Vicki

We will be in London for 3 days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday) in late March. Following is the list of things we really want to see. Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum, HMS Belfast, Camden Market and a little shopping possibly to include Harrods. I would really appreciate help with an itinerary that would make the most of our time as well as any other neat but do-able additions.

Victor Petrenko

Help the old man out people!

jo

How about the British museum and a play in the west end?

robin

Dear Vicki: <BR> <BR>You should try and see something at the Royal Albert Hall. <BR> <BR>Robin <BR>

Melissa

Is it your first time? You can see the Tower and Westminster Abbey for sure if you are taking the Big Bus (hop on - hop off) tours. Camden Market is probably best taken first thing in the morning on Sunday and then you can see something else the rest of the day.

elaine

Vicki, let's see <BR>Harrods is closed on Sundays. <BR>Westminster Abbey:www.westminster-abbey.org/ <BR>My guidebook says that the Abbey is open for tourism on Sundays except when services are going on, but services go on through most of the day, so I can't make sense of that. I wouldn't count on touring it on a Sunday, unless someone else here can say otherwise. <BR>Tours (which are excellent) are offered Mon-Sat starting at 10am and can be reserved in advance. <BR>Imperial War Museum <BR>www.iwm.org.uk <BR>Open daily 10-6;Advance bookings: 207 416 5439 <BR>Tower of London: <BR>www.tower-of-london.com <BR>www.hrp.org.uk <BR>www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/ <BR>index2.html <BR>Hint: Arrive about ten minutes before the tickets go on sale at 9am and go directly to the crown jewels, if you want to see them. By arriving early you'll have a chance to look at the jewels for a longer than usual period. <BR>Definitely take the Tower tour with one of the Beefeater guides, so you will know what you are looking at. <BR>I have not been to the Camden Market, but I believe it is only open on Sundays. <BR>HMS Belfast <BR>H M S Belfast. tubeTower Hill, or London Bridge. www.iwm.org.uk/belfast.htm <BR>www.aboutbritain.com/HMSBelfast.htm <BR>The Tower is not far from the Belfast and the Imp War Musuem, but I wouldn't want to be overloaded all on one day. <BR>So I guess the following might work <BR>Tuesday: The Tower, lunch, then see St Paul's Cathedral and go shopping <BR>Wed: <BR>HMS Belfast and Imperial War Museum, lunch <BR>afternoon: Westminster Abbey <BR>Sun: Camden market in the morning, lunch, then Trafalgar Square, including National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery if you like, and/or walk to <BR>Churchill's Cabinet War Room and/or walk along the Mall or along Birdcage Walk so you can see the outside of <BR>Buckingham Palace. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Judy

I agree about the Beefeater tour of the Tower--don't miss it. You don't need a guide to enjoy Westminster...do you know you can do a brass rubbing there? That's fun for kids especially. <BR>Re theater: (1) Do it. and (2) Get good seats. There is a discount ticket place at Leicester Square, but watch out, because you can get lousy seating. Choose a play, go to the theater beforehand, and use the seating chart to pick seats you like and can afford.

andy franks

With a short period of time available the best way of getting about is by using public transport. Despite what you may hear elsewhere, the transport system is cheap and easy to get about by. You can purchase travelcards which allow you access to all London's transport services from most newsagents and all Underground stations. These Travelcards are available after 9.30 am during the week or at any time over the weekend. Of the itinery you have mentioned, Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum, HMS Belfast and the Tower of London are all very close to each other. You could do all four in a day or a day and a half. The shopping could be done at the weekend (Camden Market). Cabinet War Rooms (Whitehall) are also something you should try to make time for. It's something that a lot of us Londoners never get to see, like many other things in this fine city. Covent Garden is another favourite area of mine. It has many fine shops with lots of historic interest thrown in. <BR> <BR>Enjoy London, Andy

Gina

The reason the Westminster Abbey schedule from the Web is hard to figure out is because it can change frequently. If, for example, someone's having a wedding in the Abbey--as happened on the day when I visited with my parents a couple of years ago--they can close things up with very little notice. Make your plans based on the published schedule, but then call the day before you plan to go and double-check to make sure no changes have happened. <BR> <BR>For the Tower of London, my best advice is to get there early. March shouldn't be nearly as crowded as things get in the summer, but it still is one of the most popular sights in London. Many recommend going straight to the Crown Jewels exhibit, which tends to get the longest lines, and seeing those first; then coming back to the bridge at the entrance and picking up the next Yeoman Warder tour. It depends on how crowded things look the day you get there. <BR> <BR>If you see the Tower in the morning, especially if it's a nice day, it's then a really pleasant walk to stroll across Tower Bridge and along the South Bank of the Thames to visit the Belfast. There's also quite a lot of other interesting things going on on the South Bank, so I'd reserve the afternoon for that area. <BR> <BR>

Ben Haines

I like the advice you've had so far. If you look at the tube map on <BR>http://www.afn.org/~alplatt/tube.html/, you can plan your three days. Tube stations are these: Harrods at Knightsbridge, Camden Market at Camden Town, British Museum at Holborn, West End plays around Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden, the Abbey at Westminster, Imperial War Museum at Lambeth North, the Belfast and the Tower at Tower Hill. <BR> <BR>Now some detail. The Royal Albert Hall is a splendid great concert hall, a Victorian monument, but there are better music and better acoustics at the three halls on the South Bank, which have their own web site. (under South Bank). If you buy from a news kiosk in the hall of your arrival airport the magazine Time Out or What's On you'll see what they have to show, and what's on in the theatres, not just West End but also fringe, which often has the best work. <BR> <BR>You can buy at any underground station a ticket for the Tower, which saves you a queue next day at the Tower. The Tower and Westminster Abbey open at nine, so you can put them first in a day and have more time to see other things. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to London. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

vicki

Yes it is my first trip, but hopefully not my last, to the UK. (or anywhere other than the US and it's close neighbors. As you can imagine I am very excited but also unexperienced. I really want to thank everyone who has responded to the many questions I have posted on this site. I look forward to the day when I will have experience that will be helpful to others.

Tammy

All of the above advice is great! On Sunday morning, I recommend attending worship service at Westminster Abbey. It was so nice to be there without all the crowds and truly enjoy the Abbey along with the wonderful choir. A few days later my Mom and I went back for a tour. Don't forget to take a stroll through the parks. I think the parks in London are fabulous. Also on Sunday, you might want to check out Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park near the Marble Arch, entertaining nevertheless. After speakers corner walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens, weather permitting of course. Have a great time in London!

kathy

Go to the Abbey for Evensong and to the Portrait Gallery - have lunch in the new 4th. floor restaurant.

Janie

Phone London Tourist Board when you get here. <BR>Find out times of boats from Westminster Dock to Hampton Court Palace....this is a must. Will take up most of the afternoon. I think there is a boat at approx. 12.15pm, another at 1pm....but you HAVE to check. <BR>Hampton Court was a home of King Henry VII.....a wonderful place to visit. You get a tour of the palace with headphones which give you a narrative along the way. Truly a wonderful experience.....the boat ride gives you the chance to see the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and several other sites from the River Thames. Enjoy

Sarah

Regarding boat transportation to Hampton Court: take it on the RETURN! We made the mistake of taking that 12 something boat & by the time we got to the court & did a little tour (which had nothing to do with HY VIII), the darn place was closing (at something like 4:30). Horribly disappointing! We should have gone by train - & then returned by boat.