I am taking my Mother to London in March on a mother/daughter trip. This is a Xmas present for her from me. I am trying to put together an itinerary to wrap for Xmas for her. I am having trouble deciding how to group the things we want to see. We will be there from Tues to the following Mon. Here are all the things that are of interest. Would you please help me decide what to do each day that makes the most sense. We both like to be on the go so a bust day isn't a problem. <BR><BR>Big Bus tour<BR>Museum of London<BR>British Museum<BR>Tower of London<BR>Tea at Brown's ?<BR>Courtauld Institute Galleries<BR>Linly Sambourne House<BR>National Portrait Gallery<BR>Buckingham Palace<BR>Houses of Parliment<BR>St. Paul's Cathedral<BR>Tate Gallery<BR>Trafalgar Square<BR>Westminster Abbey<BR>Horse Guards<BR>Harrods<BR>Florence Nightengale Museum<BR>Golden Hind<BR>The London Dungeon<BR>Hampton Court<BR><BR>I am aware this is really too much for the time we have, so any suggestions of things to cut out would be appreciated. The only thing I have set so far is doing the big bus tour our first day there. Also what day do you think it would be best to travel to Hampton Court? This is something we don't want to miss.<BR><BR>Thank you, thank you for all your help!

What a nice present. As you said - you probably won't fit in everything on your list. As for Hampton Court - go on the first nice day you have. You can go there on a dreary rainy day -- but it is so much better on a nice day -- walking across the river from the train Station, visiting the gardens, maybe a boat trip back to London.<BR><BR>Some things on your list don't take much time and really don't need to be "scheduled". Trafalgar Sq for instance is in the very middle of London and you will pass through or around it several times during the week. Same for B'ham Palace. It isn't open in March so you can only view it from outside. You will be in the vicinity so just walk by. Ditto for Horse Guards and Parliament. So if you take those off your list of things to "schedule" it looks a lot more manageable.

Alex, what a lovely gift!<BR><BR>Your list is indeed ambitious, but what wonderful places! Well, the one exception is the London Dungeon, which stands out like a sore thumb on that list -- you might want to look through their web site to make sure you want to spend some of your precious time there.<BR><BR>Find out which places are open any evenings (as I recall, for example, the British Museum is open Wed. eves., Harrod's on Thurs, etc.). Have a relaxing dinner and then trek around some more in the evening.<BR><BR>Another strategy is to get one of those tourist maps on which you can easily spot the locations of the places --several are close together. Or things that are on the same Tube line -- transfers can add 15 minutes to your trip. Do those on the same day, so you spend less time commuting.<BR><BR>A couple of places get crowded early -- get there before they open. Especially the Tower -- head for the Crown Jewels right away, THEN take a Beefeater tour.<BR><BR>Avoid doing two very similar things in one day -- two art galleries, for example, or St. Paul's AND Westminster.<BR><BR>

Alex,<BR><BR>What a wonderful present! Good advice, above, too.<BR><BR>A few hints:<BR> <BR>Westminister Abbey and the Houses of Parilament are next to each other.<BR><BR>The National Portrait Gallery is ON Trafalgar Square. As is the National Gallery, a treasury of European art. You can eat at the National Gallery's bistro, or the Restaurant in the Crypt under St. Martins, the day you go there.<BR><BR>From Trafalgar Square: B.Palace, the British Museum, Browns Hotel, and Westminister Abbey/Parilament are all a brisk walk or a short taxi ride, each in a different direction.<BR><BR>Harrods is farther away.<BR><BR>The Tower is far to the east of most other landmarks -- get there early and plan half a day.<BR><BR>Hampton Court is a day trip from London.<BR><BR>The London Dungeon is a tourist trap (IMO) as the poster above suggested.<BR><BR>You Mother is a lucky lady! Enjoy!<BR><BR>

One more thing -- I'd take the big bus trip the first day, to orient yourself.<BR><BR>Have fun.

About everything you'd see on a bus tour you will be going to anyway, so that may be a waste of time & money. Agree about going to Hampton Ct on the first good weather day, plus one museum a day is enough. Look at the London Walking Tours website as some of their tours (only 5 pounds each) cover exactly what you want, like 'Old Westminster' which gets you into Parliament, Westminster Abbey, & ends at the cabinet war Rooms "www.walks.com". The Horseguards needs to be visited at 11am when they have a big ceremony there on the parade grounds. Also, think about going to a play....half price tickets at the Leicester Sq booth.

My wife and I were in London for a week this summer. The best advise I can give is about The Tower of London. Buy your tickets for the Tower at any tube station. We just bought ours the day before we went. Get there a few minutes before 9:00 am, when it opens. When we arrived there was a huge line to buy tickets (you will already have tickets, so you get to go right in!). Go straight to the crown jewels, and you will have them all to yourselves. There is a conveyor belt that takes you by them in about thirty seconds during busy times. You can avoid this and study them at your leisure. Get back to the gate by 9:40 for the first Beefeater guided tour. These are free and very, very good. You can be ready to leave the Tower by around noon, when all of the crowds are really starting to come in. Have a sandwich at Pret a Manger (right outside) and then head to St. Paul's for the afternoon. Have fun!<BR>

What a *wonderful* present! You're a great daughter. When you say you'll be there from Tuesday to Monday, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're arriving Tuesday am after an overnight flight and leaving Monday...is that right? In that case, you've really got five full days, plus one "jet lag day." <BR><BR>My advice is to spend the "jet lag day" outdoors as much as you possibly can; exposure to natural light helps your body's circadian rhythms adjust, and with luck you'll be able to stay up until a reasonable time that night and get up on London time the next am. <BR><BR>With that in mind, a "Big Bus" tour might be a good option to start yourself off, especially if it's not raining and not horribly cold, so you can sit up top. Although the previous poster is right that it'll take you past the other things on your itinerary, I think a bus tour around London helps you get your bearings and understand where things are in relationship to each other, where neighborhoods are, so on and so forth. I travel mostly by Tube in London, and it's easy to get disoriented popping in and out of Underground stations!<BR><BR>Allot a good half-day each to the Tower of London and British Museum. I can usually spend about half a day in Westminster Abbey as well, but that may just be me.<BR><BR>A favorite route of mine is to start at Trafalgar Square, as has been mentioned, and visit the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, both of which are right on the square. (Also pop into St. Martin-in-the-Fields church; if the timing is right, they have lovely noon concerts during the week, and a great restaurant, the Place Below, in the crypt.) Then stroll down Whitehall to pass Horse Guards (their changing of the guard is around 11 or 11:30 daily and quite as nice as the B. Palace one without the mob scene, I think). <BR><BR>Further down Whitehall, you'll pass #10 Downing Street (can't actually go down the street, it's blocked off). Then, take a right down St. Charles (the next street) for the Cabinet War Rooms--really, don't miss these.<BR><BR>That agenda, I'd say, covers one of your five days. More in next post so this doesn't get snipped.

Other things that are near each other and easy to combine: St. Paul's Cathedral and the Museum of London; Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. An earlier poster mentioned that you can't go in to the Houses of Parliament, but I *think* you can if they're in session, which they ought to be in March. I watched a session of the House of Lords once in November, though access may have changed in the wake of Sept. 11.<BR><BR>The Tower's a bit off by itself; I'd agree with the earlier poster who said to go early in the morning for first admission and plan to spend a whole morning. From there, you might enjoy walking across Tower Bridge (especially if it's a nice day), and strolling along the South Bank of the Thames. There's quite a lot to see there; the London Dungeon is there, if you really want to do it, though I agree with the other posters: ick. So is the Golden Hind replica; also really interesting are the HMS Belfast, the Design Museum, and the Museum of the Moving Image.<BR><BR>Also agree with others--do Hampton Court your first nice day, but not if that's arrival day; getting into town, checked in, orienting yourself and then getting out to the palace can be a bit much.<BR><BR>Definitely would suggest that you shouldn't miss the Courtauld Galleries and the attached Somerset House. They're also reasonably close to Trafalgar Square, about a six block walk up Charing Cross Road at the Strand.<BR><BR>Have a *wonderful* time!

My, you've gotten some wonderful advice here. I'll just add a few tidbits:<BR><BR>1. DO go to a play or musical. This is something London is famous for and a great after-dark activity. If you don't want to wing it with the short notice 1/2 price tickets from the Leicester Sq. booth, you can buy tickets in advance through many online resources (try www.londontown.com).<BR><BR>2. DO take the Big Bus tour/or Round London tour the first day unless it's pouring rain..as this is a great orientation. Since you're jet lagged the first day it gets you off your feet and helps you see promximties to plan the rest of your time. Also, it's good for 24 hours so you can get off the bus, say for a short trip to Harrod's.<BR><BR>3. Brown's Hotel is a lovely place for tea. Also, the St. James Restaurant at the top of Fortnam & Mason (great store for buying gifts/gourmet food items). Tip: make a reservation and have your big afternoon tea (say 3:00 pm) the day you go to the theatre as you'll be too full for dinner, probably dressed up a bit, and won't have to squeeze in a fast dinner before the show starts.<BR><BR>3. I hate to expand your list but you might consider also a visit to Windsor Castle which you can tour and it's spectacular. Also, the Victoria & Albert museum have decorative arts if this is of interest. Finally, Kensington Palace is fun to see.<BR><BR>4. Book a hotel near a tube stop. But also take a few taxis. London cabs are like none other!<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip.

Hi Alex<BR>Everyone likes different things, but I have to weigh in as well against the London Dungeon. It is expensive, and what's worse is that it's tacky and silly imo. So many other more worthwhile things to see and do!<BR>I enjoyed the Llinley Sanbourne house very much and it doesn't take too long, but see how it fits into the rest of your visits--it's not as vital imo as some of the other sights.<BR>My favorite walking itinerary is the following, just like Gina's: In Trafalgar Sq see the N. Gallery and the N. Portrait Gallery, and <BR>the charming church of St Martin in the Fields (with the mentioned cafe.) You can also do brass rubbings there if you like.<BR>From there walk down Whitehall toward the Horse Guards ( and I always make a short stop at the Banqueting House, in front of which Charles I was executed. It's a beautiful small building, the only thing remaining of the Palace at Whitehall.) You will also pass Downing St, and be very close to Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, if you wanted to go there. You can proceed on to W. Abbey and Parliament,and/or walk along St James Park, cut across to see the outside of B. Palace, and up through Green Park where you end up on Piccadilly, very close to the Ritz Hotel and Fortnum and Mason's.<BR>I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me.

Dear Alex:<BR>I enjoyed and agreed with so much of the advice. Don't know if your mother would be interested, but one of our best days in our week in London started with getting to the Tower early (we were second in line). We avoided so much of a crowd that we went through the Crown Jewel exhibit twice. We then walked across Tower Bridge, enjoyed the ships and shoreline, and toured the reconstructed Globe Theatre. It was a big hit with all of us. Both my kids had seen "Shakespeare in Love," and the combination of the theatre and the film has made Shakespeare come alive for them.<BR><BR>We have also done (at kids' request), London Dungeon. Don't go! Even they will finally admit (two years later) that it was a bust. They also got to select Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. My husband and I thought we'd hate it, but we had a great time. We reluctantly fit it in after our return from Windsor Castle, just before closing time. No crowds then. So if you have a choice in "tacky," go for the wax.<BR><BR>As to advice above,heard Museum of Moving Image (great place) is closed while they relocate. <BR><BR>Another suggestion...one of my favorite exhibits in London is the history of clothing exhibit at the V&A (I always enjoy the First Ladies exhibit at the Smithsonian, so if your mother enjoys that, then...). You could combine that with a trip to Harrod's rather easily.<BR><BR>One last tip...one of the nicest ways to see churches in any country is to attend services. In London,we attended Maundy Thursday services at St. Martin's of the Field (across from Trafalgar Square, well known for its music), a short service at St. Paul's, and Easter Service at Westminster Abbey (they were hesitant about letting people in, but we were in our Sunday best, so they let us through). The sermons told us a lot about the concerns of the country--for example, there was a huge British awareness of the devastation of the Bosnian conflict that had never registered in our own country. <BR><BR>Have fun--your mother is a lucky person.<BR><BR>