Combining Sites in London

In general, I typically plan one morning activity, one afternoon activity, and one evening activity. I find it difficult to do more than that. I also find it desirable to mix types of activities (e.g., if I visit a museum in the morning, I do something completely different like a walking tour in the afternoon). Places you visit on the same day don’t necessarily need to be in walking proximity, but it helps to have a tube map to see how long it will take you to get between places.

Many of the museums in London do not have a set admission fee (donation only) which makes it easy to pop in for an hour and see a small portion of the museum if you finish something else up early. For example, the National Gallery is less than a 15 minute walk from the Cabinet War Rooms so you could head ober there if you finish up the Cabinet War Rooms early. I’d also suggest checking the museum websites to see which evenings they are open. Some people can spend six hours in a museum. I get bored by hour two. You have to know which category you fall into. It also helps to know which exhibit(s) or sections of the museum you want to see in advance.

Laura,
Thank you for the help. Looking at the map I would never have thought that the National Gallery was that close to the War Rooms.
I also had not considered evenings for museum visits, I will look into that. Thanks again!

Laura made some good suggestions. Especially the idea of adding on the National Gallery after the War Rooms, which I suspect you could finish by lunch time. And as a bonus, you could also do Rick's Westminster walk as you proceed along during the day. And if you finish in the Natl Gallery later in the afternoon, they do an decent afternoon tea there.

I seem to recall that we did the National Library (it was across the street from our hotel) and the British Museum on the same day. There's a bus that will get you between the 2. And there are several pubs within a block or so of the Museum if you feel like a drink or meal when you're done there.

There is no charge for either Hyde Park or the adjacent Kensington Garden unless there is an event on. There is a charge for Kensington Palace which is surrounded by Kensington Garden, but that's not your question.

As you expect to be just a few roads north of Kensington Garden you will likely pass by several times during your stay. Pop in when you feel like it (lucky you).

You would be wise to plan which parts of the V&A you want most to see - it is a huge place and can't truly be done in a week, much less part of a day. Preplanning, and understanding how to get from one bit to another will really pay off. I have several favourite areas, one is the sculpture hall, full of full size plaster casts of everything from Trajan's Column to Roman busts to Michelangelo's David and Victorians.

You can follow several trails or wander off as the spirit takes you... https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/va-trails

Before I went to London for the first time, I made a list of places to see, got a paper map out and marked the map with all the attractions. London is so spread out, to make the most of your time, you really do have to group the sites by proximity to each other and hit those all together on the same day.
Westminster Abbey is right by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, so great to work those photos in while you’re there. If you have an interest in seeing the outside of Buckingham Palace ( maybe the changing of the guard) this would be the time to work that in. Nearby, if you cross over to Green Park and then exit the park’s eastern border, you can see the 16th-century St. James’ Palace, built for King Henry 8th. The neighborhood around St. James’ Palace has long been the home of aristocrats and you can see the great houses of Spencer House and Lancaster House along with the gentlemen’s clubs, yacht brokerages and Christie’s Auction House while walking in the neighborhood. Continuing along the Mall to reach Trafalgar Square, you can visit the National Gallery if time allows.
If not, Trafalgar Square is less than a mile from the British Museum and the two can be seen another day.
Take the tube to see the Tower of London in the morning when it opens. You’ll beat the lines that develop later in the day, and you’ll have the stamina to be there 2-3 hours to see what’s most of interest. After the Tower, cross to the southern bank of the Thames and enjoy walking along the riverfront to the Old Globe. You will see the Tower Bridge on the way and you’ll walk past “The Clink,” London’s oldest and most notorious prison dating from the year 1144. The ruins of Winchester palace, the 12th-century Bishop’s residence, is along the route, with the Tate Modern Art Museum right next door to the replica of Shakespeare’s Old Globe Theatre.
What you see while walking is what makes London such a fascinating and great city to wander in.

CJean, thank you for the advice. Yes, tea would be nice after that.

Nigel, thank you. Yes, I'm excited to be near the parks. We are intent on seeing the Peter Pan statue. Thinking of splurging on the Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace, thoughts? Hopefully over the coming year we can narrow down what to see at the V&A!

Kenko, thank you for the tip about visiting Buckingham Palace on our Abbey day. We would like to see it, no interest in the changing of the guard, but just a bit of a stroll past the gates. And yes, Trafalgar Square is a must! Thanks for the suggestions regarding the Tower of London. Would you say 3 hours is good? And seeing the Globe that day sounds great. I'm hoping to do lots of walking rather than taking the Tube so much. So much to see just walking around.

Maryellen, Three hours at the Tower of London is a good investment of your time, and very rewarding. From the Crown Jewels to the armory, the chapel and
the Bloody Tower- centuries of English history can be seen at the Tower.
Have a great Trip!

Three hours at the Tower of London should tire you out nicely. It would give you time to include both the White Tower (no elevator) and the battlements which I think are wonderful.

In decades of going to London we have only had Afternoon Tea in London once. Sorry I can't help on that front.

You're all adults. You probably don't have identical interests. You may find there's quite a difference in how much time is desired at some stops.

Perhaps the best example of that is the Churchill War Rooms. Some folks just want a quick visit to the basement rooms where critical wartime decisions were made. There's an audioguide that doesn't take a great deal of time, and conditions are quite crowded, so that aspect of the site won't consume too much time. (It's my contention that the place is seriously overpriced if you only want to see the war rooms.) The real time sink is the (excellent) Churchill Museum section. There's material to read, there are film clips to watch. This is where some people can spend a great deal of time. I spent well over half a day at the CWR, maybe close to 6 hours.

So my suggestion is to try to allow some flexibility in your scheduling for individual members of your group. I have no specific suggestion as to how to do that. I just know that I hate leaving a place I'm really interested in when 5there's more to see--all the more when I've paid a $30 entry fee, or whatever the CWR cost these days.

The V&A is one of the museums open late one night a week. However, I think only the ground floor remains open (ask at Information desk; I don't believe you can find out from the website). Also be aware that the part of that floor under the skylights can be a bit dark when the sun goes down. The best area to see late in the day is the area not under the skylights.

If you are interested in the V&A's fab jewelry collection, get to the museum when it opens and head there first. That's the only part of the museum that has ever been so crowded that it affected my ability to move through the exhibit and see the displays. In my experience that section remains uncrowded for at least 30 minutes after the museum opens, which makes for a much more pleasant and efficient visit.

The V&A has a wonderful wrought iron section that might appeal to someone not interested in jewelry, ceramics or glass.

The British Miseum is very heavily visited. I was told the Egyptian section is the most mobbed and that rainy days are the worst. I believe it, too, has a late-night opening, as does the Tate Modern. Unfortunately, there's a lot of overlap in the museums' late-opening schedules. I think Friday night is a popular time for museums to be open late.

Edited to add: Pre-COVID, the Tate had music on its late-openg night and attracted a large, lively, young crowd. That could be fun or a bit annoying, depending on what sort of music you like. I guess it might also be a bit uncomfortable if anyone in your group is especially concerned about COVID.

How much time you spend at each location really depends on the type of visitor you are. As an example, some people are museum skimmers meaning they walk slowly by the exhibits and stop at a a few that interest them. Others stop at each exhibit absorbing every bit of information. That's a big difference in time.

The other thing to do, as mentioned previously, is map out what you want to see and visit places depending on areas. Visit the Churchill War Rooms and Westminster Abbey the same day. If you are not burned out, you could then walk the short distance to Trafalgar Square.

Perhaps the Tower of London and the Globe the same day. Ditto for the British Museum and British Library.

Some place are best visited with a reservation made in advance. This will save you time.

You might also look into short walking tours offered by London Walks. They offer numerous walks in London including one of Harry Potter filming locations.

You will throughly enjoy London. Bold predication?

No! Its a world class city. Been visiting for decades.

Always changing yet always the same. Lots to see and do.

Experiencing for London for the first time takes a bit of planning BUT definitely allow for flexibility.

Grouping sites together does help.

You said Fall. September? October? November?

Ask the other 3 adults about what they’d like to see the most.

Obviously someone has expressed a desire in Harry Potter. FYI the door to The Leaky Cauldron can be found in the glass covered Leadenhall Market.

Good websites to research are The Londonist, TimeOut London, Secret London and Eater London.

You should also use the search function on this website while formulating a tentative itinerary. Loads of London intel.

Lastly, London Walks are great. www.walks.com

This past July throughly enjoyed the Inns of the Court Walk.

Over the years have taken Old Westminster, Mayflower Village, Secrets of St Pauls, and Spies and Spy catchers walks. All informative and enjoyable.

Feel free to PM. Always happy to share London insights.

Great suggestions! I would add a day trip to see Windsor Castle. It is an easy trip by rail. Also London Theatre productions are really good. You could see a musical or show on an evening.

Another possibility is to walk from the National Gallery to Fortnum and Mason for their tea-very expensive, but you can dress in business casual and it can be dinner.

As some of the other posters have already stated, one site in the morning, then lunch, then a second site. I will be in London in September and have put together an itinerary, that I hope will be busy but not exhausting!

Thank you all. I received some really great advice here. Now, here's hoping the airlines get their acts together before September '23!

Please keep in mind that London is much more than a collection of museums. Please allow ample time to experience the city and its people. As has been suggested, include the Globe with a walk along the south bank, and while you're in the area, stop for lunch at Borough Market. Maybe add tickets to a show at the National Theatre or BFI.