Great tips everyone! I'll do another revision soon :-)

Because of logistics, I'm allocating Friday as full day in London:

Friday

AM: Tower of London (3 hours or so)
7PM: Along the Thymes Pub Walk

In between, I need help to plan things so I don't duplicate what's included in the Thymes Walk. Here is the link to the walk:

http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Ho...ult.aspx#12894

I've looked at maps and guidebooks but I'm still not sure. Some key words: Tower Bridge, Southbank, Borough Market, Tate Modern, London Eye.

Forgive my silly question: are kids (14 years old) allowed on the pub walk?

From Wiki:

>>Many London pubs, especially in the residential areas, are child friendly in the early evenings and weekend afternoons and are a good escape with small children. Look for a neighborhood pub with outdoor seating and you can spend a nice afternoon with a beer or two to wash down a spicy Thai lunch or an old fashioned roast while the kids run around in the open air

Forgive my silly question: are kids (14 years old) allowed on the pub walk? >>>

I'd email and check but I would guess so. They can't drink of course.

Hi

It's only a two hour walk. It might overlap other things you've seen, but even if it does, so what - it's nice to have a guide point things out. Not to mention that you will be doing this in the evening and in order to see some things when they are open you will need to be there earlier. For instance, Borough Market.

You'll spend more than two hours making sure it doesn't overlap things - I'd just do the walk, do whatever sightseeing strikes your fancy, and don't worry about it.

This is just to help you in your research (not a criticism), but it is "Thames," not "Thymes."

As far as I can tell, the pub walk is along the South Bank of the Thames. So anything on the north side of the river (which is most touristy things) would not duplicate what you're seeing - touring the inside of Westminster Abbey, for example, or visiting Covent Garden or one of the parks, or even a museum if there's one that does interest you. If you want to actually tour the Globe, that's another possibility, as the pub walk wouldn't include a full tour.

Thanks for the advice!

Update:

Used Priceline and got Park Plaza Victoria (2 minute walk to Victoria Station) for US110/night in July. Looks like a nice hotel in a good location. Oxford Tube departs from Victoria Station and our daytrip tour to Windsor/Bath also picks up from the hotel :-)

Given the hotel's location, I think we might go to Abbey in the morning and Tower in the afternoon.

Any suggestions on what do do on the day of arrival? Will arrive at hotel around 2PM (not St. Paul's coz it's included in a later tour).

The Royal Mews is nearby [the hotel], not sure if that is of interest.

It's exactly one mile to Big Ben - why not take a stroll over there?

You might even be able to visit Westminster Abbey at that tiem, too. Or, you could walk across the bridge and visit the London Eye.

A nice stroll would be:

Walk to Big Ben.
Walk up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square.
Walk down the Mall (or scoot over to Birdcage Walk), past St. James Park to Buckingham Palace.
From there walk back to your hotel - you're almost there, from Buckingham Palace.

You'd be surprised what a second wind will get you. If you get into your room and can shower before heading out, you'll do well for several hours. Showers always perk me up after a long flight.

What's "Oxford Tube"? Where'd you get your information?

There's no Oxford tube line, and the TRAIN to Oxford is from Paddington, not Victoria. The trains from Victoria Station go south and southeast of London; Oxford is west and north of London. Simply stated, if you take the TUBE from Victoria and expect to get to Oxford, you're bound for disappointment.

The only way your statement makes any sense is if you mean the TUBE to OXFORD CIRCUS leaves from the Victoria TUBE station. That is far different. Oxford Circus is an area of London that connects to Piccadilly Circus via Regent Street -- the retail extravaganza where you can find Topshop and nearly every other respectable brand you can imagine.

BigRuss,

OxfordTube is a bus that goes from London to Oxford:

http://www.oxfordtube.com/

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhh.

Corrected, I stand.

The names confuse me too :-)

The various public transportation options confuse me even more, being from LA/OC.

I wouldn't overplan things. You won't know till you get there what you want to do on your arrival day - it's your first time in Europe (and I'm assuming overseas), so how jet lagged you'll be, whether your flight is delayed, how long it takes to get to your hotel will all play a part. Just keep it loose, know what you're close to and decide when you get there.

As far as public transport: In London, you'll use the Tube and the bus. And your feet. (The busses are really easy, but I think they're easier once you have a general idea of geography.) You can use an Oyster card for both - this is a card which is loaded with either a Travelcard (gives you the ability to ride unlimited for X days) or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) credit, which debits your account per ride. There are TONS of threads here about the Oyster.

Speaking of jet lag, I'm OK dealing with jet lag going to Asia but Europe is probably going to feel different. Hoping for a lower-level jet lag:-)