London

1. 9:30a◆Westminster Abbey

   Coronation church of every monarch since 1066 — Poets' Corner and the Coronation Chair are the moments. Book the first timed entry; verger tours add the shrine.

2. ~11:30a→Whitehall to the river

   Past Downing Street and Horse Guards, then Big Ben and the full Parliament façade from Westminster Bridge.

3. ~12:30p●Borough Market lunch

   Graze: a raclette plate from Kappacasein, oysters at Richard Haward's, and a salt-beef bagel — eat in the cathedral churchyard if benches are full.

4. ~2:30p◆Tower of London

   Crown Jewels first (the moving walkway queue grows all day), then a Yeoman Warder tour for the executions, the ravens, and the best one-liners in heritage.

5. 7:30p✦Core by Clare Smyth ⭐⭐⭐Anchor table

   Three-star modern British in Notting Hill — the 'Potato and roe' and the Core apple dessert are signatures. Book at the 90-day window; this anchors the trip.

The Abbey-to-Tower line runs east all day with the river as your spine — no backtracking. Friday and Saturday Borough is rammed by 1pm; on those days eat at noon sharp.

1. 10:00a◆British Museum highlights

   Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon galleries, and the Egyptian halls in a 90-minute line — enter via Montague Place to skip the main queue.

2. 1:00p●Afternoon tea at Claridge's

   The full ritual in the Foyer: finger sandwiches, scones with Cornish clotted cream and Marco Polo jelly, and the pastry course. Smart casual; book well ahead.

3. ~3:30p→St James's & the royal parks

   Jermyn Street's shirtmakers, Berry Bros.' leaning floors, the St James's Park pelicans, and Buckingham Palace's façade at golden hour.

4. 7:30p✦West End show

   Stalls seats for the season's hot ticket — book ahead, or try the TodayTix rush at 10am for same-day.

5. ~10:30p●Post-theatre supper

   The proper London move: a dozen oysters and a glass of Chablis at a late-serving Soho institution.

Tea at 1pm replaces lunch entirely — arrive hungry. The museum's free entry means you can do 90 focused minutes without completionist guilt.

1. 10:00a→Spitalfields & Columbia Road

   The old market's boutiques and street food — on Sundays, detour to Columbia Road's flower-market chaos first.

2. ~12:30p●Lamb chops at Tayyabs

   The East End's Punjabi institution — smoky charred chops, dry meat curry, and fresh naan. Queue moves fast; cash speeds it.

3. ~2:30p◆Tate Modern

   Turbine Hall scale and the permanent collection's Rothko room — then cross the Millennium Bridge straight at St Paul's dome.

4. ~5:30p●Historic riverside pubs

   Pints at houses with centuries on the clock — The Prospect of Whitby's pewter bar, then The Mayflower across the water if you're committed.

5. ~8:30p●Dinner in Shoreditch

   Back north for the modern East End — a wood-fire room or a chef's-counter small-plates spot; book anything with under 30 seats.

This day is the counterweight to Westminster's pageantry — markets, curry, art, and pubs. Sunday changes the order (flowers first); every other day start at Spitalfields.