8 Day London Itinerary

Old Aug 17th, 2013, 12:39 PM
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8 Day London Itinerary

Hey guys! I'm making my first trip to London next May with a couple of friends. I know it's a bit early to be planning, but we want to have at least a basic idea of what we'll be doing and how much we'll be spending. We're going to be in London for 8 full days. We'll also be in Amsterdam for 2 days, Edinburgh for a day trip, and Paris for 2 days. Here's an example of the itinerary that I came up with based on a couple of blogs/websites I visited.


Day One:
Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey
Parliament
Trafalgar Square
Picadilly Circus

Day Two:
The British Library
Covent Garden

Day Three:
Harrods
Camden Market

Day Four:
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
South Bank

Day Five:
Kensington Palace and Gardens
Victoria and Albert Museum

Day Six:
Thames River Cruise
Hyde Park
Portobello Market

Day Seven:
Leicaster Square
West End

Day Eight:
Last minute shopping and sightseeing.


I'm most interested in the history (royals, WWII/Holocaust, et cetera) and shopping, one friend is most interested in the nightlife, and the other is most interested in all things Sherlock and Dr. Who.

We're also going to be doing two walks (Sherlock Homes, Blood and Tears), a bus tour, and one of my friends would like to see Platform 9 3/4. I feel like the first day is overly crowded compared to the other days, so if you guys have any suggestions on how to make it flow better...i'd appreciate hearing them!

Also, if you have any suggestions on Paris, Edinburgh, or Amsterdam, they'd be much appreciated. In Amsterdam we're going to the Anne Frank house, for sure. Paris we're mostly focusing on a 6-8 hour trip to Versailles and seeing Notre Dame. Possibly the Louvre as well.

Thank you all in advance!
nataliejean21 is offline  
Old Aug 17th, 2013, 01:21 PM
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Days 1, 3, and 7 look pretty light since some sites are just walk-bys. You might put Harrods on Day 5 since it is in walking distance of the V&A. I hope you plan to go to the theater on Day 7. You have not included the British Museum or the Churchill War Rooms. The BM is enormous, so you could just plan a short visit for the things that interest you most. The War Rooms are very near Westminster Abbey.

Not sure what your Sherlock walks will include, but there is a Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street that is fun. It has a glassed-in room at the top of the stairs that has him seated at a desk with paraphanalia around him, and we enjoyed having lunch there. Also, there is a Sherlock Holmes Museum for enthusiasts--on Baker Street but the house number (221B) is off a little. It's actually down the block a bit.
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 02:17 PM
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If you are into WWII history, the Churchill War Rooms would be good to visit . . Close to Parliament

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 03:18 PM
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Add the British Museum to Day 2 (or with British Library)--the BL will take about an hour, the BM could take----years! This will be the day to walk to the Kings Cross station and find Platform 9 3/4 outside for pix.

Day one--are you going IN Buckingham Palace? If not, then you have way plenty of time, but you might move Picadilly Circus to another day.

Where's St. Pauls? You "should" add that--one day that is nice and walk up to the dome and have a great view!

You have plenty of room on most days to add another major site in the general area--you have not made the mistake of scheduling too much, so it's much easier and more fun to add!!

Edinburgh--well, how long will you ACTUALLY have? The castle, a walk on High Street, and Carlton Hill would be my top 3 if time.
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 04:13 PM
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The train to Edinburg takes about 4 1/2 hours each way for a total of 9 hours on the train, leaving very little time for sightseeing.
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 06:32 PM
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Is day 6 a Saturday? That is when portobello road market takes place. And if it IS a Saturday, you'll want to go to the market very first thing in the morning . . . Like a 8:00 or 8;30. And be out of there by 9:30.

Then Hyde park, then a river cruise or whatever else you might want to do. That is actually a pretty light day since you'll be leaving the market about the time other sites/attractions open for the day.
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Old Aug 17th, 2013, 06:33 PM
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The Imperial War Museum is also excellent and has a floor dedicated to the Holocaust--at least it did prior to renovation.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 01:47 AM
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The Imperial War Museum is currently being renovated and many galleries are closed. Best to check the info online to ensure what you want to see is open...WW1 and WW2 galleries appear to be closed at present...

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london/directions
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 02:40 AM
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If you can fit it in, the Museum of London is well worth a visit.
From one of the windows, you can see a bit of the original Roman wall. The BM is wonderful, but if you want to see stuff about the history of London itself, then the Museum of London is the one to go for.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 02:50 AM
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Great suggestion of the Museum of London! You can actually walk around the streets (Noble Street in particular) and see parts of the Roman Wall that were discovered built into buildings. There are plaques to explain and it's well done! The museum itself is well done, it's small and free!
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 03:58 AM
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Day 7 has nothing really in it. Leicester Square is just that - a garden square surrounded by theatre ticket booths. The West End isn't much to see in itself - theatres and shops. Do that on day 2: go first thing to the official TKTS booth in Leicester Square to pick up tickets for a show that evening, then it's an easy walk to either Covent Garden or the British Museum. Then you have the whole of day 7 free for something else. Greenwich, the observatory and the maritime museum? Or a day trip out to Hampton Court or Windsor?
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Old Aug 19th, 2013, 12:04 PM
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I agree with anicecupoftea. If you have time and it's a pretty day, it's hard to beat a trip to Greenwich. The views are breathtakingly beautiful. And the maritime museum is terrific. Lots of great pubs for lunch, too!
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Old Aug 21st, 2013, 12:18 PM
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Like others my first response is:

Where are the British Museum and St Paul's ?

Other suggestions:

You actually have a pretty good amount of time in London and so should be able to see a lot of highlights.

Also a day trip to Greenwich OR Hampton Court is easy to do and well worth the effort (You can't do both on the same day as they are at opposite ends of the river).

I agree with other comment re: Day 7 - What you have planned is kind of nothing - why not do one of the day trips
suggested instead ?

Edinburgh is completely impractical for a day trip - it will take a day to get there.

Skip Amsterdam and add more time to Paris because it WILL take time to get there.
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Old Aug 21st, 2013, 01:26 PM
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http://www.carnaby.co.uk/

Carnaby Street was Uber famous in the 1960s for its with it fashions and has seen a renewal of sorts last time I ducked into this hidden-away shopping square just off Regent Street.
go for nostalgia if not the new shops of interest to a younger generation.
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