help with planning visit to London next week (5 days)
 

First of all I wanted to thank everyone for their help with all my questions. With the trip getting pretty close I have more and more questions. We (2 adults and 2 children, 7 and 16 year old girls)will be arriving Saturday, Nov 23 around 2 and I expect getting to the hotel around 4 in the afternoon. We will be meeting my daughter friend that evening, so I am not extemely worried about that day. Sunday, Non 24-Hampton court (they have special cooking tour). <BR>What I would like your all to help me with is the rest of the days. We would like to see:<BR>British Museum<BR>Science Museum<BR>Tower of London<BR>change of the gaurds (?)<BR>Tate modern<BR>shopping (Harrods,other)<BR>Globe<BR>hop on/hop off bus<BR>couple of plays (I have a list and we will chose which one we can get at half-price boot). <BR>I will probably forgetrting some......<BR>Could you tell me wich locations are more close to the others so we can combine them?Also except the theatre what else open late? I checked the hours for the museums and everything seems to be closing around 6. <BR>

Skip the Changing of the Guards, it's boring and crowded.<BR><BR>You'llneed amapto get aroundanyway, why not get onenow, highlight all yourdestinationson it? You'll need a map with Tubestations, too -- Ilikehte ones withcoloredlines thatshow thetube lines, it helpsin route planning.<BR><BR>Severalofhe museums aer openone or two evenings each week. Be careful, though -- on the night that the Brit Museumis open, some of the galleries close early anyway, so do those first. <BR><BR>Whicheverday you go to the Tower, get there before it opensand co FIRST to the jewels, then go back to the entrance and take the free Beefeaters tour, they're wonderful.

Yikes, sorry, I think my space bar is broken and I hit send before I edited!

Well working from where things are located, I'd group things:<BR><BR>Science Museum- Shopping<BR><BR>Tower of London-Tate Modern-Globe (and the free Thames boat ride you'll likely get if you take a hop-on-hop-off tour) <BR><BR>Changing of the Guards will depend on the days it's offered while you're there.<BR><BR>Another note, I visited the Tower back in September, and it was while not empty, far from crowded, no need for a line to see the Crown Jewels. So I don't think getting there 1st thing is quite so necessary.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip, looks like my family and I will be arriving just after you leave!

Hi Nat, I think you already got a good plan from one of the other posters, just wanted to let you know that in November, the changing of the guards happens only on odd dates (like Nov. 25 or 27) so plan your days accordingly. <BR><BR>Also, if you go to www.londontouristboard.com and click on &quot;maplondon&quot; you get an interactive map that you can see where all the highlights are. It's a good tool to see what's in different parts of the city.<BR><BR>Have a great trip! <BR>

Nat,<BR>Don't forget the London Eye, I think the kids will enjoy it, and so will the adults.<BR>I don't know what time they close this time of the year but we've been on it twice and the last time about twilight - very pretty to see the city &quot;lighing up&quot;.

Nat,<BR>you might want to check out <BR>http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/londo...ondon_main.htm for some good resources on sights to see, shopping, and maps.<BR>Say Aloha to the Queen for me.<BR>Cheers

The DK Eyewitness guide to London has the sights of the city broken into regions...very handy book with some good maps as well.

for alternative Changings of the Guards, with many fewer tourists, there's one at the Horse Guards every day I think, which is on Whitehall.<BR>If it's a nice day you can walk from there to the lake in St James's park, and feed the Queen's ducks, as Londoner Ben Haines refers to them (bring your own bread)<BR><BR>I think the Tower of London also has one.<BR>Do check the websites for these places, they can be very helpful.<BR><BR>I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me

London Transport has lots of maps/guides/folders - dealing with these and working out how to get from A to B could be something to involve the youngsters (and for free).<BR><BR>You can see and download printable copies from their website:<BR>http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/out_abt.shtml<BR><BR>http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/interactive_journey.shtml<BR><BR>and/or pick them up at LT information offices and the bigger tube stations.<BR><BR>Personally I'd only do one museum in a day, and spend the rest of it doing something else. As someone has said, you can combine Science Museum (or V&amp;A) with Harrods and Knightsbridge shopping. Similarly you can combine the British Museum and maybe Oxford St/Regent St shops (Hamleys for the younger, Topshop for the older, maybe?) if your feet and credit cards will stand it. The Tower combines with a river trip to Bankside pier for the Globe and/or Tate Modern (check out the exploding piano and the HUGE new installation in the turbine hall); if your feet are up to it, walk over the Millennium Bridge to St Pauls, where they may well be some music to listen to, or at least plenty of places roundabout to sit.<BR>

The first time I went to London, I got on to one of the bus tours that take you all around with a commentary &amp; stayed on the bus. It gives you a view, albeit from the bus, of everything, some interesting &quot;patter&quot; but most importantly an idea of where things are relative to each other. It was a good intro to the city.

I am sure for shopping your daughters would enjoy shops about Picadilly &amp; you can always hop into Fordham &amp; Mason for a bit of sanity.

That's Fortnum &amp; Mason (Where did 'Fordham' come from - have you even been there?)