First trip to London with only 5 full days - are day trips worth it?

If it were me, I'd just spend the whole 6 nights in London. There is so much to do and you won't be losing time on switching lodgings. It's not a very long trip.

With respect to Stonehenge, we visited Salisbury last year at the end of June and were also trying to avoid solstice crowds. I learned that Stonehenge is closed to the before/after hours small groups for two weeks after the solstice to allow the grounds to recover. So you would not be able to book a sunrise tour during this time. The regular opening time is 09:30. We opted for a visit to Avebury instead and had a lovely few hours there.

Personally, I would stick with staying in London for the 6 nights. If you go to Hampton Court Palace, it's not a terribly long trip (just don't take the slow train like I did), and 4 hours would definitely be enough time to see it all. One thing you could do is if you are planning to visit Windsor Castle, do that on your first day coming from Heathrow, as it's pretty close to the airport.

FWIW, I was in London earlier this year for 10 nights with my 11 year old granddaughter and 15 year old grandson. Make sure you take their wishes into account. We wound up going to two optical illusion museums (requested by my granddaughter, and they loved them) and also toured one of the Premier League stadiums (Tottenham Spurs), which they also loved (and I did, too - it was very interesting). They also loved going out for snacks and pastries to places like Gail's on their own. That was fun for them. They even went to a movie one day, and loved going by themselves. I think they enjoyed the fun of doing something from home but in a totally different setting. And I get that - I love going to grocery stores abroad and seeing all the different foods they have.

They also wanted to ride the buses much more than taking the tube. Not the HOHO buses, but just the regular double-decker ones. They enjoyed looking down at the street and seeing all the different shops and people and so on.

It's up to you whether you want to spend the time to go out of town to Bath and Stonehenge, but if it was me, I would at least talk to them about it and maybe show them photos and ask them if this is something they would be interested in. After all, there are so many places in London to see. And I would definitely consider going to Greenwich, which I think would be interesting for them.

Personally, I think Stonehenge is a little underwhelming, and if there's a lot of crowds there, it would be even more so. I just don't know if they would really appreciate Bath. I know my grandkids would probably not have enjoyed it that much. And it will really cut into your London time. I opted not to do any major day trips from London just because we had so many things to see in the city. We did go to Hampton Court Palace and the Warner Brothers studio tour with Harry Potter as they're both big HP fans. And keep in mind, we were there for 10 nights. So with only six nights, I would definitely just stick with London and the near vicinity.

Here is a copy of the link to my trip report if you want to read that, which might help: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/london-and-paris-and-grandkids-oh-my-march-and-april-2025-trip-report

Thanks for your input, you both.

Mardee - I enjoyed reading your trip report (even before I made this post!) especially for kids the same age.

Whew!!! :-) You have lots of ideas for a short space of time. :-)

Hampton Court is wonderful: and yes, 4 hours is “enough.” I would not change hotels to accommodate a visit. I’d stay in one place in London, and take a day trip during that time. Much easier, and wastes less “check in check out kerfuffle” time.

If you then have space for another day trip, I would choose either Bath or Stonehenge. Yep, you can “do” both - but you will rush both of them, and you have tween/teen travelers with you who might be stretched. For folks that age, I would recommend Stonehenge.

What is “Six?” A musical? What am I missing?

If you are truly interested in the “diversity” of England, head to Whitechapel or Brixton. Your kids will likely vibe with both. Similarly, Camden and the Stables Market will also probably be a fave with the younger set.

After that, with just three days (?) you can hit some of the obvious places: Borough Market, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Kensington/South Kensington/museum alley, the South Bank, Greenwich, etc., etc., and have a wonderful time!

With such a short window I would stay relatively central, and with kids, maybe an AirBNB with a kitchen makes sense?

Many on this board will recommend Premier Inn locations. Have never stayed and do not know, but I trust these folks. :-)

EDIT: the T15 bus sounds fun! I have not experienced it, but it sounds cool.

Back to your point, Deb, I was choosing Hampton Court in lieu of Westminster as I think the fam would prefer to only do one and the maze is intriguing to both kids.

We travel fairly light and the kids aren't much for long travel - will groan at 1.5 hours both ways. As such, I was thinking to take on Hampton Court on the way to or from the airport if possible. There are a couple cute places to stay (looking at Mitre Hotel & Craven House Apartments) within walking distance.

I have always found Stonehenge disappointing and with such little time, I wouldn’t go there this time.

I am a huge fan of Hampton Court but I wouldn’t fancy going there after a flight from California (??) and 8 hour time difference. I’m inclined toI think that you’d be better to do something a bit quieter for the afternoon of day 1 - riding the upstairs of red buses, perhaps. With HCP, 4 hours there is probably enough but you need to add on the time to get there and back. A grand total of perhaps 6+ hours, door to door?

Not sure a walking tour of Shoreditch would be on my list to do during my first visit to London.

Mid June can be hot (by British standards, at least) and an 11 year old might struggle a bit with consecutive busy days involving quite a bit of walking.

Thank you Volva, good points. As far as check in/out kerfuffle around Hampton Court, I'm thinking of it almost as just a safe place to stash the bags.

Thanks, Bill! You're probably right that it's too much to take on Hampton Court right after the flight. I wonder if it could work better at the end.

We are big fans of street art so this was the walk I was considering https://anywhereweroam.com/shoreditch-street-art/ also the Dennis Severs house seems silly but caught my eye https://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/

Oh! And yes Six the musical. My daughter is a huge musical fan and requested this or Wicked. I picked Six because it seems cool to see it in the same trip you're seeing the Tower and Hampton Court.

Hampton Court is an easy train ride from London so I don't think it's necessary to try and do it on your way. It can be a full day, we stayed for 6 hours plus travel time.

I think we would have been disappointed with Stonehenge if we hadn't done the early morning for that got us within the stones. Standing behind the roped of area would have been underwhelming.

Getting to Heathrow 2 hours before your flight seems risky to me. Last time I was there we needed 2 hours just to get through security.

Do you know where in London you are staying, as that might help to guide a good day 1 activity.

Although it won’t be as much fun as going on one of the old Routemaster buses, the ordinary TfL number 15 bus route runs from Charing Cross Station (next to Trafalgar Square) on the same route as the T15 but at a much lower price.

TfL have a list of “Leisure Routes “ that go to or near tourist areas.

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/experience-london/bus-leisure-routes

Don't know where to stay yet, open to suggestions. Looking at VRBOs for more space, would probably want to get two adjoining rooms at a hotel.

Back to your point, Deb, I was choosing Hampton Court in lieu of Westminster as I think the fam would prefer to only do one and the maze is intriguing to both kids.

Leah, you could possible do what I did, which is just go to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. It was really lovely and peaceful and afterwards the two of them looked around a bit and enjoyed what they saw. Evensong is free, so that saves money and still gives them a taste of the beautiful Westminster Abbey. And the music only lasts for about 45 minutes so you don't have to spend a huge chunk of time there.

Six has a singalong version of the performance which is loaded with kids and adults who do a great job of dressing up for the event. We loved this performance and suggest you consider the same. We also took in Wicked for when the evening called for rain and we walked up to the ticket window and purchased same day great seats. Tickets are so much cheaper in London for performances.
We enjoyed Hampton Court and than took a water taxi back to Richmond where we enjoyed a nice walk and then took the train back to London. Traveling on the Thames lent an additional perspective to understanding how folks have traveled on this waterway for centuries. With good weather recommend sitting topside. The taxi starts at the rear of Hampton Court and is easy to access.
I was underwhelmed by Stonehenge and even a bit by Bath. I do advocate there can be time for a day trip, but highly recommend investing your time into doing something everyone strongly desires.
With great weather we strive to spend time in a park and eating a picnic. Picking up picnic vittles is easy to do with a visit to any local grocery. During June you will find a number of locals taking a picnic for their lunch break.
We prefer renting places in the Pimlico neighborhood due to quieter neighborhood with easy access to groceries, restaurants predominantly used by local residents and convenient access to Victoria station.

A few thoughts. I fly Virgin airlines and take the overnight flight from LAX to Heathrow. I book
premium economy.

Been doing this for years and if I get 2 hours of sleep on the plane I’m lucky.

Jet lag is real. Trust me.

So even with the excitement best to concentrate on getting to your accommodation, unpacking and walking around your neighborhood. Find the closest tube station, pharmacy, park, Boots, pub and market.

Nearly all pubs serve lunch. You could also look for Nando’s, Bill’s, Shake Shack, Bella Italia restaurants depending on you kids palates.

If you are staying anywhere near Parliament and Elizabeth’s tower with the Big Ben bell the negotiate the crowds and walk across Westminster Bridge.

As far as neighborhoods Shoreditch is diverse with wonderful street art. The view from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich is marvelous. Total day out. Take the boat too and the tube back or vice versa. Little Venice is interesting.

If shopping is important then select one of these:
Liberty
Harrods
Spitalfields
Battersea Conversion
Coal Drop Yards then stroll along the Regents Canal

Different free museums to consider:
Horniman Museum
Postal Museum for the underground train
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Transport Museum

So much to see and enjoy in London. Have fun.

see Stonehenge at sunrise

That will be an early day. The week of the 21st of June has sunrise near Stonehenge at 4:50.

You will have to be up and at it early. How will you get there? Taxi?

A lot of us here are big fans of London Walks. There are usually a dozen or so different walking tours offered each day. The long-form descriptions are wacko, but the walks are great. The guides are licensed, so the information they impart is reliable; they aren't making up tall tales in hopes of tips. Many of the guides have theatrical backgrounds or are lawyers, they delivery the information in a lively manner. The cost for a tour (usually about 2 hours) is £20 for adults, £15 for seniors (over 65) and students, and £5 for kids 8 to 15 accompanied by a parent.

Their standard schedule extends past June, so you can take a preliminary look now to see whether you might be interested in what is on offer during your trip. It would be smart to check again shortly before departure, because changes are possible. They ask that you pre-book online, but there is no advance notice specified. As a solo traveler I have sometimes booked on the morning of a tour, but that's probably not a great idea with 4 people, because the guide may pull the list of participants early in the day. You pay when you show up for the tour--by card or exact cash.

https://www.walks.com/

I think most airlines suggest being at the airport 3 hours before departure for transatlantic flights. Perhaps that's not strictly necessary if you are not checking luggage (I'm not sure, because I always do have a checked bag), but Heathrow is a large airport.

then we need to be back at LHR the following Tuesday at 13:00 to be 2
hours ahead of the flight back.

As acraven noted 2 hours is probably cutting it too close for the return flight, especially if you encounter any kind of traffic or transport issue or if you have bags to check. Best case it takes 45-60 minutes to get to the airport from central London midday on a weekday.

The suggestion for a sing along Six sounds great, but it's not currently offered in June 2026 https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/12201-six-the-musical-tickets

I have been to Stonehenge in June near the solstice and it was interesting, but during solstice week it's going to be crowded (esp. on solstice morning, which is as Nigel noted VERY early) and if the Royal Ascot horse races happen to be going at the same time, the traffic is MADNESS (I got stuck in it on the bus going to Stonehenge).

IMHO your time would be much better spent staying in the central part of the city following any of the fine suggestions made so far.

So many great opinions. Thank you! I think we'll nix Bath/Stonehenge and spend separate days at Hampton Court and possibly Greenwich.

The London Walks website is overwhelming! How do you choose!?! This seems like a good option though, I will investigate more.

I've been adding to this Google MyMap for a while but of course it has too much on it for this trip. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ll5MomTVtcqQi9LWzg1ZTjJ5Jcc&usp=sharing
Based on what I have bookmarked I think I will look for VRBOs near Covent Garden / Leicester Sq.

CL - I'm seeing tickets for Six through all of 2026 - am I looking at it wrong? It seems like I can choose 4pm / 8pm shows and seats for all of June 2026 except Mondays.

Our daughters were 12 and 15 when we spent one week in London and one week based near Bath. Our daughters enjoyed both, but with 5 days I agree with the advice to focus on London with a half day at Hampton Court Palace. The combination of the palace, Tower of London, and “Six” works really well.

CL - I'm seeing tickets for Six through all of 2026 - am I looking at
it wrong? It seems like I can choose 4pm / 8pm shows and seats for all
of June 2026 except Mondays.

I said there were no sing along shows, as was mentioned in a prior recommendation. There are tickets to the regular shows.

It all really depends on what you and your traveling companions want to do.

If you really want to see Stonehenge, (or Bath, or Hampton Court), and it means a lot to you, then you should go.

I wouldn't try to do Hampton Court on your arrival day. You'll be too tired and won't enjoy or remember much of it due to jet lag. I wouldn't recommend doing anything very important on arrival day. Walk around, have dinner, go to bed early.

If you want to do a tour like Bath and Stonehenge, then go for it. Yes, it will be somewhat rushed and you won't see as much as you would if you could see each place on separate days. But if you don't think you will get back to England anytime soon and those places matter, then it is worth doing one of those tours. My husband and I did a day tour that included Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath when we were on our honeymoon in 2004. I didn't get back to England until 2018, so I was very happy we did the tour. I've been back a few more times since and my daughter and I are going to see Windsor Castle on a day trip in February. Can't wait!

I like the idea of evensong at Westminster Abbey if you can't fit in a tour. It would be a shame to miss it altogether, it is breathtaking.

Even with just five days in London, I think Canterbury, Windsor, and Greenwich make great day trips. I wouldn’t do more than one or two. As for Canterbury, I’d only go after they remove the graffiti they just put up. Windsor, and Greenwich are super quick to get to.

As noted, it’s slower to get to Canterbury than Windsor or Greenwich (or Hampton Ct.). Unless the 11year old has specifically asked to go there, it wouldn’t be on my list of places to go given how little time Leah has.

For 11 and 15 year old kids and such little time, my order of days out would be 1st Hampton Ct, then Greenwich then Windsor.

Canterbury is exactly an hour by direct train from St Pancras, compared to 45 minutes to Windsor from Paddington, with a change of train.
So it is not significantly longer.

Age old question but would Hampton Court be a better day trip or Windsor? I don't want to do both.

And I think we'll stay in London the rest of the time other than an Uber Boat ride to Greenwich one morning. How much time should we plan to take there? Would it be possible to do that and then take the tube back to Westminster in time for the 5pm eveningsong?

It IS an age old question! Hampton Court or Windsor Castle.

It depends on your interests, I guess. I have been a student of Tudor history for almost as long as I can remember, so Hampton Court was a must see for me on my honeymoon in 2004. But Windsor Castle also has a lot to offer.

I'd read up on both sites and get with your daughters and see which one seems more interesting to them. Either way, you're going to have a lovely time.

I agree with Barbara, "The combination of the palace, Tower of London, and “Six” works really well."

This is the Uber boat timetable- https://www.thamesclippers.com/media/1r4jsjau/ubtc-timetable-1-september-2025.pdf

If we say nominally that you are starting the boat ride from Westminster then it is 50 minutes to Greenwich (a bit more or less depending on the exact pier used). You would either be using the main line train or the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to come back. The DLR is just bringing brand new fancier trains into service.

Greenwich to Bank on the DLR is about 25 minutes, running every few minutes

On the frequent main line train you can either come back to Cannon Street (in the City [big C] of London) or take a Thameslink train to Blackfriars, City Thameslink (both for St Paul's Cathedral), Farringdon, St Pancras and on to north of London.

So short answer- Greenwich in the day then evensong is an easy combination- St Paul's do evensong as well as Westminster Abbey, but the tube to Westminster runs from Cannon Street, Blackfriars or Bank/Embankment (one co-joined underground station).