5 day London Itinerary - PLEASE MAKE SUGGESTIONS
Apr 22, 2008, 11:29 am
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 12
5 day London Itinerary - PLEASE MAKE SUGGESTIONS
This is not really in order yet or even sorted by days 100% yet…..just a very rough draft. This would be Friday, June 13, 2008 to Tuesday, June 17, 2008 (we leave for Paris on Wednesday the 18th at 11am). I would like your opinions on if this makes sense and if I should change some things around to another day or just to another “slot” within the same day. Does everything appear to be open on the day that I have it selected? We do not plan on visiting any art galleries by the way….sorry! Also, if you have any suggestions on good, yet cheap restaurants by one of my sites listed….please let me know.
We are arriving from the U.S. to Heathrow. We will arrive around 8:25am. We purchased the "No-Jet-Lag" pills that are supposed to do wonders. Also, we purchased the "First Class Sleeper" pillows and those seem to do wonders as well. So hopefully, we won't have much jet lag to slow us down.
I have purchased a Thames lunch cruise for 2 and London Eye for 2 as a package. It only cost me Ł49....which is a good deal. Normally the Eye is about Ł14 each and the lunch cruise is about Ł50 each. I have to book each in advance. The lunch cruise would have to be used on Friday or Saturday of our trip.
***We are staying at the Marriott County Hall***
Day 1 FRIDAY
- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Tour Lloyd’s of London (I am in Insurance and work for a company that works in Lloyds)
- Lunch with co-workers (our home office is in London)
- Walk around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square/St James Park (maybe by doing a hop on/hop off bus tour???)
Day 2 SATURDAY
- Parliament/Big Ben
- Westminster tour
- Lunch Cruise – Board from Waterloo Pier at 12:35 and return at 14:15.
- London Eye
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Millennium Bridge
- Walk through Tate Modern to see architecture. Not really interested in art….sorry.
Day 3 SUNDAY
- Hampton Court Palace
- British Museum (only plan on spending a few hours in here….not all day.)
Day 4 MONDAY
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge Experience
- National Maritime Museum ??
- Royal Observatory Greenwich
- WICKED MUSICAL
Day 5 TUESDAY
- Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard….what time? 11?)
- Harrods ?? (maybe just for the fun of it)
- Free time to do whatever else we feel like…..maybe another show/musical
What have I missed? Anything I should change around?
What about markets….my wife likes arts/crafts. Should we go to Greenwich on Sunday for the market and do the British Museum on Monday instead? Basically swap the British Museum and Greenwich trip.
We are arriving from the U.S. to Heathrow. We will arrive around 8:25am. We purchased the "No-Jet-Lag" pills that are supposed to do wonders. Also, we purchased the "First Class Sleeper" pillows and those seem to do wonders as well. So hopefully, we won't have much jet lag to slow us down.
I have purchased a Thames lunch cruise for 2 and London Eye for 2 as a package. It only cost me Ł49....which is a good deal. Normally the Eye is about Ł14 each and the lunch cruise is about Ł50 each. I have to book each in advance. The lunch cruise would have to be used on Friday or Saturday of our trip.
***We are staying at the Marriott County Hall***
Day 1 FRIDAY
- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Tour Lloyd’s of London (I am in Insurance and work for a company that works in Lloyds)
- Lunch with co-workers (our home office is in London)
- Walk around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square/St James Park (maybe by doing a hop on/hop off bus tour???)
Day 2 SATURDAY
- Parliament/Big Ben
- Westminster tour
- Lunch Cruise – Board from Waterloo Pier at 12:35 and return at 14:15.
- London Eye
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Millennium Bridge
- Walk through Tate Modern to see architecture. Not really interested in art….sorry.
Day 3 SUNDAY
- Hampton Court Palace
- British Museum (only plan on spending a few hours in here….not all day.)
Day 4 MONDAY
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge Experience
- National Maritime Museum ??
- Royal Observatory Greenwich
- WICKED MUSICAL
Day 5 TUESDAY
- Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard….what time? 11?)
- Harrods ?? (maybe just for the fun of it)
- Free time to do whatever else we feel like…..maybe another show/musical
What have I missed? Anything I should change around?
What about markets….my wife likes arts/crafts. Should we go to Greenwich on Sunday for the market and do the British Museum on Monday instead? Basically swap the British Museum and Greenwich trip.
Apr 22, 2008, 12:35 pm
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,159
Have a look at www.thisislondon.co.uk for a few ideas.
I would recommend the package offering the Chicago Musical plus a meal at the nearby Porters Restaurant.
It comes as a deal for Ł39 and the show itself is worth that.
Other than that I think you packing plenty into such a sort trip.
The hotel is in a great location and there some excellent restaurants and bars close by on the river near the National Theatre.
Oh - and buy an off-peak all day travel card to get around on the tube and buses.
www.tfl.gov.uk will give you a better idea.
Enjoy - it's a great city.
I would recommend the package offering the Chicago Musical plus a meal at the nearby Porters Restaurant.
It comes as a deal for Ł39 and the show itself is worth that.
Other than that I think you packing plenty into such a sort trip.
The hotel is in a great location and there some excellent restaurants and bars close by on the river near the National Theatre.
Oh - and buy an off-peak all day travel card to get around on the tube and buses.
www.tfl.gov.uk will give you a better idea.
Enjoy - it's a great city.
Apr 22, 2008, 9:51 pm
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Posts: 23,517
My god, you'll need a holiday to get over this one!
Day 1 - I think Heathrow to hotel, then Lloyds and then lunch is ambitious. You'll be tired (pills or pillows notwithstanding) and won't get to the hotel much before 11am.
Day 5. Harrods is rubbish. As much of what you are seeing is classic tourist London why not visit something slightly different. A walk through Notting Hill - nice area, interesting boutiques etc. Explore somewhere like Marylebone which is central, but a bit more real London. A picnic in Regents Park afterwards perhaps?
Day 1 - I think Heathrow to hotel, then Lloyds and then lunch is ambitious. You'll be tired (pills or pillows notwithstanding) and won't get to the hotel much before 11am.
Day 5. Harrods is rubbish. As much of what you are seeing is classic tourist London why not visit something slightly different. A walk through Notting Hill - nice area, interesting boutiques etc. Explore somewhere like Marylebone which is central, but a bit more real London. A picnic in Regents Park afterwards perhaps?
Apr 22, 2008, 11:34 pm
#4
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Make sure you pop in to Fortnum & Masons when you walk around Piccadilly, excellent shop and means you can miss Harrods on the last day.
Apr 22, 2008, 11:43 pm
#5
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Just as a reminder that Hampton Court is actually very close to LHR. You can even get there by bus directly from the airport and vice versa. However, to get there from central London takes considerably more time.
The British Museum can be combined with other attractions in Bloomsbury and surroundings like the British Library, various University of London buildings and exhibition galleries and of course the famed bookshops at Charing Cross Road. That would make a full day, the studenty pubs in the area are quite fun in the evening time.
The British Museum can be combined with other attractions in Bloomsbury and surroundings like the British Library, various University of London buildings and exhibition galleries and of course the famed bookshops at Charing Cross Road. That would make a full day, the studenty pubs in the area are quite fun in the evening time.
Apr 23, 2008, 2:13 am
#6
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For the markets, I would say Greenwich and Borough markets are a good bet - you will pass Greenwich market anyway, and Borough market is a short (and picturesque) walk from the Tate Modern (open Fridays and Saturdays only, though).
Otherwise:
The Leicester Square area isn't particularly pretty or attractive. While there's plenty famous sights to see round there, it's not somewhere I'd recommend lingering - it's tacky and overpriced. However, nearby you do have the likes of Foyles (excellent bookshop with jazz café), the Photographers' Gallery (again, excellent café, very interesting work), and the back streets of Covent Garden to wander round. The area you're describing is compact enough to render a hop-on-hop-off bus tour rather unnecessary - these are better for getting a flavour of a wider area of London.
Around Trafalgar Square, you've also got the ICA, with a very good bar and some interesting exhibits.
For the Sunday and Hampton Court, you're ideally placed to get there, as there's a direct train from Waterloo. However... Be careful about engineering works and check http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains before you go. You'll be able to get there, but the timings may be different, you may have to change, etc, etc. You can also buy train/admission packages from SWT, and do try the maze!
There's a very scheduled good river boat service now, running every 15 minutes, and, although you'll have been on the cruise, it's still a good way to get to Greenwich - and you can get from Tower Bridge Pier direct to Greenwich pier on it. Otherwise, there is a train direct from Greenwich to Waterloo East every half hour, but the return via the DLR (between the skyscrapers of the Docklands) is actually rather fun, particularly if you get a seat at the front.
Harrods is pretty poor really, although the kitsch of the Diana & Dodi memorial almost makes it worthwhile...
For getting around, don't forget that London is quite a walkable city, and that your hotel is very well located. The tube map is far from a physical representation...
For example, from your hotel to Trafalgar Square, via the Jubilee Bridge, is less than a 10 minute walk. Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square is about 5. The London Eye is 5 minutes from your hotel, about 10 minutes from the Tate, which is again about 10 minutes from Borough and only 5 from St Paul's.
Personally, in Central London, I prefer to take the bus for longer journeys rather than the Tube - it's more pleasant, and you see more. They're also running 'heritage' routemaster buses on some key tourist routes (like the 15, which includes the stretch from Trafalgar Square to the Tower) which is a proper London experience in itself.
Otherwise:
The Leicester Square area isn't particularly pretty or attractive. While there's plenty famous sights to see round there, it's not somewhere I'd recommend lingering - it's tacky and overpriced. However, nearby you do have the likes of Foyles (excellent bookshop with jazz café), the Photographers' Gallery (again, excellent café, very interesting work), and the back streets of Covent Garden to wander round. The area you're describing is compact enough to render a hop-on-hop-off bus tour rather unnecessary - these are better for getting a flavour of a wider area of London.
Around Trafalgar Square, you've also got the ICA, with a very good bar and some interesting exhibits.
For the Sunday and Hampton Court, you're ideally placed to get there, as there's a direct train from Waterloo. However... Be careful about engineering works and check http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains before you go. You'll be able to get there, but the timings may be different, you may have to change, etc, etc. You can also buy train/admission packages from SWT, and do try the maze!
There's a very scheduled good river boat service now, running every 15 minutes, and, although you'll have been on the cruise, it's still a good way to get to Greenwich - and you can get from Tower Bridge Pier direct to Greenwich pier on it. Otherwise, there is a train direct from Greenwich to Waterloo East every half hour, but the return via the DLR (between the skyscrapers of the Docklands) is actually rather fun, particularly if you get a seat at the front.
Harrods is pretty poor really, although the kitsch of the Diana & Dodi memorial almost makes it worthwhile...
For getting around, don't forget that London is quite a walkable city, and that your hotel is very well located. The tube map is far from a physical representation...
For example, from your hotel to Trafalgar Square, via the Jubilee Bridge, is less than a 10 minute walk. Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square is about 5. The London Eye is 5 minutes from your hotel, about 10 minutes from the Tate, which is again about 10 minutes from Borough and only 5 from St Paul's.
Personally, in Central London, I prefer to take the bus for longer journeys rather than the Tube - it's more pleasant, and you see more. They're also running 'heritage' routemaster buses on some key tourist routes (like the 15, which includes the stretch from Trafalgar Square to the Tower) which is a proper London experience in itself.
Apr 23, 2008, 3:15 am
#7
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 344
I would not miss Westminster Abbey when you are nearby parliament
Don't bother with Hampton Court -- save it for a future trip
If you like markets, don't miss Borough Market (Fri and Sat only, Fri is best), and Camden market for the weirdos
-- Mike
Don't bother with Hampton Court -- save it for a future trip
If you like markets, don't miss Borough Market (Fri and Sat only, Fri is best), and Camden market for the weirdos
-- Mike
Apr 23, 2008, 4:24 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Phila, PA
Posts: 891
>"Camden market"
Has the Camden Market rebounded from the big fire? I would take a pass on that one.
There is also a bit of a market adjacent to St Martin in the Fields, which has free noon-time concerts on some days. I liked the Greenwich Market. When there, you can pop into the DaisyCakes Bake Shop for a yummy treat.
Has the Camden Market rebounded from the big fire? I would take a pass on that one.
There is also a bit of a market adjacent to St Martin in the Fields, which has free noon-time concerts on some days. I liked the Greenwich Market. When there, you can pop into the DaisyCakes Bake Shop for a yummy treat.
Apr 23, 2008, 5:19 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 342
The Marriott is a very nice hotel, in case you haven't been there before. I went to a birthday party in the hotel last year, and it's also a good location not too far from Westminster.
Don't look for cheap restaurants. There are none in London worth eating in, even with the dollar being so bad. If you get to the Borough Market (a real experience) on Friday, hit it right before noon and have some good tapas at Brindisi's. The food is wonderful... also at the Lebanese Ishbilia near Hyde Park Corner. Maybe try a dinner of fish and chips at one of the better spots.. Masterfish (not far from your hotel) or the Golden Hind near Oxford St. Haozhan in Chinatown is also very good for lunch.. right near Leicester Square.
Enjoy your trip and I hope you have wonderful weather!
Don't look for cheap restaurants. There are none in London worth eating in, even with the dollar being so bad. If you get to the Borough Market (a real experience) on Friday, hit it right before noon and have some good tapas at Brindisi's. The food is wonderful... also at the Lebanese Ishbilia near Hyde Park Corner. Maybe try a dinner of fish and chips at one of the better spots.. Masterfish (not far from your hotel) or the Golden Hind near Oxford St. Haozhan in Chinatown is also very good for lunch.. right near Leicester Square.
Enjoy your trip and I hope you have wonderful weather!
Apr 23, 2008, 8:08 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: HPN
Posts: 777
I think the main Camden Market is unaffected by the fire (it was just one of the subsidiary ones), but I'm sure LapLap will be by soon to set us right.
One of our family's traditions when we lived in London was Sunday afternoons in Greenwich; that's a great time to go to the market -- and the park and Observatory are wonderful. (Boy oh boy, thinking about it makes me homesick!) So I'd recommend going, preferably on a Sunday. If you don't mind some walking, you can walk out of the southern entrance of the park, across the heath, and down into Blackheath Village, which is also rather pretty.
You can reach Greenwich from Waterloo East on mainline trains, but if you do go during the week I'd actually recommend taking the Waterloo & City to Bank and then the DLR: it's a slightly roundabout route but if you like modern architecture at all, riding through the skyscrapers of Docklands is a breathtaking experience, particularly if you sit up front. It's almost like a rollercoaster ride, actually. (Oh, stut just told you all that. Oops. Well, it's true
)
If you do go to Hampton Court Palace (and the maze is a lot of fun) then, again, you can take a lovely walk north from there into Bushy Park, see the Woodland Gardens and the deer, and on up to Teddington.
Overall, your itinerary does look rather crowded, and I'd advise you to pare it down a bit and breathe!
One of our family's traditions when we lived in London was Sunday afternoons in Greenwich; that's a great time to go to the market -- and the park and Observatory are wonderful. (Boy oh boy, thinking about it makes me homesick!) So I'd recommend going, preferably on a Sunday. If you don't mind some walking, you can walk out of the southern entrance of the park, across the heath, and down into Blackheath Village, which is also rather pretty.
You can reach Greenwich from Waterloo East on mainline trains, but if you do go during the week I'd actually recommend taking the Waterloo & City to Bank and then the DLR: it's a slightly roundabout route but if you like modern architecture at all, riding through the skyscrapers of Docklands is a breathtaking experience, particularly if you sit up front. It's almost like a rollercoaster ride, actually. (Oh, stut just told you all that. Oops. Well, it's true
)If you do go to Hampton Court Palace (and the maze is a lot of fun) then, again, you can take a lovely walk north from there into Bushy Park, see the Woodland Gardens and the deer, and on up to Teddington.
Overall, your itinerary does look rather crowded, and I'd advise you to pare it down a bit and breathe!
Apr 23, 2008, 12:59 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,960
London is indeed a fascinating city. Wherever one walks there is history. There is something for everyone.
North of Trafalgar Square is the National Portrait Gallery - and free (charge for special exhibitions). I particularly liked the 500-year old portrait of Elizabeth I. My favorite was the British Museum - in my opinion the greatest collection of antiquities assembled under one roof in the world and free (charge for special exhibitions). The Bank of England museum was quite interesting - and free.
Hampton Court was an experience - the haunted gallery, the chapel, the royal apartments. I could imagine Henry VIII and his entourage arriving by royal barges from Whitehall Palace. Enjoy!
North of Trafalgar Square is the National Portrait Gallery - and free (charge for special exhibitions). I particularly liked the 500-year old portrait of Elizabeth I. My favorite was the British Museum - in my opinion the greatest collection of antiquities assembled under one roof in the world and free (charge for special exhibitions). The Bank of England museum was quite interesting - and free.
Hampton Court was an experience - the haunted gallery, the chapel, the royal apartments. I could imagine Henry VIII and his entourage arriving by royal barges from Whitehall Palace. Enjoy!
Apr 23, 2008, 1:15 pm
#12
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Yep, purchase off-peak travel card... as previously posted. Also, Lots of attractions and some restaurants in London offer a two for one or 50% discount on production of a train ticket... Don't forget that some musicals / shows don't have a performance on Mondays.
It's a nice walk and orientation from the London eye across to Big ben and Westminster abbey. Consider a walk around Temple....
Consider escaping London for a day... How about Train to the Historic Market Town of Lewes in East Sussex, (1Hr) and on to the Seaside at Brighton (a further 10mins, with direct trains back to London in 50 mins.)
It's a nice walk and orientation from the London eye across to Big ben and Westminster abbey. Consider a walk around Temple....
Consider escaping London for a day... How about Train to the Historic Market Town of Lewes in East Sussex, (1Hr) and on to the Seaside at Brighton (a further 10mins, with direct trains back to London in 50 mins.)
Apr 26, 2008, 10:19 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Los Gatos CA USA
Posts: 25
Just a few thoughts on the 5 day London stay. On Friday after getting to hotel, take a bus tour around. There is a stop right outside the hotel next to the bridge. The tours are a good way to get the lay of the land. On Sunday, there is a free Organ recital at Westminster Abbey at 5:45PM. Lasts about 1/2 hr. You might also consider going to the Victoria & Albert Museum (or maybe send your wife in to look at all the fashion, furniture and stuff and you could pop into the Science Museum across street.) You might just have time to order tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys http://hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/What...ofthekeys.aspx
It takes place every evening at 10PM and is much more intimate than the changing of the guard, and not as many people have seen it.
Gene
It takes place every evening at 10PM and is much more intimate than the changing of the guard, and not as many people have seen it.
Gene
Apr 28, 2008, 1:42 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2004
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We purchased the "No-Jet-Lag" pills that are supposed to do wonders. Also, we purchased the "First Class Sleeper" pillows and those seem to do wonders as well. So hopefully, we won't have much jet lag to slow us down.
To summarize, these are NOT magic bullets, you will still be tired, and remember, the older you get, the worst that gets.