colored buildings, Jane Austen connections and ancient Roman Baths, it was the kind of place that made me want to keep wandering. We toured the baths and wandered through town, but I would have happily stayed for several more hours.
That's the tradeoff with this day trip. If you have only one day and want to see all three, it works. Windsor was worthwhile, an hour at Stonehenge felt sufficient, and we got a taste of Bath.
The downside? A lot of time on a bus.
If I could give more time to any of the three, it would be Bath.
Day 6: Camden by Day, Agatha Christie by Night
After several days of London's historic sites, Camden was a complete change of pace. Street art, alternative shops and sprawling markets gave us a very different side of the city.
Later, we visited the British Museum, where we made our way through thousands of years of history and saw one of its most famous treasures: the Rosetta Stone.
We also discovered that you don't need to book one of London's famous—and famously expensive—hotels to enjoy afternoon tea. We had ours right at the British Museum. It was delicious and considerably less expensive than many of London's better-known afternoon tea experiences.
The trip also cleared up a British terminology lesson for us. What many Americans call "high tea"—tiered trays of finger sandwiches, scones, pastries and tea—is actually afternoon tea. Traditionally, high tea was a more substantial early-evening meal that could include bread, meat or fish along with tea.
That night, we headed to the West End to see The Mousetrap. With more than 40 productions to choose from, narrowing down our options hadn’t been easy, but seeing Agatha Christie’s legendary whodunit—the longest running show in the West End—felt like a quintessential London experience. By a stroke of luck, we scored front-row seats, close enough to catch every expression on the actors’ faces. It did not disappoint.
Day 7: Shakespeare to Stranger Things
Our final full day together began with a tour of Shakespeare's Globe. We got lucky. Actors were rehearsing a modern production of Romeo and Juliet, and we were able to sit inside and watch part of the rehearsal.
Afterward, we walked next door to Swan at the Globe for one of the cutest meals of our trip. Swan offers theatrical afternoon teas inspired by Shakespeare productions, and ours was Romeo and Juliet themed. The tiered trays were filled with sandwiches, pastries and sweets with clever little nods to the play. After watching the rehearsal next door, it couldn't have been more perfect.
From there, we headed to the National Gallery, where the collection was much more our speed than Tate Modern. Give me recognizable masterpieces, Impressionists and Renaissance art, and I'm happy.
We also visited the National Portrait Gallery, where we traded Monet and Cézanne for famous faces, including portraits of Princess Diana and Elton John. It was another side of art—less about the paintings themselves and more about the people looking back at us.
Then we returned to the West End that evening for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It couldn't have been more different from The Mousetrap. The supernatural prequel was packed with theatrical effects that repeatedly had us wondering, How did they just do that?
Before We Leave London
Was the London Pass Worth It?
For us, absolutely.
We bought a four-day London Pass because we knew we wanted a sightseeing-heavy trip. By grouping included attractions geographically and visiting several each day, we easily got our money's worth.
But the unexpected benefit was that the pass encouraged us to try things we probably wouldn't have booked separately. Frameless wasn't on our original must-do list. Neither were the Sherlock Holmes escape room or the Three Markets Tour that ended with Indian food on Brick Lane. We loved all three.
The pass didn't just help us see more of the London we'd planned. It introduced us to some of the London we hadn't.
A Few Things London Taught Us
Seven days in London came with a few lessons.
Plan geographically. This was probably the biggest reason we managed to see so much without spending the entire trip in transit. St. Paul's, St. Dunstan, Tower of London and Tower Bridge belong together. Notting Hill, Kensington and Hyde Park belong together. Look at a map before building your days.
Mix up the history-heavy attractions. Cathedrals, castles and museums are fascinating, but Frameless and the Sherlock escape room ended up being two of our favorite experiences. Sometimes you just need to play.
Check seasonal openings. We were disappointed that Buckingham Palace wasn't open for tours yet. Check the dates before assuming you'll be able to go inside.
Have your Sunday roast earlier than you think. Don't do what we did and begin your search at 5 p.m.
Leave room for wandering and shopping. At Jubilee Market in Covent Garden, Callan and I each found leather jackets—burgundy for her, olive green for me. They weren't planned purchases, but they remain two of my favorite souvenirs from London—just British and hip enough to convince us we could pull them off back home.
And if your suitcase looks exactly like every other black suitcase on earth, use the colorful luggage tag your mother offers you. Just saying.
Goodbye at King's Cross
The next morning, our London adventure together came to an end over one last big English breakfast.
Then we headed to King's Cross Station.
Before Callan boarded her train, we stopped by the Harry Potter shop and the famous Platform 9¾ photo spot—because apparently even heading off to do serious university research leaves room for a little Harry Potter.
Then it was time. Callan boarded a train for Newcastle, where she'd spend the next six weeks conducting summer research at Newcastle University. I watched her go, feeling that strange mixture of pride and sadness that comes with seeing your child head off completely on her own.
Seven days earlier, we'd arrived in London together with two suitcases, one very full itinerary and absolutely no intention of wasting a minute. Now she was heading north on her own.
I still had a couple of English adventures ahead of me, but our mother-daughter week had come to an end.
We'd come to London determined to see as much as we could. I left realizing that the part I'd remember most was who I'd seen it with.
