One Week in London & Wales (A Complete Itinerary)

London is one of my favorite cities in the world to visit. Everything feels so historic, cozy, modern, and stylish all at the same time. From iconic red telephone booths to the towering Big Ben and beautiful river views, it's one city that has plenty to do to keep you busy for more than one week, even if you're just hoping to see all the top sights. In this one week itinerary, we include top sights in London, a quick stop in Wales, and a little road trip down the Jurassic Coast.

Our Essential Travel Resources :
There are plenty of travel companies, but these are my favorite websites and resources for planning an unforgettable trip. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For flights, we recommend Hopper to compare the cheapest travel dates.
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Car rentals comparisons are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you!

We always use Expedia's easy to use platform for hotels.

To keep cell service while traveling internationally, we always use Airalo’s easy eSIM’s (no installation required), and NordVPN to stay safe while connecting to different wifi.

For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Get Your Guide also does the trick.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my packing list for any international or domestic travels.

Getting to London & What to Expect

Getting to London is pretty easy, and for most of us will simply require a flight into town. Any airport in London is fine, but I've found that Heathrow offers the most options. From here you can either take the Piccadilly Tube Line to London, or take a Taxi or Uber which will be quite a bit more expensive.

Generally speaking, we've always felt safe in London, although we've been hearing of a few more muggings and pick pockets lately. Coming from Alaska and the Midwest, we felt more people dressed nicely and recommend bringing comfortable but newer and more stylish clothes.

Our Favorite Tours in London : 
- Afternoon Tea River Cruise
- Stonehenge & Windsor Castle Tour
- Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour

Our One Week London & Wales Itinerary

Day 1 - London
Even though one week is a short trip, I recommend using the first day to fly into London (depending where you're coming from this could be a long flight), checking into your hotel, and fighting any jet lag. My husband and I stayed at the Hub by Premiere Inn London Westminster - the rooms were small but it was very centrally located and very clean, overall I would recommend it. If you're up for it, you can head out on a Hop On Hop Off Bus - which although very touristy, is a great way to explore a new city.

​Day 2 - London
If you didn't yesterday, I recommend heading out on a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour. Most London Hop On Hop Off Bus tickets are good for 24 hours - meaning if you got tickets at 4 pm yesterday, they're good until 4 pm today. Some of our favorite spots that we enjoyed exploring were the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Tooley Street (aka Tower Bridge), Tower of London and Sky Garden, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Piccadilly Circus.
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​Day 3 - London
On your third day in London I recommend taking the "tube" or an Uber to Abbey Road (St. John’s Tube Station is the closest stop on the subway) - a.k.a. the famous road pictured on the Beatles Album. It's surprisingly a very busy, local neighborhood. On your way back to downtown London, you can make a stop at "Platform 9 3/4th" at Kings Cross Station - the famous platform from Harry Potter. If you're wanting to experience more of Harry Potter, I highly recommend this Warner Bros Studio Tour. As it get later into the evening, I personally recommend booking either an Afternoon Tea & River Cruise or a ride on the London Eye at Sunset - they're the best way to enjoy the London skyline from the Thames.

Day 4 - Wales (Snowdonia)​
After spending a few days in London, I recommend renting a car for a little road trip! You can head Northwest into Wales and through the Snowdonia National Park. There's plenty of beautiful views to enjoy and lots of little hikes to stretch your legs. I recommend staying in this super cozy cabin in the area!​

​Day 5
​As you continue to enjoy the National Park, I recommend making your way back south towards England's Jurassic Coast. If you're interested in a unique experience on the way, I highly recommend trying Falconry at the Cotswold Falconry! Tyler and I did this and absolutely loved it! From here you can continue your drive to Dorset, where I would stay at this adorable little Shepards Hut with a private hot tub.

Day 6​
​After arriving to Dorset last night, you can spend the entire day exploring the Jurassic Coast! You'll want to stop at Durdle Door and the Old Harry Rocks to see the iconic white cliffsides. If you want, there's a few places to stop for a drink (we stopped at Piddle Brewery and Corfe Castle Brewery) and even though we had terrible weather we ended up making the drive to Stonehenge & Oxford to spend our afternoon exploring before driving to Windsor for the night.

​Day 7​
We spent our entire last day exploring Windsor Castle (open from 10 - 5pm) & Windsor Village. Although you can sign up for a complete tour of the area, we explored on our own and loved it. We also learned that if you happen to see the Royal Standard flag then that means the King is onsite, whereas the Union Jack flag is flown when there is no King or Queen onsite.

​Day 8
Unfortunately this means your one week in London (and Wales) has come to an end. Use your last day to fly home, and maybe start planning your next trip?

Watch our London Adventures Here!

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Other posts you might like :
-> Ultimate 2 Week Scotland Road Trip
-> 3 Day Northern Ireland Itinerary
24 Hours in Liechtenstein

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