Just got word that my dear nephew will be stationed at Ladenheath AFB for three years! Now the planning begins! Hope all you regulars will guide me along!

I haven't researched yet, so I don't want to be too vague, but, I'm thinking London for 5 days, then the Cambridge area for 2 days. Will be taking my DH and my 18 yr old DD. She will want to see palaces, art museums, and theatre, I want to see gardens, shop, and countryside, and DH is just happy to be anywhere. Oh, I'm also thinking early June 2004. Have I already made a mistake yet, London experts??

For a short trip you have divided it up pretty well. London could fill weeks, of course bt you can get a nice overview in 5 days.

BTW it is Lakenheath . . .

Hi janis,
Yes, you're right, it is Lakenheath..my mind said k, but my finger said d! What is your opinion on the Eye? And theatre tickets..how far in advance should I start? Do you know of some good websites with general London/UK info?

Well - you can start by doing a search in here - there are hundreds of threads discussing every aspect of London.

After looking at some of them you will only have more questions. tho'

Specifically - the Eye is WONDERFUL. You do not need to book ahead anymore though. Which is great since one can not predict what the weather will be on a specific day.

Unless you "HAVE" to see a specific play, you can wait to get your theatre tickets too. The 1/2 price TKTS booth has tickets to almost all the plays/musicals and sometimes even ballet and opera. But they are only sold on the day of performance. Early next year you can start looking at big new plays in London to see if there are any you feel you simply must book ahead. But I get 90% of my tickets from TKTS.

It is too early to start looking for airfares - Dec/Jan is plenty soon enough - and later than that will be OK.

My suggestion is to do a little homework first by starting with "Destinations" at the top of this page.

Then I'd get to a good bookshop or my library and peruse the travel guides. You can do a search for opinions to help you chose one but I don't think there is any substitute for looking yourself (unless you want to take my advice and buy a Michelin Green Guide). Be sure you get one with a good map that includes the tube stops.

London has a wonderful public transportation system and unless the D in DH and DD stands for dumb there is no reason for the three of you to be joined at the hip. Hubby may want to go to the Cabinet War Rooms while your daughter visits the National Gallery and you wander down the Mall into St James Park.

You've got a year to plan so take it slowly and come back with some specific questions as you go along.

Thanks Janis and jsmith. The digging has begun! I will kindly ask for more help as I get an idea of where/when.

Must you go in July? Between June and September it will often be hot and stuffy, there are loads of tourists and the Londoners are fed up.
Personally, I'd never visit London unless there's an R in the month with the possible exception of May. I usually go in October. The majority of the tourists have gone and the Christmas shoppers haven't arrived.
If you want gardens and countryside then April and May might be the best times to go.

Well, some of us are intrepid when we travel and some aren't.."fed up" or not (whatever that means and I suspect it DOESN'T include a disinclination to accept your MONEY!!!!!.. I am certain the folks over there will be glad to see you) it sounds like a fun trip. My only recommendation as to the theatre thing would be this: you can get a general idea of what is on before you go but be aware that sometimes by the time you GET there the show may have either closed or the leads may have changed (if that's the reason you thought about seeing it in the first place).
I think you'll find that theatre tickets can be less expensive in the West End vs. Broadway and unless the show is a huge hit you'll probably be able to get tickets once you are there.
Hope you enjoy yourself.

Sylvia, For the record, happytrails said she'd like to visit in early June not July. No one from the majority of the US is going to find avg high June temps in London objectionable.

Happytrails, Sylvia's comment about stuffiness is worth considering. Not outside, but old and charming hotels don't always have the best air circulation. If that's important to you consider booking a place in London with air conditioning.

Have fun planning your trip!

happytrails2u,

I agree that you will see alot of other tourists during that time but June is better than July or August. I suppose I should ask, how well do you know London?

I would recommend that you get a good map of central London and take the time to get familiar with it. The tube system is also something worth getting to know (by map). Central London is actually pretty easy to get to know. While not laid out like planned cities, you truly can see the growth of the city over time, incorporating villages etc........by the names, and streets.

I highly recommend staying in the central area, preferably the west end. While some will argue its more expensive, you can walk to so many things if your physically up for such exertions! Its also safer at night. And, if you need to take a cab (which I recommend after dark) rather than the underground, its fairly inexpensive and quick.

There are several very good oversight/general tours for the central area that can run from a couple of hours to a morning to the day. I would suggest something more like a morning tour. That way you will see alot of sites that you would not necessarily want to take the time to visit on foot.

Finally, as suggested by someone else, you may all want to break up if your interests are very diverse. I am rather into the communal nature of such an experience, prefering to stay together. Here, in no particular order, are some of my recommendations of specific sites:

Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey and Parliament
Tate Gallery
Victoria and Albert Museum (amazing!)
National Portrait Gallery
St. Paul's Cathedral
British Museum

If you are wanting to widen your touring to other nearby destinations, I recommend Hampton Court Palace and Greenwich.

As someone said, London can fill months. There is something so amazing and wonderful about this city!

Don't let the comment about June being crowded and stuffy deter you.

First of all - London is crowded year round - because there is a LOT to see/do year round. But the high season in the UK is really from about the first or 2nd week of july through about the first week in Sept.

British kids are still in school in June and the BIG crowds don't start until the end of term. I travel to the UK 1 - 3 times a year and lived there for 5 years and my favorite times to visit most areas (actually there really isn't any terrible time) are May/June and Sept/early Oct.

You can get inexpensive airfares right up to July 1 (and again after about Sept 20) and the weather in June is often nicer than later in the summer - warm but not usually hot and usually a little drier.

And in June the day are so long you can stroll til 10PM and even later in daylight.