My fiancee and I are coming to London for 3 nights as a part of a seven week Europe trip from Saskatchewan, Canada. We land on Dec 13th in the afternoon and depart via Paddington Station to bath on the 16th at noon.
Any suggestions for itineraries, bidget things to do?
We are staying at the Novatel Excel (Docklands I think) and I am also quite nervous trying to figure out how to get there from Heathrow and how to best get around London during our stay.
What I do know, is that I need a few hours at the British Museum, and would like to fit in as many of these:
1. British Museum of Art
2. Tower of London
3. Big Ben
4. Imperial War Museum
5. Windsor Palace
6. Houses if Parliament
7. Westminster Abbey
8. St. Paul’s Cathedral
9. Greenwich
10. Grant’s Museum of Zoology?

Any suggestions on how to cram these in (what to skip if we must), dining, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Is there a pass that would be worthwhile for us?
Best, Chantelle

"<i>Novatel Excel (Docklands . . . </i>"

May I ask <i>why</i>??

On such a short visit why are you staying so far out of the center at the Novotel? It is only on the Dockland lightrail system and any journey will take time w/ transfer(s). Plus it is in zone 3.

IMO a crappy location for a whiz bang short time in London.

British Museum of Art . . . Do you mean the British Museum, or maybe one of the major galleries like the National or the Tate's?

Of your list, w/ your short time frame and location, you might squeeze in 3 or 4 of the majors (Tower, British Museum, St Paul's, Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum). Big Ben and Parliament are really just "walk-by's"

You won't have time for Windsor for sure since that will take nearly an entire day

I'm with janisj on the hotel location - if you can change it to somewhere more central then do. If not, then at least be aware, as janisj mentioned, that the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) has limited access - by that I mean you can get as far as Bank station, then you'll have to change to other lines to get to the attractions you're looking at visiting, so this will take time. As an example, from your hotel to Bank will take around , then whatever other time you'll take to get to your next destination.

I'd suggest doing a hop-on-hop-off bus tour first thing. This will let you see many of the sights you've listed (if you indeed just want to see, not go inside). Or, you can use it as a way to get around the city and hop off at the sights you want to visit, then catch the next bus (usually around 20min gap) to continue on the route. You can buy tickets and catch the busses from many places, so you could even start at the Tower of London (do your internal tour, then catch a bus) and go from there. This will take a good chunk of your day, especially if you get on and off to visit sights inside. So perhaps use this as a full-on day of sightseeing, ending at the British Museum (it closes at 6pm on Wednesdays).

As for making it to Windsor Castle, it is at least a half day trip (and that's rushing). So prioritise whether you want to see Windsor, Greenwich (you can take a chilly but interesting boat ride down and train back) or inside other musuems as that will determine what you have time to do on your 2nd day, but you won't have time for all on your list - great excuse to go back!

Getting around London on the Tube may seem daunting, but it's actually easy once you arm yourself with a map, remember to stand on the right when on escalators (stand on the left and you'll soon know you've done the wrong thing!) and don't travel during peak hour (7.30am - 9.30am and 4.30pm - 7pm). Getting from Heathrow to your current hotel will take a while no matter how you travel. You can take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station (15mins, GBP18) then change to the District or Circle lines to Monument/Bank, then change to DRL to yoru hotel (you'll have to walk a few minutes). You can take the tube the whole way, starting on the dark blue Piccadilly line, then change at Earls Court (easier access) to the District or Circle lines to Monument/Bank, etc. A taxi will cost at least GBP60-70. You could also check with your hotel if they have a shuttle service from the airport.

A possible schedule:
The afternoon of arrival do the walk-bys--Big Ben, Parliament--maybe head to Trafalgar Square and/or a bridge or two for views, depending on timing and weather. If you meant the National Gallery, that could be where you end up and stay til closing.

Another day do the Tower (be there at opening) and St. Paul's.

Another day do Westminster Abbey (be there at opening) and the British Museum.

The Imperial War Museum is terrific, but I'd not put it above any of the above, and I doubt if you have time for it (it's across the river). Windsor and Greenwich will have to wait til next time most likely too--remember not many daylight hours!

But take the ones you can get done and ENJOY to the hilt!!!

Oh and no there are no passes for entrances that you need.

The tickets/passes/things you need for transport on the Tube are Travelcards but they are just for public transport, not entrance. (The British Museum and National Gallery are free. Westminster, St. Paul's and the Tower all charge but they're worth it and not on any sort of pass scheme.)

First, skip the hop on hop off - it's expensive and you need to MOVE fast, not sit in London traffic.

Second, the Tower is part of the Days Out Guide two for one program so you can get a discount on that. Buy a one-day travel card at a rail station, not a Tube station, for you and the fiance (good gosh, you're from Canada and you call him your fiancee?) and you'll get two admissions to the Tower for the price of one. The Tower's not cheap, so that's worth it. Same deal for the Cabinet War Rooms if you visit them.

Third, cross Windsor off the list. Not a chance in 2+ days.

Fourth, madame trash's discussion on how to get to your hotel is questionable - it will take you a ton of time and effort to take the Heathrow Express and two Tube lines with almost no savings off a car service (likely 45-50 quid for the two of you considering your hotel's location) and the car service is quicker. Car service costs less than a taxi. The Tube plus DLR ride will take upwards of 90 minutes with two changes.

Fifth, group your desires on a map: the Zoology museum is not far from the British Museum; Westminster Abbey and Parliament are close, St. Paul's is not far from the Tower.

And the others are right, your hotel location kinda sucks.

Docklands is kind of far but don't despair. You are close to the Tower of London, I believe that's one of the last stops for the DLR. You could buy a one-day card at a train station and get buy 1 get 1 free admission to the Tower, St. Paul's Cathedral, and several other attractions.

I agree with everything above, except for the Hop-off Hop-On advice, you have to prioritize since you only have 3 days. Let me know if you need more ideas.

Heathrow to Excel is from the far western outer suburbs of London to almost as far to the east: Excel is a big exhibition space, and, if memory serves, local services are geared to exhibition business. I don't think you'll find it a very lively or interesting area in the evenings. If there is any chance of changing hotel to somewhere more central or to the west of the centre, I would urge you to.

If there isn't, then make sure you change between DLR and Underground at Canning Town for the Jubilee Line, which runs through to west of the centre and much nearer most of the places you might want to visit. That would cut your daily commute to about 45 minutes. The one time you might want to stay on the DLR is to get to the Tower of London.

To get to Excel from Heathrow by public transport, the Heathrow Express would knock off a bit of time (though expensive), and it wouldn't be such a bad set of changes: Bakerloo Line from Paddington to Baker St, walk through (on the level, only about 20 yards) to the southbound Jubilee Line to Canning Town, where there are lifts/escalators up to the DLR. Total journey time around 1.5 hours. To avoid the premium cost of the Heathrow Express, you could take the Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, walk across the same platform to the eastbound District Line for Westminster, then down the escalators to the eastbound Jubilee Line for Canning Town - total journey time around 2+ hours. A car service would be the most comfortable, but it's still a long ride.

PS: You'll need to check out the locations of the places you want to visit, and the public transport options at www.tfl.gov.uk.

I highly urge you to change you hotel. That hotel is on the DLR (which is fine and runs regularly although is frequently down at the weekends, so you may want to check on www.tfl.gov.uk to ensure you dont get stuck on replacement bus services during your trip).

There is really not alot to do out there, even during the day and will be super quiet at night. You can get to the O2 which has lots of restaurants by changing to the Jubilee Line at Canning Town but that would definitely not be my choice - especially for such a short trip. I would check out Premier Inns (there is one by London Bridge and I think Tower Hill) that are affordable and WAY better locations.

I quite like Docklands, but you're going to be a long way out for the Excel (most of the food/drink places are around West India Quay, Canary Wharf and the O2). Also, that that newish bit of the Jubilee line is always heaving. So beware.

Are you arriving jet-lagged?


You could do a full day by walking: Covent Garden. Trafalgar Sq, National Gallery, lunch St Martin in the Fields, Banqueting Hall, 10 Downing St, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament. You could work this around taking a verger tour of Westminster, perhaps changin of Horses Guard.

Finish day by going up Pall Mall to Buckingham Place, passing St James Palaceand St James gardens.

Day 2, start early at Tower, then St Pauls. You could walk from St Paul's to City, Inn of Courts, Temple Church,etc, up to British Museum.

Evening, coould do a London Walks pub tour. I did the Hampstead Heath one last trip, finishes at a gastro pub.

This hotel is not in what most people woudl consider 'the docklands' - it is not walking distance to Canary Wharf, in a 1/2 modern 1/2 industrial area north of the river across from the O2 on the south side. Its quite a bit farther east than canary wharf and would require a tube ride from Canning Town, or a dlr ride from Custom House. The DLR from Custom House doesnt go into Bank, it goes into Tower Gateway, which is perfect for just about only the Tower. You will need to change at Shadwell to get into Bank, or at Canning Town to get the Jubilee Line to the O2 in North Greenwich for you closes food selections .

It is really not a good location at all for a social tourist that has no event at the Excel Centre and I strongly urge you to change this. You will not get a feel of London by staying here - you will be staying at an exhibition centre out in the middle of essentially no where. Trust me, I am on the DLR through Canning Town twice a day on my commute and there is nothing of interest there unless you are going to an exhibition at the Excel Centre. You wont be able to just wander around historic London and visit coffee shops/pubs/restaurants in the morning or night without at least a 15 min journey into central London.

That should read: it is not walking distance to Canary Wharf, IT IS in a 1/2 modern - 1/2 industrial area north of the river across from the O2 on the south side.

ChantelleL, I agree that the above posters are offering you good advice, if you can change your hotel accommodations without serious penalty. Everyone on this board has her/her favorite London hotel. Mine is the 3 star STRAND PALACE which was recommended on this forum before my last trip to London. The building is vintage, but all rooms have been newly updated simply, but functionally.


LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION is the Strand’s best feature. Going out the front door to the right, you are in Trafalgar Square in about four minutes– going out to the left, you are a short walk from the City and not far from St. Paul’s.

The Strand is very near to many popular theaters and about ½ a mile from London Bridge and the London Eye. I thought the price was reasonable – about $200 a night for a single.
Good luck…

For such a short stay, on such an important occasion, I agree would want to be a bit more centrally located.

I would recommend the Bloomsbury area. Block from British museum, pubs and restos nearby, easy access to Heathrow. I also walked from here to St Paul's one day, from here to Covent Garden another day.

B&B:

www.harlingfordhotel.com

Nice hotel:

http://www.theetoncollection.co.uk/c...spx?pageID=410


London hotels can be $$, so using Priceline or going to a B&B are options to consider.

Thanks to you all; unfortunately we booked through a site where we cannot get a refund--he booked through a site where you do not get to see the name of the hotel until you have booked--only pick by star rating and broad area... so this is what we got! We read it is quite nice and comfortable, so it will definitely have that going for it as we will be in use of a good nights sleep after 24 hrs on planes/in airports.. However, it is really unfortunate about how much we will have to switch trains... and I am quite nervous now about getting into London/around.. as we have never been to the UK (or Europe before); however, from your help I undertsand that the most affordable way to get from Heathrow to the Novotel is: Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, then eastbound Jubilee Line for Canning Town, then last on DLR to Custome House.
We will definitely will be skipping Windsor--it was unreasonable to think we could squeeze EVERYTHING into a few short days! And to clarify, I meant just British Museum on my list (unsure why I have the "of Art" added on).
After your help, the two of us have decided to go to Westminster Abbey at opening on our first full day, then head to the British Museum, and then kind of "fly by our pants" as we try to squeeze as many sites as we can on this trip! The British Museum is a must for me, so I will be happy as long as I do a half day there. Thanks again!

ChantelleL, just remember that this is only your first trip to London. There is so much for all of us to see. Good reason for us all to return...

If your fiancee used either Priceline or Hotwire to 'win' that Novotel . . . Never EVER let him use the site (<B>NEVER EVER</B until he learns what's what. Especially if you want a happy marriage

Priceline and hotwire bidding zones are clearly laid out and there was no reason to get a place that far out.

he owes you big time . . .

<<from your help I undertsand that the most affordable way to get from Heathrow to the Novotel is: Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, then eastbound Jubilee Line for Canning Town, then last on DLR to Custome House. >>

The Jubilee Line does not stop at Hammersmith. Check out the Tube map. And don't be pound-foolish, just get a car service and save yourself a lot of time.