Ten Days in London (July 4th - July 13th) - Itinerary Planning
Feb 4th, 2012, 08:03 AM
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Ten Days in London (July 4th - July 13th) - Itinerary Planning
I'm trying to plan ten days in London for my wife and I (26 &26). I want to maximize time while minimizing costs (thus maximizing the use of rail passes, cheap days for ticketing... etc).
July 4th: Arriving in to LHR at 10:00 AM and travel to Apartment in Zone 4 (rail line). I don't plan on doing much this day besides getting acclimated with local area, doing some grocery shopping, etc, etc... We may try to venture into and out of London just to get acclimated with rail journey.
Thursday July 5th- Thursday 12th are open and thus we are really planning an eight day itinerary.
July 13th: Need to be to LHR for a 1:35 flight to Rome.
All of the classic tourist sites in London are on our list (don't expect to spend too long in Museums). In addition, we would like day trips to Oxford and Bath (I am wondering if the train tickets will be cheaper on the weekends???).
I'm comfortable enough with doing everything on my own so save money on tour fees and the sorts but know I'll need to plan extensively in order to maximize our time.
Where do I start?
July 4th: Arriving in to LHR at 10:00 AM and travel to Apartment in Zone 4 (rail line). I don't plan on doing much this day besides getting acclimated with local area, doing some grocery shopping, etc, etc... We may try to venture into and out of London just to get acclimated with rail journey.
Thursday July 5th- Thursday 12th are open and thus we are really planning an eight day itinerary.
July 13th: Need to be to LHR for a 1:35 flight to Rome.
All of the classic tourist sites in London are on our list (don't expect to spend too long in Museums). In addition, we would like day trips to Oxford and Bath (I am wondering if the train tickets will be cheaper on the weekends???).
I'm comfortable enough with doing everything on my own so save money on tour fees and the sorts but know I'll need to plan extensively in order to maximize our time.
Where do I start?
Feb 4th, 2012, 08:20 AM
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I should mention, I just ordered the Rick Steves 2012 book just to get an idea. We can probably work out the day to day planning.
But, I want help with big picture planning.
Do I get an Oyster card, is there a best way to maximize admissions into popular sites, etc, etc??
But, I want help with big picture planning.
Do I get an Oyster card, is there a best way to maximize admissions into popular sites, etc, etc??
Feb 4th, 2012, 08:21 AM
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first congrats on booking, London is a super cool place that you should really love and am sure there is plenty to do for free. I suggest you both get 1 week travel cards for the first week. They are about £41 each- they will cover, buses, overland, tubes, DLR etc etc-prtically all travel within zones 1-4.
I would definitely recommend a walk around the parks, Hyde Park or St James...weather should be good then and totally free. If you do St James you can combine with seeing Buckingham Palace, Horsegards Parade, Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral.
On a Saturday I would say walk along the southbank from waterloo to London Borough Market...amazing (free) foodie tourist market by the river. Its a great little area and it is a nice walk along the south bank to get there, past the Globe theatre, Tate modern etct etc
I would definitely recommend a walk around the parks, Hyde Park or St James...weather should be good then and totally free. If you do St James you can combine with seeing Buckingham Palace, Horsegards Parade, Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral.
On a Saturday I would say walk along the southbank from waterloo to London Borough Market...amazing (free) foodie tourist market by the river. Its a great little area and it is a nice walk along the south bank to get there, past the Globe theatre, Tate modern etct etc
Feb 4th, 2012, 08:29 AM
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haha, just realised you are the Beckenham flat person...so congrats on that.
(ok Blakheath/Greenwich day i have already mentioned)
Another cool free thing to do is just to wonder around Regent street and the area to the east of regent street- "soho", which is full of little shops and restaurants, including cute "Kingly Court" and famous Carnaby Street. To the south of this boundary is London's China town and L. Square Regent street and Piccadilly circus are worth seeing for themselves, you can also wonder to Fortnum and Mason department store which i think is way better than Harrods and in a nicer area. These are all extremely walkable in them selves. If the weather is good you can rent deck-chairs...or bring a blanket and sit in Green Park which is equally close.
Ooh just thought with the London Borough Market suggestion you could start the day at the London eye just at the start of the south-bank walk to Borough market. (or go the other way and end up at London Eye)
(ok Blakheath/Greenwich day i have already mentioned)
Another cool free thing to do is just to wonder around Regent street and the area to the east of regent street- "soho", which is full of little shops and restaurants, including cute "Kingly Court" and famous Carnaby Street. To the south of this boundary is London's China town and L. Square Regent street and Piccadilly circus are worth seeing for themselves, you can also wonder to Fortnum and Mason department store which i think is way better than Harrods and in a nicer area. These are all extremely walkable in them selves. If the weather is good you can rent deck-chairs...or bring a blanket and sit in Green Park which is equally close.
Ooh just thought with the London Borough Market suggestion you could start the day at the London eye just at the start of the south-bank walk to Borough market. (or go the other way and end up at London Eye)
Feb 4th, 2012, 08:59 AM
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Dont get an oyster card. When you are at Victoria go to the rail station ticket hall (not the underground one) and get yourself a 7 day transit pass for zone 1-4 (valid unltd for all buses, trains, and tubes in zone 1-4). This will cost you £41.80 each. For the other days you may just want to get a day transit pass at your train station.
The benefit of this over the same thing on the oyster is that you get 2for1 on alot of the big ticket sites in London (Tower of London for one) and will pay off for you! check out the http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ for details.
The benefit of this over the same thing on the oyster is that you get 2for1 on alot of the big ticket sites in London (Tower of London for one) and will pay off for you! check out the http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ for details.
Feb 4th, 2012, 09:11 AM
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No you cant. Heathrow only has a tube stop. You must go to a National Rail train station (Victoria has both) and you cant buy them in advance.
But yes, a 1 day should work to get you to your train station (or even a 1 way ticket if you dont plan to go out again).
The only thing you need to check with the apartment owners is that there is a manned ticket booth at your station. If not, you are better off buying the 7 day pass at Victoria on your way in and having them start it the next day.
You will know you go the right thing if it is a paper ticket that is orange with the National Rail symbol which kind of looks like crows feet on it.
But yes, a 1 day should work to get you to your train station (or even a 1 way ticket if you dont plan to go out again).
The only thing you need to check with the apartment owners is that there is a manned ticket booth at your station. If not, you are better off buying the 7 day pass at Victoria on your way in and having them start it the next day.
You will know you go the right thing if it is a paper ticket that is orange with the National Rail symbol which kind of looks like crows feet on it.
Feb 4th, 2012, 09:12 AM
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This website will help you plan your jounreys - you can see train times etc: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Top left of the page is the symbol you should see on your paper tickets.
Top left of the page is the symbol you should see on your paper tickets.
Feb 4th, 2012, 09:13 AM
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You should be able to buy a 7 day travel pass at your station as long as it is manned in the morning. If not you may have issues with your cards not working in the automated machines...so its just easier to stop at Victoria and get them. You will need to do the transfer from the tube to the train anyways so its not a big deal.
Feb 4th, 2012, 09:14 AM
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Oh and here is the tube website (the one above is really only for the trains) www.tfl.gov.uk
Feb 4th, 2012, 11:13 AM
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Yay for you!
1. One way to plan your days,if you want to take the time, is to read some trip reports here. Everyone's is different, but you can get an idea of what actually works. Just click on names (like if you click on mine and scroll to the TripReport part, there are 2 trip reports from 2008 and 2010 that might help you, esp. 2010.)
2.Make yourself a list of most important things to do, get a good map and group them by neighborhoods/areas, and don't plan more than 2-3 "big" time-consuming sites in one day. Allow plenty of time to get from place to place, too.
3. Two websites to get familiar with: Definitely look at Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk) for info about all transportation stuff. Including planned (and when you get there unplanned) Tube issues. Also walkit.com is a cool site to use to plan itineraries to see distance and time needed, a bit more accurately than similar function on googlemaps.
4.About travel cards/Oyster cards, etc. There are ??dozens iff not hundreds of threads about these things here on Fodors. You will probably need an Oyster card and MAYBE a 7daypapertravel card (which you can only get from manned National Rail windows in stations which serve both the rail and the Tube lines.). If you are using the Tube upon arrival at LHR, you will best buy an Oyster card there and load it with some amount of cash. If you are going to take day trips out of London, and on those days you wouldn't use London transport, then you may not want to get a 7day card, because the days are consecutive and you would "lose" that day's credit if you didn't travel.
Here's what we did when we were there for 14 days, took day trips, and wanted to avail ourselves of the 2for1 offers:
Upon arrival at LHR we got Oyster cards and loaded them up and traveld into the city and used those cards for a couple days. We went by a station (Victoria) the day before we wanted to use some 2for1 vouchers and bought two ONE day paper travel cards and used that the next day with vouchers for our discounts. We used the Oysters for the rest of the trip, except for the day we went to Oxford via coach when we didn't use London transport. We topped up the Oysters once. When we left from LHR, I turned Oysters in and got back the deposit and leftover cash refunded (I've heard this refund business isn't as straightforward as it was for us, but it was sure easy in 2008).
When we did this (Oyster plus 1day travel cards plus not needing London transport everyday in 2008) I compared this to what we would have spent if we'd bought a couple 7 week cards with extensions from and to LHR--we saved some by doing what we did.
5. There is a bus service to Oxford which is cheaper or comparably priced, last I looked, to train fare, doesn't require pre-booking so you have flexibility, and drops you closer to the middle of town than the train station. There are two services--the Oxford Espress [sic] and the Oxford Tube (which is NOT connected to the London Tube in any way at all). If you are interested in this option, check out their websites to see where they pick up in London. You pay on the bus.
1. One way to plan your days,if you want to take the time, is to read some trip reports here. Everyone's is different, but you can get an idea of what actually works. Just click on names (like if you click on mine and scroll to the TripReport part, there are 2 trip reports from 2008 and 2010 that might help you, esp. 2010.)
2.Make yourself a list of most important things to do, get a good map and group them by neighborhoods/areas, and don't plan more than 2-3 "big" time-consuming sites in one day. Allow plenty of time to get from place to place, too.
3. Two websites to get familiar with: Definitely look at Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk) for info about all transportation stuff. Including planned (and when you get there unplanned) Tube issues. Also walkit.com is a cool site to use to plan itineraries to see distance and time needed, a bit more accurately than similar function on googlemaps.
4.About travel cards/Oyster cards, etc. There are ??dozens iff not hundreds of threads about these things here on Fodors. You will probably need an Oyster card and MAYBE a 7daypapertravel card (which you can only get from manned National Rail windows in stations which serve both the rail and the Tube lines.). If you are using the Tube upon arrival at LHR, you will best buy an Oyster card there and load it with some amount of cash. If you are going to take day trips out of London, and on those days you wouldn't use London transport, then you may not want to get a 7day card, because the days are consecutive and you would "lose" that day's credit if you didn't travel.
Here's what we did when we were there for 14 days, took day trips, and wanted to avail ourselves of the 2for1 offers:
Upon arrival at LHR we got Oyster cards and loaded them up and traveld into the city and used those cards for a couple days. We went by a station (Victoria) the day before we wanted to use some 2for1 vouchers and bought two ONE day paper travel cards and used that the next day with vouchers for our discounts. We used the Oysters for the rest of the trip, except for the day we went to Oxford via coach when we didn't use London transport. We topped up the Oysters once. When we left from LHR, I turned Oysters in and got back the deposit and leftover cash refunded (I've heard this refund business isn't as straightforward as it was for us, but it was sure easy in 2008).
When we did this (Oyster plus 1day travel cards plus not needing London transport everyday in 2008) I compared this to what we would have spent if we'd bought a couple 7 week cards with extensions from and to LHR--we saved some by doing what we did.
5. There is a bus service to Oxford which is cheaper or comparably priced, last I looked, to train fare, doesn't require pre-booking so you have flexibility, and drops you closer to the middle of town than the train station. There are two services--the Oxford Espress [sic] and the Oxford Tube (which is NOT connected to the London Tube in any way at all). If you are interested in this option, check out their websites to see where they pick up in London. You pay on the bus.
Feb 4th, 2012, 11:29 AM
#14
A problem w/ doing the day trips on weekdays (other than via the Oxford bus) is you'd have to leave after 9:30AM to avoid peak travel costs. That would get you into Bath fairly late if you caught the 9:30 from Paddington, you'd arrive at 11AM and only have 1/2 a day there.
Catching a 7:30 train gets you in at 9AM but would cost more than twice as much. peak travel is not an issue on weekends.
Catching a 7:30 train gets you in at 9AM but would cost more than twice as much. peak travel is not an issue on weekends.
Feb 4th, 2012, 11:56 AM
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So, the price is higher before 9:30 but on the weekends the price is lower because of the lack of "business" and "work" customers?
Are crowds significantly larger on the weekends? Could we beat them by going early on a weekend and spend the latter part of the day off the beaten path?
And, Oxford Bus? Details?
Are crowds significantly larger on the weekends? Could we beat them by going early on a weekend and spend the latter part of the day off the beaten path?
And, Oxford Bus? Details?
Feb 4th, 2012, 01:12 PM
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As I mentioned above, two services/lines
The Oxford Espress http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/main.php?page_id=27
The Oxford Tube http://www.oxfordtube.com/
Look at their websites to see maps, costs, pickup points, etc.
(We actually were able to go to see C.S.Lewis's house and grave via bus--we rode about 90 minutes to Thornhill ParkandRide, got off, walked to those places, caught a local bus on the LondonRoad and rode into town. Caught the bus back to London from the bus station that evening. Worked great for us.)
Again as I mentioned above, you can read my 2008 trip report to see how this day worked for us.
The Oxford Espress http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/main.php?page_id=27
The Oxford Tube http://www.oxfordtube.com/
Look at their websites to see maps, costs, pickup points, etc.
(We actually were able to go to see C.S.Lewis's house and grave via bus--we rode about 90 minutes to Thornhill ParkandRide, got off, walked to those places, caught a local bus on the LondonRoad and rode into town. Caught the bus back to London from the bus station that evening. Worked great for us.)
Again as I mentioned above, you can read my 2008 trip report to see how this day worked for us.
Feb 4th, 2012, 03:57 PM
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Great to allow 10 days to see London. There is so much to see and do that even after a month you would not have seen everything, but 10 days allows for ample opportunity to see a great deal. We did a similar trip a couple of years ago and also spent 10 days touring the city.
Prior to our trip I also printed journey planners from the TFL website that Texasbookworm recommended. You can choose your method of transport via tube or bus and just plot your point A and point B and it will show you a plan with bus routes/tube routes etc. We used the buses extensively as I had a senior with us on that trip and it was great to just hop on the bus to get to the next destination.
Although you mention you don't plan on spending much time in the museums, I have to say London is chock full of world class museums everywhere you turn and the best part is that they are free. Do spend at least some time in the British Museum, Victoria and Albert known as the V&A, National Gallery, and Imperial War Museum just to name a few. Even the quirky John Soanne museum --a small house in which the architect who designed the Bank of England had a tremendous private collection of antiquities and paintings is worth an hour or so of your time.
I highly recommend to join a London walks walking tour. We loved the Royal walk we took of the Westminster area and they are reasonably priced for a two hour walking tour.
Of the venues that charge admission, all the guide books rave about the following and they are well worth the time and money spent on them: St Paul's Cathedral--climb to the top, Westminster Abbey, The Churchill War Rooms right near Westminster Abbey, and don't miss the Tower of London. If you venture out a bit, we all really enjoyed Hampton Court Palace. It is a great day out! Enjoy your trip and be sure to write a trip report when you return to hear about your experiences
Prior to our trip I also printed journey planners from the TFL website that Texasbookworm recommended. You can choose your method of transport via tube or bus and just plot your point A and point B and it will show you a plan with bus routes/tube routes etc. We used the buses extensively as I had a senior with us on that trip and it was great to just hop on the bus to get to the next destination.
Although you mention you don't plan on spending much time in the museums, I have to say London is chock full of world class museums everywhere you turn and the best part is that they are free. Do spend at least some time in the British Museum, Victoria and Albert known as the V&A, National Gallery, and Imperial War Museum just to name a few. Even the quirky John Soanne museum --a small house in which the architect who designed the Bank of England had a tremendous private collection of antiquities and paintings is worth an hour or so of your time.
I highly recommend to join a London walks walking tour. We loved the Royal walk we took of the Westminster area and they are reasonably priced for a two hour walking tour.
Of the venues that charge admission, all the guide books rave about the following and they are well worth the time and money spent on them: St Paul's Cathedral--climb to the top, Westminster Abbey, The Churchill War Rooms right near Westminster Abbey, and don't miss the Tower of London. If you venture out a bit, we all really enjoyed Hampton Court Palace. It is a great day out! Enjoy your trip and be sure to write a trip report when you return to hear about your experiences
Feb 12th, 2012, 10:14 AM
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I'm getting a bit further into my itinerary planning and need some help. I'm sitting here with maps spread out and guide books surrounding me (as well as lots of blank copies of a July calendar...).
I have a temporary outline (quasi built around the days London Walks offers certain walks) but am open to suggestions and help. I tried my best based on what items are close to each other, etc etc..
I have an open day and some sites left to fit in and I'm sure you all will have some suggestions.
Wednesday July 4 - Arrive at Heathrow, travel to flat, get acclimated, go grocery shopping, and walk around neighborhood
Thursday July 5 - Trafalgar Sq, Piccadilly, Soho - Wander a bit (thinking we may sleep in a bit on this day)
Friday July 6 - 10:45 AM Royal London & Westminster London Walk, Buckingham, Parks, Churchill War Rooms
Saturday July 7 - Greenwich (Market and tourist stuff)
Sunday July 8 - Tower of London, Tower Bridge
Monday July 9 - Football stadium tour (either Chelsea or Fulham depending on availability.. Fulham is first choice), 2:15 PM British Museum London Walk.
Tuesday July 10 - 10:30 AM St. Pauls London Walk, Millenium Bridge, Tate Modern, Shake's Globe (maybe coming back at night for $5 standing tickets -- I did this years ago, don't know if they still do)
Wednesday July 11 - OPEN?
Thursday July 12 - Day Trip to Bath - London Walks
Friday July 13 - Travel to Heathrow and head to Rome
Still trying to fit in the following: London Eye (if they still offer a 2-for-1), 10 Downing St., Notting Hill, Windsor (worth it??), Harrods, V&A Museum.
Also, possibly a show if TKTS has a good deal one day? Not sure the best way to stop by the booth and check each day.
Thoughts?
I have a temporary outline (quasi built around the days London Walks offers certain walks) but am open to suggestions and help. I tried my best based on what items are close to each other, etc etc..
I have an open day and some sites left to fit in and I'm sure you all will have some suggestions.
Wednesday July 4 - Arrive at Heathrow, travel to flat, get acclimated, go grocery shopping, and walk around neighborhood
Thursday July 5 - Trafalgar Sq, Piccadilly, Soho - Wander a bit (thinking we may sleep in a bit on this day)
Friday July 6 - 10:45 AM Royal London & Westminster London Walk, Buckingham, Parks, Churchill War Rooms
Saturday July 7 - Greenwich (Market and tourist stuff)
Sunday July 8 - Tower of London, Tower Bridge
Monday July 9 - Football stadium tour (either Chelsea or Fulham depending on availability.. Fulham is first choice), 2:15 PM British Museum London Walk.
Tuesday July 10 - 10:30 AM St. Pauls London Walk, Millenium Bridge, Tate Modern, Shake's Globe (maybe coming back at night for $5 standing tickets -- I did this years ago, don't know if they still do)
Wednesday July 11 - OPEN?
Thursday July 12 - Day Trip to Bath - London Walks
Friday July 13 - Travel to Heathrow and head to Rome
Still trying to fit in the following: London Eye (if they still offer a 2-for-1), 10 Downing St., Notting Hill, Windsor (worth it??), Harrods, V&A Museum.
Also, possibly a show if TKTS has a good deal one day? Not sure the best way to stop by the booth and check each day.
Thoughts?
Feb 12th, 2012, 10:38 AM
#19
Many of your days are very/relatively light so you can probably fit in everything on your 'fit in' list.
Windsor is VERY 'worth it'.
You really can scratch Downing Street off your list. First of all it takes no time at all. But even if it did -- you can see <u>nothing</u> at all. Honestly. Just an iron gate and a couple of policemen.
Windsor is VERY 'worth it'.
You really can scratch Downing Street off your list. First of all it takes no time at all. But even if it did -- you can see <u>nothing</u> at all. Honestly. Just an iron gate and a couple of policemen.
