How many days do you need in London?
Short answer
Four full days is the sweet spot for a first visit: two central, one in an outer neighbourhood, one loose. Three days works if you accept you'll only see central London. A week is only worth it if you plan day trips or genuinely like slow city time.
London punishes over-scheduling. The distances look small on a map and are not — crossing from Notting Hill to Shoreditch is forty minutes each way even when nothing goes wrong.
A workable rhythm is one anchor per half day: one museum or landmark in the morning, one neighbourhood walk in the afternoon, and nothing booked in the evening.
The specifics
2 days
Westminster and South Bank on day one; British Museum, Soho and Covent Garden on day two.
4 days
Add an east London day (Columbia Road, Broadway Market, Victoria Park) and a Greenwich or Hampstead day.
7 days
Add day trips: Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Bath or Windsor, all under two hours by train.
More London questions
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- Is London safe at night?
- What's the best area to stay in London?