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London Trip Schedule- ???
I have put together a first draft of our 1st time visit to england and would like feedback.
We are a family of 4 2 adults 11 year old boy and a 14 year old daughter August 16 arrive London from US @9:30 August 17- London August 18 - London August 19 - Astral Tours- Leeds,Canterbury,Dover August 20-premium Tours -Stonehenge and Bath August 21- london August 22- Windsor and Buckingham Palace August 23-24-25 Astral Tour -Oxford,Stratford-upon-Avon,Warwick Castle,Cotswolds August 26- Bletchley Park August 27-Greenwich August 28- London August 29- Train to paris Please give me your feedback As for evening plans, We want to go to Evita,Mary Poppins,Mousetrap,The Ceremony of the Keys,Globe Theater,Med Banquet,Dinner Crise and a Jack the Ripper Tour Are there day trips that can be combined? Is there any thing that I should take out? Thanks for all of your help. Melissa |
We just went to London in March with our kids who are about the same ages. Here is a link to my trip report which you may find helpful: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34786762.
My first suggestion, is that you might have a few too many daytrips outside of London. You are spending almost two weeks there, but have really only devoted 4 days to exploring London. Which ones to cut? You will have to prioritize based on what most family members are interested in. We did a daytrip with Astral to Oxford, Stratford-Upon Avon and Warwick, and really enjoyed it. Spending 3 days doing that should be even better. Buckingham Palace is not near Windsor but is in London, and can easily be seen on another day. We saw Mary Poppins and absolutely loved it! I think your options for evenings sound great. However, we found after busy days of siteseeing we were often tired, and glad we didn't have too many nights planned with big events. If you have an interest in WWII history (i.e. Bletchley Park) be sure and go to the Imperial War Museum. We spent a lot of time there, and really found it fascinating. I guess, overall, I was surprised at how much time we took exploring everything. We never got through everything I had wanted to each day and was so thankful that I had an unplanned day at the end to catch up on the things we had missed. |
Windsor & Buckingham Palace on the same day?
Em Buckingham Palace is in the centre of London whereas Windsor is 30 miles west of London (ie further west than Heathrow) As for taking a day tour for Stonehenge & Bath, well you'd do it better doing it by yourself. I'll give my standard advice, take the train to Salisbury (which is worth it anyway), then local bus to Stonehenge & Avebury then onto Bath by train, stay overnight & return the next day. http://www.wdbus.co.uk/htm/ta/sdo-stonehenge.asp Not sure if Bletchley Park is worth a day trip even though it does tell the truth about the Enigma machines rather than any Hollywood airbrushing of history BTW Greenwich is part of London so that's 5 days plus whatever you do on the 1st & last day Oh, and it's "Leeds Castle", not Leeds which is a large city 200 miles from London finally forget the dinner cruise unless you are into rubber chicken, take a boast from Westminster to Greenwich instead returning via the Docklands Light Railway from Island Gardens which is on the other side of the river from Greenwich by a pedestrian tunnel but which has excellent views of Greenwich |
The Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palce is a tour by Premium Tours.It is a behind the scenes tour of Windsor Castle with a exclusive tour of the Royal Kitchens.
Is this worth the time? Also, we are taking a tour to Stonehenge and bath becasue it is at sunset and you can get right up to the stones. Melissa Melissa |
I would second the questioning of Bletchley Park. Unless it’s a particular interest of yours, there are better WWII sites – try Churchill’s Cabinet war Rooms or the Imperial War museum You’ve also picked a couple of things that I would call tourist traps, Jack The Ripper and the Mousetrap. The Jack the Ripper walk is the most over-rated thing that American tourists do IMHO. There is nothing of the original area left thanks to the Luftwaffe and our planners. They also get VERY busy – and after all you are glorifying the life of a sexual sadist woman hater. But each to their own and all that. Also the mousetrap is rubbish. There are SO many better things on the London stage (if you email me off list I’ll tell you whodunit thereby saving you the bother). All this is just my opinion of course. |
Hi Melissa. The 28th August is possibly a public (bank) holiday in the UK. You may want to check out what effect it has on your plans.
The kids should enjoy Warwick Castle. Another place to check out in London is the London Museum. They have a lot of Family and Children's events and activities and it's free admission. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/ |
Regarding the 28th, I had figured that we would spend the time in london.
would We be better off going to hampton court that day? melissa |
why are you against mouse trap?
what else would you suggest to see besides mary poppins and evita? melissa |
Melissa- I have to agree with Davidwest about the jack the ripper tour. I went because the other couple we were traveling with wanted to. It was ok at best if one likes standing in parking lots pointing to "buildings" that are no longer there. The tour also ends in the Bangeleshi neighborhood with no other directions. I had spent days and days pouring over maps and transportation systems so it was no big toot but the other couple would have FREAKED out if they had been alone. I am not sure why you would want your 11 year boy to hear about slaughtering women but to each their own. Now, the kids will love Warwick Castle. I would guess that will be one of the highlights of their trip. It is a lot of fun for every age. Bath is really cool we liked it a lot. I would also suggest going to Sally Lunn's for a snack. It is a tiny tea room, nearly around the corner from the baths, that you will have to squeeze into but they have a cool demonstration in the basement of the old kitchens and the various levels of street since time began. If you are not into history this may not interest you but we thought it was a highlight for us. Why go to Stonehenge? You are going to be in the cotswold, see if that tour includes the little stones- can't think of the name of it right now. Are you arriving 9:30 am or pm? If it is am you have to stay up and moving until at least 6pm or you will be waking up at MN every night. My suggestion is hop on a bus, although I hear the double deckers are gone, ( I hate that), and tour the city. You can get a birdseye view of everything and if you have done your homework, you will recognize all the places you want to go and it will help orient you. I can't think of the bus # which goes down to the Thames and back up past Tralfagar etc but I am sure a local will tell you. You also you will catch the boat to Greenwich at the dock you will see to your left when you are looking at big ben. It is a simple, pleasant ride up the river and stroll around Greenwich. The walk up to the mean time thing is a little vigorous on a hot day but there are flea markets to compensate. You can take the underground back. speaking of the underground, I bet the kids will get a kick out of planning how to get to different places- take the red line jump off at ___to the green line, go to-It is a lot of fun. Of course, they will need a mind the gap Tshirt. Lastly, I also second the Churchill's cabinet war rooms. We thought it was very moving and it is right next door to the horseguard's changing of the guard. OK- enough! Have you considered an apartment for a week then wandering for the next week? I can not comment on the kitchen tour but in general I think you have way to much planned for comfort. One of the most pleasant mornings we spent at an umbrella shop taking with the umbrella salespersons and getting folding lessons. Plan time to browse Harrod's food court, go to a grocery store, walk in the parks, and look at the people. lynclarke
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First of all, I am not taking my son or my daughter on the jack the ripper tour.
I agree that it is not for children. I am taking Bletchley Park out of the schedule. Now I have 9 days in London;including Windsor Castle;Buckingham Palace;Greenwich and Hampton Court.I think that my time is evenly split between London and out of London. Regarding the British Museum, since we go to the museums in NYC quite often, is there any reason to go there? Melissa |
Personally I think you are doing way too much and the kids will get tired and cranky but I guess that is a personal decision and you know your kids. London is just so great to walk around, the walks along the Thames wonderful. I would second the view to go by boat to Greenwich and not to do a dinner cruise. What about the London Eye? Disagree with JTR walk - although I did it in April so was less busy - loved it and saw parts of London I had never seen before - and we (2 females) were not the least bit worried about where the tour ended. Going out every night after busy days - I wouldn't enjoy that but again personal - would be tempted to drop a couple.
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I haven’t got anything against the Mousetrap per se, other than it’s about the worst thing on in the west End (which is quite an achievement).
However you have to remember that the only reason that anyone sees it is because it’s been running so long – over 50 years. So basically it’s a 50 year old Agatha Christie play, played out to tourists who have heard about it and think it’s something special. I DON’T KNOW ANYONE WHO’S SEEM If you only have two weeks in one of the world’s leading theatre cities do you really want to spend your time watching what is in effect a repertory production of a 50 year old play, with a bunch of Japanese tourists? (The mousetrap is theatrical crack for the Japanese). There really are so many better things on at any time than this. I’ll give you a clue – it wasn’t the butler that did it. The British museum knocks any American museum into a cocked hat (the advantages of a rapacious empire you see). Only the Louvre really compares. I’ve answered the Jack the Ripper query in the thread you started about it. |
You are spending a huge amount on organized tours. Most of those places are easy to do on your own for a fraction of the money.
Except for (maybe) the Astral inner access Stonehenge tour and the Cotswold tour, I'd definitely rethink the others. Does that tour "visit" Buckingham Palace or just "see" it? If the latter it is a 5 min. walk-by. Nothing much to see besides the side of the bldg and the "wedding cake" Victoria memorial out front. If you want to visit the Palace you can get your own tix ahead of time. They will be for a specific day and time. The British Museum is an absolute must if one is into museums at all. I totally agree re the Mousetrap. it really isn't a "play" anymore. It is really just another tourist attraction. Not just for Americans though, lots of coach parties of OAPs (Brit senior citizens) too. The JtR walks are one of the biggest jokes pulled on us American visitors. Basically NONE of the sites exist. So if you'd enjoy looking at a modern warehose and hearing "on this corner once stood the . . ." Then moving to a car park and hearing the same thing, all in the company of 150 to 200 others walking through a neighborhood where the residents REALLY resent the noisy tour groups - then hey, go for it. And in August the group WILL be huge. If it were me and had a child along - I'd spend less time (and money) on organized tours and more time enjoying London. Except for Warwick there isn't much on that list kids would enjoy. Don't get me wrong - there is lots of interest for children at Dover, etc - but on a group tour you will be rushed through everything and most kids would hate it. |
I'm sorry you've dropped Bletchley Park, we are going in September and I was looking forward to your review of it.
We will be visiting Bletchley on our way to Suffolk (also seeing Hatfield Palace and Shaw's Corner in the area). We've already been to Imperial War Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, and agree with other posters that they are very worthwhile. I think there is/going to be a special exhibit at the war museum about children during war. And there's lots of interactive things kids can participate in. The Museum of London is also very kid-friendly. I'm another one who wasn't taken with the Jack the Ripper walk. We had too many people in our group (we were there in April) and it suddenly hit us mid-way that we were somehow glorifying something awful. We dropped out shortly afterwards. We have really enjoyed the British Museum but it would probably take a week to do it justice. If you decide to go, why not check out their website and plan your route to appeal to your children. And lump me in with Japanese tourists and old Brits, but I enjoyed The Mousetrap. I'm a devotee of Agatha Christie mysteries (they were the first ones I read at 9), and I thought the play was a hoot. (The first time I saw it Koo Stark was playing the ingenue!) I've taken my husband, my mother and my sister-in-law to see it on different trips, and they all enjoyed it. Perhaps, I'm a whodunnit sadist - but I guess if you're going to be a philistine, enjoying The Mousetrap is not that earth-shattering. I hope you have a wonderful trip, and will look forward to your trip report. |
I agee with others. You seem to have a lot of things planned. The British Museum is worth it. I'd chose Mary Poppins for your play. Your kids will love it. As far as Churchill's War Room, my husband and I loved it....just don't know if your children would find it interesting or not. As others have said, you know your children, so plan accordingly.
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jgg, I agree with you that there just wasn't enough time in London. We pared down before the trip, and pared down more on the trip. And still I felt that I didn't have as much time as I would have liked at most of the things that we did! We were in London for 6 days, and did no day trips. There was so much that we missed that we are returning to London this summer for 5 days at the end of a 2 week Scotland trip. I'm not sure if we'll do any day trips then either - there's just that much on my list for London!
As far as plays, we considered the Mousetrap but rejected it when I read all the reviews. We went to Les Mis, which my husband had not seen. My daughters first saw it when they were in their early/mid teens and absolutely love the show. Our friends went to Mama Mia which their family really enjoyed. There's also bound to be a few Shakespeare comedies playing in August. |
Wow...sounds like a great trip to London (and then on to Paris? cool!) Basically, I think you have a good plan. As a parent who has traveled to London with an 11 year old boy and a 14 year old girl, here are a couple of suggestions/observations:
Organized tours? Well, maybe, but they are sometimes filled with older folks and, if so, your children may feel a bit out of place. But this is really hard to judge...the tours could have other kids onboard. Personally, I'd drop at least one organized tour, but then our family isn't much on tourgroups. Also agree with others that Mousetrap is a Touristtrap. There are dozens of theatre offerings ongoing in London. How about "We Will Rock You"? My son enjoyed that (at age 14). For theater offerings, check the official Society of London Theatre website: http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk This group also operates the legitimate half-priced ticket kiosk in Leicester Square (Tkks). A strong "yes" for the Ceremony of the Keys, and for the Tower of London in general. For touring the Tower, suggest you go early in the day. For alternative walking tours, check out the London Walks company website: http://www.walks.com/ Regarding the British Museum...it can be overwhelming. Perhaps you should plan a couple of short visits there, instead of a foot-numbing marathon through this huge museum. Also, in the museum area, your kids may really enjoy London's first-class Science Museum. It is very interactive and great for kids: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk My kids were not bored at the Cabinet War Rooms; Churchill's underground bunker. And my son liked the Imperial War Museum too. http://www.iwm.org.uk At Greenwich, the recently-updated nautical museum is good for families as is the Royal Observatory: http://www.nmm.ac.uk I could continue, but instead, feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you have questions. |
Thanks to you who have given me suggestions.
I have changed to this. please more feedback August 16 arrive London from US @8:30 AM August 17- London August 18 - London- evening Hatfield House Banquet August 19 - London August 20-Premium Tours -Stonehenge and Bath August 21- Tower of London August 22- Globe Theater 3 pm and then stay for a comedy of errors August 23 - Leeds Castle,Canterbury & Dover August 24-London August 25-Stratford-upon-Avon Stay over See RSC August 26-Warwick August 27-London August 28- Greenwich August 29- London August 30-Train to Paris I will have more time in London. What should we do before we go to the globe theater? is there bus or rail from warwick to greenwich or should we go back to london for a day? Thanks for all of your help melissa |
HI Melissa,
I think that sounds better. I agree with jgg on not planning too many evening things. We were in London for a week in December with our 11 and 14 year olds. It was a great trip. If you are interested, my trip report can be found at http://tinyurl.com/n8vhn You are lucky to have such a nice, long time. Even with a full week, I felt there were many things we would still like to do. Have fun! |
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Before the Globe Theater, you could go to St. Paul's, and then walk across the Millenium Bridge. Or you could go to the Museum of London, which gives you an overview of the history of London.
One more vote for the Cabinet War Rooms -- when we were there, they had a separate audio tour just for kids. Everyone in our group really enjoyed the Cabinet War Rooms. I have not been there since they added the Churchill Museum to the complex. Enjoy! Annette |
You can buy tickets to some of London's major attractions at some of the underground stations (inc Tower of London, Madame Tussauds, London Eye, London Dungeon etc). These tickets can be bought up to several days in advance. Last time I was there I bought my Tower and Tussauds tickets in advance at Piccadilly Circus underground station. The line was about 5 people long compared to the HUGE lines at the attractions themselves. It's a good feeling to be able to walk past hundreds of people and go straight in, knowing you won't be waiting 1-2 hours for tickets.
You can also buy a London Pass but you would need to determine the cost effectiveness of this if your days in London are non-consecutive and whether it includes everything you want to see. |
I was wondering why you felt the need to see so many plays since you mentioned that you are from the NYC area.
On one of your London days, I would include an hour at the British Library and another hour at the British Museum. I think that Bletchley Park sounds interesting but I have no idea how much time it would take nor how interesting it would be for your family. It has obviously taken your eye. In the same vein, I'll third (or is it fourth) the Cabinet War Rooms. It will probably be of interest to the 11 year old (girl's aren't necessarily into war in the same way but would be a wonderful experience to have when studying WWII if they do that in school anymore. I don't see any mention of Harry Potter, like you need more to do but the kids may enjoy seeing what they can cook up on that theme. |
Thanks everyone 1- please advise what else we can do at night if we don;t go to the theater? 2- we are going to mary poppins on August 17.I was considering eating at The Portrait restaurant before hand.Is this a good idea? 3- which of these markets are the best to go- Covent garden market OR Camden Lock Market? We are not shopping for any thing particular;just looking around. 4- This is what we have picked to do in London Did we forget anything or is there something on my list that we should not do? Museum of London Imperial War Museum HMS Belfast British Museum Winston Churchill's britain at war experience kensington Palace Tower Bridge Buckingham palace St Paul's London Eye Imperial War Museum westminister Abbey Big Ben thanks melissa |
We went to Portrait restaurant before the theatre and really enjoyed it. The pre-theatre fixed price/limited choice menu is pretty reasonable. Here is a link to my trip report (2 parents and 17yo daughter) where I talk about the restaurant (providing a link to the menu/price info) and also other things on your list of sights.
As for markets, we went to Portobello because of the timing, and to be honest, my preference. Camden is more of a punk scene from what I've heard. I also think that I've read that Camden is the largest tourist attraction in England. My 20yo daughter went to London with friends this spring and loved Camden. Now Camden is on the 'must see' list of my now-18yo for our upcoming August return trip to London. Covent Garden is more like a shopping area with lots of shops, some established stalls, and street performers. I wouldn't really call what I saw at Covent Garden a London market, although we had a great time poking around the area, including Neal's Yard. Chinatown is not far. You can get a lot of info from a Google search on "London markets" or a search on this forum. We did not do the Britain at War Experience, but I'd strongly urge the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill museum (along with all the other people who have replied to this post)instead. It is amazing to be in the rooms where the war effort was conducted. The rooms speak eloquently for themselves, without a lot of sound effects, etc. The audio guide is very good and the new(ish) Churchill museum that is attached to the War Rooms (and included in the price) is very well done. I think there is something that each of you would enjoy there. |
You definitely want to go the Tower of London; I imagine it just got missed in your list. I would suggest planning to hit Covent Garden sometime when it fits in with something else nearby. Shopping on Oxford street or at Harrods might fill some evenings. Depending on interests and time, you might enjoy Victoria and Albert museum. You may want to give a bit of time to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square, and maybe an evening concert at St Martins in the Fields. Hampton Court Palace is also worth considering (short train trip).
I would suggest having a couple of priority destinations each day, and then a list of other "maybe's" that you add or not depending on time and interests. I'm not a big fan of tour busses; they do tend to have an older crowd, always move at their pace, not yours, and often try to cover so much ground that you spend too much "seat time". When we made a similar trip a few years ago, we did about a week in London, then took the train out of town and rented a car for the rest of the time. |
I go to London several times a year, every year..grandchildren there. I highly recommend Tower of London, Mary Poppins(kids have been 3 times), Warwick Castle, War Cabinet Rooms, Tower(?) market on Saturday or Sunday for kids. I always take London Walks tours to see parts of London and for day trips. Their trip to Stonehenge and Canterbury was great and the trip to the Cotswolds was special. Take a look at their website..google it. They have the best guides of any tours we have ever taken worldwide. I just wonder if the kids would like a trip/tour to Cornwall rather than the Astral tour..sorry to add more choices. You will all love London. Eat a Waggamammy (sp?). Don't plan to shop..the prices are silly.
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We went to both Camden Locks and Covent Gardens. As noe847 said Camden is punk, but fun for an hour or two. I suspect your 14 yo daughter will enjoy it like my 13 yo daughter did. She bought a sundress there, and my son got an inexpensive Beckham soccer jersey, and England sweatshirt. My daughter insisted on us going there so she could get a picture in front of the Camden Locks sign - right where Kate Winslet films that Amex commercial.
I really liked Covent Gardens and it did have a market where people were selling local craft items. I really enjoyed walking around there. There were a lot of smaller stores in the area. I have not been to Churchill's Britain at War Experience, but I had asked here on fodor's about it before we went on our trip, and had people telling me that it was a tourist trap. (Doesn't look like it from their website, but we didn't go). Otherwise your list looks good! |
Regarding what to do in the evening, I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the museums' late days. I have written down for my trip the following:
Tuesday - British Library til 8pm Wednesday - National Gallery, 9pm, and Victoria and Albert Museum, 10pm Thursday - British Museum, 8:30pm, Portrait Gallery, 9pm, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 10pm Friday - British Museum 8:30pm, Portrait Gallery, 9pm, and Tate Modern, 10pm Saturday - St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Tate Modern, 10pm You might want to double check, but these are recent times |
Oh, yes, I meant to comment about what to do in the evening. I agree with the previous poster about late opening museums. Also, don't discount how tired you might be from a full day of siteseeing. A nice dinner than back to our apt. for an hour of British TV was about all we could muster (British TV is hilarious!)
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Just a couple of things….You have opted for Britain at war rather than the Cabinet War rooms – I think this is a mistake.
Britain at War is part of the Tussauds empire, and isn’t any kind of authentic experience. The Cabinet war rooms are the real deal. You also ask what you can do in the evening. I would take one of the evening London walks – maybe one of the ghost ones for the kids? Also places like covent garden stay open late and are quite lively in the evening with lots of entertainment (of very variable quality) and a nice atmosphere. When you get here buy a copy of Time Out – which has a kids activities section. They also publish a book on kids London which you can get from Amazon, which may well be worth a look. |
Some restaurant questions:
What attractions are these near? China Experience Savoir Faire Tiger Lil's Thanks Melissa |
We were planning to go to both the War Rooms and the Britain at war experience. has anybody gone to the britain at war experience ? It seems very good for kids. Melissa |
Here go.
This is my suggested day to day schedule. Feel free to give me your opinions , as if you guys don't anyway. Thanks for all of your help. Wednesday August 16- Arrive 8:40am London - See Buckingham Palace and the Mews Thursday August 17 - See British Library , British Museum and Dicken's Museum Dinner @ Portait Restaurant and Mary Poppins Friday August 18 - 10:45 London Walking Tour Of West Minister Abbey and changing of the guard 2:30 London Walking Tour of Dickens London Evening -Going to Hatfield House for Med Dinner saturday August 19 - See London eye-Big ben-Parliament-10 Downing Street- Trafalager Square- HMS Belfast - Imperial War Museum Sunday - August 20- Premium Tour of Stonehenge-Bath & Lacock Monday - August 21- Tower of London & London bridge Tuesday August 22 - St Paul's Catheral -Globe Theater - Play Wednesday -August 23- Leeds Castle-Canterbury & Dover Thursday -August 24- Cotswold & Oxford Friday August 25 Stratford-upon- Avon stay over see Play Saturday August 26 Warwick Castle Sunday August 27 - Cabinet war Rooms & Museum of London |
Here go.
This is my suggested day to day schedule. Feel free to give me your opinions , as if you guys wouldn't anyway. Thanks for all of your help. Wednesday August 16- Arrive 8:40am London - See Buckingham Palace and the Mews Thursday August 17 - See British Library , British Museum and Dicken's Museum Dinner @ Portait Restaurant and Mary Poppins Friday August 18 - 10:45 London Walking Tour Of West Minister Abbey and changing of the guard 2:30 London Walking Tour of Dickens London Evening -Going to Hatfield House for Med Dinner Saturday August 19 - See London eye-Big ben-Parliament-10 Downing Street- Trafalager Square- HMS Belfast - Imperial War Museum Sunday - August 20- Premium Tour of Stonehenge-Bath & Lacock Monday - August 21- Tower of London & London bridge Tuesday August 22 - St Paul's Catheral -Globe Theater - Play Wednesday -August 23- Leeds Castle-Canterbury & Dover Thursday -August 24- Cotswold & Oxford Friday August 25- Stratford-upon- Avon stay over see Play Saturday August 26 Warwick Castle Sunday August 27 - Cabinet war Rooms & Museum of London Monday August 28 -???? I want to go to Kensington Palace. Where should it fit in? Also, should we use monday for windsor castle or hampton court> or do you see a way to get an extra day to do both/ Thanks for all of you great help Melissa |
I assume you mean Tower Bridge (London Bridge isjust a modern concrete bridge- the previous version is in Arizona).
I have heard that the tours of the bridge aren't that good. Others may have different reports. You have 10 Downing St on your list - you can't see it. Downing st is blocked off by security gates and you can't see the houses from Whitehall. You will walk past the gates, but that's it. |
Just read one of your posts, and you mention a meal at Tiger Lil's.
My youngsters really loved this place and still talk about it now, 2 years later! In fact when we were in London last month they wanted to go there again, but were seduced by wagamama instead! Actually that was my doing because I couldn't be bothered to traipse out to Islington on the tube, but if you get a taxi it is well worth it. It is also worth your while to get there fairly early because after about 8pm the queues start forming for the Hot Woks... To be honest, if you are touring/sight-seeing all day, your children will be weary, and happy to eat and then stay in some evenings. You can do the London Eye at night BTW. Have a great trip! |
I think that you could free up some more time by grouping your activities a bit more closely geographically.
You could probably add something to your first day - a park or the London Eye. Your Thursday, Aug 17 has a lot on it. I don't think you could see the British Library, the British Museum AND the Dickens Museum before an early pre-theatre dinner. In fact, I'd switch your Thursday and your Saturday plans, so you can finish up at Trafalgar Square and the Portrait restaurant. I'd put the HMS Belfast on the Tower of London day (Mon, Aug 21). The Tower doesn't have to take an entire day. We felt that our 2-3 hours wasn't enough, but 4 or 5 will be plenty. The Cabinet War Rooms will fit on the day that you are doing Parliament/Big Ben (Sat moved to Thurs). The location is quite close to those and also to 10 Downing Street (or rather Downing Street peering through the gates to see number 10). I'd put the Museum of London on the St. Paul's day. Even with climbing the dome, St. Paul's won't take more than a few hours, and the Museum of London is nearby. Moving the Cabinet War Rooms and the Museum of London should free up a whole day for you. Is there a reason that you are doing 2 walking tours on the same day (Fri, Aug 18)? That might be overload. The British Library, Imperial War Museum and Kensington Palace are somewhat geographically separate from your other activities, so I'd just pop them in when you have a free block of time - maybe split up your walking tours into different days and fit these into the other halves of those days. |
Thanks
Regarding our arrival day, we are getting into Gatwick at 8:30am; when would you make reservations for the London eye? Would you make them the first thing we do after eating? Friday we are doing these two tours because London walks only offers these two tours on fridays and the next friday , we are going to statford upon avon. do you think that it will be too much? so then on Sunday we could go to Windsor castle and on monday go to Hampton court. Do you think the 4 hour boat ride is a good use of our time or should we just go on the train? Thanks melissa |
Date: 05/22/2006, 12:35 pm
Here go. Wednesday August 16- Arrive 8:40am London - See Buckingham Palace and the Mews & London Eye Thursday August 17 - See Big Ben-Parliament-10 Downing Street-Trafalager Square-Cabinet War Rooms Dinner @ Portait Restaurant and Mary Poppins Friday August 18 - 10:45 London Walking Tour Of West Minister Abbey and changing of the guard 2:30 London Walking Tour of Dickens London Evening -Going to Hatfield House for Med Dinner Saturday August 19 - British Museum & Dicken's Museum Sunday - August 20- Premium Tour of Stonehenge-Bath & Lacock Monday - August 21- Tower of London & London bridge - HMS Belfast Tuesday August 22 - St Paul's Catheral Museum of London-Globe Theater - Play Wednesday -August 23- Leeds Castle-Canterbury & Dover Thursday -August 24- Cotswold & Oxford Friday August 25- Stratford-upon- Avon stay over see Play Saturday August 26 Warwick Castle Sunday August 27 - Windsor Castle Monday August 28 -Hampton Court The only places that are not in the schedule are British Library-Imperial War Museum & Kensington Palace Thanks Melissa |
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