Reporting back on the membership for Historic Royal Palaces (cost 53£). I emailed my question to members support at HRP and they replied back. They told me that I can buy this membership right on the arrival day at Kensington Palace and start using it immediately regardless of time. The membership can also be purchased at the Tower of London and at the Hampton Court ticket box.

This membership will save me time and money for sure.

Hello Fodorites,

Quick question: do I need to book my Shakespeare Globe Tour ahead of time or I can buy tickets on the spot? I am targeting Tuesday April 23rd and so far all time slots are available. I would like to take the latest one - at 5 pm. What would be your recommendation?

I just do not want to cut short my visit to John Soane’s Museum on the same day.

Here is my plan for April 23rd:

St. Paul Cathedral (from 8:30am till 16:30pm, take London Walks tour at 10:30 am)
Guildhall
John Soane’s Museum
Shakespeare Globe Tour

Thank you in advance!

Counting hours now... I have decided to skip Hatfield House because the weather is not looking great and my plan for April 27th is:


April 27th Saturday

Sir John Soane’s Museum
From Earls Court to Holborn, Piccadilly Line.

Shakespeare Globe Tour at 12:00pm and then walk around and have lunch.

Should I explore Borough Market? What do you think? I have never been.

Evening at Tate Modern with dinner.

Thank you all!

How can you predict the weather in Hatfield for the end of April?

Borough Market is interesting for about 10mins although there are some good food stalls eg Ethiopian.

I am not trying to predict the weather, but it does not look stable so far. From previous experience of my trips to England and Ireland, I think it will be a mix of sun, clouds and rain.

Also, there are things in London I am very interested to see, like Mary Quant exhibit at the V&A Museum in addition to the Christian Dior Exhibit, so I moved things around in my itinerary to do that as well as allocate ample time for the V&A Museum itself, which is my favorite museum in London.

I also want to have enough time in the Sir John Soane’s Museum.

Hatfield House is something I can do with my husband later; it is certainly not my last trip to London.

Sounds like I might be skipping Borough Market - thank you for your advice, Odin.

That’s only my opinion about the market. If you do go there is a good restaurant close by called Borealis.

Thank you, Odin! I am not really a huge fan of markets and this is why I was hesitant about it. Shakespeare Globe has a nice walk on their website which I might consider instead, if weather permits.

I have decided not to overload my trip with everything I want to see and just take it easy. Funny that I already have more than enough to plan for my next trip and this one has not even started yet... the list never ends. 😊

One more question: I found this very attractive walk from Richmond Station to Ham House. Just wondering if someone has done it. I do not mind to walk for 90 minutes to enjoy the countryside. All weather dependent of course... most likely, I will take a taxi or a bus to Ham House and back.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ham...ic-scenic-walk

Thank you, Janisj! The weather is extremely changeable, I know that...

Skipping Borough Market for sure. I usually go to the markets if there is nothing else to do. I do love markets in Italy and France though.😊

I am back home now. What an amazingly flawless trip I had! I had received so many fabulous suggestions from you... you have even arranged great weather for me: just 5 minutes of rain in ten days. 😊

I am slowly writing my trip report and will post a link to it here.

Thank you for making my London adventure unforgettable! London is MAGNIFICENT!

Yes, Janisj! I never expected the weather to be so good. I had a couple of chilly days, but no rain so I cannot complain.

Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace took two full consecutive days, so I had to leave Hatfield House and Ham House for my next trip to London

Hi All,

As I promised, I just started my trip report. Here is the link.

London Trip Report - April 2019 (fourth trip to London)

Thank you again for all your help!

Thank you for your kind words, northie! Yes, the Banqueting House was amazing. Still don’t know how we managed to miss it on all our previous trips.

Thank you, menachem and Janisj!

Yes, I did visit Sir John Soane’s Museum and will post my impressions in my trip report. Very unusual and interesting collection, but a bit hard to follow; especially in the basement. In all honesty, I was a bit underwhelmed: it was hard to follow the exhibits - too much clutter and was pretty dark in the rooms. I am still glad that I found some time for Sir John Soane’s Museum on my fourth trip to London, but in my opinion, the Wallace Collection is more exciting to visit for those who are new to the city.