blade2007

I finally got 9 nights hotel in Mayfair/Soho from 8/27 to 9/5. Now I have 4 more days/nights OPEN for out-of city trips. We have tentatively booked the last night stay @ LHR so we don't have to worry about getting to airport in time for our flight back to US.

We plan/hope to cover all major attractions within London during the 8-9 days.

I'm considering to spend the last few days visiting Bath, Salisbury, Cotswolds, Greenwich. Here are my plans:

1. 9/5 - go and stay in Docklands(PL has a 5* in Canary Wharf). Visit Greenwich and close by attractions. (any??) Is it worthwhile for a day there?
2. 9/6 - go to Bath, Salisbury, Cotswolds, stay in Salisbury for 9/6, 9/7 2 nights
3. 9/8 - on the way back to LHR visit Cotswolds, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court?
4. arriving LATE @ LHR on 9/8

Are these workable plans? We'd preferred not to travel too far away, less travel time.

janisj

Your plan is just a bit off . .

first of all w/ 9 days in London you should have plenty of time to get to Greenwich. It is just a short boat, tube or DLR trip down river from the center of London. Plus - moving hotel for one night out to the Docklands doesn't make much sense IMO.

Plus plus - Docklands is in the opposite direction from the other places you mention.

Plus plus plus - Hampton Court Palace is easier to reach from central London by local train than from the countryside (it is really just a suburb of greater London.

Plus plus plus plus - The Cotswolds are not enroute from salisbury to LHR . . .

So after your time in London (including Greenwich and HCP) I'd head out to LHR in the morning and pick up a rental car. Drive to Salisbury (see Stonehenge on the way). In the afternoon drive on to Bath - stay the night of the 5th.

Spend the next morning/early agfternoon seeing the rest of Bath you missed the day before and then drive up into and tour around the Cotswolds a bit -- Burford might be a good choice since it is near some great villages. Stay the nights of the 6th / 7th.

Then on the morning of the 8th drive on to Windsor. Spend all afternoon there, have dinner, turn in you car at LHR and check in to your hotel.

bratsandbeer

You may want to stop in Lacock. It was one village I loved to see. Here are some photos taken in Lacock and some info. The abbey in Lacock was in the film, Harry Potter.

http://www.thornber.net/england/htmlfiles/lacock1.html

jamikins

I agree with janisj. There is no reason to move to the Docklands. Greenwich and the Docklands are a part of London and very easy to reach on the Jubilee Line and the DLR. Spend a day in Greenwich, but the Docklands are really just a bunch of office buildings with restaurants and an underground mall. I work here every day, and if you are interested in shopping thats fine, but other than that there is no reason to come out here. I guess there is the Museum of the Docklands, but thats about it.

London Walks does a tour of Greenwich, that includes a boat ride on Tues, Thurs and Sun http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Tuesda...m/default.aspx

We've done it and it was very good.

blade2007

Janisj - Thanks so much again for your valuable info. We'll follow your suggestions. However, is it hard to drive around those areas? We are not sure about driving on the different side of the roads..etc. Is taking public transporation a big hassel?

Jamikins - we will definitely do a few London Walks. Thanks.

Brandsanbeer - we'll check into Lacock when in Bath. Thanks.

blade2007

Janisj - Does one need a handheld GPS when traveling in London? Also, Should we go to windsor castle AFTER the 9 days in London or during Bath, Salisbury, Cotswolds trip? We'd like to include Oxford as well since it seems quite close to Burford. Thank you.

LJ

Do your tour of Greenwich from the launch that runs up/down the Thames if at all possible (we got on near Globe Theatre after a morning tour). It was one of the highlights of our trip.

janisj

blade2007: The driving is pretty easy outside of cities. It takes about an hour or so to get used to the differences but then it feels normal. You won't want to drive in London of course. But not IN Bath or IN Oxford either. That is not a problem since both cities have convenient park-and-ride lots where you park for free all day and take inexpensive buses into the city centers.

You could easily do Windsor as a day trip from central London - or - on your way back to LHR after the Cotswolds/Oxford. You don't have to decide ahead of time. You can just go to Windsor any morning while in London, and if you don't make it you can visit it on the way back to LHR the last day.

If it was me -- I'd get the car from LHR and do the loop tour like I described in my first post. LHR > Salisbury > Bath > the Cotswolds/Oxford > Windsor (if you didn't see it from London) > LHR.

No - you don't need a handheld GPS to get around London -- unless you are a techy geek who just loves having the gadgets A simple small folding tourist map is all you need. Most maps have a tube map on the back.

tuscanlifeedit

A folding map has never been quite enough for us in London. We used to have a terrific pocket sized A to Z street guide, but alas, can't find it for this trip. I just bought a used A - Z on ebay.com, and it is about the 4 x 6 inches. We really enjoy the A-Z, and it has helped us find little out of the way places in the past.

yk

As for map, I find the Streetwise Map for London adequate enough. It covers *most* of the city that a tourist may visit, and I like the fact it folds easily (nothing like those huge paper maps), and is laminated.

janisj

I agree - I always have an A to Z -- but for most first timers who aren't going off the beaten path too much, a map is usually enough.

Since you are in London for 9 days, an A to Zed probably is a good idea. They can be bought anywhere in London. Just a small format/tourist one is all that's needed (there are several different versions but the really detailed editions are probably overkill.

blade2007

Thanks all for your valuable info. We'll try to get an A to Z in London.

I checked the rental car in LHR @ Priceline, somehow no automatic is listed, all manual. Estimate about $200 for 4 days. 9/5 to 9/9. Anyone has experience with getting an automatic instead of manual in LHR?

janisj - your suggested route is definetely what we will do. Thanks so much.

blade2007

Hi again. Never mind about getting an automatic rental. I booked with Enterprise for a class c, small,automatic for 4 days for $236.65 total including tax, fees and unlimited mileage. Thanks.