Iris_Grower

My husband and I have been reading Fodors boards for quite a while now and have gleaned a number of innovative ideas in planning our trip to London. Nevertheless, putting together an itinerary can be quite daunting. We're going the last week of May and this is the schedule we've come up with. Any suggestions / ideas/ etc are greatly appreciated. (We've already purchased travel cards for zones 1-2, and bought 7 day GBH passes several months ago when they were on sale.)

Monday - we arrive/check in by 13:00; go to the National Portrait Gallery (closes at 18:00); go on a "London Walk"(have not decided which one yet) at around 19:00.

Tuesday - Tower of London 9am-10:45; St Pauls Cathedral tour 11:30-13:00; Westminster Abbey Verger Tour 14:30-16:00; Harrods

Wednesday - Hampton Court in the early morning until after Lunch; then to the Royal Mews (closes at 15:00); then to Chelsea Flower Show 17:30-20:00; Ceremony of the Keys at 21:30

Thursday - Golden Tours Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury Tour

Friday - 'London Walks' Leeds Castle and Canterbury Tour

Saturday - Covent Garden Market in the morning; Romeo & Juliet at the Globe Theatre at 13:30

Sunday - Bateaux River Thames Lunch Cruise

m_kingdom2

Your Tuesday requires a lot of travelling - from Tower Bridge to St Pauls, then back along the Thames again for Westminster Abbey, then all the way to Harrods. Furthermore, Harrods closes at 19:00.

How to reschedule, well, unless you can cut some of your other days you can't - I'd skip Leeds Castle for you next visit. Hampton Court will be far more impressive and historical. Perhaps use this day for Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey coupled with Harrods. On the Tuesday do St Pauls, and also the Barbican and look at other historical areas of The City (as that area is known).

travelbunny

..my 2 pence worth..sounds quite ambitious..on the first day jet lag may hit and you might find your energy flagging..but maybe not
i do think your tuesday and wed a bit too full..i am not sure that you will have enough time at the tower and you may need to play it by ear as to whether or not to skip st. paul's..on wednesday again, i think you may find that you want a bit more time at hampton court and the royal mews maybe difficult to include..hope this is helpful..and have a great trip.

historytraveler

I have to admit that M-Kingdom2 has made an excellent suggestion. Leeds is highly overrated I.M.O. and rescheduling your trip( as suggested ) to St. Paul's, the Tower,Westminster and Harrod's makes sense. Although if the Leeds/Canterbury trip is one of the London Walks you can't just pass on Leeds. It is still an easy train trip to Canterbury from London and can be done on your own. Other tours may offer a Canterbury/Rochester Cathedral and Castle tour. I'd certainly opt for that rather than Leeds.Good Luck.

Dave_

Generally it looks like you haven't tried to fit too much in any day which is good. I do just think you may be a bit rushed at the Tower of London to get to St Pauls for your tour at 11.30. You may have to queue to get in to the Tower and I would definitely recommend you do a Beefeater Tour which takes an hour or so and you don't want to limit your time elsewhere in the Tower too much. Plus if you want to wander over to Tower Bridge while you are that close that will add a bit of time to your plans.

Have a great time in London!

janis

Actually I couldn't disagree more with Dave. You have scheduled too much for at least a couple of your days. So much so that your Tues and Wed plans are super human if not impossible.

There is practically no chance to see the Tower and be to St Paul's by 11:30 a.m.. the Tower takes a minimum of 3 hours to see - and thet is only if you skip some of it. Also scheduling the Tower AND tour of St Paul's AND Westminster Abbey AND Harrods all on the same day will be a total overload. These places are spread all over London, each takes a couple of hours and Harrods closes at 6 p.m. I'd totally re-do your Tues plans -- The Tower and St Paul's plus maybe the Museum of London would be a full day.

On Wed you want to rush out to Hampton Court Palace, rush back to the Mews, THEN go to the Flower Show. You should plan on at least 6 hours for the trip to and back from HCP. And many folks spend an entire day at Chelsea. But at minimum the flower show will take at least 4 hours. You really shouldn't try to squeeze all three of these things into the same day.

Seriously consider dropping the trip to Leeds - you'll need that time to see several of the sites you planned in London.

rj007

I agree with Janis. I would pare the schedule especially on Tue. and Wed. I spent 4 hours at The Tower and still didn't see everything. I think you would have a much more enjoyable visit if you didn't try to do too many things in a day and have to rush from one site to another.
I have made 7 trips to London and I feel I have just barely scratched the surface. Save some of the visits for another trip to London.

Have a great trip!

Iris_Grower

Thank you for the suggestions especially the notes about how much time will be needed at each location. Revised:

Monday -arrive/check in by 13:00; go to the National Portrait Gallery (closes at 18:00); go on a "London Walk"(have not decided which one yet) at around 19:00. (possibility of jetlag duly noted)

Tuesday - Tower of London 9am-until; Royal Mews (closes at 16:00); Harrods (closes at 19:00)-we don't expect to really 'shop' at Harrod's,- just gawk, and can't imagine gawking for more than a few hours

Wednesday - Hampton Court in the early morning until after Lunch; Chelsea Flower Show 17:30-20:00 (the tickets are specifically for this time slot); Ceremony of the Keys at 21:30

Thursday - Golden Tours Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury Tour

Friday - St Pauls Cathedral unguided tour 8:30 am until.; Bateaux River Thames Lunch Cruise boards at 13:00; possibly either We Will Rock You or JS The Opera in the evening

Saturday - Westminster Abbey Verger tour 10:00-noon; Romeo & Juliet at the Globe Theatre at 13:30

Sunday - Covent Garden Market; London Eye

LynneD

Here's a possible idea for your Hampton Court day. We arrived early (when they opened) and stayed til 11:30, picked up a take away lunch from the market near the train station, and had a picnic lunch on the train back to London. It gained us an extra hour of sightseeing on a tightly scheduled day.

wombat7

No sure where you are staying but you might end up walking through Covent Garden a few times - it's no longer a market per se, more a neat area of shopping. If you have a free momenet for a pint near Covent Garden would recommend The Coal Hole on the Strand - an old old London pub

historytraveler

I think your revised schedule sounds fine. I wanted to add a caveat to time allowances.They are highly personal. What may entertain one person for 4-5 hours, may have another person ready to move on in less than 90 min.
It can be mentally and physically exhausting trying to see everything. Plan to return.

As for Harrod's the Food Court is by far the most interesting and shouldn't take more than an hour if you aren't shopping.

Have a great trip.

rj007

I would suggest for your London Walk to do the Walk along the Thames Pub Walk.
They had this on the Winter Schedule for Mon night., I am not sure if it is there for the summer Mon nights.

It is a great way to shake the cobwebs off after the long flight. A very relaxing walk along the Thames with stops at 2 or 3 pubs(no obligation to buy). If they don't have that particular walk then other pub walks are also enjoyable.

I have done over a few dozen of the London Walks as well as going on several self-guided walks. One of my favorite things to do - just wander the different neighborhoods. It gets me in my "Ah, back in London!" mindset.

Writing this, I am missing London even more! Have fun!

tod

Iris Grower - This sounds like your first trip and like most of us, want to see as much as possible. But be warned dear heart, there is tremendous physical, not to mention mental strain, trying to enjoy our every waking moment! Don't be too disappointed if things don't go exactly to plan - have some room to manouvre.
Having said that I know you will enjoy the Chelsea Flower Show as it is such a special one this year. We will be there on 25th and are spending the day. Please have a look at the South African display inside the marquee - we have won so many gold medals and are hoping for another this year!
If you are feeling claustrophobic after touring the famous sights and want a wonderful breath of fresh air, get off the tube at Baker street or Great Portland, and walk up the winding little road that leads to Queen Mary's Rose Garden in Regents Park. You will be treated to a truly wonderful sight of thousands of roses bursting into bloom. If they are still in bud try to go just before you head back home.
Bon Voyage!

mamc

Your schedule sounds lovely. We went to the Chelsea Flower Show last year. Be prepared to stay longer than three and a half hours if you can. The flower show is incredibly crowded and you will probably have to wait in lines for some of the more popular gardens. It is a lifetime experience for a gardener and simply breathtaking so worth giving as much time as possible.

Kayb95

Your revised itinerary is much more do-able. Overplanning is very typical for a first trip - we've all done it!

Does the lunch cruise you plan to take leave from Westminster Pier? If so, you might want to re-arrange your Friday and Saturday.

On Friday if you did Westminster Abbey in the morning, you would be right by Westminster Pier for the cruise. And if it returns you to Westminster, you might be able to squeeze in the Cabinet War Rooms or a walk through St. James's Park to Buckingham Palace before your show that evening.

On Saturday, if you did St. Pauls in the morining, you will only be a short walk across the Millenium footbridge over the Thames to the Globe Theatre.

It will save you some extra travel time.

Make sure you aren't late for the Ceremony of the Keys. They will not admit late-comers. And after the ceremony, make sure you walk down to the banks of the Thames to view Tower Bridge all lite up.

tod

Iris Grower take note of Kayb95's note - absolutely on the button. What a genius.

ChatNoir

Here's a walk we did once on our arrival day. Took about two hours and helped us stay and shake the jetlag.


Westminster - Thames - Trafalgar Walk

Start: Westminster Tube

Exit tube and view Big Ben (Clock Tower) and Parliament Buildings

Walk to Parliament Square and start down St. Margaret Street

Pass or take a quick peek inside St. Margaret?s Church

Turn left beyond the corner of the Jewel Tower in to Black Rod?s Garden

Exit garden and cross over Lambeth Bridge

Turn left when across the Thames

Pass by or take a quick peek at the exterior of Lambeth Palace and the nearby Museum of Gardening History

Join the Thames Path National Trail and continue along the Albert Embankment

Walk past St. Thomas Hospital and pass under Westminster Bridge

Continue along Queens Walk pass the London Aquarium, London Eye and Jubilee Gardens

Cross back over the Thames at Hungerford Bridge

Walk up Norththumberland Avenue towards Nelson?s Column

Enter Trafalgar Square

Visit St. Martin?s in the Fields Church and café in Crypt

Visit National Gallery

Finish: Charing Cross

vcl

Check to make sure you can make the journey from the Chelsea Flower Show to the Tower for the Ceremony of the Keys in the time you have scheduled for the journey. It appears mighty tight and perhaps impossible to me.

vcl

Oops. Misread your schedule and thought you'd scheduled only half an hour to get from Flower Show to Tower.

diannewade

Am going to London on Tuesday and was wondering what would be the appropriate clothing to take regarding the weather, restaurants and all.