One-Week London Itinerary Based in Waterloo

Morning

Start with a substantial breakfast at The Breakfast Club, Waterloo, allowing about an hour for pancakes, eggs, or a full English before the crowds build. It is a short walk from most Waterloo hotels; expect roughly £12–£20 per person. After breakfast, walk across Westminster Bridge toward Westminster Abbey—about 20 minutes, with excellent first views of the river and Parliament. The abbey generally opens to visitors from around 9:30, though hours can change for services or royal events, so check the official schedule and book ahead if possible. Allow 1½ hours inside; admission is usually around £30–£31 for adults.

Afternoon and Evening

From Westminster Abbey, walk through Parliament Square to see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, then continue onto Westminster Bridge for the classic riverside viewpoint. Spend about 45 minutes here before crossing to The London Eye on the South Bank. Pre-book a timed ticket—typically around £30–£45 depending on date and flexibility—and allow about an hour including boarding. Afterwards, stroll east along the riverside promenade toward Royal Festival Hall, passing street performers and views back toward Westminster. Finish with dinner at Skylon, where the dining room has broad Thames views; budget roughly £35–£60 per person, and reserve ahead for an evening table. If you prefer a more casual finish, Royal Festival Hall also has several nearby food options, but keep the reservation if you want the best view.

Morning

Begin at The Breakfast Club, London Bridge, arriving around 9:00–9:30 for a relaxed breakfast before the area gets busy. Allow about an hour; expect roughly £12–£20 per person. From Waterloo, walk to Waterloo East and take a Southeastern train to London Bridge—the ride is only a few minutes, with the whole journey usually around 15–20 minutes door to door. After breakfast, stroll toward Borough Market via Southwark Street, taking your time around the surrounding lanes.

Late Morning and Lunch

Spend roughly 1½ hours browsing Borough Market, ideally arriving before the biggest lunchtime crowds. It generally operates from Tuesday through Sunday, but individual stalls keep different hours, so check the market’s listings if a particular vendor matters to you. This is the day’s planned lunch: graze on something freshly prepared, such as a filled sandwich, cheese, pastry, or hot street-food dish, for about £10–£20 per person. Leave room for a second small bite—sampling is part of the fun here. From the market, walk west along the riverside toward Shakespeare’s Globe, about 10–15 minutes via Clink Street and Bankside.

Afternoon and Evening

Join a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe, allowing about an hour; tours and exhibition admission are usually in the mid-£20s, while performance schedules vary. Continue along the Thames to St Paul’s Cathedral, crossing Millennium Bridge for one of London’s best city approaches. Allow around two hours inside, including the cathedral floor, crypt, and the climb to the galleries if you are comfortable with stairs; tickets are commonly around £25–£30, and entry is generally from late morning into the afternoon, with last admission varying by day. Check the official schedule before setting out, as services and special events can affect access. Finish at The Ned, a short walk across the City, for dinner in the former bank’s grand interior. Choose one of its restaurants or bars and budget about £35–£70 per person; booking is sensible, particularly for the livelier evening period. Walk back to London Bridge afterward for the train to Waterloo, or take a short taxi if everyone is tired.

Morning

Leave your Waterloo hotel around 9:30 and take the Jubilee line from Waterloo to Westminster—just one stop, about four minutes, with contactless payment costing roughly £2.10. For breakfast, continue to The Wolseley in Mayfair; from Westminster, the simplest option is the District or Circle line to Green Park, followed by a short walk along Piccadilly. This grand café is best enjoyed without rushing: allow an hour for coffee, eggs, or a classic kedgeree, with breakfast generally around £20–£35 per person. Reservations are sensible, especially for a Tuesday morning, and smart-casual dress fits the room.

After breakfast, walk through Green Park toward Buckingham Palace, taking around 15–20 minutes. Spend time viewing the palace exterior and the surrounding ceremonial avenues; if the State Rooms are open during your visit, allow 1½–2 hours and book a timed ticket in advance. Opening arrangements and Changing the Guard dates vary, so check the official palace calendar before setting out rather than assuming the ceremony will take place.

Afternoon

From Buckingham Palace, stroll into St James’s Park for about 45 minutes. The lake, flower borders, and views toward the palace and Horse Guards Parade make this a good place to slow down after the busy palace visit. For lunch, pick up something informal near St James’s or Whitehall—a sandwich or salad is practical if you want to keep the afternoon flexible—then walk roughly 15 minutes to The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. The gallery is free, though special exhibitions may charge admission; allow about two hours for highlights such as works by Van Gogh, Turner, Velázquez, and Rembrandt. It is usually open into the early evening, but check the museum’s hours and any room closures before visiting.

Evening

Walk from Trafalgar Square through Charing Cross and Leicester Square to Rules in Covent Garden, a pleasant 15–20-minute route. Arrive around 6:30–7:00 for dinner at London’s oldest restaurant, whose dark wood interiors and traditional British menu suit the occasion. Allow about 1½ hours and budget approximately £60–£100 per person before drinks; booking ahead is strongly recommended. After dinner, take a gentle walk around Covent Garden Piazza and Long Acre, where the area remains lively in the evening, then return to Waterloo by Underground from Covent Garden via Leicester Square and Waterloo, or use a taxi if you prefer a direct ride.

Morning

Have breakfast near Waterloo before leaving—aim for about 8:00, then take the District or Circle line from Westminster to Tower Hill and walk roughly 10 minutes to Tower Bridge. Allow 1½ hours to cross the bridge, see the Victorian engine rooms, and step onto the glass walkways high above the Thames. The attraction usually opens around 9:30; tickets are approximately £13–£15, and booking ahead is sensible for the first entry slots. Continue on foot to the Tower of London, where you can spend about 2½ hours exploring the fortress, medieval buildings, ravens, and Crown Jewels. Arrive close to opening time, generally 10:00, as the Crown Jewels become noticeably busier later; admission is usually around £35–£40.

Lunch and Afternoon

Walk east for about 15 minutes toward Poppies Fish & Chips in Spitalfields for a relaxed early lunch around 13:00. Expect roughly £15–£25 per person, and allow an hour. Afterwards, browse Old Spitalfields Market, whose covered Victorian-era space is good for independent fashion, crafts, antiques, and small food stalls; allow about an hour, with most shops open from late morning into the evening. From there, wander into Brick Lane—around a 10-minute walk—for street art, vintage stores, record shops, and the changing food scene. Keep the pace unhurried and look down the side streets around Hanbury Street and Fashion Street, where some of the best murals are found.

Evening

Finish with dinner at Dishoom Shoreditch, a short walk from Brick Lane. The Bombay-inspired menu is ideal for sharing—try a biryani, house black daal, and a naan alongside one of the restaurant’s signature drinks. Dinner is typically about £25–£45 per person; reservations are helpful, though the bar often works for walk-ins. Since this is a popular location, book a table for around 19:00–19:30, or expect a wait at peak time.

Morning

From Shoreditch, leave around 8:30–9:00 and take the Central line from Liverpool Street to Notting Hill Gate, then continue by Underground or walk toward South Kensington; allow 30–40 minutes and pay with contactless, usually about £2.10. Start with breakfast at The V&A Café, inside the Victoria and Albert Museum—one of London’s prettiest places for a morning coffee and something substantial, with ornate rooms that are worth seeing before the museum crowds arrive. Allow an hour and roughly £12–£25 per person. Afterwards, walk a few minutes to the Natural History Museum. Entry to the main museum is free, though timed tickets are sensible; spend about two hours with the dinosaur galleries, Hintze Hall, and the building’s remarkable Romanesque interior. Check opening times and book any special exhibition separately.

Afternoon and Evening

After the Natural History Museum, walk back toward Exhibition Road for lunch wherever the museums’ cafés have space, or choose a quick sandwich or salad nearby—keeping it light so you have time for the Victoria and Albert Museum. Dedicate around two hours to its art, design, and decorative-arts collections; the museum is vast, so choose a few galleries rather than trying to cover everything. Admission is generally free, with charges for some exhibitions. In the late afternoon, stroll through Kensington Gardens, entering near Queen’s Gate and wandering toward the Serpentine or Kensington Palace; an hour here is a pleasant change of pace after the museums. Finish in Notting Hill with dinner at The Ledbury, a destination restaurant on Ledbury Road known for polished modern cooking. Allow about two hours and expect £100 or more per person before drinks; reserve well ahead, and plan roughly 15–20 minutes by taxi or Underground from Kensington Gardens.

Morning

Take the Thames Clippers from Westminster Pier toward Greenwich Pier, allowing roughly 55–70 minutes. Aim to leave around 8:45 so you arrive before 10:30; check the timetable that morning, as river-bus departures are less frequent than Underground trains. The approach to Greenwich is lovely, with views of the Isle of Dogs and historic riverside buildings. Once ashore, head straight to Greenwich Market for breakfast or an early lunch: browse the crafts and food stalls, allowing about an hour and £10–£20 per person. Stall selection varies by day, so this is a good place to be flexible.

Walk a few minutes downhill to Cutty Sark, where you can spend around 1½ hours exploring the restored tea clipper and its lower decks. Tickets are typically around £20–£25 for adults, with online booking useful on busy days; check the current opening time before setting out. From there, continue uphill through Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The climb is moderately steep but manageable, and the observatory usually deserves about 1½ hours. Stand across the Prime Meridian, explore the astronomy galleries, and allow extra time if you want the paid historic instruments exhibits.

Afternoon and Evening

After the observatory, stay in Greenwich Park for an unhurried walk and the famous hilltop view toward central London. An hour is enough for the panorama and a little wandering without turning the day into a march. Follow the paths back toward the river, then settle in for dinner at The Trafalgar Tavern, a traditional pub directly on the Thames. Book ahead if possible, particularly for a riverside table; budget around £25–£45 per person for a main meal and drinks. After dinner, return to central London by Thames Clippers if a suitable evening sailing is running, or use the short walk to Cutty Sark DLR for trains via Bank. Contactless payment works on the DLR; check the last river service and TfL connections before ordering dessert.

Morning

From Greenwich, leave around 8:30–9:00 and take the DLR from Cutty Sark to Bank, then the Central line to Holborn; walk south through Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Long Acre to Covent Garden. Allow 35–45 minutes overall and use contactless payment; check TfL Go for weekend engineering changes. Start with coffee and a light breakfast at Monmouth Coffee Company on Monmouth Street—the espresso and filter coffee are excellent, though seating is limited, so expect a short wait and about £8–£15 per person. Then spend roughly an hour wandering through Covent Garden Market, where the covered piazza, independent shops, craft stalls, and street performers are best enjoyed before midday crowds become dense.

Late Morning and Lunch

Walk about 10 minutes east along Strand to Somerset House. Its elegant courtyard and riverside setting are worth seeing even if no exhibition particularly interests you; check the official schedule in advance, since entry prices vary, commonly around £8–£20, and opening times are often from late morning. Allow 1–1½ hours, with a little time to look out toward the Thames from the riverside terrace. From there, continue west toward Soho—roughly 15 minutes on foot via Charing Cross Road—for lunch at Flat Iron, Soho. The casual steak restaurant is good value for central London, usually around £15–£25 per person; arrive before 12:30 or expect a queue, as reservations are generally not available.

Afternoon and Evening

After lunch, walk north through Chinatown and Bloomsbury to The British Museum, about 20 minutes, or take the Central line from Tottenham Court Road to Holborn if you prefer to save your legs. Allow around 2½ hours for highlights such as the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures; general admission is free, but reserve a timed entry where possible, and check the museum’s Sunday hours before setting out. Return to Soho afterward for dinner at Andrew Edmunds, an intimate, old-fashioned restaurant known for seasonal British cooking and a pleasantly unhurried atmosphere. Book ahead—especially for a Saturday—and budget approximately £45–£75 per person; it is a fitting final meal after a full day, so avoid planning anything demanding afterward.