iheartrice

I know there are a ton of London itinerary posts, I'm pretty sure I read them all, but of course I would love to have my personal one critiqued.

I'll be in London for a week (5 full days) in March. I'm staying at a hotel just north of the Marble Arch tube stop.

Sunday - arrive Heathrow 0700, express train into downtown, drop off bags, eat, walk to
Kensington Palace/Princess Diana memorial fountain/Hyde park or shop , eat, sleep

Monday - 0830-1800 London bus tour - yellow route (theoriginaltour.com) - I know this forum is not fan of the bus tour, but I know I will be dead tired and won't want to deal with bus routes, finding my way to all the stops the bus makes.

Tuesday - Westminster Abby / The National Gallery / Museum of London in evening

Wednesday - 1100 Tower of London walk and tour / St. Paul’s Cathedral tour

Thursday - 10:30 Royal London and Changing of the Guard walk / Buckingham Palace tour

Friday - Shopping AM- Alfie’s Antique Market, Camden Market, Harrods, Notting Hill? /
Borough Market PM

Saturday - hard rock cafe, Kensington Palace/Hyde Park, express train to airport, depart
Heathrow at 1600

Hooameye

"express train into downtown" Why?? The tube is a lot cheaper than one of the most expensive rail journeys in the world.

BigRuss

(1) There is no "downtown." Assuming you want to go from Heathrow to your hotel, then you can also take the Heathrow Connect. The HC train takes a bit longer than the Heathrow Express, but it also costs 1/2 the price and leaves you at the same place, Paddington. From there it's a short trip by cab to your hotel. Using the HC instead of the H'Ex will make the train-plus-cab option less expensive than a car service. A H'Ex plus cab combination would cost as much or more than a car service and be a larger hassle.

(2) You're really going to be on a bus in London for 9.5 hours? This is understandable but shortsighted - "I know this forum is not fan of the bus tour, but I know I will be dead tired and won't want to deal with bus routes, finding my way to all the stops the bus makes."

This forum is a fan of the Tube because it is relatively quick, reliable, and doesn't get stuck in traffic. You need to figure out how to use it instead of riding buses. Plus, you'll be close to the Central Line which means easy rides to Oxford Circus (shopping), St. Paul's (eponymous cathedral) and the Museum of London (St. Paul's tube stop). If you want an "ooh, that's the ___ I heard about" look-see at London, then take the #9 and #15 heritage routes or the #136 route - you can get a great tour without paying $40 extra.

(3) What else are you interested in? This itinerary is a bit thin.

iheartrice

@hooameye - I read the express train is 15 minutes while all other options are an hour

@BigRuss- (1) see above (2) I knew I would get some HOHO haters...(3) I was trying to do 2 things a day leaving time to shop in between and eat. I am not a museum fan, I like landmarks and tours. Suggested add ons to each day are welcome.

Thanks for your quick responses

janisj

IMO the only day that makes a lot of sense is Wednesday.

If you are dead set on the HoHo bus, do it the day you arrive. You can get over the jet lag riding around up top and get off places if you wish, or just ride.

Friday is crazy - you are literally trying to hit every corner of central London . . . Borough mkt is SE, Notting hill is NW, Kensington palace is W, and Camden is NE. this is mainly a plan to spend as much time on the tube as possible.

On Saturday you will not have time for those things before leaving to LHR. You will need to be at the airport by 1:00 or 1:30 which means picking your bags up from your hotel around noon. Plus you will have already been to those places earlier.

The 'fast' train makes more sense for you than for folks staying closer to the Piccadilly line. But stil - do not think it is a 15 minute journey. You will have to walk to the Express station, wait for the next train, ride to Paddington, the schlepp down to the tube station or wait in a long queue for a taxi. There is no direct tube connection from Paddington to marble arch, so you'll have to transfer somewhere - or pay ££ for a cab.

janisj

Oh - meant to add . . . Buckingham Palace is not open for tours in march. It will just be a walk-by.

iheartrice

@janisj Friday was more a placeholder for shopping - places I'd like to go but not necessarily on that day...Saturday was hitting those places again if we didn't make it on day 1 (sorry I should have added that note). Any recommendations for something doable before our flight?

janisj

IMO you do not have time to do much of anything on your departure day. Sure, your flight isn't til 4:00 but no matter how you travel to LHR plan on at least an hour from the hotel. Plus 2 or 3 hour advance check in, plus packing and checking out . . . You might have time for a walk in Hyde park or some last minute shopping on Oxford street. Not much else.

You now say 'our' so I can I assume you are at least two? If so, I definitely would not take the HEX to Paddington. Book a car service like justairports.com. It will be much cheaper than than two tix for the HEX + a taxi and be door to door with no luggage schlepping at all. May take a little longer than the HEX but will be cheaper/easier.

mamcalice

Even though you are not a "museum fan". you should visit the British Museum. You might also enjoy an afternoon tea as well. What about the theatre?

BigRuss

The H'Ex is 15 minutes, the HC is about 30. That's train time, not schlep time. Take the latter, save some cash, and relax a bit before dealing with the crowds at Paddington.

And you're a "WE"? Well then:

Bring passport size headshots and get the paper 7-day travel card at a national rail station (like Paddington). Go to www.daysoutguide.co.uk and print any voucher that looks interesting. Included are the Tower (21+ GBP savings with a 2for1 voucher), Kensington Palace (15+ GBP savings) and the Churchill War Rooms (17 GBP savings), among others. St. Paul's is often included on the 2for1 offers too.

And the Tower Walk tour is unnecessary to superfluous, just take a Beefeater tour when you arrive at the Tower.

Tulips

If there are two of you (or more) get a car service, since it is Sunday morning, there will be hardly any traffic.

You could go to Notting Hill on Saturday morning before you leave; it's just a few stops on the Central Line from Marble Arch, and if you are early the market is not so busy (gets very crowded later on Saturdays).

laurie_ann

I would do Museum of London that Monday rather than the bus tour. Take one of the regular buses down there as suggested above, get the overview of the city history and have more "depth" to the rest of your week.

marlene_

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