First time to London - itinerary advice please
 

My DH and DD (18 yrs) will be traveling from San Francisco to London the last week of December (23-30). We are staying near Westminster Abbey at the Hotel Ermin. Can anyone give us some "Not to be missed" things to do in or near London for first timers? Thanks so much in advance! ANY advice is welcome even if not related to Christmas!

Be sure to take rain gear and dress warmly. The weather can be a real b$tch at this time of year.

We have traveled to Europe often but only hit London 2014 for a few days.
A big hit was a play in the West end with dinner before at Hawksmoor Seven Dials.
We also enjoyed Covent Gardens, and St. Paul's Cathedral climb to the top, and Tower of London.

We would like to return for so much more, museums, shopping,etc. A few days was not enough. Yes, England is more expensive with the pound exchange We always lean towards Paris BUT we definitely want more London now that we've seen a bit of it.

I'll be interested on your take on London and watching for a trip report.
We like to take our granddaughter to such places. she also loved London & Paris & talks about it all the time.

BTW, we atayed near Westminster, right across the bridge at Park Plaza and found it to be an excellent location---but what do we know having only been there once, maybe there are better locations.

Chrismas in London sounds like a dream!

See: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ndon-paris.cfm

EVERY guidebook to London and England has "not to be missed" type lists. Or use the Destinations tab above.

Many places will be closed Christmas Day and some the day after. Check the Transport For London site for transport stoppages. Make reservations for meals Christmas Day.

There is no public transit Christmas Day and no much on Boxing Day (Dec 26) and everything is closed 25 and a lot on 26. Make your meal reservations in advance so you are not shut out (ask your hotel for help if you need to - but don't wait).

Check with London Walks to see what they may be offering on the 26th - not sure about 25th.

As for major sights just a quick look above or in any guide book will give you the top 10 or 15 or 20 London sights. Make sure you get a good street map of the city (very big with sights all over the city) and of the tube (what they call subway) which you will need to get to and fro many places.

If you give your interests people can point out specific things you may like

Thanks very much everyone! Hubby dropped the surprise two days ago!! My xmas present. I am scrambling to plan, pack, buy presents, put up decorations, find a house sitter, ect!! Very excited!

Been to Europe multiple times but never London. We do plan to dress in layers (used to it living in SF) and will bring warm gear. ; )

We have purchased Lonely Planet and FODORS (of course) but it is overwhelming! The todo's in London alone would take a year!

We do have two tours planned: 1; Jack the Ripper walk and 2; Westminster, London Bridge all day tour. I don't know when we will ever visit this beautiful city again (this is a surprise trip from husband) so really want to soak as much in as possible.

Are there any Christmas sights we can do on Christmas eve and day?

Best place for high tea? Meals?

Best shopping district? Shopping centers?

Thanks everyone so much!!! Again ANY advice is appreciated!!

We've stayed at St. Ermin's a couple of times and liked it a lot. I hope you enjoy it, as well.

I don't know where your interests lie, but one of the first things we did was to visit the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels, etc. I've also noticed that the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open for tours, but you'd need to book quickly. I don't know what the schedule is for Changing of the Guards, but I'd advise skipping it this time.

There are tons of things and the problem will be narrowing down your options.

I just saw the last post while writing my reply. Yes I will tell you about us! My hubby and I are in our late 40's and live in San Francisco. We love traveling and both have been Europe (France, Belgium, Ireland, Prague, Austria and Germany) many times but never England. This trip was a Christmas present and I found out two days ago. We love museums, architecture, history, and LOVE eating. ; )

We are pretty conservative (no nude beaches) but love to try new things (bungee jumping). We most likely will not be visiting the UK anytime soon as our next three trips are already planned.

Thanks!

I just saw the last post while writing my reply. Yes I will tell you about us! My hubby and I are in our late 40's and live in San Francisco. We love traveling and both have been Europe (France, Belgium, Ireland, Prague, Austria and Germany) many times but never England. This trip was a Christmas present and I found out two days ago. We love museums, architecture, history, and LOVE eating. ; )

We are pretty conservative (no nude beaches) but love to try new things (bungee jumping). We most likely will not be visiting the UK anytime soon as our next three trips are already planned.

Thanks!

Well I would bag London bridge unless you are fascinatied by the mechanism. My must sees are:

The Tower
British Museum
National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
Westminster Abby
Hampton Court Palace (a day trip - make sure the docents will be recreating Tudor life)
Covent Garden
A couple of shows
A boat ride if the weather cooperates
V&A
Tate and Tate modern
Museum of London
Churchill's War Rooms

and a ton of others based on how fast you move. Have a look at the Michelin green guide which rates sights by * and also tells you how long a visit will take

No nude beaches in London or bungee jumping either

Have DD look at the Let's Go student guides so she can identify where to meet local students in bars or cafes

While Christmas TIME is a great time to be in London (see the thread I linked above for some suggestions), Christmas DAY is not. Also, Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, is traditionally a holiday in England (Scotland celebrates New Year's Eve more than Christmas). AND this year Christmas is on a Saturday, I suspect a lot of places will be having a three or four day holiday. In fact, I just checked the V&A, my favorite London museum, and it is indeed closed for three days.

Aside from the sights - and walking around London is always good value - I would check transport and restaurants carefully.

Great!! I will add the British Museum, National Gallery and Museum of London. Will each place take all day or can we do half days? One of our all day tours will cover Westminster Abby, Palace, Tower and bridge. We plan to get our fill of shows in New York as we will be there for three days prior to arriving in London.

Daughter is an art student so she is easily pleased thank goodness!! We travel at a fast pace when doing this type of travel. We like to have a few really nice meals planned (usually dinner), otherwise we love food trucks or street food!

I will take the advice and begin an itinerary. I will post it here and if you could let me know if it is realistic it will be greatly appreciated as much as I really appreciate all your advice!

>> Hotel Ermin<<

Have only skimmed responses -- but in case it hasn't been mentioned the name of your hotel is the St Ermin's.

>>Well I would bag London bridge unless you are fascinatied by the mechanism. <<

Nyt -- London Bridge doesn't have a 'mechanism -- that would be Tower Bridge.

g8travls: >>Westminster, London Bridge all day tour<< Please give us a link. I sort of doubt London Bridge is predominantly mentioned in the tour description. Also - can imagine needing/wanting an 'all day tour' for this area. London Walks has a great 2 hour walking tour of Westminster. London Bridge is a different area.

I would definitely forget about the Jack the Ripper tour. Not a single location still exists --- and do you really want to spend the Christmas holiday hearing about poor women being disemboweled? Not pleasant - plus the current residents really resent having tourists gawk.

Also -- you will want to book any special meals ASAP - like NOW. Many of the really good restaurants book up well ahead over the holidays. I am in London the 26th - the 1st and one of my 'special' dinners the only opening they had over 3 days was a single 10PM booking. and that was 3 weeks ago.

I believe I have a workable rough draft of a schedule. I still have to research restaurants so I can make reservations. I believe I've left a loose schedule with hopefully enough time. My husband loves pubs so we will try to visit one every day! Please critique and let me know if I can squeeze more or if I'm out of my mind. Thanks again everyone!! I can't believe how nice everyone is!

Arrive Tuey Dec. 22 - non day
Get to know neighborhood

Wed. Dec. 23 - Museum of London
St. Pauls
Hit as many pubs possible
Eat fish & chips

Thurs. Dec. 24 - Are museums open XMas eve?
Tower of London
Westminster Abby
Hit as many pubs possible

Fri. Dec. 25 - Walk about

Sat. Dec. 26 - Walk Dickens East London
7:00pm Jack the Ripper Tour
Pubs

Sun. Dec. 27 - All day tour - Windsor, Stonehenge and
Oxford
Pubs

Mon. Dec. 28 - V&A
Thames River (weather permitting)
Pubs

Tues. Dec. 29 - Harrods
Shopping day
Pubs

Wed. Dec. 30. - Pack & Leave

You need to check the places you want to see - and eat - individually. For instance, both the Tower and the Abbey are closed on the 24th. All these places have web sites.

Yes! You are correct on both counts! Hotel is Ermin, part of the Marriott chain. My husband booked us a tour for Windsor, Stonehenge and Oxford (he called it the all day London Tower tour - haha - so wrong) and I mistakenly believed it to be the tower, bridge, etc.

To be honest I'm just so happy and grateful to be able to travel with my family. I'll be happy with whatever is available! I will try to begin making reservation tomorrow with your advice in mind. Thank you!

Too late hubby already booked and paid for the Jack the Ripper tour. At least it will give us the opportunity to walk the neighborhood! I understand it is very pretty.

I'm sure we will be able to squeeze in one or two other places to visit as I have left a couple of days easy for that reason. We'll walk the town Christmas day. It will be a nice way to see the city. We definitely will do a few walking tours. River tours during winter? Are any enclosed? If not we'll skip it and walk it instead or is it a must do?

You won;t want to do whole days in any of those museums - although the British and V&A might allow it. Much better to visit the website before and pick out what you want to see in 3 hours or so - and then take a break for a walk or meal or whatever. Otherwise you will be museumed out very quickly.

London is usually not that cold and if you get days without rain I would visit a few of the local parks - Green, St James, even a little of Hyde Park.

Can't see how you can visit Windsor, Stonehenge and Oxford in one day - just the trekking to and from will take much of the time. And with it getting dark at 4 pm you have very limited daytime hours for the trip.

>>Hotel is Ermin,<<

It is the <u><blue>St.</u></blue> (as in Saint) Ermin<u><blue>'s</u></blue>, not the 'Ermin'. It is a very nice property.

>>At least it will give us the opportunity to walk the neighborhood! I understand it is very pretty. <<

Unfortunately not. It is is a not at all scenic part of the the East End.


>>Can't see how you can visit Windsor, Stonehenge and Oxford in one day -<<

It is a commercial coach tour and they do squeeze in all three. Like this one http://www.viator.com/tours/London/W...d737-3858EE065

Thank you nytraveler! Are Windsor, Stonehenge and Oxford very far apart? Wonder if they'll just drive through shouting the names of the buildings while driving 75 mph! lol!! It would be out of Harry Potter!!!! Seriously...it really is an all day tour and we've pre-paid. *sigh*

Totally great we can do the museums in 3-4 hours! I'm going to re-arrange the schedule with this info. The parks are a great idea (rain or shine) for Christmas eve, day and after! Thank you so much!!! Think we'll tour shops Christmas eve!

After reading the advice so far I am a lot less intimidated by London. It seems a very walkable city. We live in California so distance isn't a problem and we're used to congestion and crowds.

Thursdaysd: Took your advice too (Thank You) and looked up closures. I have taken this into account rearranging the itinerary. Thank the gods you mentioned it!

Thanks janisj! Hope I pass the spelling quiz while wandering the hotel hall so as to avoid the horrible neighborhood of the East End!! Lol!!!

>>Thanks janisj! Hope I pass the spelling quiz while wandering the hotel hall so as to avoid the horrible neighborhood of the East End!! Lol!!!<<

The Jack the Ripper tour is in the East End --The Hotel is in a beautiful area. Close to St. James's Park, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace. No way you'd confuse the two ;)

Cool janisj!

We just received an email and our tours just got pushed forward a day. Haha they forgot it was a holiday! Thought it was just me forgetting thigs like that. Now we have evisceration on Sunday and exhaustion on Monday. The bright spot is that makes it easier to schedule when you don't have a lot of options! Kidding!

Really...wow...now it's harder. I've got only got five days not falling on a holiday and one of them is a Sunday.

Okay re-revising my revisions now.

Boxing day is a big shopping day!! We can shop Oxford, Covent and Notting Hill! Walks.com have walks on Christmas. Very nice. Looks like those days can be put to fantastic use! Less crowds too I hope?

Have a look on the Time Out London and Londonist web sites for ideas about all things Christmas in London, including suggestions of things to do on Christmas Day itself. (e.g. https://londonist.com/2015/11/what-s...stmas-day-2015) Definitely book a Christmas Day meal in advance.

As others have advised, there is no public transit on Christmas Day, and some sights will closed 24, 25, and 26 December, so please do check individual websites for opening times and hours, to avoid disappointment.

If a Jack the Ripper tour is a must, the London Walks ones led by Donald Rumbelow (apologies if I've got his name wrong) seem to rate better than some of the others on offer. I have done several London Walks and have been pleased with all of them.

Unless you absolutely must see Stonehenge, I would consider skipping the coach tour, as I fear you will see little beyond motorways and the inside of the coach, and just go to Windsor or Oxford on your own. Windsor is especially easy and the castle is magnificent, but of course Oxford has its charms as well.

You might consider attending some sort of performance while in London. My first choice is always theatre (not musicals), but there is something for everyone, from opera to comedy to dance to cinema to live music of all descriptions.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

"Best place for high tea?". I doubt you want "high tea", more like afternoon tea I would imagine:

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/ar...aste/tea.shtml
http://www.learn-about-tea.com/high-tea.html

For tea check out www.afternoontea.co.uk

I would advise against Oxford Street on Boxing Day. Unbearably crowded.

Portobello Road Market is closed on the 26th, some shops may be open in Notting Hill.

As others have said, Windsor/Stonehenge/Oxford in a day is a lot of time on the bus. I would skip Stonehenge, and go to Oxford by train or bus on your own, for a day.

I cannot see the attraction of a tour about a serial killer, but the Ten Bells Pub is nice, and there's Spitalfields market opposite. There are plenty of restaurants, in case you want to book one for after your tour. There's also a branch of Hawksmoor nearby; excellent steakhouse.

Oxford Street on Boxing day, aaargh

Most of the museums are free so you can do half an hour or a full day, they are warm and the cafes are normally great so use them.

Pubs, just a note, you order at the bar and you pay then and there, if you are eating in a pub it can vary (ie pay after you eat for the food) just don't expect table service if you are drinking.

This is a great time to visit London even with all the early closings and public transport issues. London is so festive at Christmas, just walking around and taking in the lights and Christmas windows is fun.

Some things to look into for your family:
- Somerset House skating rink...even if you don't skate it looks beautiful at this time of year and there's a small art gallery for your daughter to take in. One Aldwych is a great hotel across the street from there with a nice bar for a respite before wandering up into Covent Garden - also beautiful around Christmas. Lots of shops, restos, pubs and entertainment in this area
- Mayfair, area around Fortnum and Mason and Bond Street...great shopping area, slightly calmer than Oxford Street. Hunt out some small pubs in sidestreets, plenty of posh afternoon tea options and the Royal Academy for your daughter's art interests. Jermyn Street is just below F&M for your husband if he's interested in shirts at all.
- Elizabeth Street. Small quiet shopping Street in Belgravia. Beautiful Christmas lights and independant expensive stores. A higher end pub called the Thomas Cubbit and a good well priced italian restaurant Oliveto
- if your husband really wants a small out of the way pub, tell him to search for the Grenadier or try to find the Old Mitre
- Christmas Day will be very quiet. A rare chance to feel calm in the city and a good day to test out the bikes for a ride around town

I arrive Dec 19th and depart Dec 30th. Love London at Christmas. Maybe we will bump into each other! Enjoy!!

You (seriously) do not want to be w/i a mile of Oxford Street on Boxing day . . or Harrods, or any other shopping area. On a typical Saturday say you can barely walk on Oxford Street. On Boxing day it would be the worst crowd you have likely ever experienced. Absolute HELL.

These might give you an idea:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...ng-day-007.jpg

http://static0.demotix.com/sites/def...day_981981.jpg

https://www.google.com/search?q=Oxfo...Oh3ZeXXi1XM%3A

Actually, I doubt you want to be there before Christmas either! At least not on foot. I don't shop on Oxford Street, but I like to ride down it on the top deck of a bus (NOT a HoHo bus, just a regular London bus). That way you can admire the upper stories of the buildings, which haven't been changed the way the ground floors have, and at this time of year you'll be up close to the decorations.

A-mazing pix, janisj!

Thank you so much again! Everyone is so incredibly nice and helpful! Unfortunately, my husband who has surprised me with this holiday prebooked and paid for both tours.

Ha! Janisj: photos are great! Looks crazy fun people watching! Looks like San Fran with tourists! We too stay away from those areas here so thank you for the warning!

Kmowatt: thanks for the great ideas! We're there from 22-30. Absolutely!! It would be fun!!! I'm looking into your ideas and switching things around a bit.

Found we can do many walks from walks.com or self guided walks. We also found Trafalger Square is a great area to sight see and walk!

I usually do a rough itinerary. It's usually just a reference for what I really want to see and to make sure I don't leave something out due to excitement of the trip. It seems this one is a bit looser so we can feel our way through the holidays in London.

Although we live in San Francisco and it is beautiful here we do not have the history of Roman Roads or buildings. Even the architecture is fun to just look at since we don't have anything like that here. I'm posituve we will have the time of our lives in a beautiful city even if crazy crowded, closed, congested or otherwise!

I've revised our schedule and decided other than what we've purchased tickets for, I've written down all names and will "play it by ear" so to speak. We've decided unlike our other non-beachy vacations we'll do what we

Day1: Westminster Abby
Buckingham Palace
National Gallery

Day 2: Shopping and walking

Day 3: Walk Trafalger Square
St. James
Leicester Square

Day 4: Kew Gardens
Covent Gardens

Day 5: V&A
Walking tour (JR)

Day 6: All day tour

Day 7: Unplanned

Day 8: unplanned

Oops sorry everyone my comments got posted without finishing. Of course it is 6 am on Sunday too. Haha!
I am taking what advice everyone has given me and made the schedule somewhat flexible so we can just have fun without worrying about what we may miss! We'll just have to figure a way to squeeze it into another trip! We're planning Spain fall 2016 maybe we can add a week in London. This way if we miss something this time we can catch up this fall.

I cannot imagine we will see anything close to what is available in London the short visit we are there but a taste is better than nothing!! : )

What are you shopping FOR? Things may or may not be a good buy depending on what you're looking for.

I don't think I'd do Kew this time of year - it's a slog to get to, it's expensive, and it's winter. If you want to go out of town a bit I'd head for Hampton Court.

Never found anything of interest in Leicester Square except the TKTS booth.

Did you look at the "London at Christmas" thread I linked above? Several "only at Christmas" things you should consider.

Shopping for fun or window shopping only. We decided to buy ourselves what we want while we are there or back here when after Xmas sales are on! More people watching really. I did try to look at the link but I get redirected to Page Not Found. I did find other reviews from people traveling in London during Christmas and found some fun things to do.

Another alternative would be to hire a personal guide for the last two days to take us around. Daughter's idea. We did this in Vietnam and Thailand last year and was great!

That's odd, the link works for me:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ndon-paris.cfm

Rather than/in addition to paying a guide, you could try this:

http://www.londongreeters.org/

Haven't used it in London, but worked well in Chicago, Buenos Aires, Kyoto and Bucharest.

http://www.liberty.co.uk/

is a much better shop with a hint of class

Forgot to mention the Christmas Market on the South Bank...easy to get to across the bridge from the Parliament Buildings and then walk east from there...it's not really my thing, but it's fun to walk through...good food and drink along the way!

<<I don't think I'd do Kew this time of year - it's a slog to get to, it's expensive, and it's winter. If you want to go out of town a bit I'd head for Hampton Court.>>

Kew is one of the least expensive attractions, the normal entrance fee is only £10, if you want to see the Christmas attractions then yes, it's a bit more expensive.

http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens...as-at-kew-2015

There is ice skating at Hampton Court at the moment and the palace is beautifully illuminated.

@Odin: Looks like they've reduced the price for the winter season. Last time I checked, NOT during winter, Kew was 25 GBP.

@bilbo: I like Liberty's too, but I visited early December last year, and it was absolutely packed.