First day in London questions
 

I will be headed to London in less than a week :)

My first full day's plan is as follows:

1. Walk from Hotel to Westminster Abbey. 8:15-9:30 (route takes me through Hyde Park, Green Park and by Buckingham Palace)
2. Westminster Abbey - 9:30 - 12:00, including verger's tour 10-11:30
Have a bite of lunch in St. James Park
3. Banqueting House 1:00 - 1:30
4. Cabinet War Room and Churchill Museum 1:45 - 4:30ish
5. Supper (location TBD), walk along south bank of Thames
6. Spend a time in Tate Britain (late opening on the first Friday of the month)
7. Ceremony of the Keys 9:30

I have a couple of small questions regarding my plans for the day.

1. I have identified at a couple of possible small sites to look at during lunch hour: Royal Mews, Jewel Tower, St. Margaret's Church. Anyone who has seen them have an opinion on which interested them the most? Or is there something else close by I might consider?

2. How much (or little) of Tate Britain is open during the late openings.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Oops, wrong Tate. It is Tate Modern I was looking at.

Last time I went to late night at Tate Modern, all galleries were open.

Why Banqueting house? Just curious if you have a specific interest?

Looks like the kind of itin I would come up with myself, except I would schedule in a nap time on a bench between supper and Tate Modern. :) have a good time in London.

I enjoyed the Cabinet War Office and the Churchill Museum, but I did not spend three hours there. I think you could do it in a bit less, and I very much liked St. Margaret's especially for the window gift to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

I agree with oduncan4. I also enjoyed the Cabinet War Rooms, however, it didn't take as long as I expected - little over 1 hour, I think.

My only comment is this is very dependent on the weather. What are you going to do if it is raining stair-rods (always a possibility).

You need a plan B.

The Jewel Tower is not much to write home about: a small-ish mediaeval remnant with (the last time I saw it) a rather limited (considering the subject matter) display about some aspects of Parliamentary history. A quick lunch hour visit is about right - and you're unlikely to be crowded out by throngs of snap-happy fellow-tourists.

The Royal Mews could take up a bit more time, depending on how interested you are in horses and carriages (and on whether there are queues to get in).

The Guard Museum at Wellington Barracks was quite interesting and worth a quick stop, IMHO.

I too would pop back to my hotel to "freshen up" and maybe catch a few winks before dinner, but that's just me (and yk!).

I am assuming this is your first "full" day, and not the day you land in London? Jetlag would prevent me from remembering most of this if it's landing day.

yk: I am stopping at the Banqueting House for two reasons, a) to see the ceiling (well, I guess that is why anyone goes there) and b) it is already paid for (I bought a HRP pass). The days plan is a little long, I admit, but there is a fair bit of time between the Churchill Museum and the Ceremony of the Keys, so I figure I can take a nice long leisurely supper if I need to, And if I have to skip Tate Modern, I will survive.

dorfan2, oduncan4, PatrickLondon - thanks for the information. I will give you thought as to what I might do with the extra time after the Churchill Museum and probably pay a visit to the Jewel Tower at lunch.

Cholmondley_Warner: I am in London for 12 full days plus partial days on the 2 travel days, and I have tried to make some of the days interchangeable. So, plan B is covered. (Of course, the Ceremony of the Keys can't be changed). Besides, I reserved sunny weather for my 2 weeks there with highs between 15 and 17C :)

amyb: Thanks, I will look into the Guards Museum, it sounds like I might have a little extra time in the afternoon. And yes, it is my first full day in London. Arrival is mid-morning the day before and my only scheduled activity for that afternoon is to spent a little time in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens,assuming the weather cooperates. If it doesn't, well, the V&A, Natural History and Science museums are all close by,