3 Day London Itinerary - too much?
 

Hello all!
I have been meticulously researching our trip to Europe and this board has been a terrific source of info! We have three days in London before our 10 day tour starts, and then a further two weeks at the end of the tour in various parts of Europe. We are leaving on June 18.
This is my 3 day London itinerary so far. I'm very interested to hear some feedback on it - especially with regard to places to eat or good pubs close to some of the locations we are visiting. Also with the transportation - so of the places where I've indicated tube it may be easier and closer just to walk to the next destination and vice versa. Those sorts of insights would be fantastic.

Here goes:
DAY ONE
Day
Take underground from Heathrow (buy our three day travel passes at the airport). Piccadilly line to Hammersmith station – change there for District line to Victoria station. Walk to hotel (Luna and Simone), leave luggage.

Walk up to Houses of Parliament and view Big Ben and Downing Street.
Tour Westminster Abbey (allow 2 hours) (GBP 8 *May be eligible for 2 for 1 offer.) Take the 90 minute guided tour which includes entrance to the Confessor’s Tomb.
Take Birdcage Walk down to Buckingham Palace and walk back up the Mall through Admiralty Arch to Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column. Have lunch. (any ideas of places around Trafalgar Square that would be good for lunch??)

Visit National Portrait Gallery after lunch. Free. Then take Leicester Square Tube to Green Park. Walk up to Fortnum and Mason via Jermyn Street and visit the food hall. Continue back up to Piccadilly tube.
Take tube back to hotel – check in, have showers, have a rest.

Evening
Take tube up to Covent Garden, have dinner and a walk around. Any good dinner suggestions in and around Covent Garden?

DAY TWO
Salisbury Day (I have a friend who lives there and I have always wanted to see Stonehenge! - That's why it is on the London Itinerary)
Take train to Salisbury from Waterloo station. Then a local bus from outside the Salisbury station up to Stonehenge.
Bus back to Salisbury.
Visit the Salisbury Cathedral, view the copy of Magna Carta.
Walk around town until time to meet friends for dinner. (Are there any other good things to see in Salisbury?)
Back to London early next day.

DAY THREE
Day
Take tube to Tower Hill and tour the Tower of London. *Pre-buy tickets at tube and use 2 for 1 offer if available. Take a free guided beefeater tour.
Walk back towards Monument. Stop at Prince Henry’s Rooms to view the Samuel Pepys display. Free.
Climb Monument. GBP 2
Lunch at The Lamb Pub– Leadenhall Market
Take Monument tube to St Pauls
Walk to the Old Bailey site of former Newgate Prison, and visit Viaduct Tavern opposite. 126 Newgate Street – ask to see the old cells downstairs (Must dos given my colonial Australian ancestry)
Walk back to St Paul’s Cathedral (not sure if we will enter, depends on time)
Walk over Millennium Bridge to Shakespeare’s Globe. GBP 9.
I would like to spend any left over time at Tate Modern but am aware that this day is already pretty full on - especially as I don't know how early we can get back to London from Salisbury.
Tube back to Victoria.

Evening
Tube to Covent Garden to see gig at Astoria. (Concession to partner who loves his live music!)Other dinner suggestions?

I am also light-on for food suggestions in and around Westminster where we are staying. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Our tour starts the next morning.

Thanks in advance to any readers who are able to provide comments on the itinerary or who have any other suggestions.
Vanessa

I think you are underestimating how long it takes to get from place to place and see/do things.

What time do you arrive at LHR?

Westminster Abbey opens at 0930 - but unless you pre-book a verger's tour, you can't usually just walk in and hook up w/ a tour. They fill up so you might not get a tour until much later in the day (or not at all).

My favorite place for lunch around Trafalgar Sq is the Portrait restaurant on the top floor of the National Portrait Gallery - but again you often can't just walk in. They book up most days.

On day 3 - if you are traveling in from Salisbury you probably won't be at the Tower until well after opening time. You will jump the entrance queue w/ your advance tix, but by then the crowds will be pretty bad. You likely will still be at the Tower until after lunch. So that pushes everything you want to do that day back - it is quite likely you won't make it to all of those sites.

Thanks Janis!
Our flight arrives at Heathrow at 5:50am, so I was less worried about that day. I'd prefer to spend the time walking around rather than sleeping, so tried to factor in quite a bit of walking on that day.

You're quite right about the third day. I think we may have to try and get back to London the night before to give us the extra time we need for the Tower of London. There is just so much to see in London it is hard to choose!

I'll definitely look into advance bookings for Westminster and the Tower. I'd like to do both of them when they open for the day and then whatever else we get done, we get done!

Thanks again. It is difficult being first time travellers!

Skip the guided tour of Westminster Abbey. If you can get inside close enough to the opening time, you'll find the Abbey fairly quiet as the crowds haven't appeared. You'll have the opportunity to wander at your leisure. Any later, and you'll find yourself trying to stay in a group, trying to listen to the guide, and envying the people who can wander freely. It isn't necessary to use a quide. Best bet? Read up on the Abbey on your flight over and you'll be well prepared for your visit.

The Tower...allow yourself at least four hours. IMO, skip seeing the crown jewels. Truly, looking at pictures of these beautiful objects will allow you to see more details than allowed on the gliding walk-way past them.

Do you need a sit-down lunch? PRET Sandwich Shops are all over London. The one at Trafalgar Square is quick, serves wonderful fresh sandwiches and soup. Take your meal outside to the square itself and indulge in good food and the fun of watching other tourists.

It's certainly an ambitious agenda for the city. Take your walking shoes!!

If you are at the Tower near opening time there is absolutely NO reason to skip the crown jewels. When you enter there will be a Yeoman Warder (beefeater) standing on the bridge assembling the next gorup. Hard as it will be - ignore him and head stratght to the jewel house. There will quite literally be no one else in the place. No queues for sure. See the crown jewels at your leisure and then when the masses start arriving - head back to the entrance and hook up w/ the next beefeater tour if you wish.

As for the Verger tours in the Abbey - they are not anything like the usual massive group tour. The numbers are limited and the Vergers are amazing. They know everything about the Abbey. So if you can get one - great. If not you can still have a wonderful visit.

There are queues to get inside the Abbey - even at opening time. Especially in the summer

Some good suggestions there. I think the secret will be getting to those two places (Westminster Abbey and the Tower) at opening times. We are definitely on a budget with four weeks of travel ahead of us so we may end up taking less of the guided tours than planned.
I like the idea of sandwiches on the run and a nice spot in a square or park as opposed to sitting down for lunch, as long as we get to see a few pubs and sample a few ales along the way.

I can agree with janisj as far as seeing the Crown Jewels. Getting in early is always good for any touristy attraction. My main gripe, however, is the gliding walk-way. There is no chance to just stop the forward-motion and stare.

A tour of the Abbey, as a tour of any place, can be quite interesting. However, the Abbey has several docents and other knowledgeable people constantly wandering. If you have a question, just approach one of them. In my case, I was looking for a specific tomb, and had a docent take me from one end of the Abbey to the other.

My answers are coming from the fact that you only have three days in London. Guess it comes down to...do you want a lot of information about a specific place, or would you rather see as much of the city as possible?

Either way, you won't be disappointed with London.

saguarorose: If that was your issue w/ the crown jewels - you missed a great opprotunity.

Yes you have to ride the moving walkway and can't stop. But as soon as you step off it you just take four steps up to the stationary viewing platform behind the moving walkway. There you can linger as long as you want.

Oh, no!!!!! (cries of pain). I didn't know that. Well...seems that there is now an iron-clad excuse to go back to The Tower at the earliest opportunity! Thanks for the info, janisj :)

You are certainly trying to pack a lot in. Just make sure you don't get too stressed about getting to the next point on your itinerary and be prepared to go with the flo if need be.

Personally, I'd drop the Fortnum and Masons on day one unless you have some overwhelming desire to go. IT's a lot of faffing about just to visit and expensive food shop. I'd rather go straight back to the hotel for a rest and head to covent garden earlier, to look round the brilliant shops/market there while they are still open and see the buskers (who won't be around later).

saguarorose - i think I'd like to see a wide variety of things in london. I've tried to mix things up with history, art, shopping, roya stuff, pubs and monuments - oh and live music as well. I'm less big on the shopping aspects which is why I was happy to visit London during the week as the markets weren't a great interest to me. It turns out that I have almost an extra day in London before I catch the flight home in July which I wasn't factoring in. This means I can take Tate Modern out of the before mentioned itinerary and have a chance to do it at a more leisurely pace then.
nona1 if anything gets dropped off the itinerary on day 1 it would be F&M although I was curious to at least see one big Department store seeing as we won't be going over near Harrods.

You WILL have jet lag and you have not factored that into your itinerary. You may want to start straightaway but your body will say something else!
You will have to check in before you leave your luggage at the hotel.

Is there a regular bus between Stonehenge and Salisbury? Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere, you should check before you leave if there is a bus. If you can go on from Stonehenge to Avebury, a village surrounded by standing stones, which is much more interesting. Note you cannot touch the stones at Stonehenge but you can at Avebury! Another place to visit is Old Sarum, just outside of Salisbury. If you travel early then expect to pay through the nose for your tickets, as it will be the rush hour. You may find travelling very comfortable, as the trains will be packed to the gunnels.

There is not a lot to see at the old bailey unless you enter a courtroom. Tour to the cellar of the pub is only done with prior arrangement. So you need to book up.


for more info. you should do some Googling to find out if your timetable is do-able.

&quot;<i>You will have to check in before you leave your luggage at the hotel.</i>&quot; Not usually true at all. Most hotels will gladly hold your luggage.

&quot;<i>Is there a regular bus between Stonehenge and Salisbury? Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere, you should check before you leave if there is a bus.</i>&quot; Yes there are regular buses from Salisbury to Stonethenge.

Hi, Ness. Your Highness! :)

Anyway...

IMO, Day One looks exhausting, especially with potential jet lag. I'd skip the special tour of Westminster, like others have said, and just go in when you can.

I'd try to stay outside that day to keep you awake as much as possible. The Nat'l Portrait Gallery would lull me to sleep if I had just arrived that morning (and I'm an art historian). I'd be prepared to sacrifice it, if I were you. You may be just too pooped.

My other advice: Don't just walk by St. Paul's, you'll regret not going in. It's just spectacular. Climb through the dome to the top for a great view of London.

You will love London. Have fun.

More great advice!
ribeirasacra - I think the Avebury add on sounds good. It will be nice to experience more while we are out that way. I've checked the timetables for Salisbury-Stonehenge and this all looks good. Having a friend living up there means we may score a lift back in to London as well which would make life easier.
I wasn't planning on going into the Old Bailey - more just walking past. Still want to see the old prison cells though so I'll make a note to book that when we get to London.
NanBug - I think the jet lag factor is the great unknown. I'm presenting best case scenario and we can always alter to suit. I'd like to be optimistic and try to do and see as much as we can Day one - London is such a great place for history and art and amazing sights.
St Paul's is another I can't decide on. Perhaps better to see inside considering we're spending 6 days in Rome later in the trip and I've been told that the Basilica makes most other churches pale in comparison... We might be all churched out after Rome! I like the idea of climbing the dome for a nice view as we won't be doing the London Eye. Also willing to just ahve a walk by Shakespeare's Globe is we're short on time/and or exhausted!
Have any posters visited the Globe? And if so how much time did you allow for it and did you feel it was a good experience?

I've visited the Globe 8 or 10 times - including attending performances, not counting the many, many times I've walked along the south bank and passed by. Walking past doesn't do much (but more IMHO than just walking past the Old Bailey)

The theatre is a good photo op for sure, but if that is all you plan - I'd skip it. (much the same as walking past St Paul's). Their &quot;wow&quot;/interest comes inside and since your time is so short - if not going inside I'd consider dropping St Paul's, the Globe, and the Old Bailey from your list.

Touring the Globe is definitely worth it IF you are interested in theatre history/Shakespeare/Elizabethean age etc. But if not - you could use the time better somewhere else.

The tour, exhibits, wandering around - maybe 90 mins or a bit more. Adding lunch in one of the Globe's two restaurants (good views of the Thames) - another hour.

The Old Bailey isn't really worth a detour to see. The Viaduct Tavern is full of criminals - you can always tell when someone's got off!

You mention a gig at he Astoria - do you know that there is a gig on that night? The Astoria doesn't have gigs every night and you could end up taking your husband to G-A-Y! which could give you a new insight into the English.

There are places that have gigs every night (more or less). The Shepherds Bush Empire is probably the best.

For a wonderful high view of London, you could also take a minute to go to the top of Tower Bridge. Although climbing the dome in St. Paul's is, to me, the ultimate experience for a panarama scene, Tower Bridge won't take that much time. It would be fast, too...you'll be at The Tower anyway.

A word about jet-lag...trust me, you'll be SO excited at having your trip finally begin that you will probably be walking on air :) By the late afternoon of your first day you will be lagging a bit, so make it an early evening. By your second day, you'll probably be up with the sun and wondering why the rest of the city is still sleepin!

As far as the National Portrait Gallery goes for lunch you may be able to just walk in and sit at the bar. That's what we've done on two occassions as the tables were crowded.
Also, while on the south bank try OXO brasserie, great views of St.Pauls and less expensive than the restaurant.
I was disappointed with the inside of St.Pauls as compared to Westminster Abbey, much more impressive to me from the outside, especially looking at it from across the river or from over a bridge.
The Globe was worth going inside to me as I'm a great fan of Shakespeare.
Let us know how your trip turned out. Have a great time.

&quot;<i>you could also take a minute to go to the top of Tower Bridge</i>&quot;

That will take more than a minute. You'd need to buy tix to the Tower Bridge Experience and go through the animatronics galleries and displays on the way up. (But you can skip the show if you tell the lift operator that you only want to go to the top - then they may let you take different route that bypasses the exhibits. But still have to pay the full admission price)

For a free viewpoint - consider either the observation deck at the OXO Tower (the restaurants are expensive but the deck is free), or the upstairs galleries at Tate Modern.

Just a quick reply: when I emailed to pre-book a verger tour at Westminster Abbey for our March visit, I received a reply that they did not take reservations for the tours.

noe847: I thoughtt the Verger tours were first-come-first-served too -- but the abbey's website has this info:

For opening times, Verger tour times and reservations for individuals and families, and other visitor information.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7654 4900
Fax: +44 (0)20 7654 4894
Email: [email protected]

Wonder if that is out of date or maybe they only book close to the date???

Yes, janisj, that is what I saw also on the website. I emailed to that address on February 20 requesting reservations for 2 people for a March 12 date, and received the following reply:

<i>&quot;We do not take bookings for the Verger tour. To take the tour you just need to come 15 minutes before the tour starts and buy your tickets from the information desk inside the Abbey.&quot;</i>

As it turned out, the day we ended up trying to go to Westminster was Commonwealth Day and the Abbey was closed to visitors. Since I'd been once before (but never taken the Verger tour) and it wasn't high on my daughter's priority list (she had not ever been) we didn't end up going at all.

Thanks everyone...
noe847 in light of the news on the verger tour, we might just take pot luck - go to the Abbey and if we get a tour then so be it! Seems like the way to go.
janisj and tudorprincess - I think you've sold me on the Globe as I'm curious about the Elizabethan period and love Shakespeare. Might well be worth dropping something else off that day's activities.
Audere_est_facere - we've checked the gig listings at Astoria. My partner is in to heavy music and sees a band that he likes playing on that night so I have said yes - small concession given I'm pretty well setting the itinerary and he's told me &quot;doesn't mind what we do&quot;... I'm still not sure about my &quot;convict transportation sites&quot; pilgrimage. It seems important so I'll leave it on for now - mind you many of my relatives were transported for crimes such as handkerchief theft so the definition of criminal has changed over the past 200 odd years!
I think if I had to choose I'd climb St Paul's dome rather than the Tower Bridge. We did the Storey Bridge Climb here at home and it took quite a long time with the safety checks, info sessions etc. (If the Tower Bridge climb is anything like that one)
Finally whereabouts is the OXO Tower in relation to the Millennium Bridge?
Many thanks!

The OXO tower is just to the west of the bridge, it's on the other side of the Blackfriars Bridge.

No - one doesn't climb Tower Bridge - you take lifts up and back - totally indoors inside the towers. Even wheel chair accessible. Then when you get up to the walkway it is also glass enclosed. They were thoughtful and have little windows you can open so you don't have to take photos through the glass.

A few more thoughts:
I was going to recommend lunch at the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church which is right across the street from the National Portrait Gallery, but it is closed for a 7 month period as the church does some construction work - reopening in October 2007.

On our March trip we ate lunch at Hamburger Union (gourmet burgers), which is right behind the National Portrait Gallery. Last year we really enjoyed our pre-theatre meal at Portrait, the restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery. I believe there is a cafe in a lower level of the museum.

We ate at Belgo Centraal which is in the Covent Garden/Leicester Square area and had a great meal and a really good time. It's Belgian, featuring mussels and ale, but has other things also. From 5 to 6:30pm they have a Beat the Clock special where you order from a set menu and pay the price (in pounds) of the time you arrive at the restaurant.

In Salisbury, I'd think about reserving the Tower Tour at Salisbury Cathedral. It was around 2 hours and we climbed way up in the cathedral's steeple. The information was fascinating and the views wonderful. I'd also look into visiting Old Sarum; I regret that we didn't have the time to do that. Here is a link to my trip report from this summer, part of which covers our overnight visit to Salisbury/Stonehenge:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34870457
We took a taxi to Stonehenge and then called it to later pick us up. But we were there for a full hour with the Stone Circle Access, where we were able to go close and touch the stones, etc.

We were able to use the 2for1 coupons successfully at the Tower of London and the Cabinet War Rooms. For the Tower, you cannot use the 2for1 when buying at the tube station, however, just at the main ticket windows. I don't think the 3 day travelcards qualify for the 2for1, however (think it has to be a 7 day pass or a train ticket.) This won't help you, but I do want to note that both places accepted our computer printed vouchers for the Gatwick Express with no problems.

noe847 - Not sure how I missed your trip report during my researching but it is very helpful - especially the info about Salisbury. I figure while we're there seeing friends we might as well see some of the sights. I will look into tours of both Stonehenge and the Cathedral on your recommendations - thanks!&lt;BR&gt;
Just a question on the Tate Modern - how much time did you spend there? It is hard to factor in time especially in art galleries - time seems to fly. I am so keen to see this gallery - especially as we hit Paris, Florence, Rome and Vienna after London so I'm figuring modern art would be a great fit with the London trip. You mention that you loved the Tate Britain as well - time permitting the tate 2 Tate experience looks really good. Maybe on the bonus day while we wait for our flight out of London?&lt;BR&gt;
Janisj - thanks for clarifying on the Tower of London. I didn't think it was a bridge climb but wasn't sure. I think there's only a couple of them in the world - most in the southern hemisphere for some reason. That being the case with the lift it could be a goer with the limited time we have and I'm sure the views are great from up there.

Just did a little more delving and discovered that there are no inner circle access visits taking place during the time we are visiting (end June)- so it will be back behind the ropes for us! However, the Salisbury Tower Tour looks good and I will make enquiries...

Oh sheesh - should have noticed your datse re the Stonehenge inner access. Mostly because of some &quot;driud nut cases&quot; EH gets prety protective if the stones over the Summer Solstice.

As for how long to allow for Tate Modern - it entirely depends on how much you are into modern art. It is a big/fascinating place. Just absorbing the massivness of the bldg and its conversion from this hulking power station to a major icon takes time. You could take a glimpse of a few galleries in 45-mins to an hour. But getting to all floors, enjoying the views, having a quick meal, etc - probably 2 to 3 hours.

Tate Britain is also wonderful - just the Turner galleries are worth a significant amount of time. Depending on the temp exhibits, Tate Britain is another 2+ hour place - or more if you stop for a cuppa or a light meal.

Tate Britain, the T to T boat (which BTW also stops at the EYE) and Tate Modern would be a good 4 to 5 hour excursion. More if you are really into ar.

I completely understand the wanted to see as much as possible theory when visiting a new place. However, I think you have packed a LOT into three days. I'm not saying it isn't doable, but I would rather have time to really see the things I most want to see instead of rushing on to the next thing on my itinerary. For example, on the first day you will see Buckingham Palace, which isn't that amazing (IMHO). Other than that, it looks very ambitious, but great as long as you are a good traveller (ie can sleep on the plane). Day two I have done before - I happened to love seeing Stonehenge, and Salisbury is a really nice little town to walk around in. If you have time, go to the park on the outside of the cathedral close - it's really pretty and has good long-shot views of the steeple. Day three looks extremely hectic - I would skip the Old Bailey and see the inside of St Paul's. Also, if you haven't been to London before, I would take one of the open air bus tours of the city - you get to see a lot in a couple of hours, and then just go back to see the things that really interested you. Have fun! London's one of my favorite cities!

Thanks Heather and janisj. I should be able to fine tune this itinerary based on your feedback - I'm still aiming for ambitious, but will also be satisfied with whatever we can manage during the three days. I think it will be nice to break up the two London days with Salisbury so that should work out ok. Transport out to Salisbury will probably be the most painful aspect of that day! No doubt there will be peak hour public transport to deal with at the London end.

Revised Itinerary based on your very helpful feedback!
DAY ONE
Day
Take underground from Heathrow (buy our three day travel passes at the airport). Piccadilly line to Hammersmith station – change there for District line to Victoria station. Walk to hotel (Luna and Simone), leave luggage.

Walk up to Houses of Parliament and view Big Ben and Downing Street.
Tour Westminster Abbey (allow 2 hours - take pot luck with getting avergers tour when we arrive at opening)
Take Birdcage Walk down past Buckingham Palace and walk back up the Mall through Admiralty Arch to Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column. Have lunch. Something low key - ie sandwiches at PRET or Hamburger Union. Sit a little and watch London go by.

Visit National Portrait Gallery after lunch. Free. Then take Leicester Square Tube to Green Park. Get some supplies at the Marks and Spencer nearby and walk up to Fortnum and Mason via Jermyn Street and visit the food hall. Continue back up to Piccadilly tube.
Take tube back to hotel – check in, have showers, have a rest.

Evening
Early night! Have dinner at a pub close to hotel - thinking the Albert Hotel might be good - apparently some nice views from upstairs.

DAY TWO
Salisbury Day
Take train to Salisbury from Waterloo station. Then a local bus from outside the Salisbury station up to Stonehenge.
Bus back to Salisbury. Spend some time walking round the town and exploring.
Visit the Salisbury Cathedral, take the Tower Tour late afternoon.
Meet friends for dinner. (Back to London same night).

DAY THREE
Day
Take tube to Tower Hill and tour the Tower of London (get there at opening). *Pre-buy tickets at tube to save time. See Crown Jewels first then take a free guided beefeater tour.
Walk back towards Monument. Stop at Prince Henry’s Rooms to view the Samuel Pepys display.
Lunch at The Lamb Pub– Leadenhall Market
Take Monument tube to St Pauls
Walk past St Paul’s Cathedral, walk over Millennium Bridge and climb the OXO building to take in the view. Go to Shakespeare’s Globe and take a tour.
Tube back to Victoria.

Evening
Tube to Covent Garden to see gig at Astoria, with dinner beforehand.

I'm happy with these compromises based on the advice I've received and hopefully this will be manageable!

Ness, If you like Tex-Mex food you could try the Texas Embassy at Trafalgar Square, it's at 1 Cockspur St.
www.texasembassy.com.

A few comments:

Seeing the Tower takes a good bit of time. The Yeoman Warder tour takes around an hour (I think) and is fabulous (have done it twice and enjoyed both times) but it doesn't take you through the whole complex. You really don't go very far although you learn a lot. So, in addition to the jewels and the tour, I'd say the White Tower is a must, as it is the oldest part of the castle complex. To do just these things will take 2 to 2.5 hours. And there are more towers and palaces to see. If it were me, I'd bring a snack and plan on a late-ish lunch.

Both times I've been to the Tower we went in the afternoon, didn't see anywhere near everything, and closed the place down, which is a bit frustrating. For the admission cost, you don't want to rush yourself.

Also, I'd consider seeing the National Gallery rather than the National Portrait Gallery (they are next to each other on Trafalgar Square.) This now seems like it will be your only art museum in London. Both are fabulous, of course, but imo you just can't beat the quality of the National Gallery's collection. (It even has some very good Turners, so you won't feel the loss of Tate Britain as much!)

Another approach is to dip a bit into each (both are free) - pick your favorite period of history and view the corresponding rooms at the Portrait Gallery and your favorite period of art and see those paintings at the National Gallery.

Also, while you are at the south bank touring the Globe, I'd at least peek into the Tate Modern - the facility itself is worth a quick look (I'm not as wild about the collection and the way it's arranged) and it's just about next door to the Globe.

Thanks noe. We return to London on 13 July so I will have an entire afternoon (bonus) in London as our flight leaves on the 14th. I hadn't factored that in at first but I've decided to tackle both Tates on that Friday! and perhaps the London Eye. I was really very keen to not miss the Tate Modern so this works out quite well.
Just a question on Avebury - how far is it from Stonehenge and is it easy to get to?

Here's a link that tells you how to do Salisbury to Stonehenge to Avebury via buses:
http://www.wdbus.co.uk/htm/ta/sdo-stonehenge.asp

Thanks noe! It would be good to get in amongst the stones - I'll check out the times - if it is not too long with the transport - a definite must do!

I recommend taking the bus when traveling around London. It might take a bit longer, but worth being above ground to view the scenes and people.

If I buy three day travelcards at heathrow when we get there can these be used on both metro and buses? If so then yes, it would be nice to do a mix of transport types.