A Mother–Daughter Trip Itinerary with Food, Shopping, and Historic Sights
My mom and I spent five days exploring London — a mix of historic landmarks, long walks through different neighborhoods, great food, and the occasional department store detour. Between afternoon tea, royal sights, and a quick train ride to Bath, we managed to see a lot of the city while still leaving time to wander.
If you’re planning a trip to the UK, this 5 day London itinerary covers many of the city’s most iconic sights along with a few great food stops and a day trip outside the city.
Day 1: Covent Garden, Neal’s Yard & Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason
After landing in London, we headed straight to Covent Garden, one of the best areas in London for shopping, street performances, and markets. Our first stops were Neal’s Yard, a colorful courtyard known for small cafes and shops, and the Apple Market, where vendors sell antiques and handmade goods.
Considering we were fresh off a red-eye flight, starting with one of London’s most famous traditions — afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason — felt like the perfect way to ease into the trip and kick off our 5 day London itinerary. Located on the fifth floor of the historic department store, the experience began with savory dishes like a truffle lobster omelet and venison Wellington before moving on to unlimited finger sandwiches, warm scones with jam and clotted cream, and pastries.
After tea, we explored the multiple floors of the store while shopping our way down. Of course, we both purchased some of their delicious tea to bring home with us.
Following a quick rest at the hotel, we headed out again for a classic British dinner — fish and chips at The Three Tuns, a local London pub. It was the perfect way to end our first day in the city and a great start to our 5 day London itinerary.
Day 2: Carnaby Street, Harrods & the London Eye
We started the day exploring Carnaby Street, a lively shopping district known for independent boutiques, restaurants, and colorful storefronts. The surrounding Soho streets are also great for wandering and discovering smaller shops.
Next we visited some of London’s iconic department stores — Liberty London, Selfridges, and Harrods. One thing we quickly noticed during our trip is that London’s department stores are an experience in themselves. Each one has an expansive selection of luxury goods along with multiple floors of men’s and women’s fashion, ranging from high-end designers to more everyday brands.
Many of the stores also feature impressive food halls. In addition to gourmet food gifts and specialty items, there are small restaurants with seating and plenty of takeaway options — we even saw rotisserie chicken being sold to go. Harrods may have the most impressive food hall of them all, so we stopped there for lunch and enjoyed dim sum at China Tang, which included some of the most delicious lobster dumplings.
In the afternoon we crossed the city to ride the London Eye, one of the best ways to get panoramic views of the Thames, Westminster, and the London skyline. We opted for the champagne experience, which included a glass of champagne while the wheel slowly rotated above the city.
To return to our hotel, we hopped on a classic double-decker London bus, which turned out to be a surprisingly fun way to see more of the city. Similar to Paris, I found the public transportation in London very easy to navigate, which made getting around during our 5 day London itinerary simple and convenient.
Before dinner we stopped for drinks at Claridge’s, a legendary luxury hotel in Mayfair, and later had Israeli food at Delamina. This might have been my favorite dinner of the entire trip.
Day 3: Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London & Historic Landmarks
One of the best ways to learn about London is on a guided walking tour of the historic city center. My mom found a local guide, Emma Krais, who helped us put together a walking tour of some of the city’s most interesting sights paired with rich historical storytelling. Truthfully, I wasn’t initially sold on doing a walking tour, but in terms of experiences, this ended up being one of the best parts of our 5 day London itinerary.
Our tour started with several fascinating royal sites, including the house where Queen Elizabeth II was born. We also passed shops officially designated by the Crown, such as the royal boot maker, haberdashery, and wine merchant — some dating back to the 16th century.
We then visited Buckingham Palace and caught the tail end of the Changing of the Guard. From there we continued through several government buildings before ending the tour at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, two of London’s most recognizable landmarks.
For lunch we visited Borough Market, a historic London food market that has been operating for more than 100 years, and enjoyed some “loaded chips” (the British version of french fries).
In the afternoon we crossed London Bridge for views of Tower Bridge, then toured the Tower of London with one of the famous Beefeaters (Yeoman Warders). The tour was free and incredibly interesting and informative. During our visit we watched their ceremonial guard change and saw the Crown Jewels, one of the most popular attractions in London.
After a quick wardrobe change at our hotel, we headed out for drinks at The Seed Library. I’m a big fan of Mr Lyan’s bar in Washington, DC, so I was very excited to visit another one of his cocktail spots. We finished the evening with Italian dinner at Gloria, a sister restaurant to Pink Mamma, one of the places my wife and I loved when we visited Paris.
Day 4: Day Trip from London to Bath
We hopped on the Great Western Railway and took a day trip to Bath to see the Roman Baths. The train ride was about 75 minutes from London and ended up being such a fun and different way to spend the day during our 5 day London itinerary.
Bath was originally founded as a Roman spa town because of its natural hot springs, so we started with a tour of the Roman Baths — one of the most famous historic sites in England. Walking through the ancient complex and seeing the steaming green pools surrounded by Roman stonework was surreal.
Afterward we wandered through the charming streets of the town and stopped at Pulteney Bridge, one of only three bridges in the world lined with shops on both sides as you cross.
Bath is also known for its beautiful Georgian architecture, including sweeping curved stone buildings like the Royal Crescent. Seeing the honey-colored stone buildings in person was honestly jaw-dropping.
For lunch we went to Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House, the oldest restaurant in Bath, which has been open since the 1700s. It’s famous for its large “Bath buns,” topped with both sweet and savory options. The restaurant itself feels like stepping back in time with its cozy, historic interior.
For dessert, my mom and I split a cinnamon bun — one of those pillowy buns dripping with cinnamon sugar. It was truly delightful.
After more wandering around Bath, we hopped back on the train to London and finished the evening with dinner at Veeraswamy, a historic Indian restaurant that has been open for nearly 100 years.
Day 5: Churchill War Rooms & Classic London Weather
On our final day we kept things pretty simple and visited the Churchill War Rooms, the underground bunker where Winston Churchill and the British government directed operations during World War II.
Walking through the preserved rooms gave a fascinating glimpse into what life in London looked like during the war — from the small sleeping quarters to the maps and communication rooms where major decisions were made. It’s incredible to think that so much history happened in those underground corridors.
London also finally delivered its signature cold and rainy weather, so I had the chance to properly break in the traditional English rain jacket I bought earlier in the trip.
After the tour we wandered through a few of our favorite areas one last time, soaking up the city before heading home. We finished the trip the best way possible: with another round of classic London fish and chips.
And just like that, our 5 day London itinerary came to an end as we headed to the airport after a truly unforgettable trip.
Tips for Planning a 5-Day Trip to London
If you’re planning your own London itinerary, here are a few takeaways from our trip:
- Use the Tube and buses to get around quickly.
- Make reservations for afternoon tea in advance.
- Don’t skip the department store food halls — they’re a London specialty.
- Consider a day trip to Bath if you have extra time.
- Bring a rain jacket — London weather can change quickly.
Five days was the perfect amount of time to experience many of London’s highlights while still leaving room for spontaneous wandering — which ended up being one of the best parts of the trip.
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Curious about my other travel diaries? I think you’d love four days in Porto or somewhere else in Europe!
