visiting London

How much you can see depends on how long you are there.

Any budget limits on the 'place to stay'?

Don’t work for Rick Steves but do advise that buying and perusing his London guidebook you’ll get practical intel about what to see.

You should also research such websites as:
https://www.londonxlondon.com/
https://www.aladyinlondon.com/
https://www.visitlondon.com/
https://www.whatsonstage.com/

Been visiting London for over 50 years. Last visit got to go to Wimbledon. Bucket list item.

All 7 of you should share “ must see “ sites and design a flexible itinerary to visit them.

I always suggest booking.com for research but also can be used for booking.

Among the places that I loved was Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, V&A Museum, Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery and Old Bond Street. The latter is a street of exclusive shops. No one I know can afford anything from these shops but it is fun to look.

Hi, dalet49, as Joe mentioned, it would be good to have some information from you so we can give better answers.

First, I'm assuming you're looking for a hotel and would be getting 4 rooms there? How much do you want to spend each night for a room? Keep in mind that London is expensive but there are budget options if you are looking for that.

For the key things to see, it would help to know your interests. London has a plethora of art, history, theatre, music, food, cathedrals and just about anything you care to name. I do think that a guidebook would be helpful at this point, as Claudia mentioned. However, you don't have to buy one - just go to the library or get a Kindle version online for London, and look through it. There should be a listing of the various neighborhoods in London, like Kensington, South Bank, Notting Hill, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and more. That will give you at least a glimmer of an idea of where you would like to stay. I will be heading to London in March and am staying in the South Bank area, which is near to many sights, but easy to get to other neighborhoods from there. Look for places with good public transport connections, too.

You can also find ideas for sightseeing by checking online. I don't really care for blogs that much, as many of them have affiliate links and ads I have to wade through. But you can visit some websites like Lonely Planet, which has a nice article on things to see in London. Or this article here on the Rick Steves website about spending a week in London.

ETA: With regards to the reply above about booking.com, I would advise you not to book at a third-party booking agency. If you run into problems with the booking, the hotel is best situated to take care of those problems, not an online agency. Plus the hotels are usually cheaper if you book through their own website.

We will only be there for @ 5 days and are some what open on the spending... what to make sure it is a nice place to stay and close location to sites...

Above is the message OP sent in a PM, which needs to be shared to help them get useful suggestions

I always check items listed in “things to do” on TripAdvisor the first time I go someplace to see what interests me. A key place for you may not be a key place for me.

I second the Rick Steves books. Always start there!

Here is what Rick Steves suggests: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/london-itinerary
With some additional research, you can make adjustments to this itinerary to fit your interests and schedule.

London in Seven Days

Day 1

9:00 Tower of London (crown jewels first, then Beefeater tour and White Tower; note that on Sundays and Mondays, the Tower opens at 10:00).

13:00 Grab a picnic, catch a boat at Tower Pier, and relax with lunch on the Thames while cruising to Westminster Pier.

14:30 Tour Westminster Abbey, and consider their evensong service (usually at 17:00, at 15:00 on Sundays and off-season Saturdays, never on Wednesdays).

17:00 (or after evensong) Follow my guidebooks' self-guided Westminster Walk (also available as a free audio tour). When you're finished, you could return to the Houses of Parliament and possibly pop into see the House of Commons in action (but check their schedule first).

Day 2

8:30 Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off London sightseeing bus tour (from Victoria Station or Green Park), and hop off for the Changing of the Guard.

11:00 Buckingham Palace (guards change most days May–July at 11:30, alternate days Aug–April — confirm online).

12:00 Walk through St. James's Park to enjoy London's delightful park scene.

13:00 After lunch, tour the Churchill War Rooms.

16:00 Tour the National Gallery.

Evening Have dinner — maybe at a pub? — before a play, concert, or evening walking tour.

Day 3

9:00 Take a historic stroll through The City from the Strand to St. Paul's (ideally, following the first two-thirds of my London guidebooks' self-guided walk; also available as an audio tour), then tour St. Paul's Cathedral.

15:00 Cross London Bridge and make your way east along the South Bank of the Thames (best with my London guidebooks' self-guided Bankside Walk). Tour Shakespeare's Globe or the Tate Modern if you're interested (or, if it's a day that the Tate Modern is open late, circle back here later). Then walk the Jubilee Walkway from the Millennium Bridge to the London Eye.

Evening Cap your day with South Bank sights and experiences that are open late (a ride on the London Eye — last ascent 20:30–21:30 depending on season; a Shakespeare play at the Globe — usually at 19:30 in summer; or Tate Modern — open Fridays and Saturdays until 22:00).

Day 4

10:00 Tour the British Museum, then have lunch.

14:00 Tube to Leicester Square to see Covent Garden and Soho, then browse through the shops along Regent Street (ideally with my London guidebooks' self-guided West End Walk and Regent Street Shopping Walk).

17:00 Enjoy afternoon tea (at Fortnum & Mason, The Wolseley, Brown's Hotel, or the Orangery at Kensington Palace).

Day 5

Spend the morning exploring a street market (try to make today coincide with the day that your market of choice is busiest; my guidebooks have details).

Spend the rest of your day at your choice of major sights. Depending on your interests, choose from the British Library, Tate Britain, Museum of London, Imperial War Museum, or Kew Gardens (consider a cruise to Kew, return to London by Tube).

Day 6

10:00 Cruise from Westminster Pier to Greenwich.

11:15 Tour the salty sights of Greenwich.

16:00 Ride the Docklands Light Railroad (DLR) to the Docklands for a look at London's emerging "Manhattan" (best with my London guidebooks' self-guided Docklands Walk).

18:30 Take the DLR or Tube back to London.

Day 7

10:00 Tour the Victoria and Albert Museum.

After lunch (or a picnic in the park), stroll through Hyde Park and visit Kensington Palace.

Spend the afternoon at Harrods or other shopping venues.