5 Days In London: The Only Itinerary You’ll Need

15 Aug 5 Days In London: The Only Itinerary You’ll Need

We don’t know about you guys, but when we find out we’re going to be visiting a massive city like London, we tend to get a little overwhelmed during planning. Not because it’s difficult to find things to do – nooooo. On the contrary, there’s so much to see and do in London – with more Pinterest boards and Insta tags dedicated to the city, than there are people in it – that we worry we won’t get enough time to do it all.

So where do we begin when creating a London itinerary? Well, for us it’s easiest to create “themes” or concepts (we have to thank our ad days for that), and then group items together, ending in what we hope will be a fun day out…or five of them, in this case.

Well, that’s exactly what we did when we knew we were off to London with Nedbank and SAA Voyager this last month. We wanted to experience the best of the city, doing more than we’d ever done in London, all whilst enjoying the perks of our new cheque and enhanced credit cards…speaking of which (in case you hadn’t heard), SAA Voyager have recently launched the world’s first mile-earning cheque card, meaning you no longer need to have a credit card (or credit record for that matter) to earn miles while you spend on everyday things like food, (and in our case) flights, and hotel bookings – so you should check it out!

But back to the best five day London itinerary EVER – trust us, whether it’s your first or fifteenth time visiting, we’ve thrown enough variety into this itinerary that you’ll keep falling in love with London, enough to make you want to book yet another trip there (and you should – just remember to use your SAA Voyager card to do so, so you earn more miles ;).

Day 1 London Itinerary – The Royals and The Views of London

We figured it’d be best to start at the hub of the city – where her Royal Highness has her “working residence during the week” – Buckingham Palace. If you can, try get there at 11am for the change of the guards ceremony which happens on *most* days (I say ‘most’ and not ‘all’ because when we went, the ceremony sadly wasn’t on – although we did manage to find a guard parade nearby, so no loss for us, yay). If you’re an early riser, you can start your walking tour at Marble Arch, and make your way through Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace Gardens, ending at the Palace just in time for the guards’ ceremony. From there, you can explore Westminster – popping in to see Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall (the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate). If he’s not under wraps like he was for us, you can see the famous clock, Big Ben (grabbing your obligatory selfie, of course), and then go enjoy the rest of the afternoon on the Southbank. Just before the sun starts to set, get in the queue and visit “the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK” (because #WhenInLondon) and enjoy unmatched views from the top of the London Eye. Amazing way to end off your first day in the British capital!

Day 2 London Itinerary – Some Culture, Some History, and More Views of London

You’ll have some time to sleep-in today, as your first stop, Covent Garden, and the shops that fill it, only open at 10am. You can meander through the little streets, and admire all the boutiques and award-winning restaurants to your heart’s content. Try use the Tube to get there (London’s famed underground) as you’ll end up at Covent Garden Station, which is so far underground that you’ll be challenged to do 193 steps to get to ground-level. If it’s too early for such a challenge, then enjoy the ride in the lift, and then have some tea and scones at one of the cute cafes at Covent Garden’s piazza, to the sound of talented local musicians. After popping in to see the Tower of London a.k.a. London’s Castle (and the amazing Crowned Jewels that are found inside), visit Tower Bridge’s high-level walkways to see London life through the glass floor. Warmed up to the idea of heights, visit the 69th floor of The Shard (or the open Sky deck on the 72nd) for the best (and highest) views above the city. If you time it right, you may even enjoy sightings of Tower Bridge opening (which only happens once or twice a day).

Day 3 London Itinerary – Ultimate London Foodie Tour

Now we know England may not really be famed for its food (like Italy and India, for example), but there are so many incredible restaurants, markets, and cafes in London, that it would be a sin not to do even a small foodie tour on one of your days. Start at Notting Hill – the affluent district made world-famous by that Julia Roberts movie – and after strolling between the colourful buildings, enjoy a fresh and healthy breakfast or brunch at Farm Girl – make sure to order one of their pretty coffees (and I recommend the Dragon Bowl too). For some bits and bobs (and an array of delicious, international cuisine – and possibly some of the best doughnuts you’ll ever have), head to London’s oldest and biggest market, Borough Market. Get some fudge to go, the paella for something savoury, and for the doughnuts – definitely check-out Bread Ahead. To end your British foodie experience (if you still have space in your tum), enjoy Afternoon Tea at Sketch (have a little play around on their interactive website too) – just be sure to make a booking beforehand as they get packed daily.

Day 4 London Itinerary – Shopping Spree

Home to Europe’s busiest shopping street, London is a fashion Mecca, so between Regent Street, Oxford Street, and the massive department stores, Selfridges and Harrods, you’ll be swiping and tapping more than you would’ve planned to, so remember to use that SAA Voyager card so that you’re at least earning miles when over-spending.

Day 5 London Itinerary – Park & Pub Crawl

This day we created especially for our love of nature (and beer), as sometimes big cities tend to swallow us up. There’s obviously thousands of pubs around London (and the pub culture is huge, so it would be a shame to miss this experience), and since there are equally as many green spaces, we’ve partnered these two together for the ultimate last day in London – a Park & Pub crawl. You can get the full scoop and a list of which parks and pubs to visit in our “Summer in London – Park & Pub Crawl” post.

And that completes your five days in London! Happy to say that this itinerary has been tried and tested by yours truly, and we can’t wait to go back and do it all again! If you happen to follow it, drop us a comment below and let us know how it went! Happy travels 🙂

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to read our New York #VoyagerJourneys post: 5 Days in New York – The Only Itinerary You’ll Need

Huge thanks to Nedbank and SAA Voyager for sponsoring this blog post, and allowing us the opportunity to enjoy our first of three #VoyagerJourneys, with all the perks and benefits of our new SAA Voyager cheque and enhanced credit cards.