First Time To London....
 

I am going with my friend to London for the first time in March. When we arrive it will be 645 am. Is it fesible to take the underground and get something to eat and see Westminster Abbey that morning? We were going to use those places where you can leave you luggage for a day. Also is Trafalgar Square near the abbey ( reasonable walking distanc)? I would like to see as much as we can the first day since we will only be there for 5 days.Any suggestions would be great.

HI...I'd recommend going to your hotel first and leaving the luggage there. Even if you can't check in yet, they'll let you leave the luggage.

Also...keep in mind that not all tube stops have an escalator. Dragging luggage up flights of stairs is not my idea of a good time! You may want to consider the Heathrow Express and then take a cab from the station in London to your hotel.

I can't help with the distance between Trafalgar Square and the Abbey....

Have a good trip!

Margy

The distance between Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey is a bit over a kilometre.

Hello luvpenguins,

In another thread you said you were going to be staying outside of London. Is that still the case? If so, it may influence the advice folks give you.

Anyway, the Destinations section of the Fodors website has an itinerary called "The Best of London in 5 Days" that at least can give you a starting point for planning how you'll spend your time.

Here is the URL. Once you're on the "LONDON" screen, you can click on the link called "Best in 5 Days."

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...tion=london@91

If, as judy_in_calgary says, you actually aren't staying in London, you would need to go to a railroad station and leave your bags at left luggage. Victoria, Waterloo and Charing Cross stations are each a fairly easy walk from the Abbey -- but Charing Cross is nearest to Trafalgar Square.

The Abbey opens for touring at 9:30 a.m. unless there is a special service going on.

But if you are just staying out in the suburbs somewhere - It would probably be better to go to your hotel/B&B and leave your things even if you can't actually check in that early. Then just head into town and enjoy yourselves.

That way you wouldn't have to schlepp your baggage into the city during rush hour and then back out again to your accomodations.

luvpenguins- I've arrived in London at that time before and by the time you go through customs get into town and drop your things off the Abbey should be open. We've taken the tour of the Abbey twice after arriving on an early morning flight.
We leave in 29 days for London and will be arriving in the morning and our plan is to drop our luggage off at the hotel and then head to St.Paul's. That and lunch will probably be all we can handle before needing a nap.
I wouldn't walk from Westminster Abbey to Trafalgar Square, but I hate walking and always take the tube, sometimes only one stop, but that's just me.
Have a great trip and please report back!

From Trafalgar Square to the Abbey, you can simply stroll down Whitehall, passing the Horse Guards outside the Old Admiralty building, Downing St, teh Cenotaph and Parliament.

Or you can go down Villiers St (to the left of Charing Cross Station) - more chance of finding something to eat -. go through the entrance hall for Embankment Station, cross the road and stroll along the river to Westminster Bridge and Parliament.

Or if it's wet you can take a bus from outside Charing Cross Station down Whitehall to the Abbey (77 or 11 come to mind, but it's all signposted).

Please keep in mind two things. There might be long lines to get in the W. Abbey, depending on the day, week or time. Also-there aren't too many cheap places to eat in that area. I do recall one small pizza place (sorry, I don;t have the address) but all in all it is not an area with many choices. You might want to grab something quick at a takeaway shop and eat it while waiting on the line.

Cinart is right about eating places in the immediate vicinity of Westminster Abbey - you would need to explore further up Victoria St and the streets behind it.

re tudorprincess' suggestion about taking the tube instead of walking to Trafalgar Square: It's about 1/2 a mile and a tube journey would invlove nearly the same time/distance when you factor in how far you walk underground.

Thank you all for the wonderful information. Yes I am staying out in Zone 6, around Enfield Chase area. That was why I wanted to see stuff before making the, what my sister says, hour long ride. But then again all valid points in not having to worry about luggage. We will be looking at both options now.

OK - if you are staying way up north near Enfield Chase - you could take the tube from the airport to Kings Cross/St Pancras (no change of lines), leave the bags at Left Luggage, and head out for some sightseeing. Then later in the day you can go back to the station and take the train up to Enfield.

<i>&quot;the Destinations section of the Fodors website has an itinerary called &quot;The Best of London in 5 Days&quot; that at least can give you a starting point for planning how you'll spend your time.&quot;</i>

But don't take that itinerary literally. It is seriously overplanned. You won't be able to do everything they have listed in that itinerary in 5 days.