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Katalin Jul 5th, 2000 06:38 PM

10 HOUR STOPOVER IN LONDON, WHAT DO I HAVE TIME TO SEE
 
We have a 10 hour stopover in London England at Heathrow airport. Anyone have any ideas on what I can see in London at this time. <BR>Is there time to go downtown and tour around? <BR>Thanks

Diane Jul 5th, 2000 10:28 PM

You have plenty of time to see 2 or 3 things, depending on which 10 hours of the day they are. Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington station. Cheaper travel is available, but you need to save time. The Express leaves every 15 minutes. Then go to Paddington underground station and buy a one-day travelcard good for buses and the tube--zone one is all you'll need. <BR> <BR>Do some reading in travel books or on this site. Do a search for best sights in London or not-to-be-missed, etc. Choose 1 or 2 places to spend an hour or two, such as the British Museum (free), Tower of London ($$), National Gallery of <BR>Art (free), etc. Of course you could spend all day at any one of these places, but if you can't choose only one, you can see quite a bit in two hours. <BR> <BR>You can also walk around the Buckingham Palace/Westminster Abbey/Parliament/Trafalgar Square area (another hour), or <BR>Bloomsbury (near British Museum), or any other area of the city center that attracts you. You mustn't spend all you time in a building. Grab a sandwich at Pret a Manger--found all over the city. You don't want to waste your limited time waiting to be served in a restaurant. I think I saw Pret a Manger sandwiches sold at a little stand in the Tower of London. You could sit on a bench to eat your lunch and gaze at the White Tower and soak up a little history. <BR> <BR>Keep track of the time, and of your distance from Paddington Station, so you can get back to Heathrow in plenty of time. You'll have some great memories!

Katalin Jul 5th, 2000 11:18 PM

Thanks so much for giving me some ideas. <BR>I have a question? How far is Buckingham palace from Paddington Station? Is it an hour or so. I thought I would like to go to that area and look at some of the sights. <BR>Thanks for the information.

wes fowler Jul 6th, 2000 07:15 AM

Katalin, <BR>Suggestions for sights to see in London depends in great part on what time and which day you'll arrive at Heathrow. In any case, I would not recommend spending time traveling to Buckingham Palace. The palace is an imposing building in size, but far from an architectural gem. It is practically surrounded by parks, Green Park and St. James Park, both of which are lovely but neither of which warrant your time. I'd suggest instead that you take the Bakerloo underground line from Paddington to Charing Cross station (seven stops). You'll exit the station and be in Trafalgar Square, site of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the National Gallery. Take a stroll down Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. On your way you'll pass Admiralty Arch; look through it and you'll see Buckingham Palace at the end of The Mall. Continue on Whitehall past the Admiralty, the Banqueting House where King Charles was executed, Horse Guards, 10 Downing Street and you'll reach the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Continue for another block or so to Westminster Abbey. Almost directly across the Thames from Westminster is the immense Ferris wheel that offers a spectacular view of the city. If time permits and lines are not long, you might consider taking a ride on it for the view it offers. You can then take the underground at Westminster station back to Paddington via the Circle Line.

Sherrie Jul 6th, 2000 08:01 AM

I agree with Wes. Buckingham Palace is surely famous, but there is little else next to it. Perhaps go see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. And if you have time, then stop by Buckingham Palace. Allow about an hours travel time. Not that the train will take that long, but there are always delays possible, so better safe than sorry. <BR> <BR> Tip: Have the names of the tube (subway) line you will be traveling, know which direction you are going (north, south, etc.), and the name of the stop you will get off at written on a piece of paper for quick reference. The Tube gets very busy, and you can get stressed trying to figure it all out. <BR> <BR>Another idea would be to take an open top bus tour. They take about 2 hours, and you see almost all the major sights. Plus you can jump on or off at any time. They start running out of the Baker street station.

lisa Jul 6th, 2000 08:28 AM

I was just going to recommend taking one of the double-decker bus tours. It's a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time -- they stop at all the major sights.


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