London: 4-Day Ultimate Travel Guide
After calling London home for the last 10 years, it is time to provide you with my 4-day Ultimate Travel Guide for a long weekend in London.
Disclaimer: you will never see everything in London – I am still discovering new things after all these years!
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you click one of those links and make a purchase, I may earn a commission on the sale at no extra cost to you. Review the Privacy Policy and Disclosures.
Discovering London in 4 Days
When to go and where?
London can have 4 seasons in one day, but all seasons are very intense! I joke that London suffers from extreme weather conditions, and unfortunately, this is quite true. The underground is likely to shut early if there is a lot of snow, wind, or rain, and TFL (Transport For London) will likely call it a day if it is insanely hot too.
Winter can get to -6 degrees, and summer can get to 43 degrees! I have experienced both, so with this said, I would highly recommend visiting in April to June and September to November. Like this you are getting best temperatures, flights and hotels are cheaper and there is less tourists.
What are the best neighbourhoods of London?
This question is very generic, and it will depend so much on what your vibe as a tourist/traveler is.
Royal London: If you are more of a dreamer and like to imagine living amongst Royals, I would consider areas such as Chelsea, Sloane Square, Mayfair, Hyde Park Corners, South Kensington, Fitzrovia, Wimbledon, Greenwich, Kew, and Richmond. There are royalty feels mixed with country side.
Artistic London: If you like a more alternative vibe to life, I would suggest Camden, Brick Lane, Soho, Shoreditch, Brixton, and Hackney. These neighbourhoods are being regenerated and now there are other type of people living in them. They are starting to be known as more artistic.
Cultural London: If you want a mixture of cultures, I would go and explore Tooting Broadway, Ealing Broadway, Acton, White City, Willesden Green, and Kilburn. London has parts with predominant cultures and it where we go to buy specific things from different countries. For example, Stockwell is the Portuguese neighbourhood, where a lot of Portuguese live, people speak Portuguese in the streets, and there are Portuguese cafes and supermarkets in every corner.
London in Family: For young families and more day-to-day living in London vibes, maybe consider areas such as Southfields, Earlsfield, Clapham, Chiswick, Fulham, Putney, Nothing Hill, Islington, Hampstead, Maida Vale, and Streatham. There are certain areas in London that are touristic but also great for families who are travelling, for example Notting Hill. However, if you are looking for something more traditional in London perfect for families I would suggest staying in place such as Chiswick. It isn’t far from the city center and it is very calm and with easy access to the airport.
Modern London: For modern feels, definitely check out Nine Elms, Canary Wharf, and Stratford. These areas have been recently regenerated and can be quite futuristic.
East London tends to be more modern. People normally will live in Mordern building and the architecture is predominant made of clean line and simple. Canary Wharf is called the Bank’s District and it is where a lot of bankers live to be close to its Head Offices.
Center of London: If you want to be within easy access to all these incredible neighborhoods, then I would say to stay around Soho and Westminster. Four days unfortunately are not enough to see all the areas mentioned above. I would start with choosing the type of vibe you want from London and go from there.
London for the first time
I have been traveling for 10 years, and I have not yet found a cooler city than London. London is a vibe. You can find everything in this city.
All museums are free! There are certain exhibitions that might charge you to get in, but in general, you can go to places such as the Natural History Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and many more for free!
Although London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, you can still do it on a budget.
Day 1 in London
I like to allow time to get to the hotel/apartment and I normally consider arriving in the morning, either by flying overnight or arriving at night on day “0”.
- Visit Big Ben and the House of Parliament
- Cross the Westminster Bridge and have stunning views of both House of Parliament and the London Eye, cross the bridge to go on the London Eye (view prices here).
- Walk down the South Bank and cross the Waterloo Bridge.
If you want instead, go all the way passed Blackfriars station on the south bank and check the Tate Gallery, then return and cross the Embankment bridge (you will see more of the city) - Walk up to Convent Garden, get speechless with all the theatres, French restaurants, try Fish and Chips at local pubs and see all the boutique shops in one of the most famous markers of the world.
- Walk towards China Town where everything works as in China – even the bank is Chinese! One of my favourite places in London and one of the only China towns in London in the city center of a city outside China.
- Venture toward Soho and discover one of the wildest districts of London – Soho is the gay quarter, and everything happens in Soho. It is London’s red district.
- Get down from Soho towards Charring Cross. Pass by Piccadilly Circus and when in Charring Cross Visit and wander inside the National Gallery. There is a lovely cafe inside.
You can have a guided tour of the National Gallery: see here.
Day 2 in London
If day one was about seeing the top bits of London, on day two I will take you exploring other parts of London that took me a while to discover. Of course, you can add other things to the list that you feel more like it.
- Start day 2 in Piccadilly Circus, here you can feel the vibes of the big screens of Piccadilly Circus and check the performance artists.
- Go up Regent Street for some of the best high street shops, but if Designer clothing is what you are after then I suggest you go to the parallel Bond Street.
- If you want even more shops, then continue until you reach the big famous Oxford Circus.
- Check Hyde Park. You can rent little boats in its river.
- Go down Brompton Road for the infamous Harrods.
Day 3 in London
- Visit Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park.
- Take a stroll through Notting Hill. Every week there is an antique and vintage market is on Saturday. Portobello Market is a must stop. The closes underground is Notting Hill station with the central and district line.
- Check out charity shops around High Street Kensington or 1 stop further, the Natural History Museum
- Walk Kings Road, and visit my favourite neighbourhood, Chelsea.
- Cross Albert Bridge and walk through Battersea Park.
- Explore the newest developments of Battersea Power Station, including the new shopping center, and the Lift 109. If you fancy great food & drinks with a view, check out JOIA rooftop bar.
- Get the tube from Battersea Power Station all the way to Kings Cross for the best and most charming hotel – Saint Pancras Hotel. If you are a Harry Potter fan. In Kings Cross is where you can get into the platform 93/4 and if you want you can take the bus to visit the making Harry Potter studios, where all the movies were made.
Get your Harry Potter studio tour tickets here.
Day 4 in London
- The last day is all about relaxing and views.
- Start by taking the boat to Westminster Pier. You should consider buying the unlimited boat trip card (check prices here). Leave the boat at Tower Bridge pier. This is the best place to be If you want to go up Tower Bridge and go up Tower of London.
- From Tower Bridge Pier, take another boat towards Greenwich
- Visit Cutty Sark, Royal Naval College and/or Greenwich Park with the Greenwich meridian. On weekends there is a great food market. I have been once on a private tour of Greenwich that was very worth it because I had only 1 more day in London and I wanted to properly but I wasn’t sure where to start (check prices here)
- Take the boat back to Westminster where you can visit Westminster Abbey followed by the visiting Buckingham Palace (only open from July-September).
- If you are the type person that enjoys thrilling and experiences that brings some adrenaline I would also recommend to try hiking up the Tottenham Hotspur stadium or climb the O2. Although these activities are already out of the ordinary, London has always new activities to try, specially for those who have visited before.
- If you are into shopping, London is the biggest place to find the best brands, but even better, the better bargains. I love a good charity shop, and London has the best charity shops in the world and the best prices for designer items too!
If you are spending more time in London and you would like to check other major cities there are plenty of choices. If flying is not an option then consider Edinburgh where you can take a train or Paris with the Eurostar. See here more about my trip to Paris by train from Central London.
If you want to add to London a traditional English Countryside experience, then consider visiting Bath in the Cotswolds.
Getting into London from all major airports
There are 5 airports that serve London, you are probably asking “Why so many?”, I have asked this question too. There are about 13 million people living in London. My home country, Portugal, has a total of 10 million inhabitants – insane right?
Heathrow Airport has 5 terminals and it is the most convenient airport in terms of transport links into the city. It is connected by an underground Piccadilly line (dark blue) connecting London from West to East. Located in West London, it can take approx 45 min to get to Piccadilly Circus/Soho. You can get an oyster card just before the gates. Top up with £15 as it is more a less the cost of a journey from zone 6-1, and when you get to your destination or the day after, consider doing a weekly travel card. Of course, this will depend on your travel preferences.
The City Airport is the newest airport located right in the city. It is not right in the city center of London, but it is very close to Canary Wharf and all the bank HQs. This airport was designed for the convenience of business travel, in and out. I have flown here once, and the experience was very average, to be honest. I was expecting mega luxury and I was a tiny airport that is it. The views when landing are pretty cool on the other hand!
London Stanstead Airport should not be considered London, but it is. I was shocked when I first traveled from this airport. It is a funny story, I took a shuttle transfer from London to London Stansted Airport, and when I arrived after 2.5 hours of commute, I could see cows in the parking lot and I started to panic because I thought I had taken the wrong shuttle. I was assisted by the driver assistant who guaranteed me that I was in the correct place. In conclusion, Stanstead is outside London but considered London.
Flights to and from Stanstead are very cheap. You can get to Dublin for £5 return with some research and luck too. To and from London to this airport is a bit tricky, either a bus from Victoria coach station or Stratford (National Express, Flexibus, Easybus) or Stanstead express train from Liverpool Street Station – the train is very convenient and it runs all day and night.
London Luton Airport used to be almost as hard to get to as Stanstead Airport. This airport is the second smallest after London City and the second cheapest in terms of flights from and to. It is easier to travel from central London now, as there is now a train from Kings Cross to Luton Parkway and a train shuttle from Luton Parkway to the airport itself. It is very convenient and costs approx. £22 and it takes 45min. Alternatively, you can also take a shuttle from the Victoria Coach Station.
London Gatwick Airport is my favorite airport, it has easy access to central and flights are not too expensive compared to Heathrow. It takes me 20 min to get to Victoria/Clapham from Gatwick, and is the third biggest airport in London. It has 2 terminals, North and South. A train from Gatwick to Victoria/Clapham Junction costs less than £16.
Flights from Gatwick used to be cheaper than now, but ever since Covid-19 a lot of the population that used to live in London moved to Surrey, this area is not too far from this airport. Major airlines are also operating from Gatwick which can be the case of the price increase.
I am sure you will love London at any time of your life in a different way from the previous time.
I wish you all the best experience in London!
Safe travels!
M x
