We will have 1.5 days in London before joining a cruise. The day we arrive, we are planning on seeing the British Museum and the British Library (as our main destinations). For the full day, we are considering a 1/2 day tour which in which we'll see St Paul's Cathedral (inside tour), the Tower of London (crown jewels, etc), and a Thames cruise. We would explore on our own in the a.m. If you've been to London, is this a good idea, or should we see these sights on our own? We did Paris last year (8 days) and roamed the city ourselves with no problems (I planned each day and we had a blast). If you have had a tour, which company would you suggest? Thanks in advance.

You can easily visit Tower of London and St Paul's on your own. They are fairly close to one another; and you should visit Tower of London first thing in the AM to avoid massive crowds.

I'd NOT bother with a Thames Cruise, esp with such little time you have in London. I don't find it particularly scenic, and there are plenty of other sights in London whcih I find more worthwhile than sitting on a cruise boat.

On your full day you might consider a Big Bus tour (there's another one who's name escapes me) as you can tour the city on different routes and hop on/off. On my first full day in London this tour was perfect. The tour you mention sounds good, too.

I did have certain places I wanted to "hop off" to so it worked out well. In fact, I did the Big Bus tour the next day and chose other places to hop off to.

Some people like boast trips along the Thames.

Can be fun if it's a really boozy party, or useful for certain commutes, but otherwise I've never seen the point. Between Westminster and Tower Bridges, there's a lot to see - but you can see it all just as easily, with a very great deal less hassle and far far more cheaply by just walking along the river's south bank. From Tower Bridge to Greeenwich, it's just dull going on mind-bendingly boring. If the idea appeals, make sure you take a decent book to read. 'War and Peace' might be nice: you'd probably get through most of it

<<< we are considering a 1/2 day tour which in which we'll see St Paul's Cathedral (inside tour), the Tower of London (crown jewels, etc), and a Thames cruise. >>>

That's not a tour, it's a route march. Both St Pauls & The Tower deserve more than a couple of hours

Thanks so much for the feedback. I've always planned vacations myself, so will do the same for the days in London.

P.S., If you purchase a one day paper travelcard at a rail station (with the rail logo on it; see this: http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefin...ard_oyster.htm )
you can use the travelcard to qualify for 2-for-1 entry at Tower of London, saving you £17. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/tower-of-london

For St Paul's, this voucher gives you 20% off.
http://www.discountbritain.net/St-Pauls-Cathedral.html

If you're going before mid-September, get tickets for the Henry VIII exhibit at the British Library. It is outstanding. And they're subject to the 2-for-1 deals.

The travelcard will also give you a 30% Thames discount, see daysoutguide - same link as provided by yk.