home_owner

Need some suggestions. we are 4 days in London. I was planning to take 1 day trip to Stonehenge which leaves 3 day in London. We wanted to cover Westminster, London Tower, London Eye, St. Paul's, Big Ben, Parliament, walk London Bridge, watch change of guards (if possible), Trafalgar Sq, British Museum. Optionals are Tate Modern and Madame Tussauds.

Is there any other recommended site that should not be missed in any case? Is Kensignton Palace worth a visit during a short trip? Can the above be done in 3 days? We will be staying at Hyde Park Corner. I dont want to skip Stonhenge as it has been my husband's wish to see it for a long time.

I also read about 2 for 1 tickets for some of these sights. Do we both need to have day passes or rail tickets to get this deals? Should I buy tickets to sites when we get there? From Heathrow I was planning to buy Oyster cards to hotel.

Please advise...

gh21

I think you can see all on you list. Stonehenge may not be a full day, could do London eye in the evening (can buy tickets ahead for a specified time to avoid lines)

Nikki

I would not buy tickets ahead of time for the London Eye. You won't want to go if it is rainy or foggy. I think it is best to be flexible about it and go when the weather is good.

europeannovice

Don't waste your time with Kensington Palace. It was quite awful as they are undergoing extensive renovation and basically made it like a haunted house of sorts. We went only because we had the London Pass and used it but we had read negative reviews before we went and they were all accurate. Don't bother with the London Pass for the few days you are going. To make use of it, the per day cost would not be good value. You would be better off with the 2 for 1's that you print out from daysout and will need a train ticket.

Also do you live near a big city that has a Madam Tussauds nearby? Go see it there. don't waste your precious little time in London to go see that when there are world class museums to be seen like the National Gallery, British Museum, Museum of London to get a feel for London's history, Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms to name a few.

In one day we covered the following: Go to the Tower of London first thing, see the crown jewels, take a Beefeater tour that is free and see the White Tower for arms and armour at a minimum. We spent about 4 hours there including a bite to eat. Then we saw the Tower Bridge and took a city cruise over to Westminster where you see Parliament and Big Ben. Right nearby is Westminster Abbey--no time to tour it though and near that is the Churchill War Rooms which is open until six. After, cross the bridge and take a ride on the London Eye in the evening. It is a very long full day but covers a lot of ground.

If you are there on a Friday, I recommend taking the Royal London Walk with the company called London Walks. You meet in front of a tube station and they walk you into Green Park, stop by the perfect spot to see the changing of the guard by Buckingham Palace and then break you into small groups to go into Westminster Abbey for a 45 minute tour. It was great.

On day three you can cover St Paul in the morning and the British Museum in the afternoon. Alternatively you can group the Tower of London with St Paul and include the other venues on different days. Group things by area to make the most of your time.

home_owner

thanks for the advice about kensignton and Tussauds. I feel good now that I can leave these 2 site out. I agree can visit Madam Tussauds in my city.

How far is Oxford, Avon, etc. Worth a visit?

KayF

If you only have 4 days in London, then spend it in London. We lived there for years and still missed out on a lot of things. There is an enormous amount to see and do there. Don't cut it short by travelling to Oxford etc, as nice as these places are.

I also wouldn't go to Stonehenge if it was me, a not very interesting pile of stones in my opinion, we drove past it and thought, mmmm. Still if your husband is keen, you could check out the Explorer Days with London Walks

http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Ho...n/default.aspx

I also think you mean to walk over Tower Bridge, not London Bridge. I'd skip Kensington Palace as well, it's a bit of a disappointment when compared to Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Buckingham Palace, the Royal Pavilion etc etc.

The Wallace Collection is a wonderful, fairly small museum (free entry) that is not far from where you are staying. If you have time, spend an hour or two there. It's very close to Marylebone High Street which is full of nice small shops and cafes and leads up to Regents Park.

Kay

nytraveler

Kill Mme Tussauds - a complete waste of time. Be sure you see Magna Carta in the British Library. If it were me I would do a boat trip to somewhere - there are a lot of choices - and try to fit in the V&A. If you are interested in WWII see Churchill's War Rooms - fascinating.

I didn't see Kensington Palace until my 5th or 6th trip - when I was picking up random things I hadn't seen - only mildly interesting.

home_owner

thanks, on the day to Stonehenge we will also visit Windsor and Bath. I have heard mixed reviews on Stonhenge, it will not be total disappointment since we are doing other two sites. I I found a global tour offering in one day visitng Oxford, Stratford, Cotswald, Warwick. Since we are tight on time I dont mind doing in 1 day since this will be my only opportunity. But are these sites worth a day trip? I know many people will suggest do things in London but I also would like to have a compeleter UK experience if possible as I might not get a chance to come back again.

Dazedandconfused

Frankly (and I am admittedly a "city person"), I don't think so. LOVED the Tate and the Tate Modern, and hope you'll take the opportunity to enjoy at least one whilst in London. Hope you have a great trip no matter what you decide to do/see.

KayF

All the places you mention are worth a trip but you wouldn't see very much visiting four places in one day. It sounds like you'd have a drive by or possibly an hour in some places, seems hardly worth it but it depends on what you like. Why not do some more reading, make a list of places in London and also places outside London and pick your top choices. If you think you may never go back to the UK I can see why you want to see something outside London but it does seem like you are skimming the surface of everything.

Kay

Mary24

You can do all the locations you mention in 3 days. Some are very close together - eg Big Ben, Houses of Parliament (both walks bys) and Westminister Abbey. Agree with posters about Madame Tussauds - but my friend insisted we had to go there so had to include that.
As mentioned by a previous poster London Walks does a "Stonehenge and Salisbury" Explorer Day - they go every Tuesday starting in May I think. Walks.com. I would like to try this day as the two Explorer Days I have been on with them have both been excellent.
As you will be doing a lot of walking if you can organise one of your days itineries to be by one of the Thames piers (eg Westminster pier) you could do a trip either up or down river - for half days outings. Alternatives would be Greenwich going in one direction or Hampton Court Palace in the other - I did both and was very grateful for the sit down! But be sure to take the trains back to the centre, easily sign posted when you are there.
If you post a bit more about any specific interests we could point you in the direction of other sites you might like to see.

avalon

If you go to St Paul's be prepared to pay a high entrance fee. It is an easy walk from there either to the City of London Museum or cross the Millenium Bridge to visit SouthBank and the Eye. You could make a fast tour of the Globe theater. If a Thus friday or Sat. you might walk over to Borough Market on SouthBank . you could pop into Southwark Cathedra while there.

I do not like the Tate Modern also on SOuthBank. I prefer the Tate Britain and then taking the boat across the street fro it to SouthBank

home_owner

thanks, more interested in sightseing, historical stuff. For that reason I can skip Tussauds. I unedrstand 3-4 days are not enough for a culturally rich city as London but we want to get best of London and possibly outside London experience. So in the tight schedule we decided to take the Stonhenge, Windsor, Bath tour one day rather than doing it ourselves. Not the best way but we will get a chance to visit these three sites which otherwise we would never have been able to go to. I know this will not be a relaxing vacation and we are fine with that.

home_owner

Is it worth going inside St. Paul or shoudl I skip it. I was planning to go inside Westminister Abbey. I have heard so much about this London landmark (St. Paul) so didnt want to miss it. Most of these sights have steep entrance fees. No way to get around it.

jamikins

I definitely think its worth it - and you can climb up the dome as well for great views.

home_owner

love this site and all of you helping me. It's making it so much easier. some suggested visitng Hampton Court Palace. how many hours will it take to visit this sight..Is it worth the visit and time?

jamikins

HCP is basically a day trip so you would need to decide between that and some of the other sites. With a day trip already planned I would give it a miss this time around personally.

historytraveler

I'm curious about your Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath day trip. Does the tour actually specify what you will be visiting? If a <I>visit</I> to Stonehenge is important, be sure you will be stopping and not just driving by. Seems like a lot of stops and distance to cover for a day trip.

home_owner

i guess it is a long day trip but many tour companies offer this in London. Just google windsor, stonehnege and bath. Apparaently it is the most popular day trip.
http://www.globetrips.com/London/Win...and-Stonehenge

the site says they will do all three and entry tickets are included in the price. Probably they will stop an hour or so at Stonehenge which will give us a good idea about the place.

historytraveler

Fine. Just checking to make sure you were getting what you planned on.