Going to England in 7 days, and choosing what to do and where to go can be overwhelming. There is so much to do, and so little time! This 7 day itinerary is what to do in England, and combines exploring London, the country and the seaside.
Oh, and did I mention that I also LOVE Harry Potter and wanted to experience that as well? If you have 7 days to explore England, and want to add some Harry Potter experiences into your itinerary as well, then this may help you decide what to do during England in 7 days.
Itinerary for 7 days in England
- 1st Day: Arrive in London (and explore West London)
- 2nd Day: Explore East London
- 3rd Day: Covent Garden and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play
- 4th Day: Day trip to Oxford and the Harry Potter Studios
- 4th Day: Avebury, Lacock and Bath (overnight tour)
- 6th Day: The Cotswolds and Oxford (overnight tour)
- 7th Day: Free day in London (I decided to take to take the train to Brighton for the day)
Where to Stay
There are no “bad” locations in London, it just depends on what you want to do. The accommodations I chose were very close to what activities I had planned during my stay, so it felt very central (and safe!).
For my 7 days in England, I stayed at the SoHostel in Soho, London for 4 nights, at a B&B in the Cotswolds for 1 night (arranged through my tour), and at the Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace in Victoria, London for 2 nights. It did not feel rushed, and it was nice to break up the trip by staying in different locations.
Booking.comHow to Get Around London
London has excellent public transportation. During my stay, I bought an Oyster Card when I arrived at the airport. I used the Oyster Card to take the train to and from London, and also used it on the buses, tube and ferry. You can also use a contactless card to use their transport system instead of an Oyster card, but I did not do this.
To know how to get around London, I used the Citymappers app. It requires wifi or data to use, but you can save routes to access while offline.
More Tips
Before my trip, I purchased a SIM card from GiffGaff. They sent it to my house, and activated it before I left for my trip. The minute I arrived in England I had data and was able to make phone calls, use the internet, and the Citymappers app without depending on wifi. It was very affordable and easy to do.
7 days in England Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in London
Morning: If you have 7 days in England, try to get a flight that arrives early in the morning. My flight arrived at 9:30am, which allowed me plenty of time to take the train into London, and then get to my hostel in Soho.
Afternoon: After grabbing some lunch and checking in, I walked to Buckingham Palace, around St. James Park, Westminster Cathedral, over the bridge and along the South Bank until it got dark.
Tip: Instead of exploring on your own, there are also many free walking tours you can do as well!
Day 2: Explore East London
Today I did a LOT more than I had previously planned. I had learned my lesson from when I went to New York and only planned a few things that day.
Morning
- I took the ferry from Westminster Pier to Borough Market. It was a great way to save my feet from walking, and to also enjoy the views along the river!
- I got snacks at Borough Market and wandered around.
- I went to the Tate Modern, looked at some of the artwork, and went to their top level for (free!) views of London.
- After the museum, I walked over Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
After all of those activities, it was only about 1pm! I had done everything I had planned to do that day, so I had TONS of free time. If you are going to London, this may take you a lot longer depending on how long you spend in the museum.
Afternoon
I last-minute decided to take the bus to the British Museum (the CityMappers App is you best friend when navigating around a new city!). At the museum I had afternoon tea and looked at the exhibits until it closed at 5:30pm. If you are planning to go the British museum, and love museums, then this probably won’t be enough time for you, so plan accordingly!
Evening
In the evening, I took the bus to Kings Cross Station to fulfill my Harry Potter dream of seeing Platform 9 3/4. Here’s my biggest piece of advice: If you already have plans to go to the Harry Potter Studio Tours, then don’t waste your time (and money) to wait in line for your picture to be taken here. The line was sooo long. If you go early in the morning before it “opens”, the cart won’t even be there. As a solo traveler, I was easily able to get my picture taken at the Harry Potter Studios.
If you’re looking for Harry Potter merch, there is TONs at the Harry Potter Studios, but there’s also a Harry Potter section at Primark on Oxford Street which is magical.
Day 3: Covent Garden and Harry Potter Play
Morning
Before the Harry Potter play, I went and explored Covent Garden. I LOVE Covent Garden, the atmosphere is incredible. There are buskers everywhere. They need to audition to busk there, so you know that they are all going to be amazing. I spent about 3 hours just wandering around, watching the buskers, and grabbing something to eat.
Afternoon
Time to go to the harry Potter play!! Tickets are much easier to get now, and I bought mine in advance. Are they expensive? Yes. Worth it? In my opinion, YES. You might get lucky and get a cheaper ticket during the Friday Forty’s.
Since there are two parts, there is a 2 hour intermission to eat between the each part. Make a reservation!! I made a 4:00pm reservation at The Cambridge Pub, which is literally just across from the Palace Theatre.
Also, during the intermission, after you are finished eating, make sure to check out The House of MinaLima, which is literally just around the corner from the Palace Theatre. The graphics for the Harry Potter movies can be found here. It’s really cool place and completely free to visit.
Day 4: Oxford and Harry Potter Studios Tour
Today the Harry Potter Studios tour!! I decided to go on an organized tour which took us to Oxford, and then to the Harry Potter Studios. You have 4 hours to explore the Studios, which was a good amount of time. Book your tour here
Having a walking tour of Oxford earlier that day was also great because it was based on Harry Potter and they pointed out lots of interesting things.
If you take this tour, make sure to check out Christ Church. They also filmed Harry Potter here too! It wasn’t part of the walking tour, so when you have free time hurry on over! There is an admission fee which can be paid at the door.
Suggested Reading: Visiting the Harry Potter Studios as a solo traveler
Day 5: Avebury, Lacock and Bath
If you have 7 days in England, and really want to see the English Countryside, but aren’t comfortable driving there (like me), then I recommend going on a day or overnight tour.
On this day, I checked out of my hostel and did the 2 day overnight tour with Rabbie’s. On the first day we went to Avebury which has a bunch of stone formations similar to Stonehenge, but isn’t as busy. We also had a walking tour of Lacock. I would recommend going to Lacock Abbey (will need to pay admission), it is another Harry Potter filming location.
We then went to Bath and had free time to explore. They gave us walking maps of the city which was very helpful. We had enough time to eat, wander around, and also go to the Roman Baths. We spent the night in the Cotswolds, which was so charming!
Day 6: The Cotswolds and Oxford
This was the last day of the group tour. We spent the morning visiting the Cotswolds, and then went to Oxford. Since I had already been to Oxford, I knew exactly where I wanted to go – Christchurch! (I didn’t find out about Christ Church until AFTER my first time in Oxford – so I was lucky to go back a second time!)
I also went up St. Mary’s Church Tower for stunning views of Oxford. Both of these activities cost money though, but both worth it!
After the guided tour, I had booked my accommodation in Victoria at the Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Road. This location was very close to Victoria Station and the drop off point for my tour, so it was convenient.
Day 7: Free day!
For 7 days in England, I planned a day with absolutely no plans. There was SO MUCH more I could have done in London (like Notting Hill, Natural History Museum, etc. etc. etc. I need to move there now please) – but with only one day left I had to choose!
I spontaneously decided to go to Brighton because for my first time in England I wanted to experience the city, the countryside and also the seaside.
The Comfort Inn, Buckingham Palace was a 5 minute walk away from Victoria Station, so I walked over to the train station and bought a return ticket for Brighton. It was 90 minute train ride, so I was in Brighton in no time! The train station is in the middle of the city too, so I was able to walk everywhere. Read more about what to do in one day in Brighton.
Have you been to England before? What was your favourite place to visit? Let me know in the comments below!
