We leave this Saturday for London (from France). There are my husband and I and our 2-year-old daughter. I try to keep the itinerary "loose" - have a list of must-see's, but in the end, when we do them kind of depends on how my daughter is doing and nap times. : )


Here's my very rough itinerary, followed by our must-sees:

Saturday - Arrive at 5:30pm
- Take JustAirports shuttle to Oxford Hotel in Bayswater
- Local dinner and bed

Sunday - Explore Kensington and everything there
- Spencer House open this day ONLY
- Art show along Bayswater on Sundays


Monday - Start at 10:15am with Royal London Walk, includes Changing of the Guard
- Big Bus Tour hop on/off
- River Thames cruise


Tuesday - 9am sharp-Tower of London
(see Attack the Tower here)


Weds - See what we haven't yet seen from our list
- 5pm Wembley Arena for Barney Live

Thursday - Leave Stansted at 1:30pm

Must-sees (besides those listed above):
-Notting Hill area
-London Eye (when weather permits)
-Westminster Abbey
-Hampton Court Palace
-Big Ben/10 Downing St.
-Globe Theatre
-St. Paul's Cathedral - I read that it's free after 4pm but you can't see the Whispering Gallery...is that important/interesting enough to spend the entry fee?
-Harrod's (will go here by myself during daughter's nap)

Maybe's (if there's time):
-Royal Mews
-National Portrait Gallery
-Trafalgar Square

Am I leaving off anything that you think are MUST SEE'S?? I know there are many museums, etc., but just not possible with a 2-year-old.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks!

Wesch,
Regarding your question about St.Paul's Cathedral - It is a reasonable hike up the stairs to the Whispering Gallery - I don't think that it would be appropriate for a two year old. You can actually go two elevations higher, all the way to the top. The views of London are spectacular. It's something like 600 or 700 steps to the top. Not for the faint of heart.

JoeG

re St Paul's -- it is not just the whispering gallery you miss by going after 4 p.m. You basically can not go beyond the Chior since it is blocked off in preparation for evensong. So you can't see a LOT of the cathedral -- that is whyt it is free.

as for the rest of your plans -- with all the "musts" on your list I would scrap your Monday Plans and work in a few of the things on your list. To devote some of your VERY limited time to the changing of the Guard, etc would be a shame. Why not go out to Hampton Court Palace that morning and then get back to central London by mid afternoon and squeeze in one or two sites from your list.

Then some others can be worked in on Tues/wed.

Wesch, It makes sense to do St. Paul's the same day as the Tower of London. Just take Bus #15 from the Tower and it goes right by St. Paul's. It then goes to Trafalgar Square, so you could include that the same day as well.

I haven't done the hop on/off bus, but I assume it will go by Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, so hop off and see the Abbey then. It probably also goes by Buckingham Palace, so hop off and do the Royal Mews then. In this case, you probably won't have time to do the Thames Cruise, so move that to Wed.

Hampton Court takes a minimum of 1/2 a day, and most probably more, so you might have to cut this out or cut out something else to make room for it.
Have a great trip!

Thanks for all of your replies. Very helpful indeed.

I didn't realize that Hampton Court would take as much time as I now see that it does.

Is it worth it? Given my time constraints: go for it or scrap it??

thanks

Your hop on hop off ticket is good for 24 hours. Save the Thames river ride for Tuesday morning and take the boat to the Tower.

I thought Hampton Court was really a great day. There are (included) guided tours by costumed guides that were excellent. The kitchen tours with the free headset was great too. Lots of gardens to give your 2 year old run around time.

With only 4 days, you might want to skip Hampton Court. It's a great tour, but realistically it will take a good portion of a day to see it and get back to London.

Try to group things together that are in the same area (i.e. Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square) Big Ben is also really nice to see after dark!

Instead of seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, why not see it at the Horseguards. You will see so much more (http://www.changing-the-guard.com/sched.htm)

With your limited time, I would also skip Notting Hill. The shops along Portobello Road are interesting, but I wouldn't consider it a must-see.

If you'll be seeing St. Paul's, the Globe is just a short walk away over the Millenium Bridge. But in the summer months, I think the Globe only has morning tours. Make sure you check their website for times.

On Sunday, you might want to start your day at Buckingham Palace, get some pics, walk through Green Park to Spencer House, walk by St. James's Palace, stop by the Fortnum & Mason food hall, then stoll along the art show on Baywater.

I am planning my own trip to London for 8 days and am following this link with interest. Great ideas, and getting info such as bus numbers is incredibly helpful. Am following weather reports for London daily. I will be in London 8 days mid June.

Hi, I live in London and work in the City of London so hopefully I can help a little. I would definitely scrap Hampton Court. It will take you too long to get there and back, there are so many other places to see in Central London. Agree with previous posts about grouping together The Tower, St Pauls and Westminster. Have you thought also of visiting The Monument? This is where the great fire of London started, it's situated on the north side of London Bridge, around a 5/10 minute walk down Eastcheap from The Tower. You can still pick up the number 15 from there and travel on to St Pauls via Bank and Mansion House and Cheapside.

If you decide to walk from the Tower towards the Monument (not sure if it's that good an idea with a 2-year old: the Monument itself is a great column you can walk up inside if you wish...)

then you could stop for a while at St Dunstan in the East where there's a very pleasant garden built in the ruins of the old church - might be a good place to get some quiet rest after the Tower.

Thanks to all - these are great ideas.

A few questions:

-We researched the London Pass, and it looks like that would not be a good deal for us. Can anyone recommend any other ways to save money on admission prices? I see that there is a combo ticket for Kensington and Tower. Anything else I should know about?

-The Tube. There is a 7-day pass. Is that worth it, or do most people just buy them one trip at a time?

-If we do try to go to Hampton Court, what is the best/quickest way to get there? We are staying in the Bayswater area.

-Charley1965: what is the weather like right now?? It looks like not quite shorts weather, is that correct? We are trying to pack light, but this in-between weather is making it difficult!

Thanks in advance! We really appreciate all of the help from fellow Fodorites!

Hi there, the weather today is not so good as it has been lately. Saying that though, I just had a lunchtime stroll and it seems to be brightening up a little, although I would not say it was warm enough to go without a jacket. As you know, the weather is so unpredictable here! I think rain is forecast for the weekend unfortunately. Not sure about the 7 day pass for the tube, I'm sure someone else could advise you better than myself. I always buy a Travelcard daily if using the tube/bus, but I'm sure you could save more buying a visitors travelcard.

Just had a look how to get to Hampton Court. You will have to get a train from Waterloo and it's a 32 minute journey with a short walk from the station. The hardest part of the journey would probably be Bayswater to Waterloo.

If you're going to be using the tube for a lot of your transport, a Family Travelcard will be the most economical. Its disadvantage for you is that you can't use it until 9:30 am on weekdays and that appears to impact your Tues/Wed schedule.

The most convenient option will be a Zone 1/7 day Travelcard. 17 GPB per adult, kids under 5 travel free.

The Underground website is here:

http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/tickets/default.asp

Click on Fares 2004 for a pdf file which will give all the info you'll need (and then some). Look under the Travelcard section.

You won't need shorts in London with the temps in the mid to upper 60's.

If the weather is fine, don't miss some of London's beautiful parks. Perfect spots for your daughter to let loose some toddler energy. Get some take out from one of the food halls or groceries and have a picnic.

Have a great trip.

Relevant prices:

SINGLE RIDES in Zone 1 cost £2.

You can get a book of 10 "carnet" tickets (good in Zone 1 only) for £15. These are good for one year and can be used by multiple people. The only popular travel destinations in Zone 2 are Greenwich and the zoo.

REGULAR TRAVELCARDS, purchased in London for unlimited tube rides in Zone 1&2 and unlimited bus:

7-day travelcard: £20.20
1-day travelcard: £5.30 before 9:30 AM, £4.30 after 9:30
Weekend travelcard (2 days): £6.40

You can also get a 7-day travelcard for just Zone 1 for £17.

VISITORS TRAVELCARDS purchased in advance by mail from www.ticket-on-line.com:

3-day: £13.40
4-day: £16.70
7-day: £20.40 (about the same as buying in London).

For further details, including other zones and rates for children (under 16), see:

http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk...04/index.shtml (use the web links rather than downloading the huge "leaflet&quot

http://www.ticket-on-line.com/cgi-bi...te=info_prices

The trains from Waterloo to Hampton Court stop at Wimbledon. Therefore, the easiest route from Bayswater is to take the District Line tube from Bayswater to Wimbledon, then get the train to Hampton Court. Get a Travelcard for zones 1 to 6, and it will cover the whole journey. That gives you the flexibility to return by any route - train to Waterloo then tube, bus to Richmond then tube, or whatever.

We did London and Paris five years ago, and wandered around on our own for a day, then went on a Trafalgar tour that my agent had booked - a one day city tour that was so great we booked a second one to Dover (white cliffs) that included Leeds castle - a great day.

I wouldn't pay the extra amount to get a card for Zones 1-6 just to go to Hampton Court. Just get the Zone 1 card and pay a small supplement to go to Hampton Court, if you decide to go there.

One thing about Kensington Palace, my mother and I went there and enjoyed it, but we mainly went to see the Queen's hats and Diana's dresses. If you're not interested in those, I don't think it's worth it and I think your daughter would be bored. Just my opinion.