janisj

"<i>we are staying a stones throw from paddington station.</i>"

Well -that is good for getting to Bath. But for seeing sites London it is a pretty inconvenient location.

Doesn't really fix the problems w/ your itinerary

crckwc1

I join the others who encourage you not to try to do so much in such a short time. However, I do understand your wanting to have a taste of everything. Have you thought about renting a car from the airport after landing, driving to Bath, tour around, stay one night, drive to Stonhenge on day 2, and back to London airport late in the day to turn in the car. Then you could train into London for your other night/s. I recommend driving only if you have had experience on he left side because you'll be somewhat jet-lagged and you'll need to concentrate to drive. Another thought is to choose either Stonehenge or Bath and check London Walks to see if they are offering either during the time you're there, and spend the rest of your time in London. We did the Bath tour and it was quite enjoyable.

jamikins

I would not recommend coming off a long haul flight and driving the probably 4 hours to Bath with jet lag. Thats just dangerous not only for you but for all of us on the road as well.

I believe you can take the bus from Heathrow to a train station (is it Reading - someone help here) and take the train onto Bath if you want to see that on day one.

I still would urge you to reconsider or you will spend more time in transit than you will seeing the 'sites.'

chartley

There is really no point in using the rail-bus option for getting a bus from Heathrow to Bath. There are direct buses from Heathrow to Bath which take about the same time without the need to make connections.

Look at www.nationalexpress.com.

And I also think that you need to spend more than 3 hours in Bath.

greyhavns

oh i wish we had more time, haha. i think everyone has given me so much information i am leaning towards just staying in london. if indeed we after our first 2 days feel we have the energy, maybe we'll try the bath/stonehenge on day 3. if not and feel we need more time to see more in london, we'll use that as our backup.

jamikins

Thats a great decision! If you need any help planning London please start a new thread with your interests and we will be happy to help make the most of your time!

basingstoke2

grehavns - try this website www.londontoolkit.com

You will find lots of info for your London visit. If you click on "outside London" there will be descriptions of possibilites including ads for day tours to those places. For example, if you click on the Stonehenge link, there is an ad for a tour that does Windsdor, Stonehenge and Bath in one long day. These are options if you decide you want to do something outside of London on your third day.

greyhavns

oh, jamikins, i have had the wonderful opp to drive on the 'right' side as top gear mentions in ireland. i will let you know i only bumped the curb 1 time and drove through the exit of the parking lot 1 time, hehe. but i totally agree. driving with jetlag, not safe for us or for others.

jamikins

greyahvns - you did better than we did. we are from Canada, where WE drive on the 'right' side of the road and the first time my hubby (Bikerscott on fodors) drove, wich was after living here for a month, he pulled out of the rental car parking lot, into the correct lane, sped up to pass a bus that was picking up passengers and didnt swerve far enough and ended up sideswiping a big red double decker bus in rush hour traffic. Now THAT was embarrassing and terrifying for the passenger (ME) who had to sit there and listen to the people get off the bus and berate us for making them late for work! (dont tell Bikerscott I posted this on fodors, he will kill me!)