London is enormous and old. Pick a tube zone a day, walk a lot, and embrace the free museums — most of the city's best culture costs nothing.
No. 01
British Museum (free)
Rosetta Stone, Parthenon marbles, 8 million objects.
Free entry, opens at 10 a.m., and the Great Court alone is worth the trip.
Tip · Friday is the only late night — open until 8:30 p.m. with fewer school groups.
No. 02
Westminster to Tower Bridge walk
Big Ben, the Thames Path, Tate Modern, the Tower.
The single best London walk — 4 miles, every major sight on the river.
Tip · Cross at the Millennium Bridge for the St. Paul's view.
No. 03
Borough Market lunch
London Bridge's 1,000-year-old food market.
Wednesday to Saturday — oysters, salt-beef sandwiches, raclette, the lot.
Tip · Skip the queue at Bread Ahead; eat at Padella next door for £12 cacio e pepe.
No. 04
Tate Modern (free)
Bankside power station turned modern-art monolith.
The Turbine Hall installations alone are worth the visit; the permanent collection is free.
Tip · The Blavatnik Building's 10th-floor terrace has a free view of St. Paul's.
No. 05
A real pub Sunday roast
Yorkshire pudding, gravy, three meats.
The closest the British come to a national meal — every neighborhood pub does one.
Tip · The Bull & Last in Highgate or Hawksmoor's £40 'Sunday roast for one' are both class.
No. 06
Hyde Park to Notting Hill walk
Serpentine, Kensington Palace, then up Portobello Road.
Royal-park serenity into market chaos in 30 minutes.
Tip · Portobello Road is mobbed on Saturday; Friday is the calmer market day.
No. 07
West End play, day-of tickets
TKTS in Leicester Square, £15 standing-room at the Globe.
London theater is the best in the English-speaking world, and you don't need to plan ahead.
Tip · TKTS opens at 10 a.m. — go before noon for the best seats.
No. 08
Greenwich on the Thames Clipper
Take the boat, not the tube.
Standing at the Prime Meridian and watching the river roll back to Westminster is the cheapest great hour in London.
Tip · Use Oyster — Clipper is included in fare caps.
No. 09
Soho dinner, then a basement jazz bar
Frith Street, then Ronnie Scott's or the 100 Club.
London's small-club jazz scene is woefully under-loved by tourists.
Tip · Book Ronnie's late show (10:30 p.m.) — drinks are cheaper, crowd is locals.
No. 10
Hampstead Heath sunset
Parliament Hill: best free view in London.
The whole city from the Shard to Wembley, with no tower-block lift required.
Tip · Combine with a swim at the Hampstead Ladies'/Men's/Mixed Ponds in summer.
London is a city of villages. Stay in one (Bloomsbury, Marylebone, Shoreditch), walk it home, and use the tube only when you must.