10 Days in London & Edinburgh – Royal Sights, Pubs, & Hidden Gems

You are going to love the best 10 Day Visit to London! It also includes a weekend in Edinburgh and Day Trips that I planned for my family! London instantly became my favorite city! When my husband, daughter, and I visited in June, we explored it all, from royal landmarks to hidden gems, and yes, I planned every detail myself!

I’ll show you how to plan the best things to do in London and Scotland if you’re going for 10 days. It was a big project not going through a travel agent, but I enjoyed every minute of the planning. I have to say everything met and surpassed my expectations! This was my first time seeing this beautiful city so I had a long bucket list. I pretty much gave myself a course on all things London and Edinburgh. I really should have gotten some kind of school credit or something!

Let me start off by saying I am a royal watcher and history buff. My husband loves pubs and beer, and my daughter loves shopping and exploring. So lots of Castles, Palaces, Museums, Shopping, Eating, Drinking … We had a fabulous time and all fell in love with this great city! This itinerary is quite packed so make sure you purchase several pairs of comfortable shoes! You can check out my favorite walking shoes here. Not kidding!

How to Prepare for Your 10 Day Visit to London & Edinburgh

Start with Reservations!

After you book your flight and hotel, get a London Pass! It is worth the money and allows you to get into so many different attractions in London. We purchased 2 day passes and used them for our Day 1, and 2 activities. Watch the site because they run sales off of the regular purchase price quite often. You will also need an Oyster Card for all public transportation and can purchase that in the airport.

I researched other itineraries I found online and made a list of everything we all wanted to do. I organized things by when they were open and available and according to when we would be able to get to them. Here’s what worked for us with a Saturday morning arrival. Following this itinerary, read on to find more information about the different attractions and experiences.

Our 10 Day London and Edinburgh Itinerary

Flight to London: Stay in Mayfair near Grosovner Square. We got the Royal Treatment!

• Day 1: Tour Classic London – Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, Horse Guards Parade, Household Calvary Museum, Churchill War Rooms
• Day 2: West London – Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Victoria & Albert Museum, Natural History Museum, have tea in Kensington, View from the Shard at sunset
• Day 3: Take a Day Trip to Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath
• Day 4: South Thames Walk: Tower of London & the Crown Jewels, Walk Tower Bridge to London Bridge, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, Tate Modern, Globe Theatre, cross the Millineum Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky Garden, Leadenhall Market
• Day 5: North Thames Walk – Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Ben Franklin’s House, Covent Garden, Neal’s Yard, British Museum, Charles Dickens House, Platform 9 3/4, Self Guided Pub Crawl to the oldest pubs in London
• Day 6: Royal Ascot
• Day 7: Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle, Scotch Whiskey Experience, Prince’s Street Gardens, St. Johns Church, Wojtek Statue in Prince Street Gardens, St., Gile’s Cathedral, National Museum of Scotland, Elephant House, Scott Monument, Greyfriar’s Bobby Bar & Greyfriar’s Kirkyard (HP), Mary King’s Close Tour, The Dome for a Meal
• Day 8: West Highlands Loch & Castle Tour
• Day 9: Tour Palace of Holyrood (2 hrs. – 9:30 opening & Queen’s Gallery, Lunch at Piemaker, Hike to Aurthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park (St. Anthony’s Chapel, Canongate Kirk, Dinner at Howie’s Waterloo, Calton Hill for sunset. Dean Village, Circus Lane, Royal Mile
• Day 10: Back to London Neighborhoods – Stroll Notting Hill, Camden Market, Shoreditch & Brick Lane, Kew Palace & Gardens (Richmond)
• Day 11: Flight Home

How to Tour London & Edinburgh in 10 Days

We flew into Heathrow Airport and took the Tube to get to our hotel. This is the cheapest option. It was a little stressful figuring all this out right off the plane, but doable. Use an app like Citymapper to help you navigate the transportation options around the city. The best plan from the airport is to take a Black Cab. This is definitely easier with your luggage as you will have a few blocks with luggage otherwise.

Where We Stayed in London

We stayed at the JW Marriott near Hyde Park. We were so close to so many things we wanted to do and transportation was easy to get to. Most flights arrive in the early morning before check in. The hotel staff was wonderful about holding our luggage for us. They also had a place for us to quickly freshen up. We even got to grab some breakfast before heading out on our first adventures. Don’t let being jet-lagged slow you down. Refer to this info on the Timeshifter App & just get going.

Detailed Itinerary for 10 Days in London & Edinburgh

Day 1 – Classic London

I like to get my bearings in a new place so we took off on foot towards Buckingham Palace and St. James Park. There are beautiful parks throughout London, so there is too much too miss if you’re not on foot. My husband, daughter and I were able to see a parade and a section of Diana Walk in St. James Park. We also walked past some of the famous royal residences: St. James Palace, King Charles’ former residence, Spencer House and Clarence House, the first residence of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.

Our family took pictures in Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. We found a great spot to watch the Horse Guards Parade at 11:00. It is a part of the Changing of the Guard, but we opted for watching this impressive procession. We toured the Household Calvary Museum afterwards. It holds a collection of calvary uniforms. You and the kids can dress up like a calvaryman and prepare to protect the King. There are hourly sentry changes, morning guard changes, and Garrison inspections. See the workings of the stable and meet some of the King’s horses and King’s men.

From there we walked past the Banqueting House which is the last surviving portion of Whitehall Palace & home to a Rubens ceiling, 10 Downing Street, the official residence of London’s prime minister, and the Cenotaph War Memorial as we arrived at Whitehall. Take a picture at one of the red telephone booths and then head to Parliament Square. That is home to many famous statues including Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Peel, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, and Millicent Fawcett.

Big Ben was sparkling and did not disappoint!

I was interested in touring the Palace of Westminster, but timing didn’t allow it and you have to make a reservation. Big Ben was recently renovated for the Queen’s last Jubilee and it was sparkling so we got some wonderful photographs. It was then time for lunch anyway so we took a break at St. Stephens Tavern for a pint and our first fish and chips. The food was good and the atmosphere was perfect! We had a lovely chat with a local and felt right at home.

Westminster Abbey was next and we prepared to stand in line. It moved pretty well and spent several hours touring through this beautiful gothic church that has over 1000 years of history. Coronations, royal weddings, ancient kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers; poets, heroes and villains all have a place here. We followed up this tour by touring the Churchill War Rooms. PIzza Pilgrims was a delicious pizza dinner for the end of our first day.

Day 2 – West London

Once again we started out on foot toward Buckingham Palace to tour the Royal Mews at 10 am. Mayfair is a lovely neighborhood for walking around. The Royal Mews houses all of the royal carriages and state cars. It serves as the monarch’s head stables and is responsible for travel of the entire royal family. Interestingly, the employees reside at the Mews as well.

Tube to Kensington and walk to Kensington Palace for a wonderful tour. The grounds have been considered a king’s playground for 100 years, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and a favorite place for Princess Diana. Most recently Kensington Palace was the home to Prince William & Princess Kate. The neighborhood is beautiful and the palace garden is spectacular. So, we took a break for lunch at the Palace Cafe and enjoyed the gift shop.

We wandered through Kensington Gardens…

We headed off to the The Kensington Hotel for afternoon tea where we were treated with delicious pastries, sweet and savoury treats. The teas and lovely atmosphere in the Drawing Room allowed us to relax and recharge after our full couple of days. Currently they have an 80 Days Around the World theme with a veriety of tempting tastes during their tThe Natural History Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum were next on our list. My daughter and I enjoyed an incredible exhibit at the V & A and then we all regrouped to check out the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum.

Finally we made our way back to the hotel via the Tube. We got freshened up before heading to The Shard for sunset. We enjoyed charcuterie and drinks at Bar 31 on the ground floor before heading up for our reservation time. The Viewing Gallery serves drinks and offers the most beautiful 360 degree views for up to 40 miles. It was breathless!

Next up… a day away from the big city

Day 3 – Day Trip to Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

It becomes the perfect time to slow down a bit on a day trip with Golden Tour Company. This tour took us out of London to Windsor. It is a wonderful little town and was home to Queen Elizabeth at the time. Of course, King Charles and Camila live there now where monarchs have lived for 900 years. We were scheduled to tour Windsor Castle, but the Order of the Garter Ceremony got scheduled for Camila and they cancelled our tour. The streets were packed in preparation for this event and the energy was infectious. We did receive a tour of the town, saw where Charles and Camila were married, and were given time to stop for a coffee and a snack at Esquire’s Coffee.

The prehistoric stone formation of Stonehenge was our next stop where we were amazed at this architectural wonder. Traveling to the town of Bath delighted us and we learned so much about the best preserved Roman ruins in the world. Constructed around 70 AD, it is now an interactive museum filled with information about this grand bathing and socializing complex. The town of Bath has a lot of beauty and charm which makes us want to re-visit with more time in the future.

Day 4 – South Thames Walk (AKA The Queen’s Walk)

On this day, take the Tube to the Tower of London to get started. It opens a 9:00 am so it’s a good idea to get there early to avoid the lines to see the Crown Jewels. In its 1,000 year history it has been a fortress, a royal palace, and an infamous prison. It is currently a castle that protects the crown jewels. The exhibits throughout are so good with yeoman wardens all around to tell historical stories and answer questions about the arms and armours, jewels, and sketchy stories from long ago.

Following our Tower Tour walk the Tower Bridge to London Bridge and you can lunch at Borough Market. It’s a wonderfully winding area past produce and delicious street food as well as restaurants, bars, and shops!

After lunch we walked past Southwark Cathedral, Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, and crossed Millinium Bridge to tour St. Paul’s Cathedral. On another day I’ll book a table at the Sky Garden, but we headed on to Leadenhall Market from Harry Potter where we discovered a bustling after work establishment called New Moon. The pub was bursting with people taking in the final championship cricket game and refreshing pints of beer. From there we went to dinner back in Mayfair.

Day 5 – North Thames Walk & Historic Pub Crawl

We began our day at the Parlour of Sketch for breakfast. The restaurant houses several artsy dining experiences in Mayfair. Check out their interactive and creative website to understand just how interesting this place was! My husband, daughter and I then took the Tube to Covent Garden and Apple Market for some shopping, people watching, and ice cream. We searched out all the Harry Potter hot spots such as Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials and Platform 9 3/4 and finished our HP trek with New Moon in Leadenhall Market.

We landed at The New Moon during during a championship match of rugby so the excitement was contagious! This pub was bustling with fans and after work crowd so it got us jazzed for our begin our Self-Guided Historic Pub Crawl designed by ME!

Add a Self-Guided Pub Crawl to Your 10 Day London & Edinburgh Plan:

Since my husband just loves a good pint this was for him! We made our way through many pubs and I pulled up my bit of research on each one as sat and enjoyed terrific atmosphere at each one. They were so unique and different! Check out my post on some interesting historical tidbits and discoveries I found during our pub crawl here. I researched the oldest pubs in London and designed a reasonable route to visit them. Here’s where we went!

• The Prospect of Whitby
• The Ten Bells
• Ye Olde Mitre*
• Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese*
• The Old Bank of England*
• The George*
• The Seven Stars*
• Cittie of Yorke*
• Lamb and Flag

*all within walking distance

Day 6 – Royal Ascot!

We are from Kentucky and just love our horses, so heading to Ascot was a must for our 10 Day Trip to London & Edinburgh. When I discovered it was Royal Ascot during our June trip, I felt I’d landed the jackpot. I purchased the Queen Anne Enclosure ahead of time. My daughter and I made sure to bring our facinators we had made at home. Go to the Ascot Racecourse Website for a complete dress code for each enclosure. We took a late morning train to Ascot to give us plenty of time to figure out the lay of the land.

Upon arrival we stopped to purchase little slippers at the kiosk just in case our feet gave out and they came in a tiny little bag. We found the best table for our home base in the middle of things where we could easily navigate our way around. It’s a must to be able to get to food, drink, bathrooms, betting windows and the paddock. Seeing the royals arrive in their carriages was at the top of my bucket list!

We enjoyed every minute of our day and made the train back to London easily and in time to order a late dinner at our hotel.

Take a Weekend Trip to Edinburg

Day 7 – Edinburgh

My husband, daughter, and I arrived in Edinburgh after a short morning plane ride from London. We stayed at Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh which was close to everything on the Royal Mile. After checking in, we immediately took off to Edinburgh Castle for a tour. If you’re up for it The Scottish Whiskey Experience is nearby and is a popular attraction before or after your tour since it’s nearby.

The Castle is one of the oldest fortified structures in Europe. It has a long history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress. When you climb Castle Hill, you will walk in the footsteps of soldiers, kings and queens, and even a few pirates. Its most famous occupant may have been Mary Queen of Scots. In a little over an hour you will tour rooms of the royal palace, the Great Hall, find incredible views of Edinburgh and witness the firing of the 1:00 gun.

Walk the Royal Mile

Our walk back down the Royal Mile sent us through Prince Street Gardens, St. Johns Church, Wojtek Statue, St. Gile’s Cathedral, National Museum of Scotland, and the Elephant House. Lunch time brought us back down the Royal Mile past lovely Scottish shops like Thistle do Nicely to Greyfriar’s Bobby Bar. Bobby was a loyal sky terrier companion of John Gray, a nightwatchman for the Edinburgh Police in the 1800’s. Unfortunately Gray died of tuberculosis and buried in Greyfriar’s Kirk. His dog survived him by 14 years and is said to have spent the rest of his life sitting on his master’s grave.

Greyfriar’s Kirk kept our theme going and we took a picture at John Gray’s and Bobby’s graves, as well as several of the iconic spots from Harry Potter. We popped into The White Hart Inn, Deacon Brodie’s Tavern, and The Last Drop when needing a rest. We ended our day at Makar’s Mash for dinner. It’s very reasonable and has a wonderfully traditional Scottish Menu. Check out the Makar’s Mash menu out here. It was delicious!

Day 8 – West Highlands Lochs and Castles Tour

We started the day with Hula Cafe and taxied to meet our Rabbie’s West Highlands Lochs and Castles Tour. Loch Lomand National Park was breathtaking and the Village of Luss was adorable. I was so excited to tour yet another castle and it may have been my favorite. Inverarary Castle is unique because it is STILL the home of the Duke of Argyle and his family! The family collection of photographs and connections to the royal family were on display everywhere and the views were astonishing!

Day 8 – West Highlands Lochs and Castles Tour

After exploring Loch Lomond National Park and the charming village of Luss, we made our way to Inveraray Castle, and I have to say, this one might be my favorite of the trip! What made it truly special was the fact that it’s still a family home, belonging to the Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell. The interiors were stunning, with personal photographs of the family’s history alongside connections to the royal family. The views from the estate were truly majestic — imagine rolling green hills, glassy lochs, and fairytale turrets all in one place.

Next, we made a brief stop at the haunting Kilchurn Castle ruins, which sit on the edge of Loch Awe. These ruins feel like something from a fantasy novel – crumbling stone towers with the loch at their feet and misty hills in the background. We even got to spot a few Hairy Coos (yes, the adorable Highland cows!) on the drive back to Edinburgh.

The day was long, but completely magical – a deep dive into the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands and its deep-rooted history.

Day 9 – Edinburgh: Royal Mile and Hidden Gems

Our last full day in Edinburgh called for soaking up every last bit of this charming city. We started early with a visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the monarch. It opened at 9:30, and we spent about two hours exploring the grand staterooms and gardens. Don’t miss the eerie ruins of the old abbey and the Queen’s Gallery, which often hosts rotating exhibits of royal art.

From there, we grabbed lunch at Piemaker, a local favorite known for its savory pastries and quick service, perfect fuel for what came next: a hike to Arthur’s Seat. It’s not an easy climb, especially after days of city walking, but absolutely worth it for panoramic views of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. Along the way, we passed the ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel and the rolling hills of Holyrood Park.

After freshening up back at our hotel, we explored Dean Village and Circus Lane, two of the most photogenic (and peaceful) areas of the city. We capped off the day with dinner at Howie’s Waterloo, a cozy spot with Scottish classics , then made our way to Calton Hill for sunset. The views were a perfect farewell to this magical city.

Day 10 – Back to London: Neighborhood Wandering

To finish up our 10 Day Trip to London & Edinburgh we flew back to London in the morning to spend our final day exploring a few neighborhoods we hadn’t seen yet. This was the perfect, relaxed way to wind down our trip before heading home.

We started in Notting Hill, strolling through the pastel-colored homes and checking out Portobello Road Market. It had a slower pace and more of a local vibe, which felt refreshing after all the touristy spots.

Next, we headed to Camden Market which was totally different energy! Think bold street art, vintage shops, and some of the best international street food I’ve ever had. My daughter loved the quirky stalls and music scene.

Finally, we finished the afternoon in Shoreditch and Brick Lane, browsing art galleries, record stores, and grabbing a final round of pints and curry. If you want to see modern, creative London, this is where to go.

As a final farewell, we took a quiet walk through Kew Gardens, stopping briefly at Kew Palace. The gardens were in full bloom and peaceful, a perfect place to reflect on everything we had seen and done. From ancient castles to modern murals, royal traditions to pub crawls, this trip had it all.

Wrap-Up: The Trip of a Lifetime

Ten days, two countries, a hundred memories. Planning this trip was a massive undertaking, but it was worth every spreadsheet and Google search. Whether you’re a royal history nerd, a foodie, a nature lover, or all of the above. This London and Scotland itinerary hits all the marks. Ready to plan your own adventure? I hope this guide helps you fall in love with these incredible places just like we did.

If you loved this getaway, browse more travel destinations here.

Wondering what to pack for your 10 Day Trip to London and Edinburgh? How about beautiful luggage? Comfortable shoes? Click here to see some of my favorite Travel Finds.