Here's what my itinerary looks like so far (A very rough draft)..


Tuesday –
• 7:30am – Arrive in London
• 8:30am – Take the tube to Regent’s Park Hotel
• 9:30am – Check in to Regent’s Park and leave luggage
• 10:15am – Breakfast @ _________
• 11:00am – Walking off jet lag around Regents Park
• 12:00pm – Check into hotel/rest for an hour
• 2:00pm – Lunch @ Nando’s
• 3:00pm – Sightseeing hop on/hop off tour/tea time @ _________?
• 6:00pm – Back to hotel, get ready for dinner
• 7:30pm – Dinner @ _____________
• 10:00pm – Stop by convenience store to pick up any necessities
• 10:45pm – Back to hotel

Wed, May 16 – London
• 10:00am – Wake up/Breakfast
• 11:00am – Sightseeing @ Hyde Park?
• 12:30pm – Lunch @ ____________
• 2:00pm – Shopping @ Oxford St., Piccadilly Circus, Harrods
• 4:00pm – Museum: Tate Modern or British Museum?
• 5:30pm – Back to hotel, get ready for dinner? (or skip this and head straight to dinner if museum takes too long.)
• 6:45pm – Dinner @ _______________
• 8:00pm – Sightseeing? Something to do at night?

Thurs, May 17 – London
• 9:00am – Wake up and get ready
• 10:00am – Leave hotel, visit Buckingham Palace to see changing of guards? (worth it?)
• 12:00pm – Matinee theatre show (sometime in the afternoon)
• 2:00pm – Lunch @ _______________
• 3:30pm – Last thing to do?
• 4:00pm – Back to hotel, check out and pick up bags
• 5:35pm – Arrive at airport
• 7:00pm – Flight to Paris @ 7:00pm arrive 9:20pm
• 9:45pm – check into hotel

Just one quick note right now- will come back later to read through the full itinerary . . . But your arrival morning is not at ALL realistic.

W/a 7:30 landing you can't expect to be to your hotel until at least 10:30. Heck you might still be in the immigration queue at 9:30. Plus to get to Regents Park is a fairly convoluted tube journey from LHR. Where exactly is the hotel? Do you mean a hotel near the park - Or - do you mean THE Regents Park Hotel in Gloucester Place (near Baker St tube station)?

@janisj - I see, we'll be staying at The Marriott Regent's Park hotel. I posted a week or so ago about our trip, and now I'm working on getting a definitive itinerary in place since the trip is in about 2 weeks. So nothing is really set in stone and we're pretty flexible people, so if anything goes amiss we'll just go with the flow I do however, want to have 2-4 things that we make priority so we make the most of our short time in London. Thanks for your help!

I think you desperately need a couple of maps - one a street map of London and another of the tube. London is a large, spread out city and you have not allowed yourself time to get from one place to another, nor really to see anything. For instance, you allow yourelf 2 hours for shopping Oxford St, Picadilly and Harrods. You can certainly walk past the stores in that time - but if you plan on going into any of them and buying anything - you need to allow the whole afternoon (and that will still be a huge rush). Several of these are large stores - as in 7 or 8 stories high with a huge number of departments. If you are looking for one item on the ground floor you can race in and get it - but if you want to look around - you just don;t have any time.

Also, not sure of the emphasis on shopping - since almost everything will cost more in the UK than it will in the US. If you are looking for specific items that are not available here - that's fine but do be prepared for much higher price tags.

Also - above you say you will stay at the ariport and see Windsor Caste before leaving for Paris - but in the itinerary you mention seeing Buckingham Palace and then seeing some mystery very short matinee at noon and having lunch later. It works the other way - you eat an early lunch and THEN see the matinee. And after a matinee you're going to have rouble geting to the airport to fly to Paris. (And why fly to Paris - when taking the train from central London wold be so much faster and easier?)

With an itinerary like this, the question is why are you even going to London?

First, let's deal with the shopping. He should be on Jermyn Street and maybe Saville Row, if only to see what's available. There's plenty for you there. Go to the Food Court at Fortnum & Mason too. Harrod's food halls are good, expensive, and the rest of the store is just an enormous department store with supra-Nordstrom pricing and hordes of tourists. That said, Harrod's shortbread biscuits (that's British for "cookie"), especially the ones made with clotted cream, range from excellent to fantastic. You can also pick some up at Heathrow on the way out of the UK if your flight leaves from Terminal 3 or (I think) 5.

For any show, go at night, not during the day. You have three afternoons to wander about, so use them. You also have no concept of when the matinees are - they're not at noon. Check here for shows and times: http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/index.html. Don't see the ponderous pseudo-operatic stuff like Les Mis or Phantom, see something more fun - there are a lot of options. Get tickets the same day at the Leicester Sq. TKTS booth.

Cannot understand why you would use the hop on/hop off bus - it's hideously expensive and you can get the same ride on the cheap with the No. 9, 15 and/or 136 lines. Do get a travelcard and visit www.daysoutguide.co.uk and figure out what 2for1 offers you want to use.

The British Museum is one of the world's best and iconic. The Imperial War Museum is excellent. The National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery are too. The Tate Modern has modern art. If you like the dots-on-canvas and sculptures that look like dung piles, fine; if not, don't waste your time.

Where is Westminster Abbey or the Tower or the Cabinet War Rooms on your itinerary? Thinking there's plenty of history in all three.

What sightseeing would you do at Hyde Park? There's parkland, which is nice for what it is, but no particularly do-not-miss-it sites. Plus you won't be there on a Sunday so you won't see the whack jobs at Speakers' Corner. If you want to go to a park during your trip, go to Parc Guell in Barcelona.

Janis is right - no chance you get from landing at the airport to your hotel via Tube in two hours. And small chance you get into the hotel room by noon. Check-in is usually around 3.

The changing of the guards is one of the last things I'd put on my 'to do' list especially with your limited schedule. Time would be much better spent doing/seeing something else.

Other posters have offered some excellent advice including no hop on/hop off bus,as well as listing several of London's best sights. As for shopping, I've been going to London for years and can only reiterate the point that nearly everything is much more expensive in London than nearly anywhere else. I suggest you take a quick tour through Harrods ground floor or do the same at Fortnum and Mason and let that suffice.

Wow... maybe I didn't put enough emphasis on VERY ROUGH draft.. As I said before, neither of us have traveled to Europe (let alone many other places outside of the US), so the "I don't understand why...", "what the heck would you do there" and "how in the world would you..." statements are yes, correct (albeit a tad condescending), however this is why I need advice from people who have been there several times (aka You). I'm a bit of a travel noob, if you will, and am still learning about London.

-The Matinee I just threw in there are something I would like to do that day, once I find a show I'd arrange the schedule around that. After reading BigRuss' post I think we may opt for an evening show.
-We are flying to Paris because of the cheap airfare from easyjet.com and thought it would be quicker. Most of the train tickets I found were pretty expensive and (I thought) would be longer than the flight (obviously not calculating possible flight delays)
-I'm aware that Harrod's is expensive... Just wanted to see it and walk through one or 2 sections..
- The hop on/hop off bus was recommended by past travelers but obviously isn't worth doing, I'll change that to the train.
- Will probably trade out Hyde Park for Westminster Abbey, etc.. Thanks for that tip!

Anyway, thank you nytraveler and BigRus for making me feel a little inadequate but at the same time very informed. It's a very rough draft which needs help.. I'll make some adjustments to allow myself some more time. And thanks @historytraveler for the tip about the changing of the guards.. I'm not quite that interested and only added it as a recommendation from another traveler.

Your draft itinerary really doesn't include most of the sights and experiences that make London worth visiting in the first place. Get a good guide book and use the "Desstinations" feature of this site. If you are going, you ought to visit those things that are worth visiting such as the Tower, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, St. Paul's, etc. Don't spend a lot of time shoping or, if you do, visit places you can't see at home such as Harrods and Fortnum and Mason.

Go check out useful websites like . . . Fodors.com and see what the publishers themselves have to say. Don't use Rick Steves for London but he could be useful for Paris or Barcelona.

Do not underestimate the size of these cities. London is slightly less populous than New York and its attractions are more spread out; Paris is slightly more populous than Houston (and more crowded because Houston is physically large); Barcelona is slightly more populous than Philadelphia. So you're effectively dealing with the equivalent of three of the five largest cities in the US.

Learn your discounts. Barcelona's metro offers 10-ride discounts and the Articketbcn (http://www.articketbcn.org/en/) covers various museums and attractions (if you like modern art, you will get your fill in Barcelona). Paris has the carnet for its metro system and the Carte L'Orange (or similar name) as a pass for attractions. London has the 2for1 offers through the Days Out Guide (NOT the London Pass - that's crap) and you need single day Travelcards for riding the public transportation.

Learn your tourist traps - Paris is rife with them, Barcelona's are along Las Ramblas and close to the Sagrada Familia. Also, learn the tricks that will be used to try to pick your pockets - there are TONS of resources on the net for this (Barcelona has a terrible reputation but no one messed with me; Paris's prime spots are near the Eiffel Tower and outside Notre Dame).

Consider a Fat Tire Bike Tour. Each of the three cities has this - it's a company that has English language tours by English speakers (I'm counting Australians in this category even though their English is not what we would call English). You're both 25-ish so you can handle. Don't wimp out and do a Segway tour.

@BigRuss... lots of good advice/info. Thank you... I've heard of the pickpockets, that should be interesting! :/ I think our plan is to either bring a small backpack with a lock on it and carry all of our items in there, or get a jacket with an inside pocket. My husband is Turkish... It would be interesting.. slightly amusing, but hopefully wouldn't happen.

I've heard of the Fat Tire Bike Tours, definitely sounds like something we'd be interested in. Segways are for wussies. Thanks again!

Hi there, figured I'd add a few thoughts:

re: Tuesday: I wouldn't worry too much about allotting specific times for everything, since you can't be sure how long it take you get out of the airport and to your hotel. I would simply plan on a walk, a causal meal or two, and the Hop On Bus without worrying too much about timing or anything else.

Are you wanting to do a formal afternoon tea with all the little sandwiches and pastries? Because that might be best left to the next day, when you aren't as jetlagged.

Nandos is fine for a casual bite but don't expect anything special- it's just roast chicken and chips, one or two notches above fast food (a lot like Swiss Chalet, if you're familiar with that). I'm only pointing this out because you mentioned you were foodies.

re: Wednesday: I don't know if it would interest you but you might want to check out Camden Town/Camden Lock, it's got a mishmash of shops and market stalls and is a bit of a spectacle, and a lot of places for coffee or a meal.

If you're going to Harrods and you wanted to do an afternoon tea, that's as good a place as any to do it. Or any of the iconic department stores.

The Tate Modern and the British Museum are very different animals, I love them both but I'd probably recommend the BM if you can only visit one, just because there is such a variety of artifacts and ancient art. The British Library is a short tube ride away. On the other hand, the Tate Modern includes a beautiful walk across the Thames to get there, and has a nice affordable cafe. You can't lose whichever you choose.

re: Thursday: I would just plan on an early lunch and matinee and leave the rest of the time open, depending on how you feel and how the time goes.

Don't forget to factor in the time and expense involved in getting to and from the airports, and the 2 hour check in time, etc. Although it may be cheaper, in the long run the extra paid for the Eurostar train might be more than worth it. Timewise it is much more efficient, and it's a much easier and less stressful way to travel. If it were me I would definitely take the train, and try to cut back on an expense somewhere else in the trip if necessary.

Do take a look at some guide books, or Fodors.com, to see descriptions of the various attractions in London. While I happen to think the Tower, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum and St. Paul's are worth seeing, I also love art, so I would put the National Gallery way up on my list - but not everyone would.

We've visited the Imperial War Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms on previous trips, and while I liked them, they're not enough interest to me to re-visit (though the Cabinet War Rooms, in particular, were very interesting).

Anyway, determine what's most interesting TO YOU - and you said you love shopping, so if that's how you want to spend your time, do that.

Another suggestion are the excellent LondonWalks. DH and I are not big into guided tours, but we've enjoyed those.

If you're foodies, spend some time on the Chowhound website to get ideas.

in such a short amount of time you can actually see a lot of stuff. whether you want to is up to you as you control the pace. there are lots of good suggestions on here but i'll throw out these two tube stops:

Westminster: Big Ben, View of River Thames and London Eye, Westerminster Abbey, the Cenotaph, Horse Guards, and St James Park.

Piccadilly Circus: Piccadilly Circus obviously, Leicester Square (where the west end shows are) Chinatown, and Trafalgar Square + (National Gallery = FREE)

all of the above are free to explore from outside and within close walking distance

Kudos to you for not getting too offended with some tones. People here are often pretty opinionated--did you notice!?

And I'm one of them--but I will try to not be condescending.

POUR OVER, STUDY, READ, ABSORB a good map. And get a bit of understanding of the Tube. It's NOT hard to figure out, and you won't really "get" it until you ride it, but having some concept of the concept helps (e.g., there are many lines, some intersect some don't, the iconic map is brilliant but not reflective of real distances above ground, etc.)

1. All the advice above is good, I think. It is Your trip and so your preferences aren't ours, but you admit being pretty much open to suggestions, so I don't really see anything on your list that you seem to think you must keep.

2.Yes, the first day you might not be in your rooms until later. And you say "check in"--into room? or just have ability to check luggage with desk?

3.I'd call justairports and get a car pickup. The Tube is a great way to get to rooms IF the hotel is near a PICADILLY line Tube stop--which it doesn't seem yours is. Navigating Tube changes as a newbie and with jet-lag isn't fun. A car service won't save you much time and costs a good bit more but definitley worth it. PRE-BOOKING required. NOT a taxi, but a car service. http://www.justairports.com/

4. Your first day don't waste time and money on hopon/hopoff. You need to use your feet. And a map. And get to know city on your own. Go to Trafalgar Square via Tube (maybe glance in National Gallery) then walk down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey/Parliament/Big Ben/Thames/Westminster Bridge for lots of photo ops. And/or go to PIcadilly Circus and Covent Garden. And/or Hyde Park--

5.You have way more time than you should in your schedule in parks and eating and sleeping and shopping, in my opinion. You're in LONDON--there are thousands of things to see that are no where else. You can sleep later! Shopping is way way expensive. See some parks as you walk by/to someplace else, not as major destinations. My first trip to London I made it a priority to see/touch all 5 royal parks, all the major lungs of London, and I did in my 4.5 days there, but not as destinations but as passages to other places. And of course you have to eat, and if you want to spend your time and money there doing that, then of course do so. We just always had lots more to do and to spend our money on that long meals.

6. And my top 4 things to do, 2 each day:
The Tower of London--must do. and be there AT OPENING TIME!!--allow at LEAST 3 hours
The British Museum--overwhelming but a wonder of the world--allow at LEAST 2 hours in there
Westminter Abbey--audio tour is 90 minutues plus a bit on own=2+ hours
St. Paul's--and a climb to the dome for a look over the city!

At night--a walk along the Thames is lovely. A play.

Danielle: Look at tailsock's trip report. He used public transportation and saw a LOT of territory. What do you think about when you think of London? Pick a few must-see places for yourselves and then the rest is kismet. Remember, you can't see it all and you will have to give up something to see something else.

Posters on boards such as this often come across as gruff or condescending or worse. Just ignore and gather the information you need!!

Thank you all for taking the time to post and give me advice!! I'm reading through all of it now... We're so excited for our trip but a little overwhelmed as we have never organized and planned a trip like this before. I'm taking it all in! Thanks again!

@Apres_Londee & @texasbookworm - Thoroughly informative.. I will be taking a lot of your advice. Thank you!

PS. Nando's is a must see for my husband, he grew up in South Africa where he ate it regularly and wants to introduce me to it.

You will have a great time.

It's good to strike a balance between having no plan and overplanning. In London, which is HUGE (much bigger than Paris or Barcelona) it will take a good bit of time between sites and the major places are pretty far apart. And not many really in walking distance from hotel. That's why public transport is necessary, and why it's good to only plan 2-3 major things and GROUP PLACES BY NEIGHBORHOOD. That's why maps are good to get familiar with NOW. Okay, I've capitalized enouugh words. Go plan and enjoy!

Even though several of us dismissed the idea of shopping or at least any serious shopping, I always take a quick tour through Harrods whenever I go to London. I'd recommend you do the same. The Food Courts are especially interesting.

If you do an afternoon tea, and the Orangery is a good place if you don't want to spend a lot of money, you really won't need an evening meal.

I will definitely check out the Orangery.. It doesn't have to be fancy, I just like the idea of actually having teatime in England Someone recommended PrimeMark on Oxford St. for inexpensive shopping.. Thoughts?

What are you shopping for? Since prices are so much higher in London if you get things at bargain prices they are likely to be very poor quality. Unless they are things that you cannot get in the US your time and money are much better spend elsewhere. (Even British brands - like Burberry - cost less in NYC than they do in London.)

To be honest.. I'm a thrift store junkie and I like to shop for unique things, so I'll probably stop by Harrod's and other shopping areas just to stroll through but I'll be keeping an eye out for unique things and like you said, if I know I can't get it in the US, I'll buy it.. but I'm not really wanting to buy a whole bunch of things just because I'm in London.

I shopped in the LHR T3 Harrod's and was surprised that all the items, at least the ones I purchased, were priced lower than the Knightsbridge location.

If I only had two full days in London, I'd do at least one show (find out ahead of time what's playing) and spend as much of a day as you can at the British Museum...best on earth, in my mind. Just that much will exhaust you. You are way overbooking yourself.

OK - back

Everyone else has given you things to think about.

It really is too bad about flying to Paris. W/ a 9:20PM arrival at CDG you won't be to your hotel until at least 11PM and it could easily be later. The train is city center to city center and takes much less time door to door. But that is water under the bridge now . . .

Your hotel really isn't at Regents Park. It is a bit NW of Primrose Hill and not too far from Swiss Cottage tube station. That is a pretty long tube ride from the Airport - about 75 minutes w/ a change at Green Park.

Maybe add a show or two in the evenings.... shows are like icing on the cake.

And good idea on the open top tour bus its more expensive then normal transportation but its a much better way to see the city and stops at all the convenient places... fun and hassle free.

If you are into thrift store I would skip Oxford street as it is just big popular stores. Try Camden town market or spiral fields market by liverpool street for more interesting finds! Primark is a huge dept store that sells low end casual clothes for bargain prices (think Walmart). The one on Oxford st is always packed with HUGE lines even to get into the change rooms, nothing special. I avoid like the plague!!

Ps - nandos is basically fast food, some love it but I hate it as I it is really just dry chicken and bad chips...if you are a foodie like me you will likely be disappointed!!

Afternoon tea is fun, we like the Wolsey by green park.

Have fun!!

Thanks again for all the help!! That is a bit of a bummer about the flight to Paris.. I thought it'd be a good money saving move, but the good thing is our hotel is just a couple blocks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, so we'll be able to get to many places in Paris quickly and easily.

Sorry - but the Eiffel Tower really isn;t in the center of things in Paris - it's fairly far west. Most of what youwant to see is esat of there and/or on the other side of the river. We stayed in the area once and I wouldn;t do so again - now we stay in the 5th or 6th.

I see.. Lol I am still determined to have a good trip. You live and learn! At least we're flexible

No to worry Danielle. nytraveler's post may have sounded a bit negative - especially since you've been beaten up just a bit about other 'issues'

The ET isn't really in the center of things, but it isn't a terrible area either. Can be quite nice if you want quiet in the evenings. You will be close to some things- Invalides, the river, Musee d'Orsay etc. And w/i simple metro rides from most other areas.

Lots of visitors do like the area -- it is just that many of us like to be more in the center of the 'action' (1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc)

Thanks janisj.. I'm not too worried about it, honestly, I'm absolutely THRILLED to even be going overseas! If anything, after London it may be better to wind down in a quiet area. Thanks again everyone for all the input, it's helped tremendously!! Now, onto my itinerary for Paris...

You will have a great time - enjoy yourself and dont worry about all the little things. Its all part of the learning process and wont take away from your overall enjoyment unless you let them.

Have a fabulous holiday!

If both of you like good food....this is a great town for Indian cuisine..The Red Fort on Dean STreet is wonderful-on the high end but worth it. This is a great town for theater lovers but don't know if you have time. Early morning make your way to the half price booth near Picadilly and you can score some great seats. I agree with the above comments-if you only have time for one museum-make it the British Museum. For lovers of history,period pieces-my vote is for the V&A-the Victoria and Albert.For a really wonderful "british experience"?- the markets along the Thames on saturday morning....Fodor's book on London is great!

agree w/ nana5's advice -- w/ one minor quibble. I wouldn't go to TKTS (the half price ticket booth) early/at opening time. That is often when the lines are longest because lots of folks assume they need to be there first to get good shows. Not IME. The queues vary throughout the day, but opening and lunch time are usually the longest. Shows/good seats are available all day long I've bought tix as they were closing at 7PM -that is JUST before curtain.

Now, normally I wouldn't wait until 7PM, but I'd just go when it was convenient and I was in the area.

Also a note - the TKTS booth now offers sales for I think a week in advance, not just on the day so you can pop by whenever to get tickets for the next couple of nights...

jamikins is right -- my comment was mostly re a last minute decision to go to the theatre.

Mmm LOVE Indian food, will definitely need to check that out!! Thanks again for all the fantastic advice.. Feel free to post anything else I may need to know. I'm soaking it all in!

Our two favs for Indian are:

http://www.bengalclipper.co.uk/ by London Bridge and

http://gaylordlondon.com/ off Oxford St

YUM!

Since we have been to London many, many times, the last time we went, we booked in some obscure Bed and Breakfast, then just set out to walk the surrounding neighborhoods, forgetting the usual tourist stuff. Had a great time, some tiny musuems, stopped in some neighborhood pubs, looked at folk's gardens, talked to people at the bus stop, got on and off at will, always found nice people to aid us getting back to starting point, some great little shops, parks, etc. It was so fun.

Thanks, DanielleJane for taking the heat and some great suggestions. We will be arriving in London on Thursday for our first time, yes 4 more sleeps!!!! We are in our 50's so will take the hop on hop off (recent broken ankle so a little problem with walking). Friday we hope to see the Tower, British Museum drive by Buckingham Place and Westminster Abbey. Is Kensington Palace worth seeing? Will lines be long? We have a 9 hour flight so will have jet lag. Staying at Gatwick airport so plan to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. Am I getting some of the names right???Would like to go on the Eye if a beautiful Friday night for a splurge! Then we go to Southampton for 14 day cruise and back for Sunday, Monday again at the Gatwick Airport, fly back to Canada on May 29th. Using the tube does that involve a lot of stairs or is there always an escalator or elevator?

OK, I've held my tongue for several years ... but, the Indian food in the UK is largely mediocre and mostly not even Indian.
Most large cities in the US have better and more authentic Indian food.

I'm Indian. Have lived in the USA for 7+ years and in London for 6+ years. I really do know what I'm talking about.

If you like Anglicised Bangladeshi cuisine, then fine. And there are a few decent Indian places, but most are a uniquely British cuisine called 'curry'. They're alright, but definitely not Indian.

ljv53: You might want to start a new thread of your own - for one your post may get lost in the shuffle of this very long thread, and 2) your trip is different and the answers will be different.

And I definitely would not stay at LGW (Gatwick) -- it looks like you are there Thurs and Fri nights - right? If it was me I'd stay in London and take the train from Waterloo to Southampton. . . . But at this late date it may not be possible to change things.

Alright, here's our itinerary as of now! We leave in a few days.. I can't believe how fast it came! Any last minute [nice] comments or suggestions?? Can't wait to share my trip report with you guys!


Tue, May 15 –
• 7:30am – Arrive in London, Take the tube to Marriott Regent’s Park Hotel
• 10:00am – Check in to Regent’s Park and leave luggage
• 10:30am – Walk around Primrose Hill
• 12:30pm – Lunch @ Restaurant near Primrose
• 1:30pm – To Bank of America to withdraw $$
• 2:30pm – Sightseeing hop on/hop off tour (I know everyone says not to.. but I have to.. lol)
• 6:00pm – Back to hotel, check in, get ready for dinner
• 7:30pm – Dinner @ near the Thames
• 9:00pm – Walk along the Thames (London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament)
• 10:30pm – Stop by convenience store to pick up any necessities/breakfast
• 10:50pm – Back to hotel to sleep

Wed, May 16 – London
• 08:30am – Wake up and get ready for the day
• 9:00am – Stop by TKTS booth to get tickets
• 9:30am – Sightseeing @ Abbey Rd Studios? > Cabinet War Rooms (14.95)>
Tower (if there's time) (18)
• 12:30pm – Lunch @ Nando’s
• 1:15pm – Visit the British Museum (free)
• 3:30pm – Tea Time @ Gallery Mess (17 for 2)
• 5:00pm – Back to hotel to get ready for dinner
• 6:45pm – Pre-Theatre Dinner @ Indian Restaurant
• 8:00pm – Theatre Show
• 10:00pm – Dessert @ _________
• 10:45pm – Back to hotel

Thurs, May 17 – London
• 8:30am – Wake up and get ready
• 10:00am – Leave hotel (Check out/Leave Bags)
• 10:30am – Shopping @ PrimeMark on Oxford St., Piccadilly Circus, Harrods,
• 2:00pm – Lunch @ The Dining Plaice - 20 Berwick Street, London W1F 8
• 3:00pm – Walk Trafalgar Sq
• 4:00pm – Back to hotel, check out and pick up bags
• 5:35pm – Arrive at airport
• 7:00pm – Leave for Paris
• 10:30pm – check into hotel

I know my times also may be a little off here and there.. We're prepared to cut some things out as well if needed.. but we'll play it by ear Also, does anyone know if you can tour Abbey Road Studios? My husband is a musician and it's at the top of the list for him.

Random thoughts:

As mentioned before, w/ a 0730 arrival, it will be difficult to be at your hotel by 10:00. Just the tube journey and close to 15 minute walk from Swiss Cottage tube station will eat up about 1.5 hours.

Why BofA? You can get cash from any Barclay's w/o any fees.

Sorry but your Wed is totally 100% impossible. You are zigzagging from Swiss Cottage to Leicester Sq to Abbey Rd to Whitehall to (maybe??) the Tower of London . . . ALL before lunch.

$$ from the Bank of America - why? Just get sterling from any cashpoint as you pass. Unless you specifically need $ you don't even need to set foot in a bank and if you want them for currency in the UK how will you change them into sterling?

TKTS in Leicester Square doesn't open till 10am in May and Abbey Road is one stop south of Swiss Cottage, which looks like your closest tube station, on the tube at St John's Wood. Much easier to stop there on your way into town that morning rather than doubling back. You'll need a minimum of an hour and a half for the War Rooms so no way you can do the Tower on Wednesday morning.

Also, three meals between 12.30 and 7.00? I had tea at the Gallery Mess recently and I didn't eat a small meal till 9pm that night.

If you want to shop in Piccadilly why not do it when you are in the Leicester Square area? They are only a couple of hundred meters apart. Or, of course, nip over to TKTS when you are in Piccadilly!

If you love history and can only do one would you prefer the WW2 history of the War Rooms or the history of the Tower of London? One comparatively modern, the other ancient.

Going back to your original post about what the must-see-in-person sights are. A few years back my daughter did a French exchange visit at school. There were about 20 French kids who came over. Every family bar one took their French pupil on the London Eye. None of them went to Primark.

Thank you both for the input!

@janisj - Totally forgot to change the times on the arrival morning.. we're going to play it by ear and just walk around Primrose once we arrive and find a cafe near there for some coffee/a light lunch.. Also, I didn't even know about Barclay's, I'm just starting to research the currency side of things now. So no fees at all for exchanging? Should I bring cash or do they let you use your debit card.. We bank with BofA so I just assumed that would be easiest/cheapest.. or is it cheaper to exchange here in the states?

@carrieann40 - I also forgot to change the Wednesday morning, we'll stop by Abbey Rd studios and then head south to the War rooms (and possibly the Tower at some point.. I'm thinking we might nix that though and just be satisfied with taking photos of it on the first day's tour.) If you had to pick one, would you do the War Rooms or the Tower?

I wanted to leave shopping for the last day so we could see how much we had left in our budget to spend and just do it all at once while we were in the shopping mood. Primark was mainly for cheap clothing I could get as gifts for family.. I heard it was a really inexpensive clothing place?

Thank you guys again for the input!! It gets a little confusing sometimes, everything looks so close together on the map!

Also, You're so right about the meals on Wed. We may opt to do a cream tea and scones so we're not stuffed for Indian food... and/or do a post-theatre meal instead. Good call.

Your new itinerary is so much better!

Good luck with Nandos.. I hope your husband isn't too disappointed.

You said you liked 'thrift stores' so check out some UK charity shops like Oxfam for really inexpensive secondhand clothing and other stuff. Google Oxfam stores London for locations.

I'm not a Primark fan. Did you check out their website?
http://www.primark.co.uk/home

You can't view all their lines but you can get an idea. It's basic and cheap.

You don't exchange currency anywhere, use your ATM/debit card. BofA has very high ATM fees BUT Barclay's is a BofA partner bank so there are no fees at all if you use their ATMs. Barclays is a major bank in the UK so you will see a lot of their machines. ONLY use Barclays - otherwise BofA will ding you w/ fees.

Your Wed is VERY difficult. You might barely manage Abbey Rd, Leicester Sq (TKTS), the War Rooms, Lunch and the British Museum and be back at your hotel by 5PM but - but that would be at a dead run. No way on earth you could fit the Tower, tea, etc etc.

By taking the H-o-H-o you are losing a BIG part of your available time. Just taking photos of the exterior of the Tower is a waste . . . all you can see really is a big wall, dry/grass filled moat and the top of the White Tower. To 'see' the Tower, you need to go inside.

So switching out the H-o-H-o with Leicester Sq and the Tower should be fitting? Are the theatre tickets still half price if you buy them a day early?

Thanks sassy_cat It's all coming together! Will definitely check out the thrift store.. sounds like something that's a little more what I'm looking for.. I have a feeling it's probably not the same Nando's he's used to, but worth a shot, and cheap so I'm not complaining. lol

You will love London! It is very easy to get around on the tube and the bus! I went alone for the first time in 2009. I had about $100 dollars on me and when I landed at the airport I just went to the exchequer change (ATM) and got GBP using my debit card. It's just like getting money in the USA (janisj's advice is right on).

I think you will just have to prioritize what you really want to do. There are metro/bus maps at the airport and I picked up a London A-Z (map) that was invaluable.

I may have missed what days of the week you were going but if you're a thrift store junkie Portebello Antique Market is fun (Sat), and if you're foodies - the Borough Market is wonderful.
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/page/visit-us

I loved Regent's Park - you will love it. I also loved the Victoria and Albert Museum (very close to Harrod's). It is an art and design museum. www.vam.ac.uk. I enjoyed it even more than the British Museum (though depending on what you want to see, it is incredible too).

Have a wonderful trip!

Since you asked, I would choose the Tower of London over the War Rooms because it is much more traditional historic London. But it depends on your interests. As well, Tower Bridge is right by the Tower of London so you can check out the bridge lift times which is always interesting to see. http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/BridgeLiftTimes/

Definitely do the tower instead of the hoho bus which I think is a horrible waste of time and money! It gets snarled up in traffic, it's hard to get a good seat and its expensive!!! The tower is the best site in London in my opinion!! Expect to spend 3-4 hours there!!

Do you have a guidebook? Definitely get one, even the top 10 London book will help you out!

What about st Paul's and Westminster abbey??

For money just use your debit cards on arrival to get £££. I can't recall ever seeing a bank of America bank machine here so look up Barclay's and find the nearest branch to your hotel.

Primary is a horribly cramped bargain clothing store with cheap clothes that are ver low quality - nothing special, nothing that would scream London to your family. The queues are huge and it just sucks the time out of you. I would get them something else!

I hope this helps!

Have a great trip!!

Why not combine Harrods (Knightsbridge underground) with the Gallery Mess (Sloane Square underground) for a more efficient use of your time? One stop, change at South Ken, one stop.

hey danielle, not sure if you are here now? not sure if you have sorted out your thursday lunch/afternoon yet?

(All of the below is within a 10-12 minute pretty walk of each other)

if not and you fancy seeing a pretty park of london which is somewhere me as a londerner likes to do...then you could maybe get the tube to covent garden, explore covent garden and all the little shops there, then walk north through to seven dials

http://www.sevendials.co.uk/

and neils yard...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d2318235-Reviews-Neal_s_Yard-London_England.html

all these are nice little boutique uniquey areas with a lively buzzy feel and lots of restaurants.
You could have lunch/afternoon tea at covent garden hotel in sevendials

http://www.firmdalehotels.com/london/covent-garden-hotel

or maybe lunch at

http://www.operatavern.co.uk/

its a tapas bar set in a historic pub (but very nice and sleeky modernised)

or maybe even sneek in a glass of champagne at

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d2468728-r123033476-French_Bubbles_Champagne_Bar_Shop-London_England.html

Have a wonderful time

arhhhh just re-scrolled and realised you have sorted out your final day..ot usre how i missed this!!

...sorry!! oh well you'll just have to come back to do the above!

......if u do decide to try and fit in with the above, it would work well on your theatre day, as this whole covent garden area is in the middle on "theatre-land" there are a lot few within 10 minute walk of covent garden proper

i would also not bother going to TKTS, you can probably get a good deal on line now, and therefore know exactly where you are going so you can research your food place and then just go there on day. It will save time too not actualy having to go to TKTs

whats on

http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/

some good discounts.......

http://www.ticket.com/london-theatre-tickets?gclid=CIm0wJm5-q8CFcohfAodb1JYDg

or

http://www.discounttheatre.com/?gclid=CLnkzOe5-q8CFQQMtAodXhBkFg

or

http://www.london-discount-theatre.com/


and a map of where the main theatres are

http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/maps/index.htm

p.s MATILDA is getting excellent reviews and is in the cambridge theatre at Sevendials!

http://www.matildathemusical.com/

Ahh, I wish there were more time! We've decided to leave a few key pieces out just because of the lack of time.. We'll be back one day! Westminster Abbey was on the list but just seemed like it was lower on our interest priorities. I'm not a fan of tourists or tourist-like attractions that aren't worth the visit due to the lines and swarms of people. If it is something I should look into though, let me know!

Thanks soooo much @HG001London - I love hearing from Londoners about what to do! I have a friend who lives near there who is helping us as well I may try to squeeze in one or 2 of those in and/or swap them out with things less intriguing. Let me know if you have any other restaurant suggestions (that are affordable), I loved looking at the Opera Tavern website, looks delicious and definitely like something I'd like to add... Any suggestions for good inexpensive fish & chips?

Also, I checked the website for the discount tickets. I found 2 tickets to Wicked (which was one of the top choices on our list) for £58.00. Is that reasonable or can they be found cheaper at TKTS?

" I found 2 tickets to Wicked (which was one of the top choices on our list) for £58.00. Is that reasonable . . . ."

Impossible to say w/o knowing the exact seat location.

As for Westminster Abbey being a tourist attraction . . . yes it is, and has been for oh, maybe 1,000 years. Same w/ the Tower. Don't worry, just because they attract tourists doesn't make them 'touristy'

hey there,

No problem, glad to have been of help

Wiked is an excellent show, really was very good- saw last year- the only thing is that it is not in the nicest part of london in my opinion. The immediate surrounds around Victoria are a bit grotty i think and is separate from the main theatreland bit of london. Its a tricky one as it is a great show

here was my review

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d2181739-r124464810-Wicked_the_Musical-London_England.html

as you will read it is really important which seats you can as the high seats are very high (cant make out much facial detail ect etc) but for stalls or first level circle then £58 for 2 is pretty good. There is a nice restaurant round the corner from it

http://www.aboutthyme.co.uk/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1383609-Reviews-About_Thyme-London_England.html

Its really nice food but i would avoid at lunch time as is quiet at lunch time but full and buzzy in evenings. Not massively cheap but you can look at menu to get feel, its not too bad though for the quality of food.


This is cool little fish and chip place. Its Bring your own alchahol, which keeps the cost down

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d719237-Reviews-Golden_Hind-London_England.html

and this is a london fooie blogger's review (good pictures)

http://londoneater.com/2010/04/14/golden-hind-fresh-from-grimsby/

and has great fish and chips and amazing mozarella sticks. Its is Marlybone which is a posh little area 5 minutes north of Oxford street (Bond street station is best) via the cute little square of St Christopher's place

http://www.stchristophersplace.com/

Hope these help

Good Fish and Chips in Covent Garden

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1017723-Reviews-Rock_Sole_Plaice-London_England.html

To put you at ease - there is nothing to fear about that theatre or neighborhood.

the first few review are bad, but my bf worked nearby and said he always loved the fish and chips there, its a cool little frontage too (flick through the tripadvisor pictures)

Looks like the seats for Wicked are in the Circle seats W 23-25

Love the fish & chips place! Definitely going to check it out

One more questions.. Are reservations a must during the week? Our dinners will be on Tuesday and Wednesday. Are walk-ins acceptable like they are here in America or are reservations required?

Oops.. *question. lol

My two pence worth.

You really should make an effort to see the Tower of London. We spent about 5 hours there and did not see every nook and cranny.

The cabinet war rooms in my opinion is also great to see. We spent a couple of hours there too. It is right near the London Eye just over the bridge so you can do both.

I would also skip the HOHO bus.

Be careful about theater times. You mentioned having dinner and getting to the theater at 8PM. As I recall most theaters begin at 7:30PM or 19:30 so double check.

Dinner reservations are good idea imo since you want to get in and out at a specific time to ride the Eye and make a show. At the good/popular restaurants, reservations are essential. At least that's been my experience.

janisj, apologies i didn't mean to suggest that area was to be feared, what i meant was just that is wasn't as nice an area (in my opinion) as where many of the other theatres are, I just find it a little bit less attractive and a tiny bit run down (although it has got much better over last few years).

As the poster only has 3 days in london i thought maybe nicer to pick a theatre around covent garden as the surrounds are so nice to enjoy as well with lots more eating places .In my honest opinion i didn't think it was the nicest place to recommend for such a quick stop in london and there also are not that many great eating places around that area in my opinion, so i thought perhaps theatreland was a better all round choice.

like i said though the show is really very very good and while it may not be as pretty as it could be you're right there is absolutely nothing to fear about the area and my only point about the theatre was that it does go rather high up compared to others but my tripadvisor link to my review describes that is is really nice theatre design wise!!

Hope this clears things up a little, apologies that i didn't make it a bit clearer

"i thought maybe nicer to pick a theatre around covent garden"

Wouldn't one normally pick a show based on whether they want to see the show, not because of which theatre it happens to be playing in (unless one really isn't interested in theatre and just wants to tick 'going to a play/musical' off a list.)

Millions of folks have seen Wicked at the Apollo Victoria - and none starved to death.

And to bring things full circle, there's a Nando's down the road from the Apollo Victoria!

ok i was genuinely trying to help make the whole of the trip as nice as it could be, i really don't think there was any need to be so mean, and thats why i went to trouble of posting a further post to put it all in context, as i did not suggest she would starve in that area (i actually post a link to the "about thyme" restaurant down the street.

I wanted Danielle to have a wonderful trip, theatre,food scenery etc etc but never dreamt it would get me mocked like this.