5 day London Itinerary - PLEASE MAKE SUGGESTIONS
 

This is not really in order yet or even sorted by days 100% yet…..just a very rough draft. This would be Friday, June 13, 2008 to Tuesday, June 17, 2008 (we leave for Paris on Wednesday the 18th at 11am). I would like your opinions on if this makes sense and if I should change some things around to another day or just to another “slot” within the same day. Does everything appear to be open on the day that I have it selected? We do not plan on visiting any art galleries by the way….sorry! Also, if you have any suggestions on good, yet cheap restaurants by one of my sites listed….please let me know.

***We are staying at the Marriott County Hall***

Day 1 FRIDAY
- Ride the London Eye
- Westminster Abbey
- Houses of Parliament/Big Ben
- LUNCH CRUISE ON THAMES (lasts about 2.5 hours and departs from Embankment Pier)
- St. James's Park (walk through)
- Leicester Square (walk through)
- Piccadilly Circus (walk through)
- Trafalgar Square (walk through)

Day 2 SATURDAY
- Hampton Court Palace
- Portobello Road Market
- LONDON EYE AT NIGHT

Day 3 SUNDAY
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge
- Millennium Bridge (walk by) ???
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Petticoat Lane ??

Day 4 MONDAY
- Lloyd's of London (We will take a tour inside (have arranged)…so it would need to be Monday or Tuesday) (allow 4 hours including lunch)
- National Maritime Museum ??
- Greenwich Park
- Royal Observatory Greenwich
- WICKED MUSICAL

Day 5 TUESDAY
- Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard….what time? 11?)
- Marble Arch (walk by)
- Speakers' Corner (walk by)
- Harrods ?? (maybe just for the fun of it)
- Royal Opera House (just a quick walk through)
- British Museum (only plan on spending a few hours in here….not all day.)

Hi, I will be watching your replies for tips for myself as we are also planning a trip. Tell me about the Lloyds of London tour?? Also, I just got tickets in the mail for the ceremony of the keys at the Tower of London, which I understand to be very nice.

I have to log off for a while so can't give you a full response just now - will offer more tomorrow.

But initially these are some of the problems:

- You can't tour St Pauls on a Sunday (only open for services)

- Going to Petticoat lane doesn't really work after HCP. You need to go there first thing in the a.m.

- You have so little time in London, I personally would not do a lunch (or dinner) cruise. The food is usually not that great and the meal cruises take much longer than just regular river trips.

- your tuesday is spread all over the city. No reason to go to Speakers Corner/Marble Arch - that is a "Sunday thing. There is nothing to see on a Tuesday. Unless things have changed - you can't just walk through the Royal Opera House - you need to take a tour.

Saturday - Portabello Road and Hampton Court isn't a good combination. Hampton Court will take most of the day and Portabello Road can get very crowded at weekends. Don't forget the gardens, with the famous maze. When you return, you could walk down the South Bank to the Millenium Bridge, and cross over to St Paul's Cathedral. See this site for admission information.
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/

Sunday - As already stated, St Paul's isn't open for tourists. This would be the day to see Speaker's Corner (but it's not that good). The Tower Bridge exhibition is open from 10.00 and the Tower of London also opens at 10.00am. Go to the Tower of London first and consider leaving the Bridge for another day, maybe after your Greenwich visit.

Petticoat Lane on it's own isn't worth a visit (I never go there) it's best in the morning as it closes at 2pm. Spitalfields Market (Tube or bus to Liverpool St Station) is nearby and it has lots of places around it for coffee/lunch/tea and some good food, craft and clothes shops and stalls (I go there often). The market closes at 3pm. You could then cross Commercial Street (walk past Christ Church Spitalfields) and check out the old silk weavers' houses on Folgate Street and surrounding streets. See background at:
http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/
You can visit this house during the afternoon on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

If you have time, continue towards Brick Lane, there is another Sunday market (closes at 2pm) and lots of Indian/Bangladeshi restaurants. (The Nazrul used to be the best for a cheap meal, but I haven't been for years.) The SundayUp market, in the Old Truman's Brewery, closes at 5pm. It has lots of food and craft stalls:
http://www.sundayupmarket.co.uk/
You could then walk to Aldgate East tube station.

For restaurants, see this site:
http://www.timeout.com/

1) On your arrival day, Friday, are you flying in from the US? What time does your flight get in? Unless you can sleep very well on the plane (eg flying First or Biz), mostly likely you will be jet-lagged. To me, your first day has too many things planned.

2) You are riding the London Eye TWICE?

3) If you are watching your budget, I'd cut out the Lunch on the Thames Cruise as well.

4) If you're crossing the Millenium Bridge, it's worthwhile to just pop inside the Tate Modern to check out the building/architecture. Admission is free.

5) Royal Opera House - not sure what you mean by "just a quick walk through". You can only go into the ticket office area (not very interesting). If you want to see the inside, you'll have to either attend a performance or take a guided tour. I've taken the guided tour before which I didn't think was worth the time or money.

Thanks for the replies so far.

To answer some of your questions......

We are arriving from the U.S. to Heathrow. We will arrive around 8:25am. We purhcased the "No-Jet-Lag" pills that are supposed to do wonders. Also, we purchased the "First Class Sleeper" pillows and those seem to do wonders as well. So hopefully, we won't have much jet lag to slow us down.

I have purchased a Thames lunch cruise for 2 and London Eye for 2 as a package. It only cost me £49....which is a good deal. Normally the Eye is about £14 each and the lunch cruise is about £50 each. I have to book each in advance. The lunch cruise would have to be used on Friday or Saturday of our trip.

I will remove the Opera House from our itinerary. I will also remove the speakers corner.

I will move St. Paul to another day - any suggestions?

So maybe I will remove Petticoat Lane as well.....my wife likes arts/crafts markets and some merchandise markets...so what do you recommend and on what day of my trip?

We will only ride the London Eye once. I am not sure if I want to do it at night or in the day. I think we will ride it during the day for the best view.

Please continue the suggestions and if you want to copy my itinerary and make changes to it and paste it back in this thread.....bless you!

Thanks SO much!

oh sheesh :( - just noticed I wrote Petticoat Lane when I meant Portobello Rd. Just shows I shouldn't post when nodding off . . . . . .

Hope that didin't confuse things too much.

No problem - I figured out what you meant...thanks again!

< We are arriving from the U.S. to Heathrow. We will arrive around 8:25am. >

< Day 1 FRIDAY
- Ride the London Eye
- Westminster Abbey
- Houses of Parliament/Big Ben
- LUNCH CRUISE ON THAMES (lasts about 2.5 hours and departs from Embankment Pier)
- St. James's Park (walk through)
- Leicester Square (walk through)
- Piccadilly Circus (walk through)
- Trafalgar Square (walk through) >

I still think this is a bit unrealistic for the first day.

It'll easily take 2-3 hours from the time your plane lands to the time you arrive at your hotel & check-in etc.

By then, it'll be time for your lunch cruise.

I'd just try to do the London Eye after the cruise and then perhaps walk around a bit and that's it.

I don't think you'll have the time or stamina to visit Westminster Abbey/Big Ben on that day. YOu can visit those on Day 5 before/after Buckingham Palace.

Can you just switch the order of Day 2 and Day 3?

Seems like each time I see your thread I have little time (Busy girl :) )

But about the Eye - the most important consideration is weather - not time of day. Since you are staying right AT the Eye you can go just about any day since you can pop out to the ticket office and buy a ticket for later that day or the next.

You really won't be able to ride it at "night" since dusk is about all that will be possible. You are there in June and it will be light until about 10 p.m.

So just go when you can squeeze it in.

bookmarking too!

yk - VERY good point. I typed up this itinerary way too late last night and just wasn't thinking.

I might do the London Eye and Lunch Cruise on Saturday since I have to book those in advance. If my flight is late or we get caught in customs, etc.....then I could possibly be late for the 12 noon boarding of the lunch cruise. If I miss it, there are no refunds or rescheduling. Same for the London Eye.

I will change the first day to:

- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Parliament/Big Ben
- Lunch (ANY SUGGESTIONS in this area?)
- Westminster tour
- Walk around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square (maybe by doing a hop on/hop off bus tour???)

-----------------

Or, I could possibly do my Lloyd's tour and lunch this first day (friday). I can visit Lloyd's on Friday, Monday or Tuesday and I plan on going to lunch around the Lloyd's area with some of my co-workers (our home office is in London).

------------------

YK - you said:
"Can you just switch the order of Day 2 and Day 3?"

So you are suggesting that I go to Hampton Court on Sunday and do the Tower Bridge/Tower of London/ St Pauls on Saturday?

That is fine with me.

How long do we REALLY need at Hampton Court? I know it all depends on the individual person. However, we want to see the sights and gardens, but we aren't going to spend hours upon hours looking at gardens when we could be in London proper visiting sights since we are on a short visit....

HOWEVER, if I had to move my lunch cruise to Saturday, then that would mess up Hampton Court wouldn't it??

You people are going to be exhausted!! (Of course, it depends on where you are coming from and how long your flight is.) Our flights from DFW usually are about 9 hours, essentially an entire night. (The no-jet-lag pills do help with that vaguely queasy feeling you get after a night of very little sleep.)

Your "arrival" could take all morning, what with going through "passport control", customs, getting your luggage, traveling from the airport, and finally getting to your hotel.

The first thing I always do is take a nap....just a couple of hours. You will feel so much better.

Then, hop on one of the Big Bus tours....they are great, and will take you all over to see what you want to see. You can hop on and off, and get a wonderful introduction to this marvelous city.

The British Museum is a wonderful place...there is so much to see (and learn about.)It's probably better to go for a couple of hours, and then to return on another day to see more of all the treasures they have to offer.

I could go on and on.....

what about this revised itinerary:

Day 1 FRIDAY
- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Tour Lloyd’s of London (I am in Insurance and work for a company that works in Lloyds)
- Lunch with co-workers (our home office is in London)
- Walk around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square/St James Park (maybe by doing a hop on/hop off bus tour???)

Day 2 SATURDAY
- Parliament/Big Ben
- Westminster tour
- Lunch Cruise – Board from Waterloo Pier at 12:35 and return at 14:15.
- London Eye
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Millennium Bridge
- Walk through Tate Modern to see architecture. Not really interested in art….sorry.

Day 3 SUNDAY
- Hampton Court Palace
- British Museum (only plan on spending a few hours in here….not all day.)

Day 4 MONDAY
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge Experience
- National Maritime Museum ??
- Royal Observatory Greenwich
- WICKED MUSICAL

Day 5 TUESDAY
- Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard….what time? 11?)
- Harrods ?? (maybe just for the fun of it)
- Free time to do whatever else we feel like…..maybe another show/musical


What have I missed? Anything I should change around?

What about markets….my wife likes arts/crafts. Should we go to Greenwich on Sunday for the market and do the British Museum on Monday instead? Basically swap the British Museum and Greenwich trip.

I think this looks better.

However, still concerned about Day 1:

Does the "tour" of the Lloyd's start at a certain time? Is it a formal tour? Or is it just a "tour" where your friends/colleagues just show you around? How long is the tour (if it is a formal/pre-set tour)?

It'll be difficult to set up a specific time for the tour because you won't know what time you'll actually get into the city. Immigration line can easily be 1 hour. Then getting to the hotel (not sure if you're doing car service or tube) can easily be another hour.

FYI, when you arrive at the hotel to check in, they may or may not have your room ready. Since the official check-in time is usually 3pm or after, they may tell you that your room is not ready but they're happy to store your luggage for you.

I don't know about you, but speaking for myself, I don't normally look good or smell good after an overnight, transatlantic flight. I'd be leery to meet up colleagues in my tired state wth tired clothing.

If your room is ready and you want to freshen up, take a shower etc, that will easily take another hour.

So, you really need to be quite flexible on your arrival day.

good point once again....the Lloyd's tour is just a walk through with my co-workers....not a specific time. They said that if I arrive jet lagged, they can postpone until Monday or Tuesday.

One thing you should be aware of is that Saturday, June 14 is the Trooping of the Colour (Queen's official birthday celebration). There will be lots of pomp and circumstance and I would assume many road closures. It could be hard getting around, even on foot.

I've just skimmed your proposals, and have a few reactions:

I also would not plan to meet with colleagues on arrival day. Choose Monday or Tuesday when you are more adjusted to the time and know that you can be there (no travel problems).

Your previous arrival day proposal was better
<i>- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Parliament/Big Ben
- Lunch (ANY SUGGESTIONS in this area?)
- Westminster tour
- Walk around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square (maybe by doing a hop on/hop off bus tour???)</i>

I think that's a realistic amount to aim for on the first day. A really nice lunch would be at Inn The Park, but it may not fit your budget. Also, you may well not get to the Leicester Square part...

I would separate the Greenwich excursion from the Tower visit, as I doubt you could do two major sights and still get back in time for the theatre. Greenwich would be perfect for Tuesday. You could then schedule Lloyd's for Monday - either a late lunch followed by Lloyds tour or do Lloyds first and then the Tower (you might be able to fit St. Paul's in between). Both times I've gone to the Tower have been in the late afternoon and the crowds were not bad - but it wasn't June either.

You could do a market on Saturday morning, and from what you say about your wife's interests, you should! Conventional wisdom is to hit Portobello very early. Then you will have the rest of the day to fit in other things.

See the following details of Greenwich Market:

Thursday Antiques &amp; Collectables 10am - 5.30pm
Fridays - Antiques / Arts &amp; Crafts 10am - 5.30pm
Saturday and Sundays - Arts &amp; Crafts 10am - 5.30pm

It's undercover, so good in case of bad weather. The Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum are interesting.

If you have lunch in Greenwich, there are a couple of good pubs on the river. The Yatch is good for fish and chips (take the footpath between the river and the Old Naval College and its next to the Trafalgar Tavern). To get to the Cutty Sark Tavern, continue past the Yatch, past the old power station and Trinity Hospital (alms house) and you come to a quiet road next to the river, and this Georgian pub.

I'm not sure that you will have time for this and the Tower of London. You might have to consider if you really want to do the Tower Bridge Experience.

Can you switch Saturday and Sunday? One of my regrets is that I didn't get to see Speaker's corner (well, anyone speaking there) at Hyde Park on my trips to London.