London Week Itinerary
 

I'll be spending one week in London. Four days on own and then meeting up with tour that will go on to France and Italy. I will have a week in total in London and have prepared a tentative itinerary.

Please advise if I am trying to do too much. Thanks for any advice or critiques.

London week itinerary

Monday May 9: Leave HNL for LAX.
LAX to LHR

Tues: May 10 Arrive LHR 12 p.m.
Transfer to Victoria Park Plaza Hotel. (near Victoria Station)
Afternoon to stretch legs. (Hop on-Hop off Bus tour would be great except after all that sitting on plane, I don’t know if I should sit for two more hours).
Buy 7 Day Travelcard. Maybe get to 1 Regent St to exchange voucher for Heritage pass.
Walk in nearby areas. Maybe check out Guards Museum and shop with toy soldiers.
Changing of the Horse Guards 4 p.m.
Dinner at pub. Early Evening turn in.

Wed: May 11

9:30 a.m. Westminster Abbey as soon as it opens.
Changing of Guard 11:30 (if husband wants to see it)
Cabinet War Rooms (if husband wants to see it)

If jet lagged return to hotel to rest for an hour then lunch.

If not press on to 1 Regent St. Pick up Great Britain Heritage Pass and maps and info if not done previous day.
Maybe find #3 St. James St. Berry Brothers. Quick walk thru Theatre area.
Find Lyceum Theatre and pick up tickets for Lion King (already reserved and paid for)

LUNCH

PM
Sir John Soanes Museum
British Museum: Highlights
British Library Treasures room if enough time.
Dinner Possible: Museum Tavern or Belgo’s.

Thurs: May 12:
Day trip to Hampton Court Palace
Take tube to Richmond then bus to palace.
Explore palace, gardens and maze.
Dinner back in London maybe at pub.

Fri: May 13: Six relatives arrival in the morning. (Have to be around for them to use room to freshen up.)
Tower of London. Opens at 9 a.m.
Tower Bridge Exhibition (if Husband is interested)
Catch boat from Tower to Westminster Pier.
Banqueting House
Catch tube to Pimlico or walk to Tate Britain for Turner/Whistler/Monet. Tickets to be reserved online.

Snack at Tate maybe after exhibit go to Harrods. Possibly V&A Museum
Return to Hotel to freshen up.

Get to theatre area early in time to browse National Gallery or Theatre Museum.
Evening Lion King 7:30 p.m.

Sat May 14 (Meet Tour Guide today sometime)

Brit Library if not already seen
Finish up Brit Museum
Possibly Portobello Road.
Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House.
LUNCH

2 p.m. London Walks Marylebone Walking Tour (supposedly Regency tour)
if not conflicting with Tour Guide meet.

Afterwards: V&A if not done previously.
Evening: Possibly Theatre if available. London Eye/Vinopolis (depends on how tired from walk etc) Pub Crawl or Jack the Ripper Tour


Sun: May 15
AM. Trafalgar City Tour This comes with our tour which begins today.

After morning tour on own:
Greenwich by boat and tube back. Weather permitting.

Upon return possibly:
South Bank, walk, Vinopolis. London Eye.
Evening: Jack the ripper or pub crawl.


Mon: May 16
Brighton by train
Royal Pavilion opens 9:30 a.m. 6 GBP
Tea in the Royal Pavilion tea room, shortbread is famous.
Brighton Museum
Brighton Art Festival is underway this time of year.
Return in afternoon...Pack that evening. Leave for Paris next morning.

I wanted to add some additional personal Information: 53 year old, traveling with 57 year old husband. Both in reasonably good shape. I have a particular interest in Regency period and Impressionists. Husband is interested in history, wines and pubs.

My Must See List:

Church: Westminster Abbey
Museum: Brit Museum/ Sir John Soane’s/ Brit Library Treasures

Palace: Hampton Court Palace/Tower of London

Theatre Performance: Lion King

Gallery: Courtauld and Tate Britain (special exhibit of Turner/Whistler/Monet)

Walking Tour: Marlybone Regency tour

Store: Harrod’s

Cruise: Greenwich or Thames.

Day Trip: Brighton

It is quite busy and detailed. You don't leave much time for getting around and enjoying London. And on some days you are skipping around quite a bit. A suggestion: make a list of things you want to do, using a map and group them geographically. Include some of the other things you would like to do if you have time in the appropriate geographic groups.
If your husband likes history, he would certainly enjoy the Cabinet War Rooms.

You've obviously compiled a good list of things that interest you and sound flexible about whether you see them all on particular days. If you were expecting to see them all, I think you would be disappointed.

For example, on Wed. p.m. you'd never see Sir John Soames, B. Museum highlights and B. Library treasures in one afternoon. Or Fri. expecting to see V&A and National Gallery would not be possible. The Courtauld Gallery, particularly if you are interested in impressionists, could easily take up an afternoon.

You also have to figure in travel time, whether walking or tube or bus. We've always found in London that this adds a significant amount of time to our schedule.

I would also add my vote to the Cabinet War Rooms. I don't think they should be missed. You haven't listed my two favourite museums - Museum of London and Imperial War Museum, but you've obviously compiled a list of those things you are most interested in and have limited time.

Curious about why you are buying the GB Heritage Pass. Is it to cover Hampton Court, Brighton and 1/2 Tower of London - does that work out to a savings?

Make sure you post your trip report and what you were able to fit in when you return. Would be very helpful for others planning to see the same things.

Guess what? I will be in Brighton on the 16th! I am staying at the University of Sussex in Falmer. Be sure to have Fish 'n Chips in Brighton.

A few of your days I think you have way too much planned.

Your Tuesday looks good - nothing too taxing. You'll be tired so it's best to take it easy.

I thought your Wednesday looked good until I got to the part where you wrote "lunch" - then you have another day and a half worth of stuff planned for the afternoon. :)

Unless you really have your heart set on the Changing of the Guard, I would skip it and see the Cabinet War Rooms instead. And you may possibly have enough time to see one other thing in the afternoon, but you won't be able to see all three. Realistically, by the time you see Westminster Abbey, the Cabinet War Rooms and the running around you have planned, it will be mid-afternoon at the earliest.

Your Thursday looks good, but your Friday looks impossible. If you toured the Tower of London, skipped Tower Bridge Exhibition, took the cruise to Westminster, toured Banqueting House and did the Tate exhibition, you may possibly have time to return to the hotel and freshen up before the theatre. I don't see any way you could also squeeze in Harrods, V&A and National Gallery before the theatre.

On Saturday, I think you will need to pick 2 or 3 things you really want to do and plan on that. Perhaps the British Museum in the morning, the London Walk in the afternoon and the London Eye or Vinopolis after that. (Note: I think Vinopolis is only open one evening - check their website.)

On Sunday, after your morning tour, I would skip Greenwich and plan to do some of your "musts" from earlier in the week. (Note: Harrods is closed on Sundays.)

Keep in mind that it takes longer than you would first think to get from one site to another and you have to allow for travel time between sites. Realistically, you can usually plan 2, possibly 3 sites per day. And even with this you will be exhausted at the end of the day. We've often planned on evening pub walks, but have been too tired when the time comes. :)

not a whole lot to add to the advice of others except:

Vinopolis was disappointing for me...even considering that i live in london so I did not use a valuable vacation day. Also I had a 2 for 1 voucher!

I'm not crazy about Belgo.

For pubs, try hampstead (north london)

Pub walks are not the best way to experience a pub IMO. i probably would not make this comment if it weren't for your husband's special interest in pubs. you would probably have fun on one but not the best way to do it.

walkinaround is correct about the London Walks. They are great to hear a bit of history and legend about an area or topic, but for experiencing a pub, it is not ideal. On the pub walks, you spend 20-30 minutes at a pub, battling the other 40-100 people on the walk trying to get a drink. If it's the pub experience you're looking for, it's better to do that on your own.

A couple of pubs with great atmosphere are the Anchor (just around the corner from Vinopolis) and Ye Ole Cheshire Cheese (close to St. Pauls.)

Agree with the others. One of the great things about London is there is so much to see. As mamc noted there is a lot of skipping around. I would just pick a couple sites and spend more time in each than rushing all over London trying to see as much as you can. A great way to get the long flight out of your system is just to take a walk thru one of London's great parks. They're my favorite place to have lunch.

Another vote for the Cabinet War Rooms. They just opened a museum devoted to Churchill in addition to the War Rooms. Definitely worth a visit.

If you go to Portobello Road, get there early to avoid the crowds. When I went I was there at 7:30 and by time I left a couple of hours later, the people were pouring in. It's early, but it was worth it as I didn't have to fight the throngs in the shops.

London's a great place. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I knew I had too much on the Wed and Fri. I'll try to figure out what's most important and leave time to just enjoy the city.

rickmay,The Heritage Pass is available in US for $50 so I think it is a bit of a savings. Not essential I get it but yes, Hampton is covered and Tower is half price. Others like Kensington Palace and Banqueting House are covered too.

I may omit Vinopolis and London Eye. Although I think husband would enjoy London Eye. Also I don't need to go to Portobello tho I think relatives will be eager to do that.

Tower bridge I know my husband would enjoy. Greenwich too. So those were for him.

I am not crazy about Changing of Guard so I can omit that...I could also omit Tower of London since I'm going to Hampton Court Palace but everyone I talk to says: You must go to the Tower of London.

Kayb, thanks for pub info. Yes, I think doing it on one's own is the way to go there.

I agree w/ just about everything already said.

IMHO Wed and Fri are really inpossible.

On Thurs I'd take the train to Hampton Court instead of the tube/bus. Not a big deal - but it will save time.

I am also interested in why you are getting GBHPs. I recommend them for probably 90+ % of visitors but I don't see the great benefit for you. UNLESS you got a 2 for 1 deal or something like that.

You can use it at the Banqueting House, Hampton Court Palace, the Tower Bridge Experience, Greenwich and 1/2 price at the Tower. But you probably won't have time for the Tower Br. Experience.

Also - Saturday is a bit of a problem especially if if you mean it literally about going to Port. Rd AFTER British Library/Brit Museum and all this before lunch. And then after lunch the V&A. Don't plan on Portobello Rd unless you can be there by about 8 a.m. and out by 10 a.m..

applehi: we were posting at the same time. It looks like you are realizing you have probably planned too much.

Another point already mentioned -- don't try to regiment things so much. it is almost impossible that things will go like clock work. And it takes longer to get places and longer to tour many of them than you might suppose.

A good rule of thumb - 2 major sites or 3 minor ones per day. And some biggies like the Tower or HCP take about 1/2 a day by themselves so when you add in lunch and travel time you really can usually only squeeze in 1 other minor-ish site.

janis, thanks for your feedback. My Saturday is probably going to be flexible since I have no idea when the Tour Guide meeting is, i.e. morning or afternoon or evening.

And I do realize the importance of the unplanned happening in a trip. That's why I've more or less told myself no more planning. It's so exhausting!