janisj: The Dungeons did look interesting to me but I will take your advice and break up the Abbey and St Paul's and replace going to the Dungeons with St Paul's. I'll save the Dungeons for another trip when my kids are with me since they are just as morbid as their mom :D

flybob: I have already decided to pass on the first hotel I posted about after reading reviews on tripadvisor.com.

anad123 and historytravller: Thanks for the heads up on the changing of the guard,nice to know if I miss it I'm not missing much :)

mtngal,
A nice easy way to get the lay of the land in London while you are getting over jet lag is with the hop-on hop-off bus tour. There are two companies that do this and both are good. The tickets are for 24 hours so if you get it at noon you are good to ride as you wish till noon the next day. It gives you a drive-by (and get off if you feel like it) of all the major sights and if you are jet lagged you can just sit there and soak it in. If you see something interesting get off an take a look and catch the next bus. It has been a few years so I don't remember the price but maybe someone else here can help on that.

I'd also say ditch the London Dungeon (very tacky!), and maybe buy a ticket to see the inside of Buckingham Palace rather than watch the quite boring changing of the guard. Lastminute.com sell BP tickets combined with a traditional afternoon tea at a London hotel.

I think if you are unfamiliar with London using the tube is a better idea than using the bus. All the tubes stops are named - on the bus, unless you happen to be right outside St Pauls etc, you won't have a clue where you are. The exception to this would be a proper Tour bus, where you'll have a guide telling you where you are so that would be ok.

Friday March 16th
I have kept this the same I realize the time between the tube stations is long but like I mentioned above that's part of fun for me.
The Who Shop East Ham(aprox 45 mins from Paddington)
Paddington to Platform 9 ¾ King’s Cross Station
Kings Cross to Earl’s Court Tube Station police box outside>>>>>>

You're doing this back to front!

East Ham is on the District line and so is Earls court so get the district line from your Hotel at Paddington, get off at Earls Court and look at the TARDIS, get back on and schlep the VAST distance to East Ham (the Who shop isn't that great), and then go To Kings Cross.

I've been to the Who shop in East Ham and it really isn't worth the trip. I would go to Forbidden Planet in Shaftesbury Avenue wh will have at least as good a range and won't require you to schlep all the way to East Hame (and East Ham is vile).

Once you've done the Harry Potter stuff at Kings Cross, I'd suggest a short walk down the Euston Rd to the British Library - which is a much under-rated treat.

Audere is right about the British Library is fantastic. Their 200 Treasures room has the Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible, handwritten original manuscript of Alice in Wonderland, Handel's Messiah, original music from Mozart and the Beatles and a whole lot more.

Well after reviewing my finance situation I have had to decide to scrap the Paris trip for another time :(. If money works out all right I will consider maybe going up to Hampton Court.I'm also going to skip Madame Tussuad's but that's not too big of a deal :)

So besides the British Library any other suggestions for underrated little known sights to check out on Sunday?

You've been give some fab tips and ideas so i'll try not to duplicate them. why not check out www.walks.com for a sunday morning walk if you have the energy?! (I love walks.com too)

or how about afternoon tea? tea at the ritz might be £80 for two and most other hotels/palces (eg Dorchester, Fortnum & Mason) are about £50-60 for two but i've recently found another delight: www.teapalace.com in Notting Hill. Afternoon tea is £15 per person and divine. Over 200 teas to choose from if tea is your thing. The bus no 23 runs outside every few minutes which will take you right through central london too eg Oxford St so you can hop off and shop if you wish.

A little unknown/cheap sight: try the Tower Bridge exhibition. Only £4 or £5 pounds. I have to warn you not _much_ of an exhibition but well worth it for the views, ease and lack of queues etc.

try lastminute.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk for discounted tickets (national rail sometimes often does 2 for 1 on most london attractions. I try to always get a 2 for 1 if visiting anywhere).

try visiting one of the markets eg Borough market for great fresh produce and atmosphere.

I would also visit the Tate Modern (free like most other museums). There is a useful Youngs pub on the river nearby to sit inside if it is cold and watch the river. Serves good food and is open by at least 11am on a Sunday for breakfast too.

As previously mentioned this is near the Millenium footbridge so worth a walk over from the Tate Modern to St Pauls.

London is pretty quiet before noon on a Sunday but if you are in the know there are some great places to go.

Have fun.

Oh and for another good view you could to the bar at the top of the Hilton on Park Lane for either a cocktail or tea/coffe. Very nice.

Consider Portobello Road on Sat. a.m. Convent Garden is always fun to walk around. I enjoyed the Dickens Museum. National Gallery at Trafalgar Square is awesome.

Greenwich (a half-hour by DLR, one hour by boat from Westminster pier) offers many interesting sights.

http://www.nmm.ac.uk

http://www.cuttysark.org.uk

http://wwp.greenwich2000.com/info/tourism/barrier.htm

p.s. Don't look for "coNvent garden" on a map. The correct spelling is Covent Garden.

If you're on a budget, go straight to Paris and don't come back to London until your departing flight.

Go to the TKTS booth in the middle of Leichester Square and see what shows they have half-price day-of-performance tickets for. A great way to see a London show without spending a lot.

Re Greenwich above: The Cutty Sark is closed for the next couple of years. There's plenty of other great stuff there though.

The web site says they'll be sort of semi-open during the restoration. Visitors will be able to see the work in progress as well as some cabins that have been removed for the duration.

I had planned on seeing Equus while I was there,would it be better to book the tickets online ahead of time to guarantee a seat or use the TKTS at Leicester Square? Is there that big of a difference in the prices?

TKTS prices are usually half plus a 2.50 pound fee. But they are only the most expensive tickets, generally. Sometimes it is possible to get "cheap" seats at the theatre for full price at less cost than the half price tickets at TKTS, but those seats usually wouldn't be called the "good seats". In other words there are seats for 19.50 at the theatre, but at the TKTS booth if they have anything, they will most likely be 49.50 tickets at half price plus the fee -- or 27.25

I have no idea if Equus will be available at TKTS or not.

The Dennis Severs House is open on Sunday afternoon.

Years ago I made the terrible mistake of booking a room at Blair Victoria. It was awful! The only good thing about it is the location, which is very convenient for those who fly into Gatwick. But there are certainly much better hotels in the Victoria Station area.

I suggest that you try to cancel your reservations as soon as possible and find a better place.

Bookmarking
Thankyou and have a great trip mtngal76!
Rosie((R))

mtngal76- check out tripadvisor.com for reviews of any hotel.