We'll be celebrating our 35th anniversary in September with a first-time trip to Europe! Our first stop is London. Would appreciate any help/suggestions with the rough draft itinerary we've put together for our 4 days in London. We've rented a flat off St. Martin's Lane (Leicester Square closest tube stop). Any feedback much appreciated!

Day 1 - Head to Trafalgar Square; walk down The Mall to Changing of the Guard Ceremony.Take tube Victoria Station to Embankment (Embankment Gardens pretty picnic area-below Savoy hotel). Sandwich/food shops around tube station. Or lunch at Café in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.Take West End Walking Tour.End at Wolsely 160 Piccadilly for tea (or Waterstone’s Bookstore, 203 Piccadilly, 5th floor bar great view; also has afternoon tea). Dinner at Salsbury Pub? Other option: 8pm Wednesday night jazz at St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Day 2 - Walk to Green Park Tube Station and board Big Bus Hop On-Hop Off Tours. Tour entire red tour, then switch over to Blue tour at Marble Arch.
Get off at Harrods; continue to Victoria & Albert Museum, Kensington Gardens (picnic?) or The Orangery at Kensington Palace.Back on bus to Tower Pier; take river cruise to Westminster or Waterloo Pier depending on time.(5pm Evensong service at Westminster Abbey). Take Westminster Walking Tour. London Eye before or after.

Day 3 - Take tube to Tower of London; take tours (Crown Jewels/Beefeater)
Cross Tower Bridge to Jubilee Walkway and continue to Borough Market (open 12-6pm). Take London Bridge tube back to flat.

Day 4 - Thames River Festival on South Bank. Check out Tate Modern? (Level 7 restaurant & bar with views of St. Paul’s Cathedral). Walk across Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral (Evensong at 5pm); stop at historic pubs on way back to flat (Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, The Blackfriar).

Day 5 - Eurostar to Paris

IMHO you have missed some of the major sights -

British Museum and Library (Magna Carta)
Tour of Westminster Abbey (don't seem to have time)
St Paul's
National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery
Green or St James Park
Changing of the Horseguards (much easier to see)

I would bag the HoHo bus. London has massive traffic and you will spend a lot of time just sitting in it looking at locals going about their daily lives - versus actually seeing some of these fascinating sights. Feet and tube are much better for transit.

Also, you don;t seem to have left much time for exploring some of these areas by foot.

I'm with nyt on this.

By the way changing of the guards is a bit like watching paint dry, standing up, with lots of smelly people standing too close to you, but hey it's your holiday

Day 2 seems to have way too much in it, but I think the V&A needs a half day plus lunch.

Tate modern, try and get the bar type seats side by side at the start of the restaurant as the view is easy from there rather than the normal tables further on as one of you gets to look as the serving tables all the time.

Agree with the above.

Not sure what day you are planning to visit Borough Market but full market days are only on Thurs - Sat from 10am - 5/6pm. It is open for lunch Mon - Wed from 10-3 but its not really the same atmosphere: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

I really hate HOHO buses as they get stuck in traffic. I think a better use of your time would be to pick a couple of the other major sites and use the tube. They are also very expensive.

Also check out www.walks.com for affordable walks and tours.

Enjoy!

Thanks for your input! As always, so much to see and so little time. I will definitely check in to your suggestions to tweak the itinerary.

The Thames Festival is my absolute favourite thing in the yearly calender, especially the procession on the last night. I usually watch from the north bank, near Temple tube station.

Here are some of my pics from last year:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4945230...7631503735748/

Wow, photos look great. Unfortunately have to leave London for Paris on Sunday so will miss the parade/fireworks on the last night. We will only be at the Thames Festival on Saturday.

jamikins, we plan to go to Borough Market on Friday so that should work! Thanks for the London Walks link.

The vergers' tour of Westminster Abbey is one of the most interesting tours we have taken on all of our many trips to Europe. While evensong is lovely, you do not get the sense of the abbey and its history.

I agree with the HOHO bus recommendation - it is not worth the time you will spend in the traffic seening not much.

And, by all means, don't miss the British Museum. You might be able to fit it in on the afternoon of day 3. Much though I love the Tate Modern and the Victoria and Albert, I would see the British Museum first.

If you mean the Marquess of Salisbury that's a good choice but try to reserve a table for dinner as it does get full pre-theatre.

Also if the weather is good I would skip the tube from Victoria to Embankment and just walk through the park and Horse Guards Parade.

<<Changing of the Guard Ceremony.>>

This is bollocks. I went in 1987 and the band played the theme song from the forgettable show "The A-Team." Vowed I wouldn't make that mistake again. And yet, people line up from 8 am or earlier to see it. It's faux pomp and circumstance and you have to arrive early and wear Depends if you drink anything in the morning. Skip it.

<<board Big Bus Hop On-Hop Off Tours>>

This is daft - the tours cost around $40 and you can use your Oyster card or Travelcard and take local buses on the same routes. The buses get stuck in London's horrific traffic, the Tube doesn't. And you're spending time on a bus instead of doing SOMETHING useful.

Other comments:

(1) seriously, the V&A over the Brit Museum or National Galleries?
(2) your day 3 is sparse - you could easily go to St Paul's, visit the Monument, and wander around the three-dots-on-a-canvas nonsense at the Tate Modern after you leave the Tower. The Tower takes about a 1/2 day.
(3) dunno why Westminster Abbey isn't somewhere on your list.
(4) go to Fortnum & Mason's food halls over Harrod's. If you're really looking to buy something, do it in the US if you're from here - Harrod's is not known for economically advantageous offerings.

It may not be your thing but the Buckingham Palace tour runs until 29th September http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/vi...lan-your-visit

My 2 cents:
Days 3 and 4 look perfect to me.

Of days 1 and 2, I'd split it this way:
Day 1: Walk down from your flat to Westminster Abbey, maybe take the tour, parliament, big ben, cross the river, london eye. The morning walk to westminster abbey takes you past Downing street and several historic biuldings and the iconic guards in funny hats. Westminster walking tour in nice weather otherwise pick one of the museums: National gallery at Trafalgar square or British Museum.

Also, I can recommend the jazz nights @ St Martins in the Fields. Its a relaxed end to a busy day.

Day 2: your existing plan minus the bus tours and the London eye (moved to Day1).

Your day one is difficult to impossible depending on some variables - what time do you land and what time can you get into your flat?

If you arrive very early in the AM, your flat probably won't be available yet, so you may have to go to a train station to stow your bags - Charing Cross would be closest.

Even w/ a 06:30 arrival - you will be hard pressed to get to the Changing of the Guard in time to get a vantage point (plus it is a huge time water what with standing in one place for the best part of 2 hours). And if you land later/mid-morning - no way you'd get to B'ham Palace in time. Then you want to eat 3 meals w/i a few hours. Afternoon tea at the Wolseley is pretty much a full meal. Three meals and a jazz concert on jet lag really isn't recommended. Even being jazz - you very likely will be nodding off.


(BTW - your flat is in a terrific location)

What about seeing a show one night?

Thanks all for the feedback. Very helpful. We actually get in very late the night prior..should get to the flat at 12:30am (7:30pm our time). Will definitely drop the HOHO bus, add vergers tour of Westminster Abbey and British Museum (I see that some exhibits are open late on Friday evenings which would work). National Gallery might also be doable since it is close to our flat.

>>should get to the flat at 12:30am (7:30pm our time)<<

Ah - so you are one of the lucky ones that can take a daytime flight.

But that means you'd be getting to the Palace before 5AM 'your time' for the Changing of the Guard. I'd definitely skip it.