London Itinerary
 

Hi There,
We are planning a trip to London next month, and have a few places that we would like to see. However, we are not familar with the layout and transport of London, so am hoping that you can help us figure out where to go/what days. We're not sure how much time we will spend at any of these places...so any ideas would be very nice.
Here are places we would like to see:
Tower of London
National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery
Natural History Museum
Hampton Court Palace
Westminster Abbey
Madam Tussauds
Any other recommendations as well...we (rather, I) enjoy Tudor history...
We have five days.
Thank you

One thing I would recommend would be to get Streetwise London. This map will show you in a concise form where all your interests lie including the nearby tube stations. That way you can lay out your days.

I also would highly recommend taking the Big Bus or like (a hop on/off bus) your first day to give you the lay of the land plus you can hop off at a site you would like to see and then hop on to continue your tour of London. It's so worth the money for first time visitors.

The Natural History Museum is rather close to the V&A Museum, whose British Galleries cover the period from 1500-1900. I enjoyed the whole thing -- you might especially enjoy the displays from the 1500s.

I think you could spend most of a day at Hampton Court Palace.

Enjoy!
Annette

Advice on getting around London depends a bit on where you're staying. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are adjacent to each other in Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey is walkable, straight down Whitehall from Trafalgar Sq. I would give Madame Tussauds a miss unless you have children with you. Hampton Court is wonderful and easily reached by train from Waterloo Station. The earliest parts are Tudor and fascinating--Woolsey's apartment, the Tudor kitchen, banqueting hall, etc. Allow a minimum of 1/2 to 3/4 of a day, same for Tower of London which is also steeped in Tudor history and earlier. To get around London by tube, the cheapest and most convenient method is the Oyster card.

I'd also give Madam Tussauds a miss and perhaps go the the V&A or the museum of London.

Madam Tussauds must have been wonderful in the days before TV when you didn't actually know what people looked like.
Nowadays, it's more, "Doesn't look a bit like him, does it!"

You might want to take a hop on/hop off bus the first day to get oriented.

I would add the British museum to your list

If you check out tour guides or websites like this one or frommers you can get an idea of how to combine the different sites on your list in a logical way. some examples
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...055010007.html
http://www.londontourist.org/itinerary.html

You should really invest in a good city map now for planning purposes

Hi!
If you are interested, here is our overview of London's attractions, including day trips, restaurants etc. http://burlaki.com/travelog/2008/03/...tions/#more-71
Do not forget a good map! We love the one made by BORCH. Have a wonderful trip!

If it's Tudor history...

- Museum of London
- I think the only surviving Tudor private house (London's buildings are mostly astonishingly new): Sutton House: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

There's surprisingly little Tudor left in London. Outside, there's a lot of Tudor building in Oxford and Cambridge, a smattering of Tudor churches around the country and Tudor additions to practically every medieval church in the land. But little in London survived the Great Fire, or later improvers.

However, the Tudors' major contribution was making us think for ourselves, and that means books. Which in turn means the British Library gallery.

I would recommend the British Galleries in the V&A (close to the Natural History Museum); Hampton Court Palace (a day trip); the National Portrait Gallery and the Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth Chapels in Westminster Abbey (the Abbey and the gallery are within walking distance, via Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament). You should also enjoy the Tower of London, if you don't mind queues, and the British Museum is very interesting (I love the Harris chess pieces and the treasure trove finds). Madam Tussaud's is not that interesting and I would never go there again.

For entertainment, you could book tickets for a performance at the Globe Theatre (a reproduction of Shakespeare's original on the South Bank, with an exhibition about Elizabethan London below). For a drink or a meal (good but not cheap) in one of London's oldest pubs, try the Seven Stars at 53 Carey Street (behind the Royal Courts of Justice); it's been there since 1602, surviving the Great Fire. It's also a favourite haunt of lawyers.

The Oyster card is the cheapest and best way to get around on buses and tubes, but you will need to get a rail ticket for Hampton Court.

Ditto for the streetwise map of London. I would also recommend Kew which can be done the same day as Happton Court.

Yes, add the British Museum and the British Library to your list. And maybe a visit to the Globe Theatre, a reproduction of the Shakespearean original. Even if you don't go to a play there, you can take a tour of the building.

In fact, plays in London are great. Try to do at least one.

And London walks(www.walks.com) has a wide variety of inexpensive walking tours that have added a lot to our time in London.

Finally, I always regret not spending more time in London's parks. They should be especially nice in the spring.

This is great..thanks everyone for all of the resources and suggestions!