Advice about a loose schedule

We are going to be in London for 4 days in November also, but this time without kids:) I agree it's nice to plan activities geographically, but it really is very easy to get around london quickly. I like to be outside as much as possible the day I arrive - I feel it really helps with jet lag. So if your kids are fairly jet lagged I would save the British Museum for when they are more alert as there is some really fascinating stuff there. They have an excellent children's audio guide which is quite interesting for adults also. You could save the British Museum for Sunday and do one of the big churches on Saturday along with a market - so you're not inside too long. I hope you do have time to make it to Hampton Court!

On your Possibly list, Hampton Court really is a special and historical place. The V&A is packed with wonders, something for everyone! And Somerset House is marvelous, especially all the pietra dura inlaid table tops.

Hope everyone has the energy and time to see everything, but you've got a great list planned.

Are you coming from the US? Will you be arriving at silly 0'clock early? If so, you're right not to plan too much for Saturday, and don't plan anything sitting down (i.e. a bus tour as that will be a very expensive nap!) For your Saturday to keep you awake, do outdoorsy things - a market (Portobello is in full swing on Saturday and will be v v busy), the London Eye if the weather is nice, or simply a walk along the Thames and take in the views of Parliament/Big Ben and/or Tower Bridge.

On Sunday you could be up and out early to go to the Tower of London. If you did the Tower in the morning, you could go to the Museum of London in the afternoon and then come back for the Ceremony of the Keys in the evening. Then on Monday you could spend the day at Hampton Court.

On Tuesday you could then see the Cabinet War Rooms and Westminster Abbey. They're not too far from each other. If you went to WA first, you could walk up Whitehall to the WR, then come up and continue up Whitehall to get your photos taken in front of the horse guards and then come to Trafalgar Square. If you absolutely zip through these you might have a few minutes left to get to the Transport Museum, which is usually a massive hit with the kids. Sit in a bus driver's seat! Drive an Underground train! What jolly japes!

As you leave at noon you won't really have any time on Weds to do anything. Is your train at noon, or is that the time you leave for the station?

You don't say when in November in this or the other posts you have made, so I can't guess. BUT, if you are arriving this weekend, the kids could have a great adventure this Sunday, early. The annual London to Brighton classic car run will be starting from Hyde Park and then to the Mall and Constitution Hill on the way to Westminster Bridge and onwards the 60 miles to Brighton.

There are 500 pre-1905 cars making the run. I'll be there - it is always fabulous. If anybody wants the link I will furnish, but I can't do it at the moment.

And if you will be in London on or before the 11th, the north side of the Tower of London moat is filled with red ceramic poppies, nearly 900,000 of them, one for each of the soldiers from the UK and Commonwealth killed in the First World War. When I last saw it in August they were only a quarter done, and it was exceedingly moving. No charge to view the moat from outside the Tower grounds.

When you go to check in at the Eurostar, if that is how you are getting to Paris, make sure that you are there between 45 and 60 minutes prior to departure. If you aren't checked in by 30 minutes before they won't let you go, and there can be a long queue to check in. You will also have airport type security after you have checked in, before passport checks.

So much help!! Thank you!
- Yes, I will keep in mind doing a church and market Saturday after we are settled! Keeping everyone moving to shake off the jet lag is probably smart! Maybe St. Pauls? Or is Westminster Abbey enough? We will also be seeing churches in Paris so I don't want to overload my kids (though I could tour them all day....)
- Yes, we are coming in from the US, but arriving late morning. Assuming we will make it to the flat shortly after lunch to deposit luggage and gather some groceries.
- Are the Markets going full day on Saturday? I'm only familiar with US Farmer's Markets.....and those run from early morning until lunch time....not all day, in our area anyhow.

- mincepie - I think you just wrote my preliminary itinerary for me!! Thank you!!!
- Nigel - We arrive later in the month...so we will miss both of those events....but they sound wonderful!!

Thank you all! I will definitely focus on getting Hampton Court Palace moved to the "Must" list. How much of the day would you expect to spend there? Including travel?
Wednesday I expected we will sleep in and basically recover before heading to Paris.

Might I suggest Windsor Castle on that Sunday, if you do an afternoon tour you could stay for evening song at 5pm ish. I much prefer Windsor over Hampton FYI.

I would only recommend Windsor over Hampton Court if all of your children are girls and they are into dolls / doll houses. For me Hampton court takes most of a day. Especially if you do the maze near the gardens. The kitchens there are really fantastic and very interesting, and I think Hampton Court gives a much better "feel" for what it was like for the royalty to live back in the day. Windsor is much "newer" feeling.

If you only have time for one church I would suggest Westminster Abbey. St Pauls is great, but Westminster is so much more than just a church.

Here's my 2 cents worth of input. Arrive, get settled, and then if weather is good stay out doors. See, feel and smell London. Helps the jet lagged body adjust. You said you are near the British Museum so I will assume you are staying somewhere in the Bloomsbury neighborhood. If that is the case, gather the clan and head to the closest tube station. Get your Oyster Cards or whatever it is you are choosing for public transport, secure the free pocket sized tube maps that are on the counters or near the manned ticket windows, then take the Underground to the Westminster stop. Will necessitate of couple of train changes but you'll get the hang of the Underground this way and as well as do some walking. If you were to leave from Russell Square then you'd take the Piccadilly line (Dark Blue) 2 stops to Leicester Square, Mind the Gap, disembark and then take the Northern Line (Black) 3 stops to Embankment, Mind the Gap, disembark and then take either Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) line 1 stop to Westminster. Take your time, you are in no rush. This use of the marvelous Underground will help you discover how easy it is to navigate London via public transport. At Westminster station follow the signs and travelers to EXIT 1 (believe signs say Westminster Bridge, London Eye, etc). As you exit you will be looking directly at the Thames, the London Eye across the river and the stops for the boats that cruise up and down the Thames. Take it all in. To your right will be Westminster Bridge. Turn to toward the stairs that lead up to the bridge and look up. Climb those stairs and start your Saturday London exploration. The excitement and energy of knowing you are in a great city starts there. That evening you might consider taking one of the London walks. www.walks.com. Or merely walk down Oxford or Regent streets window shopping and viewing Xmas lights. You'll sleep soundly that night. Have fun!!!

Hello ksh34. I went on three trips to London. I see that you will be at London three whole days, after the day you arrive at the airport. I generally recommend that travelers do not plan to do sightseeing the day they arrive at an airport of London in the morning, after being in an airplane all night. Do plan to walk outside in the afternoon. Your whole days at London are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. I recommend :
Sunday : Museum of London in the morning. British Museum in the afternoon. (transportation between those two museums is quick and easy, in London Underground trains (the "Tube").
Monday. Arrive at Westminster Abbey (church) at 9:00 a.m. And walk from it, by the British Parliament building and Big Ben bell tower, walk along Whitehall Street to the place where the Queen's Horse Guard parade starts at 11:00 a.m. (every day). You can see and hear it all there. Cabinet War rooms. British National Gallery (of Art) at Trafalgar Square. There I liked the big landscape paintings by John Constable (British, in the early 1800s).
Tuesday. Go to Windsor Castle (a palace of the Royal family). Compared with it, Hampton Court Palace is small and very inferior. No furniture is in Hampton Court Palace. Try to arrive at Windsor Castle ticket office at 9:00 a.m. or earlier. I think people who are not citizens of Great Britain can not reserve a ticket for admission to Windsor castle, in advance. When you walk out of Windsor Castle, remain at the town Windsor for a leisurely stroll through it. I found the English people who are residents at Windsor to be friendly and wonderful.
I do not recommend going to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, because it ends at a time that is late at night.
And, I put a low priority on going in the Tower of London. Rick Steves said the interior of the Tower of London is not interesting. Going in the Royal Treasury to see the crowns there would likely involve a long wait to go in it. I think it is not worth the time. You can see photographs of the crowns, in books in the U.S.A. In your limited time at London, I think going in one church is sufficient. I recommend going in Westminster Abbey (if you want to spend much money for admission), because Westminster Abbey interior is unique to England. I like St. Paul's Cathedral, but I think you could see a church that is similar to it, in France. I do not recommend spending the time for a ride on the London Eye. You can see good photographs that were taken from the top of the London Eye.

ksh34,

i dont want to spoil your fun of doing your homework for you all but I'm sure you will get alto of help from others.

The way i do my planning is to get or print out a map and start noting where i will be staying and all of the attractions. Then i group them into areas and try to separate them into days that I'm there.

I also note when they are open/closed.

Things like parks and such that dont have "open/closed" hours, i leave them for later in the day or on the days when things are closed.

i was there in a march and found out that the Crown Jewels had a long line just for that. Getting into the Tower Of London was easy. There was a long line to get tickets for the London Eye. Not much so for getting on. Everything else was little or no line.

as has been mentioned, travel around london by tube is a great time saver but you dont see much up top.

happy trails.