London Itinerary 7 Days

DAY 1
On the first day I planned to visit Tate Britain and Tate Modern. In the first museum I really wanted to see some artwork by David Hockney and JMW Turner. On the other hand, Tate Modern is the best contemporary art museum in London, so it's a must! 

And if you want to make it more fun and adventurous, you can take a boat between Tates.  If you decide to walk, I'd suggest to allocate at least 2 hours for it. Not because it's a long walk but because you will be passing some top tourist London spots on the way. After crossing The Thames River, follow the South Bank, soon on your left you will get to see Palace of Westminster and House of Lords. Followed by the Big Ben and the Westminster Bridge. Continue on The Queen's Walk and pass SEA LIFE London Aquarium, The London Dungeon and London Eye (if you actually want to go on the London Eye, I suggest to book tickets in advance). Once you pass the Embankment Pier on your left, you could look around for a place to sit down and have lunch, there will be plenty of options there. A short walk after that you will reach Tate Modern. Leaving Tate Modern, you should totally check out the iconic Millenium Bridge and walk towards the St. Paul's Cathedral. Keep in mind that on weekends it will be very difficult to find places to grab a coffee/have lunch and you'll reach The City Of London - an area buzzing with office workers on weekdays and rather empty on weekends. 

DAY 2
Next day, I decided to go and explore The Notting Hill  area. I started in the Ladbroke Grove which is at the very end of the famous Portobello Road. You can easily spent and entire day just exploring the little antique shops, browsing through the market stalls and strolling down the streets along colourful little houses. Make sure to pop into Westbourne Grove to one of the lovely deli's for lunch. Ottolenghi Notting Hill is in that neck of the woods. Later I continued my walk towards Holland Park and took some rest in Kyoto Garden - a beautifully designed Japanese garden inside of Holland Park. Next I went to the Design Museum which displays contemporary design and innovations. The interior of the museum is so worth so see, even if you're not big on design overall. I continued along High Street Kensington, grabbed a coffee and a snack at Whole Foods and went into Hyde Park. Hyde Park is a great place for a picnic, a walk, a game of badminton, whatever comes to your mind. If you need to get some rest from the hustle and bustle of a big city, this is the place to go. You can even rent a boat and explore The Serpentine if you feel like it. Once you get to the end of Hyde Park, you will reach Marble Arch - the beginning of Oxford Street. So if you feel like a bit of shopping, there's no better place that the most famous High Street in England! 

DAY 3

I spent the entire day in South Kensington visiting Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Science Museum. It's a lot for one day but since they are all within 10 steps of each other, it's a shame to miss a visit while being in that area. I can recommend a great place for lunch or a snack if you need a rest - Cromwell Place Cafe.

DAY 4
I started a day at Sky Garden - London's highest public garden. The views of the city are amazing! It's an absolute must visit! It's a public garden so there's no entrance fee but you have to book your free ticket way in advance. Don't forget about it when you plan your visit. I also grabbed a drink in one of the Sky Garden Bars while enjoying the panorama of London. There are 3 restaurants in the building if you fancy lunch but this time I decided to go to Borough Market. You'll find plenty of food options there and you can also do a grocery shopping if you need some snacks for later. I totally recommend a visit as not only it's a delicious place but it's a market that has been established in 1756 and it's a pleasure to  simply explore it! (keep in mind that it's closed on Mondays). After the market I went to the Barbican Center. It is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London. Being a center within an estate means that people actually live there so please keep that in mind and be respectful when exploring it. Don't be too loud, and respect the privacy of the inhabitants. 

DAY 5
On this day I was ready for more museums. First I went to The British Museum. I strongly suggest that you book your tickets online and be there for the right time. There might still be a bit of queue but the queue for people with tickets is significantly shorter than the one for people who didn't book their spot in advance. The British Museum is big so it's good to plan ahead what you want to see. I was there on a weekday and it was packed so I can't even imagine what it looks like on a weekend. But to be fair there were also plenty of kids on their field trips from school so they probably added to the regular crowds. If you're hungry after the museum, I suggest booking a table at the Circolo Popolare. It's just a short walk and the restaurant is absolutely worth checking out. The food is amazing but the interior is even better! Later I went for a walk in the center, first I headed to the cute Neal's Yard and The Seven Dials Market, followed by Covent Garden, Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus and SOHO. Finally I ended up checking out the Liberty London. It's a a tudor-revival building with a shopping center inside. Totally worth seeing from the outside and from the inside. Next I headed to The National Gallery, which was my final stop for the day. Like most museums in London, admission to The National Gallery is free but make sure you book your spot in advance as it's a popular place where you can see Vermeer, Cezane, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and many more.  

DAY 6
It was my last full day in London and I spent it with my friend hanging out in her neck of the woods. We went for a long walk to Ally Pally and played some frisbee in the park and later moved to get some drinks and more food in Crouch End. Crouch End is a bit of an artsy residential area in North London with lots of bookshops, artisan coffee shops, nice restaurants and cute shops. I highly recommend a day like that while in London, as it gives you an opportunity to feel like a local and get some rest from all of the sightseeing that you did in prior days. 

Saying that, of course there are plenty more things to do and see in London and quite frankly, you would probably need at least 2 weeks to get a good feel of the city. But even if you only have 2 days, you should still go and see as much as you can. London is an amazing city where I was lucky to live in the past and it's always a pleasure to go back.