Hi,

We are ending our 6 week trip to Europe with 2 nights in London (we fly home out of London Gatwick). I have been to London once previously, but my partner has never been. London it too big and overwhelming to try and cram a ton in, but I would like her to be able to take a peek at some highlights- perhaps just to wet her appetite for a future visit. This is what I was thinking.....

Day 1
Fly from Prague arriving around 11am – settle into hostel near Covent Garden area..say around 1:00pm before we set out to see anything.

Just Walk. Walk around outside of Parliament, Westminister, Whitehall area through Covent Garden area (I've never been to Covent Garden).

**Tickets to a Show – Though I've seen it, I think my wife would enjoy Wicked. Show is at the Apollo at 7:30 need to be there about 6:30pm.
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Day 2: Early Start.
Museum of London (I've never been)
Then over to Victoria/Albert’s Museum cafeteria for lunch. Stroll through Natural History Museum - just taking in the ambience and building not a detailed visit. Pop over to Sherlock Holmes museum/shop to buy a souvenir (this is for me).

Evening ** The Old Knightsbridge Village Pub Walk 7:00pm from South Kensington Tube. Perhaps take in Big Ben at night and then head to the hostel.

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Our plane leaves at 2:00pm from London Gatwick. I figure we need to be at the airport by 11:00am.....so perhaps in the am we'll take the metro over to London Bridge and take some shots of the Tower of London in the morning before heading to the airport.

What do you think? Any suggestions? Plans too Lofty?

Thanks,
Naxos

The RV1 bus from Covent Garden will take you across the bridge, Waterloo, London Eye,Tate Modern and over and across the Tower Bridge where it ends. It is an amazing route. (Actually, my favorite)

I suggest a coffee stop or light lunch up at the plate- glass- windowed café in the Tate Modern.

Enjoy your stay.

On your first day you will have time to fit in either Westminster Abbey or the Cabinet War Rooms (but probably not both). Both are on the route you are planning.

I know you don't want to cram in too much on your full day; but if you like art, don't miss the National Gallery. Cross the street and have lunch in the cafe-in-the-crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

It totally depends on your own personal interests of course - but your full day seems a bit off to me. Just museum after museum after museum from one side of London to the other. Besides, w/ the hordes of children that are usually in the Natural History museum, it wouldn't be my choice for "ambience/strolling".

Also - the Museum of London is not totally open. It is still well worth a visit but basically only covers events up to 1666 - the rest is shut for remodeling. I'd probably skip it on such a short visit.

I like the RV1 bus idea - I take that bus a lot.

I probably would skip the Nat Hist Museum, and instead, assuming weather is decent, go for a walk in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park instead. After the 2 musueums earlier in the day, I personally would enjoy some outdoors and fresh air.

For the day of departure, I think you'd be okay if you get to
Gatwick 2 - 2.5 hours early. 3 hours is probably a bit excessive. Beware that in the morning, if you head to London Bridge for photos of Tower of London, you will be viewing East, which is not the best for photo shots.

I wouldn't pass up the Museum of London simply because the galleries that cover the last 300 years of its history are not yet re-opened. You have the earlier history plus the special exhibit on the London Fire. Perhaps I don't have the museum stamina of others, but that is more than I could cover in one visit.

I do question racing across the city to see the V&A and Natural History Museum. Perhaps a stroll down past St Paul's and across the bridge to the Tate Modern?

I agree with the others - as great as the V&A and the Natural History Museum are, there are several other things I'd choose for a first-time visit, if I weren't particularly interested in those two museums. If you'd like to do the Museum of London (and it is excellent), St Paul is much closer, and would be my personal choice over the two museums. If you want another museum after that, the Tate Modern is then right across the river, or you could go to the National Gallery or the National Portrait Gallery. As yk mentioned, London's parks are beautiful. You could do the London Eye or the Tower as well.

"Just walking" is a great idea - one of my favorite things to do! And as Cholmondley mentioned, either the War Rooms or Westminster Abbey would be well worth your time.

Wicked is amazing, but I don't think you need to get there an hour beforehand unless you really want to. 7:00 or so would be plenty of time.

Curtain is 7:30 - even arriving at 7:20 gives you plenty of time. . . . . Unless you plan on ordering an drink ahead of time for the interval - then I'd arrive maybe 15-20 mins early.

Not sure why you need to be at the Apollo at 6:30 for a 7:30 show. We saw Wicked at the Apollo in September and didn't even start eating dinner until 5:45, and still had to get to the theater afterwards -- I think we walked in at 7:28.

If you're getting to the theatre an hour early with a view to getting a drink, then there's a pub just by the Apollo (The Stage Door - no imagination these people) which will sell you drinks at pub prices (they skin you alive pricewise inside).

ps The stage door is the older pub immediately to the right of the Apollo - don't get mixed up with the pub slightly further along the same street - The Stag - which is a gay pub.

Sorry - the pub is to the LEFT as you look at the Apollo.

hi Naxos,

the key to successful short trips is to group what you aim to see in the same area/s. so Day 1 is great.

Day 2 - fine if that's what you want to do. but other ideas above are good too. if she's not been you might like to think about the Tower, followed by St. Pauls, followed by Tate Modern. shame to spend your Day 2 indoors, especially if the weather is like it is this week, which is sunny and warm

regards, ann

Oh wow - lots of great feedback thank you. Lots to think about. I think its really fair criticism that I have too many museum stops...its hard I'm trying to pick out things I remember liking when I was there but also add in one or two things that are new for me too.

I did the Tate and the walk to St. Pauls last time...but it wasn't quite up my alley. I would really like to show her maybe one museum and then find an area that would be good to walk around in - one that has a good smattering of old-London architecture. I happened across such areas but I couldn't point out where on earth I was now. I am having trouble remembering where exactly I found the best niche's of history and architecture. I think because I found London overwhelming myself when I was there for 5 days or so several years ago.

My own particular desires are to take a quick peak at the Sherlock Holmes museum and to get in an Original London Walk (or two if I was on my own). My partner is a total non-planner - she just packs and shows up as scheduled-lol! So I'm not getting a lot of feedback there.

I will re-vamp!

Thanks again,
Naxos

We did the British Museum and the British Library in one rather long but relaxed day. Now there are MUSEUMS! And the walk between them is not bad and goes through great streets and a park or two.

Another day we did the Museum of London in less than 2 hours--it's good but not on my top 10 things to do list. We combined that with walking around the City a good bit--that was fun, too.

And yes, definitely look at map and avoid all the cross-city-travel, like the Museum of London all the way to the VandA and then back to Baker Street.

I'd second the recommendation for the Tower as number one thing to do (followed by nice views of the Thames with a stroll). Or the British Museum and the British Library. And get out on the Millennium Bridge at some point.

(I've read the Holmes Museum may not be worth a trip--and I'm a Holmes fan--might want to explore that. I went by and just took pics of me with the Baker Street address, didn't go in Museum)

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is pants. Obviously you can't have a museum to someone who never existed. It's a tourist trap and no one has a good word for it. Given the amount of time you have it's really a waste of your limited hours.

221B Baker St is now the site of the HQ of the Abbey National - a bank. It's a 1970s style steel and glass mega-office block. So quite why anyone would want to go there is beyond me. Chacun a son gout and all that I suppose.

They do get loads of letters to Holmes each year - and they write back!

>>>and then find an area that would be good to walk around in - one that has a good smattering of old-London architecture. >>>>

Well London is thousands of years old you know....

I usually take people around the Temple and Inns of Court for this sort of thing. Google images will give you an idea.

Museum of London - I was there in 2002 and the newer parts were being remodeled then. It seems to be a permanent "remodel." Anyway, I LOVED it and spent almost 7, yes 7, hours there.

In case you need a translation -- "pants" means schlocky, rubbish, s**t -- that sort of thing. And I definitely agree. Why spend any of your VERY limited time in a fake "museum"? It would be like having Jane Eyre museum instead of a Bronte museum. Jane didn't exist and neither did Sherlock . . . . . One can't see things that belonged to them.

Lol! Cant a simple man find enjoyment in getting a schticky Sherlock Holmes pipe from London, England of all places? Alright, alright...my wife is going to say the same thing no doubt. I can't promise I'm not going to do it but if I do I will write back and admit I was thoroughly warned about the pantsness of that place -lol!

Cholmondley - I will definately google the Temple and inns of Court areas - thank you.

Cheers,
Naxos

Naxos - The Temple area (inner temple and middle temple), plus the Inns of Court (esp Lincoln's Inn) are really quite nice. You can read my account from my trip report last Nov (scroll half way down)
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-2717457

Here are a few pics:
Lincoln's Inn Library
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...8/IMG_2709.jpg

Hare Court of Inner Temple
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...8/IMG_2715.jpg