7-day London self-drive itinerary

A week in London with independent city days plus DIY Windsor, Oxford or Cambridge, and an optional Cotswolds hire-car loop.

A week in London is enough time for the icons, a proper museum day, and two or three DIY day trips without ever renting a car for the city itself. This independent itinerary keeps you on the Tube, buses, and National Rail for six days, with a hire car considered only for a Cotswolds village loop on day 6 if you have a designated driver. Prefer hosted packages and coach tours instead? Switch to 7-day London itinerary with guided tours.

How to pace a week

Base yourself near a zone 1 Tube interchange — South Kensington, Covent Garden, or Southbank/Waterloo all keep evening walks short after long sightseeing days. Do not hire a car for central London: parking is scarce and expensive, the Congestion Charge and ULEZ apply on weekdays, and the Tube or a black cab will always be faster than driving between sights. Save any driving for the optional Cotswolds day, picked up and dropped off outside the congestion zone.

• Load an Oyster card or use contactless tap-in from day 1 — it is cheaper than paper tickets
• Book Tower of London and any West End show before you fly in peak months
• Check which national museum galleries or special exhibitions need timed entry
• Travel light for Tube stairs and walk-up flats — see how to pack light for city breaks

Alternate ticketed, walk-heavy days with softer ones. Never schedule the Tower of London and a full day trip back-to-back — both involve early starts and a lot of standing. Use best day trips from London for train timings to Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge, and Bath, and keep day 7 completely flexible for rain, packing, or a lie-in.

• One London base all seven nights
• No hire car for the city — Tube, bus, and rail cover everything central
• Book the Tower of London, any must-see exhibition, and a West End show ahead of arrival
• Leave a soft morning before departure day

The route at a glance

• Day 1 — Arrive; Westminster and South Bank soft orientation
• Day 2 — Flagship museum day: British Museum or South Kensington museums
• Day 3 — Tower of London; City and Borough Market
• Day 4 — Windsor DIY by train
• Day 5 — Greenwich, or markets and Notting Hill; West End evening
• Day 6 — Oxford, Cambridge, or Bath DIY by train (or a Cotswolds hire-car loop)
• Day 7 — Soft finale: park, food hall, packing; depart

Day 1 — Arrive and orientate

Keep arrival day light. A walk from Westminster Bridge past Big Ben and the London Eye to the South Bank gives you river views, bookstalls, and street performers without needing a ticket or a plan. Early dinner, early night — you will want the energy for tomorrow.

Day 2 — Flagship museum

Pick one big museum morning and commit: the British Museum for the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures, or the South Kensington cluster (Natural History, Science, and Victoria and Albert museums, all free and walkable to each other) if you prefer variety over a single collection. Both are free to enter, so budget for the special exhibition instead if one interests you. Afternoons stay outdoors — Russell Square or Hyde Park, depending on which museum you chose.

Day 3 — Tower of London and the City

Book a timed Tower of London ticket for the Crown Jewels and a Yeoman Warder tour, then walk Tower Bridge into the City. Finish at Borough Market for a late lunch and a wander past Southwark Cathedral. This is the day’s single hard commitment — keep the evening simple.

Day 4 — Windsor independent

A direct train from London Paddington or Waterloo gets you into Windsor in well under an hour. Book Windsor Castle’s timed entry ahead, watch the Changing of the Guard if the schedule lines up, then stroll along the Thames or into Windsor Great Park before the train back. This day shows why people buy guided castle packages — and why independent travellers still enjoy setting their own lunch timing.

Day 5 — Greenwich or markets, then the West End

Choose your pace. Greenwich by DLR or riverboat gives you the Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and Prime Meridian, and Greenwich Market in one relaxed loop. Alternatively, spend the morning at Portobello Road or Camden Market and the afternoon wandering Notting Hill’s pastel terraces. Either way, save energy for a West End show or a pre-booked dinner reservation in the evening — this is the day to feel like a Londoner rather than a sightseer.

Day 6 — University town or spa city

Choose one DIY day trip by train: Oxford for college quads and the Bodleian, Cambridge for the Backs and a punt along the river, or Bath for the Roman Baths and Georgian crescents. All three run frequent direct or one-change trains from London and are comfortably doable in a day. If you would rather see the Cotswolds villages (Bourton-on-the-Water, Bibury, or the Slaughters), that is the one leg of this itinerary where a hire car earns its keep — collect it outside the congestion zone after breakfast and return it the same evening, since public transport between Cotswolds villages is thin.

• Oxford or Cambridge: book any college or river-punt slot in advance during exam terms
• Bath: book Roman Baths entry ahead in summer
• Cotswolds by hire car: plan two or three villages maximum, not a full loop, in one day

Day 7 — Soft landing

Keep departure day unticketed. A park loop in Hyde Park or Regent’s Park, a browse through a food hall like Borough Market or Mercato Metropolitano, and unhurried packing beat squeezing in one more sight. Build in real margin for Tube delays and airport security — Heathrow and Gatwick both sit well outside central London.

Self-drive vs packages for a week

Independent weeks in London cost less in tour fees and let you linger where you like — an extra hour in a museum wing, a longer market lunch, a detour down a street that looked interesting. Guided weeks cost more but remove the planning for Windsor, Stonehenge, or a university town, and hotel pickup helps on early coach mornings. Mix freely: DIY city days plus one guided Cotswolds or Stonehenge coach is a popular hybrid. Full package stack: 7-day London itinerary with guided tours.

Eating without wasting half the day

Pub lunches and market stalls are better value than sit-down tourist menus near the major sights. Book one nicer dinner mid-week and keep the other nights simple — a market roll from Borough, a curry in Brick Lane, or a pub Sunday roast beats chasing viral restaurants across town. Tap water is free to request in any pub or café. If your week is shorter than five nights, see the 5-day London self-drive itinerary for a tighter version of this same route, and the London guide for neighbourhood-level detail.