kecker

How should I go about scheduling my itinerary for this trip. We will have roughly 6 Full Days to Enjoy our trip to London. We were planning on possibly taking an overnight trip to another area outside of London to add to our experience. We have contemplated the Cotswolds, Paris, Belgium, Bath, Stratford-upon-avon, Brighton, and are open to other options. We are traveling in the month of April. We are an active couple that will not have any physical issues that would steer us away from areas that may include more strenuous activity.

Day 1
Currently I was planning on arriving in London and seeing sites in the Kensington area the first day. Our hotel is closer to this area and would allow us to come in from the airport and check in/drop off luggage and then begin exploring the city closeby.

Day 2/3
Then we would spend the next 2 days exploring other areas of London and visiting sites.

Day 4/5
Head out to our overnight trip that would allow us to experience multiple regions outside of London, or even a Major destination in another country. Also returning to London later in the day on Day 5

Day 6
Last full day to experience London

Day 7
Relax, enjoy our final moments of our trip and head to the airport when necessary.

I would like suggestions on how to spend our time wisely and some quality overnight trips (or scrap the overnight and just take day trips from London if that is best).

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

janisj

Have you been to London before? Your first and last days will be mostly wash outs. Arrival, logistics and jet lag will eat up most of that day. And unless your flight is in the late afternoon or evening (and if you are from North America that isn't likely) your departure day is nothing but packing, taking an hour traveling to the airport and checking in 2 or 3 hours ahead of your flight.

So . . . that leave you five days total -- which isn't nut for London, let alone and a day or overnight trip.

If you do take an over night trip -- there goes most of 2 full days so you would be down to 3 days in London.

If it was me, I'd just stick to London (you'll still see only a tiny fraction of the sites). Then IF you decide to take a day trip - you can do it at the last minute. Oxford, Windsor, Cambridge, or close in sites like Hampton Court Palace can all be done w/o pre-planning.

MmePerdu

After many visits to London, I'm still far from running out of things to see & do. A week is a good number of days to begin to know it. But I do understand the urge to see what else is out there. There are the usual suspects nearby - Hampton Court Palace, Windsor, even Oxford for day trips. I wouldn't bother with an overnight to Brighton but if the Pavilion appeals, a day trip there by train is an easy thing to do. Oxford makes a nice overnight, or Bath and any number of other towns by rail if your interests suggest them. I'm not a huge fan of Stratford but if Shakespeare is one of your interests then it's an obvious choice, better overnight than day trip, I think.

If you have particular interests (medieval history, gardens, small seaside towns, royal residences, trains, etc.), do say so and we can point you in a useful direction.

jellabee14

Jet lag can wait if you're awake and keen to explore (assuming its not a really long flight)

I live just outside of London, and don't visit half as much as I should/ would like too!

The tubes have a day tickets, best way to get around... and quite affordable!

If you like steak, I would definately recommend booking a table at a Hawksmoor 7 dials restaurant, quite pricey but soooo worth it! Best steak I've ever eaten in England by far! - great service and lovely atmosphere.

Just don't forget to stop, sit down somewhere and take it all in! People watching is brillant in London!

Have fun and good luck!

kecker

We actually land in London in the morning 8/9AM (Day 1) and will have All afternoon (pending any delays in travel) to explore part of the city. The last day will consist of a slow morning and then off to the airport so as i listed 5-1/2 to 6 Days for site seeing as Day 7 is not much for activity.

This will be my first time to ever visit England and my wife has visited briefly while she was in college.

Site seeing activities of interest would be gardens (in general beautiful scenery), historical landmarks/locations (Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Tower of London, and so on), areas from literature are an interest but not a must as I have read about Jane Austen's residence in Bath and Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Events/Performances also are of interest and I have been looking into local events during the dates we are traveling.

I believe seaside towns in April may be best avoided for a warmer trip. But as this is my first time to London please advise.

Thank you for the assistance.

janisj

>>We actually land in London in the morning 8/9AM (Day 1) and will have All afternoon (pending any delays in travel) to explore part of the city<<

A 9 AM arrival means getting to your hotel by noon-ish. Say most of an hour getting checked in, freshened up, unpacked, then an hour for lunch. By now it is between 2 and 3PM and the jet lag will have set in. Like I said -- the day is mostly a wash out. But you will have time to take a walk in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park.

Definitely no time for an overnight . . . UNLESS you plan on returning to London for a week or so for more in depth exploring. Otherwise, check out Oxford and Windsor (on line and/or in a guide book) and see which appeals more. Then, after you are in London and you decide you want to get out of the city -- THEN take the train to one or the other for the day.

All of your boxes can be ticked in the city. You can see Jane Austen's writing desk at the British Library and clothing from the period at the V&A, you can visit Shakespeare's Globe, There are amazing gardens in London (Kew, Queen Mary's Rose Garden, the Gardens at Hampton Court Palace, he Physic Garden, etc.

I just think you will have less time than you imagine . . .

MmePerdu

Entry to the state rooms of Buckingham Palace are later in the season than April, July - October. Other parts described here:
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk

But Windsor Castle will be open with a couple of exceptions, tickets here:
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/v...lan-your-visit

I enjoyed Windsor Castle more than Buckingham Palace and Windsor is an easy trip from London.

kecker

Thanks Jellabee14
We do plan on enjoying Tea (not quite sure where yet but read about multiple great places) and people watching. I will also look into the restaurant, as we do enjoy a good steak.

janisj
I agree that we will have less time than we imagine, but i also know how to maximize my time to get the most out of an experience. I think that we will arrive to the hotel at noon-ish, but after sitting on a plane we will be motivated to walk around and take in the area nearby our hotel. Jet lag may kick in, but in order to adjust we will need to treat the day as if we were home and call it a night at a normal hour.

I am not opposed to staying in London the entire trip. I just want to get a more in depth idea of what potential day trips we should consider (if any (only 1 or 2)) to also experience some of the history, beauty, and fun that England has outside of London.

Since I am in the process of planning our itinerary we are very flexible for adjustments. Also, it may be helpful to know if there is a specific way to arrange a schedule for our itinerary when we visit?

Is it best to try and explore the city one sub region at a time? Should we avoid an area on a specific day, and do weekly events regularly occur at certain site/attraction that we should schedule on the correct day to witness the event.

Thank you all again for the assistance. All the website/books/blogs are nowhere near as helpful as those of you that take the time to comment with your thoughts and insight.