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First Time in London - Packing Too Much In?

My husband and I will be visiting London for our first time September 14-18. We will be arriving after two weeks in the countryside of the West Midlands and North Wales, so we should be well rested upon our arrival in London. We will be staying in Bloomsbury. We have a list of our "must see" sights but I'm worried we may be trying to pack too much into our 4 days in London.

We like to walk but it may make more sense to take public transit e.g. city bus (not a hop on/hop off), the Tube, Uber Boat for part of each day's traverse. And while probably not the most affordable option, we'd really like to take a black cab (c'mon, the Knowledge!) somewhere, sometime where it makes sense during our stay. Maybe the Euston-Bloomsbury/Bloomsbury-Paddington cab rides will suffice?

After checking out our plan below, any advice you may have on when/where/how to take transit/a cab—instead of/in addition to—walking would be much appreciated. Also, could we group our sights together in ways that make more sense?
And finally, does it seem like we are eager beaver, London newbies trying to pack too much in per day of our stay?

I thank you in advance for your suggestions.

DAY 1 - MONDAY: ARRIVAL (11:00AM)
- Euston Station > cab to hotel in Bloomsbury, drop bags
- Walk to lunch somewhere on Lamb's Conduit
- Walk to/Shop at Walker Slater
- Walk back to the British Museum (we know we can't see it all; we're 2-3 hour max/per museum visit people anyway)
- Dinner at the hotel

DAY 2 - TUESDAY: SOUTH BANK DAY
START - Leake Street Arches (best way to get there from Bloomsbury?)
- Walk to Tate Modern
- Walk to Borough Market
- Walk back to and cross Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral (outside only, saving our church energy reserves for Westminster)
- Back to Bloomsbury (best way to get back?)
- Walk to dinner near the hotel

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY: EAST SIDE DAY
START - Tower of London (best way to get there from Bloomsbury?)
- #78 Bus to Brushfield Street
- Walk to Spitalfields Market
- Walk to Dennis Severs' House
- Walk to Brick Lane
- Walk to Rivington Street

55 Bus back to Bloomsbury

  • Walk to dinner near the hotel

DAY 4 - THURSDAY: WEST END DAY
START - Churchill War Rooms (Piccadilly Line to Green Park Station)
- Walk to Westminster Abbey, take tour, stay for Evensong
- Walk back to Bloomsbury, dinner along the way (Whitehall>Trafalgar Square>Seven Dials>Bloomsbury)

DAY 5 - FRIDAY: DEPARTURE DAY (Flight departs at 11:40AM)
- Cab from Bloomsbury to Paddington Station, take the Heathrow Express to terminal 2

Posted by
10332 posts

I think you are okay. I like the way you have picked an eclectic list of sites that are important to you. It is great when people really personalize their vacations.

The best answer I can give you on your transportation questions is to use the free CityMapper app. Good for major cities around the world, it especially effective in London. It will plan routes and give you realtime information.

Posted by
747 posts

I think you have a good pace. You can always add an Uber or cab if you're short on time or energy.

Posted by
927 posts

I also think you have a good list and plan that you obviously considered for what you like/want to see. For me, I would skip Tate Modern and visit the National Gallery instead, but that depends on what kind or era of art you prefer. I've been to London a number of times, and have mostly stayed in Bloomsbury.

I love walking in cities; there's so much to see! On my last year's visit to London, I walked from my small hotel near Victoria Station all the way to the City, and enjoyed every minute.

You will LOVE Dennis Severs house. If you want to visit something else that's a bit similar, in terms of being what I call a "house museum," and in the Bloomsbury, consider Sir John Soanes' (house) Museum.

If you have a data plan on your phone, it's easy to use Google Maps to decide on your best public transportation route, if you get tired of walking. The Tube is a great thing, but keep in mind sometimes it's faster to walk, depending on the lines you would have to take.

Posted by
1485 posts

I think this sounds like a very nice trip and it's not too much. To answer some of your questions:

-To get to Leake Street arches, I would walk to Tottenham Court Road (on the edge of Bloomsbury) and get the Northern Line to Waterloo.
-To get from St Paul's back to Bloomsbury, you can just get the Central Line two stops to Holborn.
-To get from Bloomsbury to Tower of London I would probably get the Central line from Holborn to Liverpool Street and then change to the Circle Line to Tower Hill. Or if you're not staying that far from Kings Cross just walk there and get the Circle Line.
-Others may recommend buses, and these are also fine. But I personally hate sitting in traffic on a bus and will always take the tube over a bus, even if it means changes.
-For the same reason (traffic) I also very rarely take taxis- pretty much only if I have a very early flight. You could take a taxi between any of these for the experience, but just be prepared to sit in some traffic.
-If you want to save some money, you can take the Elizabeth Line to the airport (your closest top will be Tottenham Court Road).

Good luck with your planning!

Posted by
386 posts

Use the Citymapper app to plan your journeys and to help you when you are out and about. It links to the ‘live’ Transport for London (TFL) data so is reliable and easy to use.

Preferences when using public transport are personal and generally there are few rights and wrongs.
For short trips I prefer the bus. Even factoring in how slow the traffic can be once you include how long it can take to navigate to and from platforms in tube stations it isn’t necessarily slower. Buses also have the advantage that if there is a problem you can just get off and walk. Problems on the tube, you can be a bit stuck. On the bus you also get to enjoy the sights. For example, there is so much variety in building styles to enjoy if you just look up when travelling on the bus.