luckypotofgold

While this is my first posting, I have been learning from all of you throughout my trip planning-thank you for all the helpful info! My husband and I will be in London for the first time May 16-19 (after visiting Paris and Ireland). I’m hoping for feedback on our itinerary. Do I have too much packed in? Are there key sights that I’ve missed? Any feedback is much appreciated!<BR><BR>Friday 5/16<BR>12:55 Arrive @ London Gatwick Airport; transfer to Kensington Park Hotel<BR>afternoon:<BR>-visit Harrods<BR>-London sightseeing bus tour<BR>evening:<BR>-Phantom of the Opera<BR><BR>Saturday 5/17<BR>morning: <BR>-Tour St. Paul’s Cathedral <BR>-Westminster Walk beginning at Trafalger Square, Horse Guards (changing of the guards at 11:00), Banqueting House, #10 Downing Street and the Ministry of Defense, Cenotaph, Walking along Whitehall, Parliament Square, Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni Statue, Westminster Bridge for views of Big Ben and Parliament <BR>midday:<BR>-Tour Westminster Abby<BR>afternoon: <BR>-London Eye Ferris Wheel (14:30?)<BR>-Thames cruise from Westminster Bridge to Tower (30 min. cruise); <BR>-Tour Tower of London/Tower Bridge<BR>evening: <BR>Evensong Concert at St. Martin-in-the-Fields<BR>Pub-Crawl?<BR><BR>Sunday 5/18<BR>morning: <BR>-Breakfast @ Kensington Gardens or Hyde Park<BR>-Changing of the Guard<BR>midday:<BR>- West End Walk beginning at Leicester Square, Covent Garden for lunch/shopping<BR>afternoon: <BR>-Continue on West End Walk to Neal Street, Earlham Street, Cambridge Circus, Old Compton Street, Brewer Street, Carnaby Street, and Piccadilly Circus. Stop at Burberry on Haymarket<BR>-Tour British Museum <BR>evening<BR>-Jack the Ripper Walking Tour<BR> <BR>Monday 5/19<BR>Day trip to Stonehenge/Bath/Salisbury<BR>7:09 Train departs for Salisbury<BR>9:05 Train arrives in Bath<BR>13:35 Train departs Bath for Salisbury<BR>14:28 Arrive in Salisbury<BR>-Tour Salisbury Cathedral (tower tour 1.5 <BR>19:15 Transfer to Stonehenge (Taxi?)<BR>19:45 Stonehenge Private Access<BR>20:45 Transfer back to Salisbury (Taxi?)<BR>21:05 Train departs for London <BR>22:35 Arrive in London<BR>**Alternative train departs 22:40, arrives in London at 00:58

nocinonut

Whew, I would answer but I am exhausted just reading what you have planned. I think keep your list as what you want to do but be more flexible in your times of doing them.<BR>Make the list first in order of importance for you and then geographically lump them together, but make time to just linger or have a cuppa tea if you want. IMHO

Tango

I think you are trying to pack too much in! I would check out some of the major tour companies' itineraries. I think they will give you an idea of how much time you need to do the things that are most interesting. <BR><BR>Remember, you could go to London 6 times and still not see everything! <BR><BR>Another thing you might consider is taking the red bus tours when you get there. You pay around $20.00 to stop at around 20 different stops. You can get off where you want, see the sites and get back on. It is a really good way to get an overview of London and see some interesting things. I've done it twice - and would definitely do it again, just to get around.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

elr

London has fantastic museums. did you mean to exclude them from your itinerary? there are so many good ones, but I really think that the national gallery is not to be missed, and it's right across the street from st. martin's in the fields.

eliztrav

Agreed! You'll be on the go every second with that itinerary. On the first day, if you can get out of Harrods in time for the bus tour, I'll be impressed! But, it is technically doable if you feel up to it. I suspect you haven't left enough time for the Tower of London. Also, you could consider crossing the bridge after seeing St. Paul's and wandering up(?) the Thames in the Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, arts center area right toward the Eye. A variation on your plan, just so you see how well situated these sites are. Or, cross the river from the Houses of Parliament side to the Eye, and reverse. There's a fabulous view of the river from the restaurant upstairs in the Tate Modern. Although I really didn't enjoy much of the art I saw there, the renovated factory building was stunning and the restaurant was fun. Good food, too. Anyway, have fun!

kaudrey

Hi!<BR><BR>I am all for packing intineraries (I do it too), but even I think this is a little much. <BR><BR>Example: Day 1: Arrive Gatwick 12:55. You have to get your luggage, go through customs and get to your hotel. It will probably be at least 2:30, if not 3pm by the time you get to the hotel. Say you get there at 2:30, you go to Harrod's at 3pm. It is a HUGE store. We spent 1 1/2 hours just going through the famous food court. I guess you could go for an hour if you want to get a flavor for it. That would be 4pm. Then, the show will be at 7pm. That gives you 3 hours to do the bus tour, possible shower before you go out, eat dinner and get to the show. Seems tight to me, unless you don't shower or possibly don't eat?<BR><BR>Saturday: if you race around to do the morning as you laid out and do the London Eye at 2:30, you wouldn't be able to get to the Thames Cruise until at LEAST 3:30. That will go until 4, travel time to Tower would make it 4:30. Last admission is at 5pm. The Tower takes at LEAST 2 hours, and that's if you are rushing and not into history at all. You could easily spend 1/2 a day there - so going at 4:30 makes no sense whatsoever.<BR><BR>If I were you, I'd pick your must sees and cut this down. And yes, I think the Tower of London is a must see. <BR><BR>I'd think more realistically about how much you can see. But you will have fun either way! Good luck.

Rebecka

Hello Lucky, <BR><BR>And yes, you are indeed lucky to be visiting one of the world's greatest cities. Tango and the other poster is right that - apart from your first day which sounds manageable - your schedule is overly ambitious. Bear in mind, for instance, that a place like the British Museum is big and can easily take half a day to see. Ditto for the Tower of London. <BR><BR>Maybe you should compile a list of ten or so &quot;must sees&quot; and another one for things you want to see or do, and if you can fit a few of those in too, fine. If not, there is always the next time. My guess is that you will want to return some day! Too bad that you don't have a few more days to be there. You can only see so much in less than a week. <BR><BR>I will be returning to London for the sixth time this May, but will have returned home by the time you get there. <BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip! <BR><BR>

Travelnick

Agree with others comments, except like a number of knowledgeable London people, I hate the thought of supporting Mohammed Fayed and his ownership of Harrods, go to Selfridges.<BR>but your last day? Just too much . You still have to get to Paddington for the train. Personally I think you are heading for a horribly tiring day and will not enjoy it at the end - go to Bath, or go to Salisbury + Stonehenge.

cometrider78

Okay, I am writing from having lived in England for a few months, but even I had the London excursion process. I think this might be a bit overwhelming for your trip, especially as this would be the last leg of it. Take a look at what you would be doing in Paris and Ireland and decide what is lacking from your trip as a whole. This itinerary, while complete, is exhausting and believe me a whole lot of walking. My personal faves on the cultural/touristy side would be Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park and having afternoon tea in the Orangerie. St. Pauls Cathedral is nice as is Westminster, but how many cathedrals will you be visiting on your excursion, after travelling awhile they lose their WOW. I have learned to space them out, because they are beautiful and need to be appreciated. Covent Garden is fun on market day and one can find great handcrafted pieces from the open vendors. Bath was not as cool as I expected, especially for the length of the trip. I suggest hiring a car from the train station and driving into Avebury a small village built withing a stone circle like Stonehenge, though here you can still commune with the rocks, they aren't isolated. You will be surprised how much is seen just walking around from Picadilly, to Trafalgar to Leicester , they are all pretty close. <BR>Go see Phantom, and if possible another play.. It is special to see Phantom in Her Majesty's Theater (if it is still there). Above all have fun and enjoy your time there, if you move to fast England will turn into a blur that you may not savor or remember.

janeygirl

Admittedly, I am a slug so I have a hard time imagining such an ambitious schedule. All of the days look too jam-packed for what I would enjoy. But that's what some people like so I try not to judge based on my own personal needs.<BR><BR>That said, please consider, too, that you'll likely be suffering from a bit of jet lag (assuming you're flying from the US). I can't even think straight until I've had a shower and change of clothes after arriving in Europe. You might want to consider allowing time for that before going to Harrod's. Personally, shopping or the bus tour would be enough for me on the first day, but not both, especially if I had theater plans for the evening. <BR><BR>

china_cat

I'm looking at your Saturday schedule, and thinking about my trip, and a similar day. We walked from Bloomsbury down to the boatstop in Westminster. We took the boat on the Thames to the tower. We went to the tower, took the beefeater tour, saw the crown jewels. Then we had a late lunch, and went to St Pauls. Then back to the hotel. That was a full day. Now, I know we didn't start all that early in the morning, and a more active person might cover more ground. But I'd say you've got WAY too much packed into that one day. Oh, and my husband was annoyed that we didn't have time to see the armory museum in the Tower.

isabel

I'm known for wearing out my traveling companions by doing too much and even I wouldn't consider your itinerary. Friday and Sunday MIGHT be possible - but not very enjoyable. Saturday is totally impossible. I was just in London in March and I did all the things you have listed but it took twice as many days and we were still tired and we almost never stopped for the kind of leisurly meals most people want. We ate sandwiches on the go and still could not have done your Saturday. I would drop the tours of either St Pauls or Westminster Abbey, and I would drop either the London eye or the boat ride (I'd drop the London eye myself, I really liked the boat ride). It would still be a very full day. And by &quot;doing&quot; the Tower Bridge I assume you mean walking across it, not doing the &quot;Tower Experience&quot;. The Tower of London is wonderful and you should allow at least a couple of hours, and that's if you don't mind skipping the crown jewels. We saw them because there was no line but I'm sure glad I didn't waste any time waiting in line to see them. <BR><BR>London is wonderful but you just can't see everything in three days. Distances are fairly far and public transportation - tube or bus - are great but they take time too. You'll still have a great time.

janis

Everyone is right. This itinerary is just totally impossible.<BR><BR>I move fast and know London like the back of my hand, yet could not accomplish this. It takes a lot longer to get around and London is a very crowded city. <BR><BR>as an example - Your Sat. itinerary just isn't doable. St Pauls has services in the morning and you cannot tour it until after the services are over. So you could not see St Paul's, walk to the tube, then tube ride ro Charing Cross (changing lines and at least 15 minutes travel time) walking to horse Guards before 11 AM - can't be done.<BR><BR>You will have no time to see the Tower - it is not open in the evening.<BR><BR>More problems on Sunday. The Br Museum is not open on Sunday evening. Oh - and your information must be old - the Burberry store on Haymarket closed some time ago.

JJ127

My suggestion is do NOT try to see Phantom on your first night. You will be so jetlagged, you will probably end up sleeping through it.<BR><BR>On my first day, I just try to keep it simple. The main thing is to keep moving. I get theatre tickets, tube pass, exchange money (now that's simple with ATM's), visit a favorite restaurant, walk through my favorite park (St James), then back to the hotel to map out my next day. I usually get to bed fairly early the first night, have a good night's sleep and then go, go, go the rest of my trip.

luckypotofgold

I appreciate all the comments I received on my overly ambitious itinerary and have tried to revise. I think its more doable now--do others agree? The plan is to use the itinerary as a guide and adjust as needed as the day progresses. Thanks again for the much needed help.<BR><BR>Friday 5/16<BR>12:55 Arrive @ London Gatwick (from Dublin); head to Kensington Park Hotel<BR>afternoon: London sightseeing bus tour<BR>eveninghantom of the Opera<BR><BR>Saturday 5/17<BR>morning:Tower of London/see Tower Bridge<BR>midday: Thames cruise from Tower to Westminster Bridge (30 min. cruise)<BR>afternoon: Westminster Abby <BR>-Westminster Walk seeing sights between Westminster Bridge and Trafalger Square<BR>-Harrods (if time)<BR>evening: Evensong Concert at St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Pub Crawl?<BR><BR>Sunday 5/18<BR>morning: Breakfast @ Hyde Park<BR>-Changing of the Guard<BR>midday: West End Walk seeing sights beginning @ Leicester Square &amp; ending @ Piccadilly Circus (Covent Garden for lunch/shopping in-between)<BR>afternoon: Tour British Museum <BR>evening: Jack the Ripper Walking Tour<BR> <BR>Monday 5/19<BR>morning: St. Paul’s Cathedral<BR>afternoon: take 12:35 train from Waterloo to Salisbury<BR>-sightsee here before Stonehenge special access @ 19:45 <BR>-Take 21:05 Train to London (alternative train @ 22:40)

kcw214

Definitely more doable, especially since you're not trying to squeeze in Salisbury AND Bath! (Lovely, but save for a longer trip). Don't be afraid to depart from your itinerary -- you might see something that you want to explore further! London is one of my favorite &quot;just walk and look&quot; cities.

ron

I think it is a fine plan. One consideration -- the conventional wisdom on this forum is to take the sightseeing bus tour on your arrival day because you will be too jet-lagged or tired from your overnight, overseas trip to do anything else. Since you are not coming from overseas, I'm wondering why you are bothering? You will be seeing most everything on your other days. <BR><BR>In my view, a must see on a first visit is the Museum of London, and that is what I would recommend instead for your arrival afternoon.

luckypotofgold

Ron:<BR>I think your suggestion is a great one and plan to drop the sightseeing tour to do something else (Museum of London?) our first day. Thanks for the suggestion!

circa

Couple of suggestions:....changing of the guard....that can eat up 3 hours...there is no seating..just standing, and if you are short, you will have difficulty seeing over other's heads.....and the crowd gathers early...of course we all want to see this, so plan accordingly. ((Horse Guard is much more personable))<BR><BR>Harrod's is wonderful...but again you can spend some time here ((favoite of mine))<BR><BR>If you use the &quot;on and off&quot; bus tour. Your ticket is good for a 24 hr. period. So there is some benefit in getting on in mid-day. You can just ride the bus around and see the lay out, and use it the next day to get to 1 or more sights.<BR><BR>Learn the &quot;tube&quot;....it's fast.<BR><BR>enjoy<BR><BR>

dddick

Don't overlook all the other walking tours. They're almost all worth the time &amp; money and, in fact, produced some of our best times in London. Our take is you should plan a different walking tour at least every other evening.

Dale &amp; Kathy