I have looked at other posts about doing London in a day, so I have seen some good suggestions about the must-sees. But I'm looking for ideas on how to realistically cover some of the best of London in the time we have and during a busy time for tourists. My husband and I and twin 14-year-olds (boy and girl) will be arriving by Eurostar at about 10:30 in the morning on July 11 after a couple of weeks in France. We'll drop off our bags at our hotel in Belgravia then will have the rest of the day and a little of the next morning before we fly back to the U.S. at around 2:00. We've never been to London before, so I would appreciate any suggestions.
Posted by
Michigan
486 posts
Sitting on top of a double-decker bus for one of those hop on hop off tours would be a fun way for you to get an overview of the main sights in London. Our family really enjoyed that after the Eurostar...we were tired, but it was very interesting to go on the tour and just sit back and listen.
Laurie
Posted by
Maryville
58 posts
I love riding the London Eye. I rode it 3 times last time I was in London. The Tower of London is also very a good place. The tube is easy to get around on. To save time you can get tickets online. And also get Oyster cards mailed to you , to be ready to hop on the tube. There are several apps to plan your tube travel. I'm looking forward to going back to London in August. Hope you enjoy your time there.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Basically you have an afternoon and evening, and a little morning time. Best idea I'd have is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour that first afternoon, to give you an overview of the city and help you make a list of what you want to see on a longer visit. Maybe you'll want to see a play in the evening, or just stroll around a neighborhood that interests you. Walking along the south bank of the Thames is easy, interesting, and a good introduction. So would a boat ride between Westminster and the Tower. London is easy for walking (don't forget to LOOK RIGHT before you step off the curb though), but the sights are spread out so you can't "do it all." Paris is much more compact, from the tourist point of view.
Here are some HOHO bus companies. I haven't done this so I don't know their pros and cons, but others might:
Big Bus
Original Tour
Golden Tour
And here is a comparison that looks useful but, again, I can't vouch for.
There could be many other possible uses of your time, but without an idea of your interests it will be hard to be specific.
Posted by
Land of La
9265 posts
I'm going to suggest using your own two feet and the London Underground.
First stop after dropping bags at your hotel in the Belgravia neighborhood is to use the Tube to take you Westminster. I believe if you go from Sloane Square its a direct shot on the District or Circle line or if you tube from the Knightsbridge station you'll change trains at Green Park. Either way a speedy way to Parliament square with the iconic Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. You'll also be able to see the London Eye from Westminster Bridge
From there walk up Whitehall past the Horse Guards and 10 Downing Street to Trafalgar Square. The National Gallery and St. martins of the Fields are here. From here continue walking up the road through Leicester Square and roam around SoHo. You'll be hungry by now so hop on the tube at Tottenham Court Road and take a Northern Line train to Camden Town, exit and enjoy food from the numerous food stalls at Camden Lock Market.
Wander around the market then walk along the Regent's Canal pathway to Regent's Park. Follow the walk way past the London Zoo through Regents Park down to the Regents Park Underground Station (there's a bit of zig zag to get to it but there's signage and you can always use Google Maps satellite image). Board a Bakerloo line train for Piccadilly Circus.
From here walk along Piccadilly towards the Green Park Station. Once there walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace and then off to your hotel unless you are still wide awake and want to see Parliament Square lit up. If yes, merely walk down The Mall and turn right at Whitehall and Bob's your uncle.
Next morning I'd be first in line at The Tower of London. 2hours there then over to Tower Bridge for photo ops, then tube back to Belgravia and off to Heathrow by noon. I swear by using both the Google Maps Satellite view to help to plan walking routes and the wonderful free pocket size tube maps you'll be able to see a lot during you short stay.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thank you for the advice--I appreciate it. It doesn't sound like there's much time to ride the London Eye or go inside any of the monuments; would you say that's correct if we want to get a good overview of London? And if we wanted to spend a short time shopping in a famous London store, any suggestions? Harrods?
Posted by
TX, USA
529 posts
If you are a PBS fan, you might want to check out Selfridges, Oxford St. Here is a link to wiki information about the store.There are also plenty of shopping opportunities along Oxford St.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
After checking in to your hotel head to Trafalgar Square from where you can ride the #15 red bus past St Pauls to the Tower of London. You should manage a decent visit of 2-3 hours. Tower bridge photo stop afterwards. Finding a Soho restaurant option for the evening will let you check out the lights of Piccadilly Circus.
Start early the next morning to walk to the Houses of Parliament via Buckingham Palace. Your only chance to see inside Westminster Abbey would be to attend the 8am service. I would think you have a 9:30am time limit on sightseeing before you will need to head to Heathrow.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
David is right. By 9.30 you should be going back to your hotel to get your bags. Allow about hour to get to Heathrow and plan to arrive 3 hours before flight time. Security can take a long time and you made need half an hour or more just to get to your gate once you are through all the procedures. You may just want to have a good breakfast, then maybe just a walk around Belgravia and/or Hyde Park.