Best of England RS trip, arriving London Heathrow June 3 Bank Holiday for Queen's Jubilee

Do you already have your London reservations?

That sounds a pretty aggressive start for the holiday, especially if you are likely to be jet lagged. I know we all have different preferences, but mine would be to head for Salisbury and explore there on the first day. It is an attractive town with a good cathedral (do a google image search) plenty of boutique style shops and plenty of places to eat. You might also enjoy Montpesson House, a lovely Queen Anne town house.

https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mompesson-house

Plan to visit Stonehenge from Salisbury the next day. Head for Bath the next morning.

Why not stay in London and enjoy the jubilee festivities? Bath, Stonehenge Cambridge et al. will always be there for another time.

You’ll never see another Platinum Jubilee.

I assume you arrive Friday morning after a transatlantic flight. It seems to me that dropping off luggage and immediately leaving for Cambridge is not such a good idea. I think some degree of jetlag will catch up with you. I am hoping you are not planning to rent a car that day. If you head to Cambridge by train it is at least an hour and 15 minute journey. A bus will take even longer. Once at the Cambridge train station you will need to walk into the town center to explore and you possibly want to punt. That will take several hours. Then the return trip. A very long day with very little sleep the night before. I would be exhausted. I think it would be better to save beautiful Cambridge for another day. On top of these concerns there will be all kinds of crowds in London for the jubilee celebrations and on the tube, busses, trains and roadways. Cambridge is at least 60 miles away.

I think I would stay in London itself on that first day. Explore areas or parks near your hotel.If you are staying near Paddington Station then Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are nearby. Maybe a visit to Kew Gardens (they are lovely) but I am thinking that the tube will be very crowded with all the extra visitors in the city. Get a list of the jubilee activities and then decide whether you want to attend or avoid those areas. Maybe a visit to one of the museums that will not be visited on your tour. You said you like history, my family very much enjoyed our visit to the Imperial War Museum. If you do decide to go to Windsor on Sunday buy your tickets in advance. The ticket line can be very, very long for same day purchase.

Hi, thank you for the recommendation for Salisbury. We do not have any reservations in London, just our flight which arrives Friday morning at Heathrow. I agree that we will be jet lagged, but we're hoping for good weather (!) and thought a train ride followed by a relaxing walk around Cambridge or Windsor would be a good first day. It sounds like there are regular trains to both, although the holiday may change that. I'm not sure we would like to be in big crowds in order to see the Jubilee festivities. It looks like there is a parade on Thursday, which we would miss. I haven't looked into other possible Jubilee activities in London. Does anyone know about a website that lists what is planned?

Lest there be any confusion on the subject: One day after the tour ends will not allow you to see all the things the tour doesn't allow you to cover. The tour spends less than two full days in London. London is not a three-day city (arguably not even a thirteen-day city) in terms of the attractions it offers. Take a look at Rick's top suggestions for London here:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/london

I'd spend the pre-tour time either in London (if you can find affordable lodgings) or somewhere near Bath. I'd want to prioritize being rested for the beginning of the tour and wouldn't be thinking about a day-trip to Cambridge.

I agree that expecting to be in condition to sightsee the day you arrive after an overnight flight may be too optimistic. You may well fall asleep on whatever train or bus you take to your first-day destination.

UK Govt official website for jubilee events
Check this website for the official events.

If you do plan to stay in London, you need to make your hotel or lodging reservations soon. So if you decide to stay make that your priority.

So you are arriving the weekend of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and you haven’t yet booked your London accommodation. For years I’ve stayed at a place near Paddington station as after my overnight LAX to LHR I’d have prebooked the Express because I want to start my visit immediately after dropping of my bag. PM if you want to know the property.

The turn out for this once in a lifetime celebration in honor of The Queen will be massive. As in huge!!!

Look on YouTube for the crowds at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s balcony appearance celebrating their marriage. Crowds for the Jubilee will be 3 times what you see on that video.

Her Royal Highness is 95 years old. Her longevity is respected.

I’ve been visiting London since the 70’s. This Jubilee will draw visitors from all over the world to honor the Queen! BOOK your London accommodations now!

To get away from the City Center you should see if the Richmond Premiere Inn has availability. Lovely neighborhood of London. 25 minute tube ride to say Westminster station which is where Parliament Square is. I stayed here in 2020, pre Covid outbreak. Its a newer Premiere Inn and not a conversion from a business building into a hotel. The Crown, a venerable traditional (not gastro pub), is close by. Nice place to sit and relax following a day of exploration.

From the Richmond Premiere Inn it is a 10 stroll to the Lion’s Gate Entrance to Kew Gardens. The gorgeous massive Richmond Park is nearby as well. Enter via the Kings Ride Gate off Sheen Road. The path abuts the East Sheen Cemetery.

If seeking a longer walk you leave the Premiere Inn head into Richmond, breakfast at Bill’s and then head to the Thames Path to walk off the morning meal. Follow the Thames all the way to Ham House. Tour it.

Or go the other way on the Thames Path towards Water Lane to discover the pleasant White Cross Pub.

https://www.royal.uk/platinum-jubilee-central-weekend

It seems a bit strange to me to try to book lodging in London when you have expressed no desire to actually see London prior to your tour. I think the celebrations may make London lodging more expensive and difficult to find. Some of the plans that have you going directly to your sights of interest make more sense to me.

You have a decision to make. Do you want to be caught up in all of the festivities and crowds during the Queen's Jubilee, or not?
For me, the answer would be "No".
As far as seeing London, this would be the worst time ever to see the usual tourist sights such as Westminster Abbey, Tower of London and all the rest. Massive crowds. Museums packed wall to wall with people. Hotels priced out of sight.

I would go directly to Bath upon arrival.
We found there was plenty to do in Bath that was not included in the RS tour.
You want to start your RS tour well-rested.
They will have you on the go for two weeks, waking up very early, lots of walking, etc.

I like the Salisbury idea. Personally, I would not want to be anywhere near the crowds for the Jubilee.

Note about the end of the tour in London.....
You already know the tour will end in London. Your RS tour will take you to Westminster Abbey and Tower of London. You will have a free afternoon to do what you want so think about which sight or museum you wish to visit. You can add additional days in London on your own after the tour ends, if you have the time off from work to do so. Book extra days with your RS tour hotel, or move to another location/hotel in London.
You will not have time to see every interesting sight in London.
You have to promise yourself that someday you'll go back to London and finish off your "bucket list".

Thank you to everyone! We really appreciate your great advice. We are so excited to be planning to travel again that we were trying to pack in as much as possible. We have come to our senses and are now looking at either spending two nights in Windsor or in Salisbury prior to travelling to Bath. Windsor is a shorter hop from Heathrow and may give us a taste of some of the Jubilee excitement. Visiting Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge sounds like a great option too. If you have any recommendations for either one we'd love to hear them. Thank you again!

I can't see it will much effect at all
Most people will have little interest it in it especially due to the recent troubles of the Royal family
You should be more concerned that it doesn't go ahead. That will have a real impact|!

I always go to Evensong when I'm near a cathedral. I enjoyed the Salisbury Museum and Salisbury is a good place to walk around. Consider a Mad Max tour from Bath, although their options are really limited since Covid. I really enjoyed the Georgian House Museum in Bath. It's touristy but I recommend having either lunch or tea at the Pump Room-they had live musicians when I was there.