Quick answer: For a 4-day trip to London, budget about EUR 170 per day (mid-range). Best time: May-June and September - mild weather, long daylight and parks at their best; pack a rain layer regardless. Visa: Many nationalities including US/EU visit visa-free for up to 6 months but most now need an ETA before travel - always check current UK rules for your passport.
London packs royal pageantry, world-class free museums and gritty street markets into one sprawling city. Watch Westminster and Big Ben from the South Bank, lose a morning in the British Museum for free, then eat your way through Borough Market before pints in a Shoreditch pub.
Best timeMay-June and September - mild weather, long daylight and parks at their best; pack a rain layer regardless
Budget / day~EUR 170
Suggested length4 days
VisaMany nationalities including US/EU visit visa-free for up to 6 months but most now need an ETA before travel - always check current UK rules for your passport.
4-day London itinerary
- Day 1: Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, walk the South Bank past the London Eye, Borough Market for lunch, Tate Modern
- Day 2: British Museum, Covent Garden, Soho for dinner and a West End show
- Day 3: Tower of London (book ahead), Tower Bridge, afternoon in Shoreditch and Brick Lane
- Day 4: Notting Hill and Portobello Road, Hyde Park, Natural History or V&A Museum in South Kensington
Where to stay: neighborhoods that make sense
- South Bank / Banksideriverside walks and big sights on your doorstep, ideal for first-timers
- Shoreditchstreet art, markets and the best bar scene, stay here for nightlife
- Bloomsburyleafy squares by the British Museum, quiet and central with mid-range hotels
- Notting Hillpastel townhouses and Portobello Market, charming but pricier and further west
What to eat in London
- Fish and chips at a proper chippy14-17 EUR, ask for it with mushy peas
- Borough Market street foodgrilled cheese toasties or salt beef bagels, 8-12 EUR
- Sunday roast at a pub20-25 EUR, book a table, they sell out by 2pm
- Curry on Brick Lane or in Tootingaround 15 EUR for a main and naan
- Beigel Bake on Brick Lanesalt beef beigel for about 7 EUR, open 24 hours
Mistakes most first-timers make
- Paying for attractions when the biggest museums (British Museum, Tate Modern, Natural History) are completely free
- Buying paper travel ticketsjust tap a contactless card on the tube, fares cap automatically at about 10 EUR a day
- Underestimating distances'central London' spans miles, so group each day's sights by area instead of criss-crossing
- Booking a hotel far out in Zone 4+ to save moneythe commute cost and time usually cancel out the savings
Worth leaving the city for
- Windsor (about 1 hour by train)Windsor Castle, the oldest occupied castle in the world
- Oxford (about 1 hour by train)colleges, the Bodleian Library and classic pub lunches
- Brighton (about 1 hour by train)seaside pier, the Lanes and a completely different pace
Getting around
From Heathrow, the Elizabeth Line reaches central London in about 35 minutes for roughly 15 EUR. In town, tap contactless on the tube and buses; fares cap around 10 EUR per day, and central sights cluster close enough to walk between many of them.
Why this plan won't send you to a closed café
Almawander is an AI travel planner that remembers you across trips - it learns your pace, budget, diet and taste, checks places are still open, and bakes in your passport's visa rules.