First Visit to London

We did that same trip last May, and we are seasoned travelers. When I received in the mail the Rick Steve's guide book, I was so confused. I thought even thought they speak English this is going to be a really hard trip! But like anything else with a lot of reading and watching videos it really turned out great. A lot of the main sites are along the same path. The museums are very large so we only went to one museum. We choose the British Museum and had a fabulous cafe so we incorporated Tea Time with that. I did purchase tickets a head of time for the Tower of London. The Winston Churchall Museaum was fantastic. We never got into Westminster Abbly because the Queen had a special event. So that made us hop a boat to Greenwich Village and loved that. You will have more time than you think you will. The Under ground was a lot easier to navigate than I had thought. We took a train to York for a few days also. It will all make sense when you get there. My only complaint about London was it is over priced and the hotels, if you don't spend quite a bit on one are not the best. Next time I would spend more on the hotel and maybe stay out in Kensington, we stayed in Belgrave and loved the neighborhood, would need to find a better hotel if we stayed in that area again. You will have plenty of time for Pubs and food because you have the evenings.

The time needed to see some of these things depends on how much time you want to spend there. I love museums and happily spent 3 hours at the British Museum. You might decide that you only need one. The same goes for Westminster Abbey. I opted for the audiotour for a more in-depth visit, while another visitor might only want a quick look around. To save time, group your per-day sites by geographic location so you won't waste time going all over the city.

Kate:

After making multiple trips to London through the years, I would recommend mixing up the type of experiences you have. Although my wife and I love castles, museums, etc., we find that our eyes glaze over if we do similar things too close together. One greek vase, hand carved piece of furniture, or throne room begins to blend into another. With that in mind--and with your limited time--you may want to consider either Windsor or Buckingham castles, but not both.

Similarly, I would also recommend not focusing too much on medieval or other distant history. Throw in some WWII experiences and/or something related to another aspect of British history or culture. In this regard, my two "must dos" that I suggest to people are the Churchill War Rooms and one of the London Walks (they have them on a wide range of topics such as Dickens, Jack the Ripper, Legal London, and Spies).

Finally, I would also suggest doing some checking on what temporary exhibits will be held at the major museums during the time you are going to be there. You may find something that really interests you, but that wouldn't normally be found in a RS or other guidebook. For example, when we went to London in November, there was a special exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts on Peter Paul Reubens that we decided to check out. During an earlier visit, we saw an exhibition of vehicles from James Bond movies at another museum. And we also saw an exhibition of prize winning nature photography at the Natural History Museum.

Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I truly appreciate the advice. I will definitely be group what we are doing on a specific day to one area. The tricky part is factoring in how much time will be spent at each place.

In general, I tend to start each day with one of my top-priority sites, so I know it won't get missed, then allow more flexibility for the afternoon. Evening might have a reserved plan, such as theater tickets, and need not be very close to the earlier wandering, with taxi or tube an easy way to cross the city once or twice per day.

I think you have a manageable list for five days. Of your seven "musts" two are actually simply quick "walk by's" (Buckingham Palace, unless you are there at the very end of July when it opens for a few weeks...and I've done that tour and it's worth it, and Big Ben). Of the others, Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are absolute musts and worth the time. Windsor Castle is nearly that essential, but takes time (and if you are going to spend a day on it, consider an Evan Evans bus tour that also visits Bath and Stonehenge). Your other two (Natural History Museum and British Museum) are, of course, hugely popular but IMHO not critical in five days to sample London. The way I see it, however impressive they may be, there's not much in either (and I've done the British Museum, not NHM) that is very British.

Instead, consider these I've enjoyed:
--if you like military history, the Churchill Museum/War Rooms and the (FREE!) Imperial War Museum are excellent.

--St. Paul's cathedral (great view if you climb to the top) is super.
--Royal Mews is really neat...next to Buckingham Palace. Not big, only takes about 90 minutes...has carriages, a couple horses, and one of the Queen's Rolls Royce cars.
--boat ride to/back Greenwich and its attractions
--more "walk by's" (or walk through's)...all close together: Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Hyde Park and the Prince Albert Memorial
--there's various art museums, if that's your thing...I've done National Gallery and it's worth a quick visit.
--if you like beer, the tour at Fuller's Brewery!

Enjoy!

I'm just back from 5 days in London/4 days Paris. You're on the right track. It is overwhelming and your party will likely wear out before you can cram it all in. Plan for all your London Pass-covered places on consecutive days. Plan things to reduce transit time when you can. Here is what we did:
Arrival - check-in to flat, walk Piccadilly lane to Hyde Park, thru the park to Royal Albert Hall.
Day 1 - church at Hillsong, British Museum, British Library, Sherlock (BBC series) apartment filming site (all near Tottenham Court tube)
Day 2 - Pass Day - National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, Parliament (can't really tour inside)
Day 3 - Pass Day - Windsor Castle, Tower of London, Phantom of the Opera
Day 4 - Day trip and private tour of Oxford and the Cotwolds with Kooky Cotswold Tours
Day 5 - Changing of the Guard and shopping before catching train to Paris (Changing of Guard is a bit over-rated for being smack in the middle of the day)

Buckingham Palace - Drop this if you are seeing Windsor and pressed for time. Windsor is bigger, older and more of a must-do.
Natural History Museum - Haven't been but impression is that displays here are not really unique to Britain, but like you would find in other large Natural History museums, so skipped it.
London Eye - we skipped it since I never saw it moving. It's just a slow rotation as they load/unload each car.
St. Pauls Cathedral - hated to skip it, but just didn't want to make my family miserable by cramming in one more thing.

I am hoping the RS London guide was one of your guidebooks. He has lots of practical tips that help maximize your time and effort, I.e. Where to get the best view if you want to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Also, check to see if there are evening events at any of the places you want to visit. Sometimes you can get in more easily for something like a concert.

I agree with the advice to check museums for special exhibits. They usually require a timed ticket at extra cost, but you may see something you never would otherwise. We were able to see an exhibit of the Terra Cotta Warriors several years ago that we would never see otherwise.

Also, I agree with skipping the Natural History Museum unless that is your passion. It's an excellent museum, but not particular to London/Great Britian. I think you might like the Victoria & Albert, which is in the same area.

Couple of thoughts. When you arrive at Heathrow buy a copy of Timeout magazine. It will have all information regarding museums, theatre, galleries, markets, special events, etc. and can help you plan your daily excursions. Windsor Castle will be at least half a day so plan your evening hours accordingly.
As you continue your research use the Google Maps Birdseye View to familiarize yourself with how close and far your "must see" sights are. For instance with in comfortable walking distance are Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, The London Eye, Churchill War Rooms, Horse Guards, even Buckingham Palace. For convenience group sights together. The London Underground will also help you group together sights. I've been known to visit the Museum of London, Tower of London, and Camden Lock market, a pint in a pub and an evening of theatre all in a day. Never felt I was pushing myself thanks to the tube and an early start to the day. Great city. Have a good trip.

The Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square is a must, then lunch at Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin's in the Field Church across the square. The food is very reasonable and is made on site.