Plans for our first day in London, which will be a May Sunday, have undergone several revisions -- thanks to all the trip reports, questions &amp; suggestions posted here. Current version is catching the 10:30am Horseguards Ceremony then heading to Greenwich for the Observatory (briefly) and then the Elizabeth Exhibit at the Maritime Museum. -- CeeJay if you glean more info or see this before mid-May, please share! I spotted it on the web site but pleased to read your post this am.<BR>Market &amp; pub food to follow, then back to our hotel.<BR><BR>However, getting to Greenwich has me totally confused. Did use Trip Planner on London tube site with a number of different variables. Remember reading that Ben had commented Greenwich is @15 min from downtown London. Every option seems to be coming up between 45 min -1 hr. The &quot;nicest&quot; way via boat does take an hour. Would like to spend less time getting there &amp; more time there. But would also like to follow the oft-posted advice to &quot;see&quot; London rather than duck below ground &amp; see only tube walls flash past. Especially since we would be comming off that long flight. Any suggestions?<BR>Staying at Royal Houseguards so any station in that area would be convenient I should think.<BR>Thanks<BR>

It is 14 or 20 minutes (depending whether it is a direct train or whether you have to change at London Bridge ) by Connex train from London Charing Cross to Greenwich. Your travel card would be valid for this routing.

MHS - you really need to decide if you want speed or &quot;scenery&quot;. The only fast way to get around most parts of London is by tube. Anything above ground (except the Docklands Light Railway) is subject to traffic aor water speed limits.<BR><BR>You could take the Tube to Tower Hill and then the DLR - but your fastest mode would be the tube. You could take the tube there and then you can take your time getting back by boat.<BR><BR>But my concern is your itinerary for the day - after a transatlantic flight this is probably too ambitious. I'd leave Greenwich for another day and do something closer in on your first day.

Greenwich is a very ambitious choice for your first day, mostly because (as you said) you'll be coming off a long tiring flight. There's a lot of uphill walking involved in visiting Greenwich!<BR><BR>I'm surprised that the trip planner estimated such a long time; I believe that it allows a rather long interval for changing lines, which of course you'll have to do, and the Greenwich sotps are on the Docklands light Railway . The DLR looks very different from the other underground trains, but actually functions like just another line. it's a worthwhile experience in itself. Why not get a map of the underground and practice your own trip planning?

I think the 15 mintue journey refers to the Connex Rail service from Charing Cross to Greenwich.<BR><BR>

Ron is right about Connex (we were posting at the same time) but it would also involve walking to Charing Cross, so the journey would be considerably longer than 20 mins (walk, wait at the station for the next train, train trip).<BR><BR>No matter which route you take it will take you at least 45 minutes to get there from Horse Guards - and likely longer.

Janis, is there more than one Royal Horseguards hotel? The one I am aware of is a 2 minute walk from Charing Cross station.

A few years ago, we took one of the tour boats to Greenwich on our first day in London. It certainly isn't the fastest way to get there, but we enjoy this boat ride (also did it in '90) and the sights along the way. Being out on the river and in the fresh air is invigorating! <BR><BR>Also stayed at the Royal Horseguards hotel in '90! Enjoy your trip.

No, No - I wasn't talking about the Royal Horse Guards hotel - MHS said they were going to Greenwich after seeing the changing of the Horse Guards.

LondonWalks has a very nice tour of Greenwich which takes you there on the boat. You return using Docklands Light Rail. A great way to spend a Sunday (the day we did it), and it gets you out into the fresh air and sunshine (if you're lucky) so as to help with jet lag. I didn't find the walking a problem at all: the more you move the better, as otherwise you'll fall asleep. We didn't get to see the Maritime Museum, but plan to do it next time we visit (particularly with kids in tow).

My wife and I were in London last March (first time). We enjoyed the aboveground view on the Docklands Light Railway when we went to Greenwich. While we didn't take the Connex train between Greenwich and Charing Cross, I throw this out as a suggestion: Take the DLR one way and the train the other way. You'll travel above ground on two very different routes. Staying active and on your feet the first day after an overnight flight was advice we received and it worked well for us (although we didn't go to Greenwich our first day). Greenwich should be &quot;doable&quot; so long as you pace yourself and don't worry about seeing everything. After the Maritime Museum, visit that pub on your list, go back to your hotel, go to bed fairly early, and wake up with your body clock set to London time.

Oops! I should have said, &quot;After the market, visit the pub on your list, etc.&quot; The Greenwich market is lots of fun on weekends.

<BR>I am afraid my 15 minutes was from London Bridge. You can walk or bus from the Horse Guards to Charing Cross station, buy a cheap day return ticket, change at London Bridge, and be in Greenwich in 20 minutes by train. I fear the line is nothing special for seeing London. Sights on the line out are all on the left: they are these<BR>7 minutes after Charing Cross the fourteenth century Southwark Cathedral<BR>1 minute after London Bridge, the Tower and Tower Bridge<BR>Lots of postwar social housing, pretty dull<BR>The moment you leave Deptford station St Paul?s church, eighteenth century, one of the finest baroque buildings in England<BR>You leave the train at Greenwich station, the oldest suburban railway station in the world<BR><BR>The river has much more to show, costs much more, and takes an hour or more from Charing Cross Embankment. The docklands light railway is scenic but slow.<BR><BR>Janis may be a north Londoner. The unfortunates of that region have few and poor suburban railways. Alas, poor souls. Whereas south London has many and good trains, seldom affected by water speed limits. <BR><BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to south London.<BR><BR>ben.haines@:btinternet.com<BR>

More info on LondonWalks at:<BR><BR>http://london.walks.com/<BR><BR>Click on the Sunday tours, and then on the Greenwich one (it's got Venice in the title) and it will give you a description. You meet at the Tower Hill tube stop at 11:00, you don't have to book ahead (just show up), the tour costs 5 pounds, and the one way boat trip another 3 (which they describe as a &quot;huge&quot; discount). It's a pleasant trip, and does give you a very cool look at London from the water. The tour itself gives you lots of good info re Greenwich, and you can also look to your guide for dining/shopping recommendations.

You can get a Connex train direct from Charing Cross to Greenwich on Sundays. Journey time is 14 minute at 02, 27, 32 and 57 past the hour.

I second Therese's recommendation of the Original London Walks Greenwich walk, but I just want to correct the slip of the keyboard that caused her to say the walk has &quot;Venice in the title&quot;. The Greenwich walk, which takes place on Sunday morning, is described on the Original London Walks website as &quot;Versailles with a landscape&quot;. The Little Venice walk is an entirely different walk, in a different part of London, and takes place on Sunday afternoon.

Oops -- my typo this time. Make that &quot;Versailles with a riverscape&quot;.

Take the bus.....a double decker and sit on the top front.....Did this with my mom....she did not like riding the tube and missing the scenery.

Bus to Greenwich would take a long-ish time, about as much as the boat, and a much less interesting journey (though it goes through parts of London most tourists wouldn't normally see). The only route would be a 188 from Aldwych (changing there from the 77 from Whitehall after the Horseguards ceremonies).<BR><BR>For completeness, visitors can get a great view of the historic part of Greenwich from the Island Gardens at the other end of the foot tunnel starting beside the Cutty Sark and the pier for the boats to central London. You could combine this with a DLR trip, picking up or leaving the train at Island Gardens station.

A boat from Westminster Pier takes between 45 minutes and an hour, but will give the best views. Boats from Tower Pier take about 30 minutes. Trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge are quick, but Greenwich station is ten minutes' walk from the 'Cutty Sark' and the Maritime Museum; there are more frequent trains to Lewisham from where you can get the Docklands railway to Greenwich (they stop at Cutty Sark which is right in the centre of Greenwich). If you buy a travelcard for zones 1 and 2, it will cover all train, tube and bus routes to Greenwich, and give a 33% discount on boat fares.