Hello everyone,

I am trying to narrow down an itinerary for myself and my 17 year old daughter and would love some feedback on the feasibility of our schedule. This is our first time in London and this is our ‘must do’ list. The only thing I have not been able to fit in is a photo op at the Kings Cross tube station (I think that is right) for my daughter…a total Harry Potter fan! I would love any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Thursday August 16th
Check in at hotel—3-4:00PM (near Victoria Station)
Hop on Bus and ride around city (Stop at Piccadilli Circus)
Eat dinner, shop, explore or eat dinner and sleep!

Friday, August 17th

Tower of London (9:00am 3 hours)
Lunch at the Tower
British museum (highlights tour afternoon1.5 hours)
Play (evening) (Have not decided what to see)
Dinner

Saturday August 18th

Buckingham Palace tour 9:00AM (2.5 hours)
Lunch and shopping
Tour Westminster Abbey
London Eye


Sunday August 19th

Cabinet War Rooms (2 hours)
Luch
British Library Treasures tour
Evening cruise on the Thames
Dinner
We leave for the Cotswolds on Monday morning!

When you are at the British Library on Sunday, you are a 5 minute walk from Kings Cross Railway station. You should have time to visit platform whatever between the tour and your cruise.

Thanks Ron. I'll revise my plans.

Hi - I am also looking for "things to do in London on a Sunday night" and am wondering about your evening Thames cruise -- can you provide a link or more information about it? Your list looks comprehensive and well thought out; I might do a little switching around as the British Museum and Library are quite close to each other.

just a couple of very quick comments:

The British Library, Brtitish museum and Kings Cross are all in the same general area. So I'd group them on the same day and have less to-ing and fro-ing.

On your Thursday arrival day - by the time you check in and ride the H-o-H-o bus tour, most shops will be closed. The souviner places will be open - but not department stores, boutiques, etc.

And on Saturday - Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey are not far apart - and neither are near many decent shops so maybe go elsewhere and do your shopping in the late afternoon.

was posting the same time as azzure - same advice re the British Museum/Library

I always suggest this, and I don't think anyone ever takes me up on it, but I love the Outdoor Theater at Regent's Park. You can by tickets online. It is a lot less expensive than a West End show, and the atmosphere is fantastic. Even in the rain.

There is a huge line for the dinner buffet, but burgers and such are available without the line.

I sould be clear and say that in general, I find musical theater not to my tastes, but like Shakespeare and Shaw, and have seen both at the Outdoor Theater at Regent's Park.

So if you're still looking for a show, you might want to consider it. The atmosphere is magical, and there aren't very many tourists from outside Britain. I've been twice and would love to go again.

Next time, get a big map with all the sights on it, and spread it out on a carpet. I like http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/centlond.pdf

Now stick pushpins in the sites where the sights are cited. Group them by day, and you're done.

I don't much care for the ho/ho bus tours. Too much waiting for buses to suit me. A TfL pass and this free map might stimulate your thinking even more: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/cen_bus.pdf

I always recommend thatre in Regents Park. It is great. But don't consider it a bargain or "a lot less expensive than West End shows"

The top tickets at Regents park are now up to £38-£40 for some shows and £31-£33 for others. So TKTS is cheaper for many west end shows. But Regents Park is still wonderful . . . .

For anyone interested.. a friend just gave me this information for tours in London & surrounds. http://www.goldentours.co.uk/index.php
I found the tours to be interesting & not so very expensive.

The hop-on, hop-off buses don't run all that late, so your time on the bus will be fairly short.

Lee Ann

in Summer the last H-o-H-o buses generally leave around 6:00 p.m. or there abouts. So they are winding down by 7:30-8:00. But by then the shops are mostly closed.

Just a positive comment about the Cabinet War Rooms. I had not even heard about them until right before my last visit and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I'd be tempted to skip the hop on/off bus the first day and check out Picadilly Circus (not that much to see there, actually) and then walk up Old and New Bond Streets (great window shopping at the high end stores) to Oxford where the "High Street" shops are. My girls (now 19 and 21) love the Top Shop there, and H&M, Zara, Miss Selfridges, and Monsoon also. Are you arriving from overseas the first day (in other words, will jet lag be a factor for you that day? We find that shopping perks us up - well my daughters at least)

Actually, the Cabinet War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace are all fairly close, but I don't think you'd want to tour all three on the same day. Any two would work in combination on a given day, though.

Since you're there on a weekend, it would be great if you could fit in a market. My girls' favorite is actually Borough Market, the wonderful food market on the South Bank. I'd go for lunch there after the Tower on Friday, maybe. Saturdays get pretty crowded as the day goes on.

Hey thanks everyone for such wonderful suggestions! I am going to rework the schedule. This forum is really a wonderful resource for people who love to travel. This is a special trip for both of us (time for mother/daughter bonding before she is all grown up)and thanks to everyone on this board.....we will make it a very memorable trip.

You don't want the tube at Kings Cross, you want the mainline platforms. Filming was on platforms 3/4. They've built a little set for the fans with half a trolley disappearing through the wall under a Platform 9 3/4 sign.