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We will be in London June 13th (arriving from the U.S. at 8:25am at Heathrow) and will leave London Wednesday morning, June 18th on the Eurostar to Paris.

PLEASE REVIEW THIS ITINERARY AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS/CHANGES. THANKS!!

We will be staying at the County Hall Marriott (2 adults ages 26).

Day 1 FRIDAY
- Arrive at Heathrow - 8:25am
- Check-in at hotel and get settled
- Lunch (ANY SUGGESTIONS in this area?)
- Royal Observatory Greenwich (mainly just to see the park and the time line)
- Greenwich Market
- (free time – maybe walk around Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square)

Day 2 SATURDAY
- Westminster tour (opens at (9:30am for a 90 min. tour)
- Parliament/Big Ben (walk by and take pictures)
- Lunch Cruise – Board from Waterloo Pier at 12:35 and return at 14:15.
- London Eye
- (free time – maybe walk around Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square if not seen already or do whatever!)

Day 3 SUNDAY
- Tower of London (arrive before opening at 10am – go straight to jewels and then tour)
- British Museum

Day 4 MONDAY
(From County Hall Marriott, take the RV1 bus which stops half a block from Tate Modern. Cross Millennium Bridge to St Pauls, then go to Lloyds from there.)
- Millennium Bridge
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Lunch with co-workers (over by Lloyd’s)
- Lloyd’s Tour (couple hours at most)
- Leadenhall Market (next to Lloyd’s)…won’t take long
- Tower Bridge Experience
- WICKED MUSICAL (if we get tickets for this date!)

Day 5 TUESDAY
- Maybe changing of the guards...not sure
- Hampton Court
- Harrods ?? (maybe just for the fun of it)
- (free time – maybe walk around Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square if not seen already or do whatever!)

The weather can be quite unpredictable so make allowances in case it rains on any given day. Your schedule should allow enough flexibility.

If it's sunny it's definitely a good idea to spend as much time outdoors as possible and experience London from its best side

whalewatcher - thanks for the advice!

any other thoughts? Thanks!

You can't go straight to Crown Jewels. The tour is lead by a stuffy, yet well-informed man/woman who takes you room by room. They are in the last room. You can try to sneak in the back, but if caught (IT'S THE TOWER OF LONDON) you won't be able to do the tour at all.

Anyway, the Changing of the Guards is rather uneventful. I wouldn't plan around it. If you end up seeing it...cool. If not, trust me, it's no real loss. There are many other better things to do with your time.

Try Portobello Road or Brixton. Also, may want to devote more time to The British Museum and Tower of London. Both in one day might do your head in.

There is also a museum called The War Cabinets which is where Churchill's command center was during the war. It has a tour of the actual command center as well as a musuem about Churchill's life. Pretty amazing!

Hope this helps.

looks like you have lots of time

the tour of Westminster Abbey is a good one

i'd give the Da Vinci Code another read before going

it'll add some fictional life to the place

if you cram some stuff together, you might have time for a day trip to Bath/Stonehenge if London ends up being not so great

the theatre in london is great, not as awesome as New York though. If you get to see Wicked it should be ok. i'd prefer to see it in new york or chicago though.
I saw 2 shows in London cheap by walking up an hour before with my student card

another museum that you might like is the imperial War museum. its also free. also consider the national gallery/national portrait gallery

i don't see the big attraction to the London Eye

the tower of london and british museum can be done in a day. i think that's reasonable. you might want to check out the people giving speeches in Hyde Park......


happy travels

Definately visit Hyde park, make sure you don't miss the Albert memorial.

Natural History Museum is also good - if you like Dinosaurs.

I second the Imperial War Museum - it is a bit out of the way, though (Elephant and Castle tube stop, for reference)

For the Tower, if there is a tour on soon after you get there, wait and take it first. The Yeoman Warder tours are my favorite part of visiting the Tower - and yes, I have been there several times. I walked straight into the Crown Jewels exhibit, no guide. That may have changed - this was last May - and I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. I had actually avoided going in until this last trip. It doesn't take long though, and the jewels you really come to see are behind glass, and you pass by on a moving sidewalk, so no drooling or ogling.

While you are near the Tate Modern, go to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! Take the tour, experience a play. I promise you, even if you don't think you like or understand Shakespeare, you will come away with a different perspective.

Leicester Square won't take you long. I find Trafalgar much more interesting - especially since the National Gallery (fabulous) and the Church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields are there. Both well worth a visit. And it's an easy walk from one square to the other.

For a completely different experience, take a tour of the H.M.S. Belfast. You can see her sitting in the middle of the Thames, permanently moored across from the Tower. The tour is self-guided, and you are able to go everywhere on the ship. I thoroughly enjoyed it - especially the views you won't get anywhere else. It will also give you a good excuse to walk across Tower Bridge - noisy, but also great views.

There is so much to see in London, and it really depends on your interests, and what you really want to get out of your visit. I highly recommend Edward Rutherfurd's fictionalized history London. Don't be put off by the size - it is a big book, but fast reading, and will really give you some insight into the once tiny settlement that is now a sprawling, modern city with a rich history.

The Da Vinci Code is also a good recommendation - and Temple Church is another option for you. Check the Middle Temple website before you go if you are interested, because the hours are quite limited, and seem to change every time I go over there.

I am so excited for you! I usually go every year, but I have to wait until next year since I am building a house. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

~irishlily

No matter how many times you go to London, there's things you didn't do.

I love the London Walks Tours. They're all awesome - and there's a ton of them.

If you do the British museum, and you should, consider taking a tour - London Walks does one I can vouch for. I visited the museum twice. The first time I did the self guided audio tour and about all I got out of it was Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, and mummies. The rest was just a blur. The second time, I went on a London Walks tour of the museum and got so much more out of it. If I had to do over, I'd do the tour and then stay after to roam on my own.

The recommendations about the weather are dead on. Try to be flexible. The museums and galleries are great for rainy days.

Oh, and tower of London, I second taking the Yeoman Warder's tour. I don't remember much about the Crown jewels other than the moving sidewalk to take you by them. ;-) YMMV

I'd second the idea of a walk down Portabello Road, esp. when their free trade/"flea market" is going. It's amazing what stuff you can find there! Whilst there, I'd suggest stopping in at S & M (Sausage & Mash, under the bridge where the tube goes over it) for breakfast or lunch--great eats! OR, if you get there early before the masses & crave a good cup of coffee, dropping in on the cafe' at Books for Cooks.

I'd also suggest a stroll thru Borough Market, near the London Bridge Tube stop...lots of different food stalls, cheese shops, places to pick up a quick sandwich or roll. Whilst there, you can grab afternoon tea at Schipp's...but if you do, get there as close to the 3/3:30ish opening time as the place totally packs out quickly. Plenty of decent pubs nearby if it does and you want to pass on the wait.

I'd second the notion on Hyde Park, esp. to Speaker's Corner.

And, of course, you'll have to have a curry for dinner at some point.

London has TONS of stuff to see & do, and I'd suggest not thinking you're going to nail it all in 5 days. I'd try to spend a little more time at fewer places & really take it all in then rush thru a "to-do-list"-style itinerary.

Oh yeah..
I agree w/ Marksda1's suggestion on the London Walks. I'm not into touristy stuff, but they are pretty cool.

For your first day there, you may just want to catch the tube directly to Picadilly Circus & hop on the Hop On-Hop Off Bus that goes by all the touristy places on your list. Get off at what you want to get off at, spend as much or little time at each as you wish, and have a sort of spontaneous first day.

Is your hotel stop on the way into town a must? Is your hotel at the airport or in town? If it's just to drop off luggage, there's PLENTY of options for that (major train stations in town w/ Left Luggage booths, etc.). If you're pressed for time & already going around town, it might take less time to just drop off your stuff & go vs. stopping off & checking in.

And yep, the weather can be indeed unpredictable. Flexibility is key...as is a good rain jacket or brolly w/ you.

dang, I should have really thought on all this before these many posts.

If you're going straight to Greenwich & need a lunch idea there, there's plenty of "mom & pop" places around there where you could grab delicious--and really cheap!--meat pies, as well as some "mom & pop" chip shops for a real fish & chips. The Cheapeats guide on London would have a great list of these.

Arriving at 8:35 am, there's a TON of overnight flights into London arriving around then, & you might find yourself circling around London a few times before landing...and you might find a few long lines at immigration upon arrival. I wouldn't plan on being out of Heathrow until 9:30 or 10a.

OKAY...so I'm now realizing the OP is probably there already, and his trip is probably over with. Doh!!!

Hi, Jonathan! I'm planning our itinerary for London, too. Can I copy yours?