London 3 Days Ist time VIsit!
 

We will be in london for three days in February, from a Saturday morning and flying out Tuesday morning. Seems like a short time but we want to see as much as possible. Staying at the Hilton Metropole. First time visitors. Please advise on what to see and where to go, ETC.

One thing you might want to consider is the hop on hop off bus tour. It's a great way to get around the city and really see the sights. Get off at any of the stops for a closer look, or ride the whole loop then go back to what you want to spend more time at. This also works well as an "orientation tour"

Thanks for the suggestion! That sounds like a great idea.

The first time I went to London we were there for three days.

Here's what we did:

Started out at Trafalgar Square, walked toward the Thames and on the way caught the changing of the gaurd.
At the Thames, saw Big Ben and Parliment and then crossed the bridge and went on the London Eye- definitely do the London Eye, and book your tix in advance to make it easier.
After our "ride" on the Eye, we walked back the way we had come, through St. James park, to Buckingham Palace.

From there we wandered over to Picadilly Circus, had some lunch, and then walked over to Covent Garden for some shopping and people watching (highly recommend Covent Garden).

We then hopped on the tube and went to Madame Toussards Wax Museum, and from there went to St. Paul's before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Day 2:
Started out at the Tower of London, get there early if you want to see the jewels. We then went to SoHo and wandered around, and then checked out China Town. This day was leisurely for us- we were spending time w/ my fiance's sister and her husband (fi is british), so a lot of it was about the people, not the place.
That night, we went to see Iolanthe at the Savoy.

You can really pack in a lot in one day in London, we did not do any museums on that trip, mainly because everyone but me had been to all of them several times.
In any case, hope this helped a bit.

You've gotten some good advice so far! One thing I would disagree with, though, is I would say wait to buy your Eye tickets in London. In February you will likely not have a line to contend with, and it would be sad to have purchased the rather expensive tickets in advance only to have that day be rainy and gray.

Also consider a London Walk http://london.walks.com/ especially in the evening (or theatre is another good evening choice). The pub walks are a fun way to see a particular neighborhood up close, and the guides are very good.

I was in London in November for the first time and I only had 2 days to see the sights. Here's a recap of what I did, maybe it will help you out.

The first day I started in the Westminster area and saw Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey, which in my opinion is an absolute must for anyone at all interested in European history. From there I walked along the Thames to St. Paul's Cathedral. Much of St. Paul's was covered in scaffolding, but was still worth the visit. I would strongly recommend climbing to the top of St. Paul's for an incredible view of London. It was a hard climb, but definitely worth it. After this, I walked across the Millenium bridge to the Tate Modern, which I thought was a great place! The main room was dedicated to a very neat exhibit on weather. It doesn't sound all that interesting, but it was actually pretty impressive. I think that it will still be on in February, and even if you don't think you'd be interested, if you are in the area, you should pop in for at least a few minutes. It's free so you don't have to worry about getting your money's worth. After the Tate, I took a bus to Trafalgar Square and then walked to Buckingham Palace. Lastly, I spent some time wandering around Picadilly circus before calling it a day.

The second day was more relaxed. I started out by taking the metro to the Tower of London. I then spent the afternoon in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. I'm not a huge art person but I couldn't help but be impressed by this place. Again, it is free so it doesn't hurt to at least take a short look. That evening I went back to Tower of London/Tower Bridge to see them lit up at night and walked around St. Katharine's docks. I also went back to see Parliament at night.

So that was my whirlwind trip to London. I agree that you can definitely see a lot in a day. I didn't buy a ticket for the hop on hop off bus tours and I did fine without it. I was thinking about it but decided to just buy a 2 day pass for the metro and buses, which is much cheaper and just as efficient in my opinion.

I hope that you can take something useful out of my ramblings! Have a great trip!

Thanks so much, your info is very helpful!

If you run into bad weather in February, you can spend part of your time visiting some of the wonderful museums in London including the Imperial War Museum and the British Library. The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are absolute "must dos". I don't know whether boats run on the Thames during the winter months, but if they do consider booking a dinner cruise out to Greenwich and back. You will get a different perspective of the city from the water. You obtain a sense of the bombing damage sustained during the Battle of Britain as well as wonderful night views of London Bridge, the Tower of London, and the British Parliment.

The Metropole is a large urban hotel in a very cosmopolitan part of the city. It's location will allow you to take the Heathrow Express out to Paddington Station and then catch a black cab to your hotel. You will need to get out and explore other neighborhoods including the Bloomsbury and Kensington Gardens areas however to get a feel for other, more traditional parts of London. Enjoy your trip!

Check on when the London Eye will be reopening - I think it is 2/3/04 - they have closed it now for repairs.

To chris139 We were in London during Christmas and New Years. We waited to get our London Eye tkts. We had no trouble getting them in London at the Eye and the wait line was only about 10-15 minutes to get aboard for the 30 minute ride. A nice pub is the Salisbury on St Martins Lane Covent Garden.

Hi
at the top of this screen, click on Destinations, then on London
You will find lots of suggestions, including an itinerary for a short visit
Narrow it down, or add other items.

I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]