How long to see <insert site here>?

I have no idea about the guided walks, but personally would find half-a-day the right time to spend in any single museum or gallery. Less time would be not enough, and more time would be too much (for me). The Churchill War Rooms and St Pauls Cathedral are probably about the same, especially if you go up the dome at the cathedral..

Hello

There is really no single 'right' time to see most of the attractions you mention. For instance, if you are really interested in modern art, then you could spend most of a day in the Tate Modern - but if you just want a quick impression, then you could walk through it in 90 minutes. As a rule of thumb, 90 minutes is probably the minimum time worth devoting to each site; if you don't do that, why visit them except to tick off a bucket list? Greenwich (a World Heritage Site) certainly needs an afternoon if you go there - it's a little out from the centre, and has many major sites to see, including the Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum, Queens House, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Observatory and Meridian Line etc - see http://www.visitgreenwich.org.uk/

Enjoy everything London has to offer!

I think the RS books for London or England could help with some of your time estimates.

I have been on the Globe tour. It took about an hour.

I visited the Churchill War Rooms and museum (possibly my favourite London attraction) and spent perhaps 3 hours total. The National Gallery, both of the Tates and the V&A I spent 2-3 hours each in. I'm saving the British Museum for another visit as I've heard that can easily take an entire day, or two. In any museum I move quickly through what doesn't thrill me and linger more at what does, with a bit of time to sit and reflect or maybe have a snack. For example, I did the Tower of London one morning, and both of the Tates in the afternoon.

Thanks all...appreciate the responses. It helps the planning quite a bit.

Rick's walks normally include his estimate of the time needed to do his walks.

National Gallery - you could take days or weeks to see this, but what's your art museum limit, 2 hours, less, more? Your interests in the subject matter of the particular museum, and your "personal museum limit", is going to determine the time to do this and the British Museum.

British Museum - same as for National Gallery.

I generally agree with the other posters about the museums. It depends how much you like museums, how much of their collection interests you, and how much stamina you have. I love museums but after 3-4 hours I'm pretty much done. I picked a few areas of interest in the British Museum (ancient Near Eastern art, Egyptian art, Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles) and then wandered around other areas until I'd had enough. With regard to the Tate Modern, I'm not that interested in contemporary art so I was satisfied with a general walk-through which I did in a couple hours.

I was at St. Paul's for several hours. The visit was a very moving experience so I lingered. I did the audio tour and then climbed to the top of the dome.

The British Museum is a bit like the Louvre, in that it's so big and so diverse that it would be foolish to think you could "do" it in a day. I suggest you preview the offerings and their special exhibits - - -on line? - - - and select what interests you most. I seem to recall that they have a nice cafe. If you take a lunch break there, you can probably recharge your batteries for a longer visit. Also, since it's free, dropping in for a couple of short visits is a possibility.

The War Cabinet Rooms are a three-dimensional experience--loved it! We spent hours in there. Since I had already been to the British Museum a couple of times, I spent less time in there on a later trip. The National Gallery-- an hour or so would be fine-- it's free, you can go back. You don't mention the V&A Museum, which I love, and could spent a whole afternoon there. St. Paul's-- an hour at most, including going to the top and the basement. Check the Globe website for how long the tour takes. I understand your wanting to plan how much time to take for each activity-- it makes total sense. Even when planning, it can take less or more time. If the latter is the case, think, I will come back sometime. For larger museums I focus on two or three areas and check my watch. I want to do other things that morning perhaps, or maybe I've allotted the entire morning for that one museum. If you have extra time, check your list that you've made and fill in the time with something that's nearby the sight you are currently seeing-- something different, like a shop, a cafe, or a tiny museum. There are smaller sites than listed above that would combine well with the larger/longer ones. The Dickens House would work will with the City of London Walk. Oxford Circle shops would combine well with the War Rooms, as would Westminster Abbey. I am a teacher, and this is the way I organize lesson plans, in the same way-- something long with something shorter. And remember to stop for breaks and lunch in between to digest all the sightseeing.

I agree with the great advice in the previous replies. We needed 2-3 hours for each spot, and spent more time at the Tower and The British Museum. Some sites like the Churchill War Rooms can be combined with a nearby site like Westminster Abbey, but in general we did one major attraction/location each morning and another each afternoon. Having just returned from London last week we found the sites and streets much more crowded on the weekend, which means it took longer to see and do everything on those days. If you use the tube for transportation, you need to factor in the time to get from place to place. I was surprised sometimes how long it took to cover was looked to be a short distance on the map. Download a metro app which will give you the lines and times to travel from point A to point B. Have fun!