Make the most of your time in the UK with this 10-day London and Edinburgh itinerary. You’ll see all the best sights and get a taste of history, culture, and life in the UK. This trip is not to be missed!
My dad always told us that when we all grew up and got married, he wanted to take his adult children and their spouses to Hawaii. My dad passed away before my youngest brother got married, so we never got to fulfill his dream. Shortly after his death, my mom decided that she wanted to do it anyway—but to London instead! And she asked me to plan a 10-day London and Edinburgh itinerary. After getting input from the 13 of us (my mom, her 6 kids, and our spouses) on what everyone wanted to do, I came up with the following 10-day London and Edinburgh itinerary. And it did not disappoint! This was seriously one of the most memorable and amazing trips I’ve ever taken.
Day 1: London sights
We arrived in London at 7 am local time. Yes we were tired, but we didn’t want to waste any time! (In my opinion, the best way to get over jet lag is to just adapt to local time by staying up during daylight hours in your new location and going to bed early that first night.)
After getting settled in our Airbnb and going grocery shopping, we set off to explore! We purchased a 5-attraction London Explorer pass, which made it easy to visit the attractions we wanted to see. With 20+ attractions to choose from, there was something for everyone!
Buckingham Palace
You can’t come to London and not visit Buckingham Palace! Although we missed the changing of the guard, we still got to see the palace and the grounds and the guards marching back and forth in those big furry hats.
Westminster Abbey
Next we hit Westminster Abbey and took the guided tour (included in our London Explorer pass). We learned all about the history of the abbey and the British monarchy. The architecture of the abbey is incredible!
Thames River cruise
We passed Big Ben on our way to the Thames River, where we took a river cruise (also included in the London Explorer pass). Our guide pointed out all the sights along the Thames, and explained their significance. We really enjoyed seeing the famous skylines from the river!
Borough Market
We ended the day at Borough Market, a large market selling all sorts of local foods. It was delicious and easy to try a sampling of a variety of English foods.
Day 2: Warner Bros Studio
Being the Harry Potter fans that most of my siblings and I are, we had to spend a day at the Warner Bros Studio. They provide a shuttle to the studio from several stops around London. We learned all about special effects, saw the costumes and sets used in the movies, and of course, drank butterbeer and pumpkin juice. Yum!
It was so fascinating to see the details of the costumes and sets, but my favorite part was learning the secrets of how they did the special effects. Here’s a cool video about some highlights—including Matt flying on a broom!
That night we ate at a traditional English pub, St. George’s Tavern. The fish n chips were excellent!
Day 3: London sights
Double-decker bus tour
We started off the day with a double-decker bus tour around the city (included in the London Explorer pass). I loved this because we were able to see things and learn about stuff that we otherwise would not have if we’d just taken the subway to the destinations we wanted to visit. You could get on and off the bus whenever you wanted too, so we stopped at the following places along the route.
Our first stop was Kings Cross Station, because I wanted to see Platform 9 ¾. To be honest, Platform 9 3/4 was a little disappointing (they have a better version at the WB studio), but the station was fun to see.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Next we stopped at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I was seriously BLOWN AWAY! I loved everything about St. Paul’s, and it was a highlight of London for me. A definite must-do. Both inside and outside were gorgeous. We went to a Sunday service, and the acoustics inside were just incredible! I loved hearing the choir and looking up at the immaculate ceiling. They also have guided tours you can take when there aren’t services going on. And the grounds are beautiful. You can even channel your inner Mary Poppins on the famous steps in front of the cathedral.
Tower of London
We hopped back on the bus and got off at the Tower of London. It’s not really a tower, but a fortress and prison. We learned all about the history, the ravens, and the crown jewels from our awesome guide, Beefeater Dave. (The prison guards were called beefeaters back in the day.) After our tour, we got to go in and see the famed crown jewels. I enjoyed hearing about all the coronation traditions and seeing the incredible crowns and other items on display.
London Bridge
From there, we went over to the London Bridge (included in the explorer pass), and learned all about this architectural gem. You can even go way up over the bridge to the glass bottom observatory. To be honest, walking on the glass floor that high up kinda freaked me out, but it was still cool!
London Eye
We had planned for our last stop to be the London Eye, but when we arrived the line had been cut off because it was so late and there were so many people already in line. I was super disappointed, however some of my siblings were able to go and said it was amazing!
Day 4: Windsor, Bath, and Stonehenge
We took a day trip out to Windsor castle, Bath, and Stonehenge. Our tour from International Friends Day Trips was awesome! They do smaller group tours (they only do groups of 10-15), so we were the only ones in our van and we had the BEST guide. They made it so easy and enjoyable, and we learned so much about each location. Our guide went above and beyond and talked to us about local culture and politics, etc., which we found so interesting.
For example, we went right when the whole Brexit thing was happening, so she told us all about it. She also told us the different ways locals prefer to top their scones and toasts (some do jam then cream, and others prefer cream then jam).
Windsor Castle was gorgeous and we even got to see the staff preparing for Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
Day 5: Oxford/Ilston on the Hill
Oxford
Since two of my brothers are major fans of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, they requested that we visit Oxford. We took a day trip out to Oxford and did a guided walking tour from a local Oxford student. While I didn’t think Oxford would be super interesting, this charming town proved me wrong! We learned all about the university and the different colleges. Our guide even told us interesting facts and stories about those famous authors. We ate lunch at the local Eagle and Child pub where Tolkien and Lewis came to meet up with their writer friends and discuss their writing. The food was delicious, and the sticky toffee pudding was to die for!
Legend has it that when CS Lewis came out of the doors of the church on the Oxford campus, he saw a door with a lion and a fawn on it and looked to his right and saw a lamppost. And the idea for The Chronicles of Narnia was born! So of course we had to visit that church and see for ourselves. For other travel-inspiring books, check out our favorites here!
The local museum featured a really cool Tolkien exhibit that included some of his original manuscripts and drawings. We even saw original, illustrated letters that Tolkien had written to his children from Santa. Honestly, I wished we would have had more time in Oxford.
Ilston on the Hill
Later that day we visited a small town called Ilston on the Hill. My mom had been doing some family history and discovered that many of our ancestors came from this place. (This was actually the reason my mom wanted to come to London in the first place—to see the places where our ancestors came from.)
We visited the local church where many of our ancestors were christened, married, and buried. After talking with a local, we even got to go inside and look around and see the church’s 200 year old Bible! Honestly, this was a really special part of our trip. If you have the opportunity to visit the places your ancestors came from, I highly recommend it!
Day 6: London sights
Since we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we wanted to visit our church’s London Temple while we were there. We hired a driver to take us out to the suburbs where the temple is located. It was a beautiful drive and so fun to see some of the country. (I highly recommend hiring a driver if you can. It was so nice not to have to worry about directions or traffic, etc in a foreign country.) We had a wonderful time at the temple, and I especially loved the beautiful grounds.
If you want to stay in London, I’d suggest visiting the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, the Churchill War Rooms, and/or Kensington Palace. Or, you could go out to Greenwich (home to the Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, and the National Maritime Museum). All of these attractions (minus Kensington) are included in the Explorer Pass.
After our morning at the temple, we indulged in afternoon tea at the Hotel Café Royal. I love going to afternoon tea! It’s a British tradition that should not be missed. They serve several different kinds of tea (including herbal), scones, sandwiches, and pastries. You think this might be a snack, but it’s a full-on meal! So we definitely left with full bellies!
After tea, we saw Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theater. There are several theaters in the West End that feature the best of Broadway! Hamilton was AMAZING! As I’m sure all the shows are that London has to offer.
Day 7: Train to Edinburgh
As much as I wished we would have had more time in London, we took a train to Edinburgh to finish out our trip. I loved riding through the countryside and seeing the beauty of the landscapes and the small towns we passed through.
Upon arriving in Edinburgh and getting checked into our hotel, we enjoyed dinner at The Tower Restaurant. The Tower features fine dining on the top floor of the National Museum of Scotland. This was the BEST meal! Seriously, I think this was the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. We even tried haggis there and it wasn’t gross. And the views from the roof were incredible.
Day 8: Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle, and Trossachs National Park
We had originally wanted to visit Loch Ness, but we discovered that Loch Lomond was supposedly prettier and closer. And had a song inspired by it! So we hired a driver to take us out to the loch. We used Kilted Piper Tours, and Graeme, our driver and guide, was incredible!
This was probably my favorite day of our whole trip. Stirling Castle was interesting, and the Scottish landscapes of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park were just gorgeous. Graeme even played the bagpipes for us and the highlight was when he let us have a turn!
Day 9: Kirkton of Glenisla
Another line of our ancestors come from the small Scottish town of Kirkton of Glenisla. We knew there was a home in Glenisla that my 3rd great grandfather, John Robertson, had lived in as a child with his family before they immigrated to the US. And we wanted to find it! So we set out on a bit of a wild goose hunt because we didn’t know exactly where it was.
We saw the schoolhouse and the church in town where my ancestors went, and scoured the graveyard for our ancestors’ headstones. The local Glenisla pub, where we enjoyed lunch, had the best steak pie! Graeme drove us around again, and he was just as determined as we were to find the house. After much searching, we finally found it and were so excited!
The cute couple who lived there let us in and look around and told us about the history of the home. It really was a neat experience. I was even able to find some Robertson tartan souvenirs to bring home and wear proudly!
If you don’t have ancestors from anywhere near Edinburgh, you can skip the day trip and spend an extra day in Edinburgh—there’s plenty to do! Although the countryside is beautiful!
Day 10: Edinburgh
We enjoyed simply walking around Edinburgh and basking in the architecture and culture. Sounds of bagpipes echoed from outside of one of the churches and we just stopped to listen for a while. We also visited the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and Princes Street Gardens.
There is so much history and beauty to enjoy in Edinburgh! One of our favorites included an old cannon called Mons Meg. We loved this because Meg is my mom’s name!
And don’t miss the cranachan—a traditional Scottish dessert with berries and cream. Yum!
As a recap, here’s the basic 10-day London and Edinburgh itinerary
Day 1: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Thames River Cruise, Borough Market
Day 2: Warner Bros Studios
Day 3: Double-decker bus tour, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Eye
Day 4: Day trip to Stonehenge, Bath, & Windsor
Day 5: Day trip to Oxford
Day 6: Temple, afternoon tea, Broadway show
Day 7: Train to Edinburgh
Day 8: Day trip to Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle, Trossachs National Park
Day 9: Day trip to Glenisla or stay in Edinburgh
Day 10: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Princes Street Gardens
Yes it’s a lot, but it’s worth it! This was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever been on. This 10-day London and Edinburgh itinerary made some of our favorite memories of all time! What questions do you have about London or Edinburgh?
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Wonderful itinerary! These are two of my favorite cities. When my sisters, niece, mom and I did this tour, we added a couple of days in Dublin, Ireland as well! Edinburgh is my favorite city in the world.
We wanted to do Ireland as well, but not enough time! Hopefully we can go back and see Ireland too!
This is so inspiring! SO many places that I would LOVE to explore as I am Scottish too!
It really was so neat to see the places where our ancestors came from!
Visiting London and Edinburgh is definitely on the list! We have spent a brief time in London, but not with the kids, and definitely not long enough to explore everything it has to offer.
Oh! London is on bucket list now Edinburg too!
I was surprised at how much I loved Scotland. I definitely want to go back!
Wow, this really is the perfect itinerary! I’d love to experience all the things you’ve listed here. London and Edinburgh are definitely on my list; I just don’t know how I’m ever going to do everything! This makes is seem like it’s manageable. Someday!
Right??!! I don’t know how I’m ever going to get everywhere on my list! But I just keep chipping away a little at a time and hope that someday I’ll get everywhere!
We’ve been to London so would love to take these day trips! And love that you can just hop on a train to Edinburgh! Great guide and pics!
Wow, this is the most amazing trip ever! I want to go and do all of this!