JackGlasser

There are a few 'must' major sites I wish to visit in London: many sadly must fall on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, less than ideal times. Very interested in Tower of London, State Rooms of Buckingham Palace, Parliament tour, Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral. Will be in early September. The question is if prebook tickets are also 'fast track'. Thought of doing Parliament and Westminister ( and maybe War Rooms) Saturday, Buckingham P State Rooms Sunday, Tower of London, St. Paul's Monday. There are many of things I will do the following days. Wondering if there is any additional strategy I can apply and must just grin and bear the very long lines

PalenQ

Well are not some like The Tower tickets with a timed entry?

janisj

Yes you will definitely have to pre book Buckingham Palace and Parliament.

Pre-booking the Abbey and War Rooms will save you a bit of time in the queue but you still have the security checks.



>>Well are not some like The Tower tickets with a timed entry?<<

No Pal -- Tower tix are not timed.

JackGlasser

janisj

>> Parliament, Westminister Abbey, Churchill War Rooms<<

Those are all doable on one day being very near each other. But you will be corked afterwards. Three 2+ hour sites back to back to back with some sort of meal in between makes for an awfully long day. My basic rule of thumb -- two major sites per day with maybe one or two small things thrown in if I feel like it.

For a three-fer . . . these three would be easier than some. BUT if it was me . . . I'd do Parliament and the Abbey on the same day, and the Palace and War Rooms on a different day.

JackGlasser

janisj

>>Do you have a suggestion in regards to timing since these are timed, <<

Easy peasy -- do one in the morning - say 10AM-ish and one in the afternoon - like 2:30-ish with lunch in between

JackGlasser

janisj

I don't think I understand your question. Tickets are timed for every 15 minutes and that is the time you enter the security queue. Time for security is built in.

JackGlasser

So if it is a 9AM or 10AM ticket for State Rooms at BP on a Sunday, what time should I arrive. Are there separate entrances there like at The Tower of London? ( where it seems one should come the first thing in morning and make a line 30 minutes before admittance).

janisj

>>So if it is a 9AM or 10AM ticket for State Rooms at BP on a Sunday, what time should I arrive.<<

You are making this way too complicated. If you have a 0900 or a 0930 or a 1000 ticket arrive maybe 10 minutes early just to get your bearings. 15 mins if you want to look at the front of the Palace/Victoria memorial. They do not let you in until your time and each time slot has a finite number of guests. Getting there really early just means standing in line longer. No one will be let in to the Palace proper until you whole group is through security.

>> Are there separate entrances there like at The Tower of London? ( where it seems one should come the first thing in morning and make a line 30 minutes before admittance).<<

No, and totally irrelevant -- there is one and only one entrance, and your ticket tells you what time you go in. You will stand in a relatively short line until they allow your group to enter, then you will go through security with the same people you were in line with. No one is entering anywhere else.

Nothing more confusing than that.

Sue_xx_yy

I have the following observation re Tower of London - what one books in advance is not a ticket but a voucher that must be exchanged on site for the actual ticket. (If this has changed since last year when we were last in London someone please correct me.) That exchange involves a queue that even once confused would be visitors without pre-purchased tickets are eliminated, can be quite long.

As a result of our pre trip research, our decision was to forgo even pre-booked 'tickets' (which are not cheap!) and just stroll through the grounds outside the tower (it is still interesting even to view from that vantage point, you can see Traitor's Gate, for example - and outside is free) in lieu of this queue situation. I wish it were not so, but the reports of ticket holders to whom we spoke said that even inside it was still very crowded and so the 'queue' continues inside if only because of so many people.

If you are heart set on the Tower, then leave LOTS of time to see it to account of the numbers of visitors.

janisj

>>As a result of our pre trip research, our decision was to forgo even pre-booked 'tickets' (which are not cheap!) and just stroll through the grounds outside the tower (it is still interesting even to view from that vantage point, you can see Traitor's Gate, for example - and outside is free) in lieu of this queue situation. I wish it were not so, but the reports of ticket holders to whom we spoke said that even inside it was still very crowded and so the 'queue' continues inside if only because of so many people.<<

Sorry but that is not very good advice. You cannot see anything really from the outside other than the walls, Traitors Gate, and the (dry) moat. That is about 10% of what to see/do in the Tower. The 'reports' of ticket holders probably are by those who didn't do their homework. If you arrive early, the queues are pretty insignificant, and there is no one at all in line for the Crown Jewels. There aren't really any lines for anything else in the Tower - or if there are, they are just short queues because of a bottle neck entrance to a specific bldg.

historytraveler

JackGlasser

So I just need to get to the entrance at the appointed time without need to worry about any lines, is that correct?

janisj

No - You are not getting a private tour of the Palace, so there will be a line. Everyone else with the same time as your ticket will be in the same line. You need to make sure you in that line maybe 5 mins before your allotted time. Then everyone in the same timed group will go through security together. But getting to the Palace really early will not get you in to the palace 1 minute earlier. You cannot join an earlier time slot.

JackGlasser

JackGlasser

janisj

>>How about advise on Windsor Castle:<<

How about what at Windsor? It is completely different than the Palace -- many many more people at any one time and in August it will be busy every day. Tickets are not timed. Probably the slowest time would be later in the afternoon but that varies day to day. What is 'COG'?

>>just whatever the ticket guided tour provides<<

Your tickets are not for 'guided tours' but just entrance, some general guidance and Docents in major rooms - exception is if you book the State Rooms + Garden at the Palace - The Gardens part is a fully guided tour.

Just book your Palace tickets and go when it says . . .

I think we've covered this topic.

PalenQ

Leave time in Windsor to cross the bridge to Eton - and stroll up and down the main street and pop into college courtyards - some really nice old pubs too.