I will be on the RS Best of England in 14 Days tour in May and I am trying to plan a few pre-tour days in London. I want to see things that won't be on the tour, and would like suggestions on things that I might need to pre-book. The tour itinerary says that on the final full day of the tour you are free to see the Churchill war rooms or the British museum, but does the tour include any entrance tickets, (or expedited entry) for these sights, or should I book ahead myself?
Thanks in advance! Everyone is always so helpful!
Posted by
Reading, PA, USA
1637 posts
Tickets are not provided by the tour for those activities. You definitely need to book the Churchill War Rooms ahead of time if you desire to go there. No tickets are needed for the British Museum as it is free.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Rick's tours only include tickets for sights you are seeing as a group. Anything else, whether during the tour or before or after, is on your own - both logistically and financially. Don't worry - we're all here to help! Plus, for things during or after your tour, your tour leader can help.
Many sights in London are free. Many of those that are not now have a discount for online advance booking. The trick I learned is that for anything not requiring timed advance reservations, the morning of your visit is far enough "in advance." So, for any sight you're thinking of seeing, go to their website now, and see if there's a discount for an online ticket. If there is, create an account at home (much easier on a desktop computer than on a phone!). Then, on the morning you decide to go, you can just buy your tickets. I used this for Greenwich with great success - I wasn't sure if I was going or not, but then I had a nice weather day, and saved £5.25 by booking them online that morning (alas, the discount is now much less, but it's still cheaper than buying them at the sights).
As said above, for the Churchill War Rooms you'll want to book a ticket in advance, as the line for non-ticket holders can be very long. This also gives you a discount, but even if it didn't, I'd still book this in advance. I made the mistake of thinking that by showing up about 15 minutes after it opened, I would have a short line. Lots of others had the same idea, and I waited about 45-60 minutes; when I finally got in, the line behind me was much longer. But the ticket holders' line was short to non-existent the whole time.