How not to exhaust yourself visiting London

I can see that this is a problem visiting Northern European historic cities particularly if the weather isn't good (although walking around in the heat is not much fun either!).

All I can think of are some activities which are mostly sitting eg a cruise on the Thames. I suppose you could go round and round on the Hop-on/hop-off buses but their fares seem extortionate. A ride on a number 26 bus from Liverpool St to Victoria goes past a lot of the major sites and you get a good view from the top deck and all for the price of an ordinary bus fare.

Although a good money-saving strategy is to eat a full breakfast in your hotel if it's included in the price and then have a small lunch, taking time out in the middle of the day will help. In a pub garden you don't need to order food and they will happily supply soft drinks (which are often more profitable to them than selling beer).

Beth, I recently spent 5 nights in London, and you're right, it is very easy to become exhausted. There are ways of getting around that, though. I tend to get up early and get moving, but I would allow times for cafe breaks during the day, where I would just sit and relax with some coffee or tea. I also booked a hotel that was very close to many of the sights, so it was easy to stop in during the day if needed.

On this particular London trip, I took a vacation from my vacation (I stole that term—and the idea—from TexasTravelMom). :-) I went out in the morning to Borough Market, grabbed some food, stopped for tea, hit a few sights, but then came back to the hotel and just rested. I read, checked emails, wrote in my blog, and enjoyed the time to myself. Later on I went out and got something to eat, but then came back again. It really revitalized me.

I did the same thing during my week in Yorkshire. I know taking a "day off" seems counterproductive, but it's not. If you don't take time for yourself, it's very easy to get exhausted and then the vacation isn't as much fun.

So next time, consider that. You can plan ahead for it if you want, but I usually don't as I plug them in when I need them. Sometimes a "day off" is triggered by something (in Yorkshire, I had some major stress the day before) and sometimes you just wake up and think, "Today I'm going to take it easy."

I always find London exhausting even though I know it really well. I do try to get a hotel room as near to the centre as I can, in order to pop back during the day. One thing I do quite often is just ride a bus - just a normal bus. Sit upstairs and see where it takes you, then come back again.

I also have a few little quietish places I know of - cafes, smaller museums, other spaces (the very spacious public areas of the National Theatre or Royal Festival Hall for example) and give myself time just to SIT.

And also: work on the basis you’ll be coming back some day so if you’ve got no energy, don’t push it.

I just recently returned from London after showing a wedding party around (all in their mid-20s). I spent two days in London and I was getting tired by the end of the 2nd day. I walked over Westminster Bridge a dozen or more times and did 22,000 steps in one day. I consider myself reasonably fit, but living in the Midwest, I am not used to that much walking. Steps are also an issue as is carrying a piece of luggage up and down through the underground. We don't do this every day and we just get tired more easily, especially as we get older. It just goes to show how important it is to keep walking and staying fit for European adventures.

There is so much to see and do in London that your first thought is to try to do it all. The key is to slow way down and build downtime into the itinerary. Sit down for a long lunch or go for tea in a nice hotel. 6 days would be a lot of time in London for me, and I am a British ex-pat. I prefer to mix up my time in the UK with a nice country retreat to relax.

Whenever my American friends ask me to comment on their European itineraries, I always tell them not to underestimate how tired they will get going from city to city. Some ignore my suggestions (which is fine) but they come back telling me they were tired towards the second week.

It’s not just London but anywhere we are traveling. Our habit is to take a break mid to late afternoon, go back to our hotel and put our feet up or heads down as the situation warrants. Cafe breaks are also good. Have a cuppa or a glass of wine and watch the world go by. We then feel refreshed and ready to go again.

The first thing is to accept that you are not going to see everything in one trip. We have been to London +10 times, there are still sights to be visited for the first time. We always schedule a coffee break in the morning and a wine or coffee break in the afternoon. Some days we quit a little early and go back to the hotel and put our feet up and just veg for a while. On recent trip to the Balkans there were several days where walked over 20,000 steps, as long as you pace yourself things should be fine.

London is my favorite city on the planet.

November is my favorite month. Only once since 1972 did I encounter miserable weather. Cheaper accommodations, used to be fewer tourists, etc.

What I’ve done and will continue to do as I average 6 miles a day is stop in a pub around 2pm…i’m out early every morning (6am) ….stopping in a pub to rest my feet and back. I’ll have food and a pint. Use the loo. Rested I head back out. Usually do theatre at night.

I’ve also been known is to grab a lunch deal at a Tesco’s or Pret a Manger, or Sainsbury and find a park bench to sit on. People watching an enjoyable past time.

Lastly, I’ll stop in a library.

I pace myself.

EDIT: after re reading this post I’ll add the concept of allowing time for serendipity. For me on a drive in Ireland from Dingle to Killarney National Park. Noticed a small directional sign which said Gap of Dunloe. This was pre iphone. Decided to see what the Gap of Dunloe entailed. Suffice it to say, one of my most favorite travel discoveries ever!!!

London is just tiring. I always make sure I go back to the hotel to freshen up and have a cup of tea before going out in the evening, and like Golden Girl I seek out quiet spots for a sit down. I don’t mind paying a premium for my cup of tea or glass of wine if it means I can sit in a nice comfy chair in a peaceful place. Hotel bars are always good for this or just look for anywhere that’s relatively empty. Often restaurants have a bar area that nobody is really in mid afternoon.

I factor in plenty of stops becasue I want to enjoy myself. Exhibition; cup of coffee. Lunch. Afternoon activity; glass of wine. Back to hotel; dinner and theatre.

I agree with long lunch or tea-preferably in a quiet place like Fortnum and Mason. On theatre days, make the earlier part of the day easy.

When I was choosing my hotels for my recent London visit, I booked locations that were central enough to return to before dinner or a play. I actually broke my stay into 2 hotel locations so that my first 4 nights would be closer to my morning activities.

I took breaks in museum cafes mid way through my visits.

I sat in churches while admiring the interior.

I stopped one day for a break at a Gail's, which had a few tables.

White wandering Portobello Rd, I opted for a sit down lunch instead of getting something in the street food alley.

I guess I took a lot of little breaks everywhere I went.

And until you mentioned it, I didn't really realize how breaking my stay into 2 hotels helped me to pace some of my days.

I do like Mardee does and will sometimes spend an afternoon just reading in my hotel both in London and Paris. I am a solo traveler so I don't need to worry about keeping someone else entertained, hahaha! I'm not a breakfast eater so I go until lunch and have a sit down either inside if the weather is poor or in a park with a sandwich from Pret or a grocery store. I also am not a night person so if I do a show I do a matinee - a good excuse to sit for a couple of hours in the afternoon, hahaha!

Sometimes it's not particularly that I am tired, it's that it's too "people-y" out there, hahaha. Even last week in Yellowstone I had to get away from crowds, lol.

My favorite "take a break" place in London on a nice day is Chelsea Physic Garden.

I was just there on Monday ! There is a bus from Victoria station that goes right there. And you can have lunch or tea, too !

https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/

Thanks, Kim, adding that to my next visit list!

I was traveling with two other people which makes taking an afternoon off when I felt like it more difficult. But certainly did not even consider going back in the afternoon to rest. Our apartment also made that a bit clumsy. But I am interested for next time I travel to London with just my husband where those of you who pop back into your hotel room have stayed. When we visited in 2019, we stayed in Premier Country Hall and we didn’t go back there either.

I do agree 6 nights may have been one of our problems. We added one night because our son and fiancé were returning to London before their trip home and doing so allowed us to meet them for breakfast. But I have to admit that last day we may not have appreciated our activities as much as we would have a few days earlier. The best thing we did was Sunday roast which was so much fun.

And I am glad that I at least had the good sense not to buy tickets to a concert at St Martin in the Field for Saturday night after attending plays both Thursday and Friday. I really wanted to though!! And I know plays two nights in a row probably was not ideal but one thing my niece really wanted to do was see a play at the Globe. Friday night was Much ado about nothing which she much preferred over Saturday night’s choice.

We typically have not scheduled anything for the evening when traveling so I think learning a rhythm that works with doing so is one of our challenges. We did see a play last time but only one and we were in London one less day.

Thanks for the ideas and confirmation that London can be a lot of work!! (But London is one of the only cities I am sure I want to visit again.)

BethFL…

the wonderful thing about London and which I’ve said before….It’s always changing, yet always the same.

I’m never bored and having done the “ must see “ sites numerous times…it’s enjoying little know less popular sites now that provide pleasure. That and meeting up with friends.

So many great parks, free museums, varied neighbor hoods, street art, theatre options, art galleries, food pop ups, that one is never bored.

I think the maximum number of steps in a day I had this visit to London was a bit over 37,000. Still a much less exhausting day than driving my rental car from Victoria Station to the outskirts of London on our way to Bristol.

And I agree with everyone above: one never gets bored in London. We stayed in a bad location last year; much better this year in Broken Wharf. We'll return to London every year if possible.

During my London stay last month, I split my nights between a hotel at Gloucester Rd Station and Victoria Station. My idea was to cluster activities that were nearer each hotel. It was a mixed bag of whether it worked because some sights are closed certain days, which made the planning more complicated. And the 2 locations were close enough together that if I were returning by tube, it didn't make a lot of difference. It did allow me to plan my days to walk to some places from each location.

I had considered a hotel that was further out on the tube (still central London) but nixed that idea for the very reason of being able to go back to the room.

One other thing that is harder to plan for is the tube stations....some are easier than others. The "commute" from my hotel at Gloucester Rd to the platforms for the District and Circle Lines was much easier than the "commute" from my hotel at the Victoria Station to those lines.

I haven't been to London (yet), but this is an issue that I have had to start planning for. I am experiencing more physical limitations each year. I traveled with 2 young men in May. On 2 afternoons I took a knee and sent them out on their own. One of the 2 days they took a ride up a mountain and hiked down (4 hours), but I was happy to learn that on the other afternoon they each slept and stayed in for the evening. Even they were tired. In September, I am taking a single city trip and will be solo. This is easier to manage. I will plan 2 "activities" each day. The rest of the day will be at a park, a cafe, or my room! It will be great!

I do not believe that any city is any more tiring than another. I'm of the opinion if anything it's that when visiting London, travelers try to cram so much into their itineraries often within a relatively short period of time. It's all go, go, go, go, without stopping to breath. Are you on the go at home like you are when you travel? Who here has had the belief that hotel room selection is not as important because it's just a place to sleep?

I don't plan days down to the minute and often make my plans the morning of. There is such a thing as museum fatigue. I do stop and take breaks. I'll split the morning and afternoon and head to Borough Market for lunch or some groceries or hit a grocery store, then head back to my hotel to relax and chill, then out for the afternoon. Come back to the hotel for supper and then maybe out for the evening. Like Pam I'm also a solo traveler and have no need to worry about keeping someone else entertained, and yeah sometimes it's not particularly that I'm tired, it's that it's too "people-y" out there and the hotel is a nice refuge for a break.

One of my most memorable days in London was doing the museum thing in the morning and then heading to an indoor go-kart track and kart racing for hours into the night. That was an exhilarating high.

We had a conversation about this recently, and we all agreed that there's "vacation" and there's "travel." Vacation means you go somewhere relaxing and do very little other than reading, eating, and sitting by some water. Then there is travel, which means seeing places you have never seen before, and it is tiring, not relaxing.

Honestly, I can't imagine taking a break and hanging out in my hotel room when traveling. I mean, I spent all this time and money to get across an ocean to see a new country, I'm not going to sit in a hotel room! LOL

We spent two weeks in the UK last fall, one of them in London. We were on the go most of every day, but we included down time each day. It may have been sitting on a park bench in St. James Park for an hour, it may have been the leisurely stroll around the gardens at Kensington Palace, followed by afternoon tea at the Pavillion there, it was the hour (at least) sitting at the top of a hill at Chipping Campden just looking at the view and enjoying a picnic, lunch breaks, cream tea breaks, sitting on the wall across from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre watching the people and the river.

We don't do guided tours, we go at our own pace at each sight and leave when we've seen our fill.

Yes, we put on a lot of miles each day, but in the end, it was worth it, and we rested when we got home.

5 visits and counting to London and I must say that each time I have thoroughly and happily exhausted myself, but I have learned a couple of things to mitigate that a bit.

I try not to schedule too many early morning things in a row--for me, early means being at a train station by 7:30 am, or at a museum or site when it opens. Some days I want to move at a more leisurely pace. If I am out later in the evening--i.e. at a show or the time I went to the Ceremony of the Keys--I definitely don't like to try to be out and about at the crack of dawn the next day.

When I am getting cranky and over-tired that means it's time for a sit-down to collect myself and re-charge a bit--ideally there'll be a snack involved but sometimes just sitting for 15 minutes helps a lot. Bonus points if I can find an ideal spot in a park to observe birds and such.

If I have had a long and busy day I will often pick up something for dinner and head to my room by 5 pm and have a relaxing evening--taking care of plans for the next day, reading, knitting, communicating with people. I have never taken a whole day off to do that, but it doesn't sound entirely un-appealing.

Just to give credit where credit is due, the concept of taking a vacation from your vacation really originated with our fearless leader RS. And to quote the Bard, to thine own self be true. You really need to honor your own travel style.

When I am getting cranky and over-tired that means it's time for a sit-down to collect myself and re-charge a bit

Christa, that is so me. And I’ll add “avoid people until I can be nice again.”

My Italy trip is almost good to go, just have a couple museum tickets to buy as soon as the days open up. I know I over scheduled Florence but don’t mind throwing away a ticket or two if I’m too tired to enjoy something.

BethFL, great topic. Enjoying everyone’s posts. I’m starting to plan next year’s England/Ireland trip. You’ve really made me reevaluate a couple days of my preliminary planning. Thanks for a great thread.
Kathy

Great thread, but perhaps belongs in the General Europe forum because Paris and Berlin can also be exhausting. After my trip last year, I boarded the QM2 to return home and did not fully enjoy the crossing because I was exhausted from what I had been doing.

I have a trip planned in late October and early November for London. Nine nights in London after three nights in Bath. (After London, Oxford and Paris.) And I am amazed at how much I have planned with day trips to Cambridge (with London Walks) and Bletchley Park, theater tickets for three nights, and a ton of walks with London Walks. Physically, I am in good shape, I can walk miles without a problem, and I like to stay busy. But lately I have been looking at what I have planned and wondered whether it was too much. And now I see BethFL's post.

Even given what I have planned, I am determined to pace myself on this trip. How so?

1. There is nothing wrong with calling it an early evening. Too often, I have felt that I had to do something productive with every minute on the trip. A big mistake.

2. Limit the number of sites you have to visit. In London, other than what I have planned, there are only three places I need to visit: St. Paul's Cathedral (my favorite church in the world), the Imperial War Museum (which I have been visited several times), and a memorial site in Gordon Square related to the SOE in WWII that I find inspirational and visit.

3. Get lost. Just enjoy the city and the free time you have--the quaint neighborhoods, the odd shops, the bookstores, the pubs, the churches.

One other thing that is harder to plan for is the tube stations....some are easier than others. The "commute" from my hotel at Gloucester Rd to the platforms for the District and Circle Lines was much easier than the "commute" from my hotel at the Victoria Station to those lines.

Excellent point. With that in mind, look for tube stops that have the wheelchair symbol on the map. They'll have ready access to the platform without having to use steps; escalators, elevators or both will be available. The Blackfriars station was much easier for us to manage with heavy luggage than either Cannon Street or Mansion House, both of which were a bit closer to our hotel.

Beware of the wheelchair symbols. Sometimes there’s a direct elevator (“lift”’) to street level but sometimes you go up one floor at a time and then have to find the next elevator, which can be a walk. From memory , Green Park is bad on this front. Blackfriars was recently rebuilt, but the older stations have been retrofitted (sometimes on the cheap) as best they could.

Also the lifts are very often out of order and not working. You can’t rely on them.

There's a lot to be said for choosing the location of your accomodation in a place where you want to spend time.

London is made up of lots of little towns and villages which have merged to form what we know as Greater London today. Every one has its own character and history.

Even doing as many from this forum do and staying in South Kensington or Chelsea gives you somewhere somewhat upscale on your doorstep where you can easily pass a whole day, or come back to in the afternoon to spend an evening locally, rather than in Westminster.

Other places forum contributors have stayed include Clapham, the Bankside area of Southwark, Pimlico instead of Victoria and Earls Court.

If you don't mind a small commute to reach central London, areas out west like Richmond, Chiswick or Fulham / Hammersmith can offer different towns that have their own character to spend time in locally.

If you want to experience working class multicultural London, areas like Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Hackney or Shoreditch might be worth researching. Peckham in south London.

Islington and Hampstead / St Johns Wood might be worth looking at in north London.

In some of these place you may need to fall back on the apartment rental site that isn't popular here to really pin down a great location. If you're someone who doesn't get FOMO spending a little time at "home" on vacation, this sort of thing might be worth thinking about.

I'm very glad this topic came up. I'll be in London with 2 other people for a week (with a day trip to Paris) in December and I'm staying in the South Kensington/Chelsea area. Everything I read said the tube is so easy to use so I haven't been too concerned about the distance to the main sites. Should I be? We'll have a child with us, so most likely we'll have reasonably leisurely mornings before heading out to see the sites, then maybe an afternoon/early evening break before heading back out to see the Christmas lights. Our day in Paris starts early to catch the train and will end late, but I figured we can rest on the train.

@KRS- The tube commute times are totally reasonable and easy from Kensington and Chelsea

But there are always the London buses to sit upstairs and view the sights, especially the Christmas Lights. Slower but obviously more scenic! Especially for the child.

A leisurely start will put you after the peak commuter traffic as well.

The TfL spider bus maps are here- https://tfl.gov.uk/maps_/bus-spider-maps?Borough=Kensington%20and%20Chelsea
but briefly the #9 runs to Central London from Kensington and the #14 from Chelsea

We had a conversation about this recently, and we all agreed that there's "vacation" and there's "travel." Vacation means you go somewhere relaxing and do very little other than reading, eating, and sitting by some water. Then there is travel, which means seeing places you have never seen before, and it is tiring, not relaxing.

Vacation is merely a period of leasure away from home, of travel, and travel is merely movement from one place to another. There's little difference between vacationers, visitors, travelers or tourists and to create a difference comes off as attempting to create a superiority hierarchy amongst travelers. That "my" way of traveling or vacationing is the correct way to travel or that tourists are the unwashed masses and I'm more than just a tourist. It's all pretty silly.

Honestly, I can't imagine taking a break and hanging out in my hotel room when traveling. I mean, I spent all this time and money to get across an ocean to see a new country, I'm not going to sit in a hotel room! LOL

Great! Good for you, that's the thing we are all free to travel and enjoy our vacations as we like. Hike your own hike. The OP said,

London was the most taxing I think because we tended to go from morning to night...So I was wondering how others keep up their energy when visiting London. It wasn’t warm enough most days to enjoy sitting outside watching the world go by which otherwise would have been a good way to refresh ourselves.

And I think the OP understands this, when the schedule is go go go, you do have to take breaks. Again everyone is free to enjoy their vacation as they please and if you enjoy the feeling of euphoria at the end of a busy active day, GREAT! It's what you're after. But if being exhausted is not enjoyable, build in and take some real down time. Not everyone has physically demanding jobs, many are retired and most are not on the go all of the time when at home. It does not matter whether one takes a break and picnics in a park, people watch on a brickwall, or back at your hotel room. But stop relax and take a break.

Maybe it's the same for Pam, it's what I read into her post, but I'm an introvert and the hotel room is a place I can go to get away from people to recharge without the continuous din of crowds.

I never came across a disabled tube lift that didn't have a redundant alternative. But I'm sure it happens sometimes.

We also were assisted by very kind young Londoners when we made the mistake of disembarking at a non-accessible station. Lovely people.

There have been threads over the years, mainly on the General Europe forum, addressing this general subject. Some suggestions made:

1. Avoid one-night hotel stays.

2. Try to schedule before and after a big city like London a smaller and less hectic venue before moving on to the next big-city venue.

3. Be aware of how taxing travel between destinations can be. On my last trip, I twice had to catch three trains with a short interval to catch the second and third trains. It seemed that with bags I was constantly trying to be one of the the first ones off the train so that I could locate the platform for and catch my next train. It was mentally exhausting.

From my own experience, I think the best rules are to know yourself and your body, try to pace yourself, limit the number of boxes and destinations you feel you need to check off, choose a hotel that has a good location and that is one you feel comfortable returning to for an early or relatively early evening, and realize that for everyone there is a "sweet spot" between doing and slowing down (though it greatly differs from person to person).

Finally, I did read with much interest GerryM's post about selection of neighborhood. I suspect he is right, though on my next trip I am booked in a hotel in Westminster. The price for the property was too good to pass up. We will see how it goes.

I’m so glad this topic came up, too. I thought I was in a minority of those who feel the effects of travel because I was not as frequent of a traveler. When we went to London for 10 days (with side trips to York, Windsor and Seven Sisters) I really hit the wall on day 9. I mean really hit the wall. I kept trying to fight the need to slow down and pace, but I had my two young adult kids with me and I didn’t want to 1. Make them think their mom was, shall I say the word? Aging! And 2. The former athlete in me just said to keep pushing, don’t quit. It’s a mindset that doesn’t go away with time. But, yes, I have learned a lot, because by not taking a few “mini breaks- or vacation from the vacation” during the week, I basically crashed on the next to last day. Live and learn, right? :)

"Everything I read said the tube is so easy to use so I haven't been too concerned about the distance to the main sites."

Kensington and Chelsea are very convenient, and the tube trip to major sites is short. We took our kids to London many times when they were small and never saw.them flag - kids have boundless energy.

Speaking generally, it's important we're all aware of our limits. I live in a country where very few people drive, and almost everyone takes the train everywhere. So we're used to walking. But even with that, I try just to do one major site per day, and leave plenty of time for gentle wandering.

We also were assisted by very kind young Londoners when we made the mistake of disembarking at a non-accessible station. Lovely people.

You make a good point. Sometimes stations that aren't the most accessible can be made easier with the help of strangers. Nine times out of ten, if you can get yourself up a set of stairs, someone will offer to help you with a heavy bag. I've done it a lot myself and see others doing it often. London is actually friendlier than some people (even other British people) think.

my next trip I am booked in a hotel in Westminster.

I'm sure it will be great. My point was just that sometimes a characterful neighbourhood where there's not so many visitors can be a break away from the really busy parts tourists flock to in Westminster. I do the sort of thing I described in Gracia in Barcelona, or De Pijp in Amsterdam. Neither is a huge trek from the centre, but offer a different experience which can be somewhere to enjoy away from the throng for a while.

In terms of London again, I know Premier Inn County Hall and Waterloo are very popular. They're not great locations for getting away from it. County Hall is tourist central and Waterloo falls into the category I might call utilitarian. Premier Inn at York Way near Kings Cross is also in a utilitarian neighbourhood. Sure, it's got Coal Drops Yard these days and it's definitely come up since it was the pits of hell 25 or so years ago, but I'd definitely rather be in one of the other places I mentioned unless I was there for an overnight with an early train to catch. Picking accommodation based on neighbourhood character adds another dimension to the London experience and gives you that "other place" to relax away from the popular sights.

Gerry, that's a good point about the hotels. I stayed at the PI County Hall and while it was central enough that I could get there mid-day, it was not the most relaxing of neighborhoods. The first two times I went to London (mid and late-90s), I stayed in Bloomsbury on Gower Street, and really loved the residential vibe of that neighborhood. I could feel myself relaxing as I walked past trees and flowers on my way to the hotel. I did not feel that way heading to the concrete-located County Hall. :-) Something to think about for the next trip, maybe?

To VAP
Sorry that my point was totally misconstrued. I was not implying any superiority.

I've been to London many times, and still have places to visit or things I want to see. I agree with everything VAP (and Pam, and others) have said.

I am all for a hotel in a central location. A stint back in my room, away from people, energizes me. If you are exhausted, you are running too fast. A lot of people talk about the easy Tube, and it is, but I use the tube for longer distances when I'm in a hurry. Not many people talk about the buses, which I love. They are easy and will bring you anywhere, while sitting and enjoying the view out the window, which gives me more ideas as I ride by new locations. I do a lot of people watching when I travel (or anywhere). I only build in a major site or two per day, as I can only effectively absorb so many details. Instead of relaxing on a beach, think about relaxing in a park, or if raining, in a pub, etc. I stroll and enjoy the architecture...I don't race walk through town (although my husband had an initial tendency to do that. LOL). I enjoy supermarkets, etc. LOL You don't need to leave town to chill. You just need to enjoy each moment at a pace that doesn't exhaust. There's no way to see London (or any major city) in 5 days, don't try. Prioritize.

This has been a great topic, BethFL, I’m so glad you posted it. I’m in the middle of planning an Oxford and London trip for February ‘25. My husband is coming along this time and we are doing the RS London tour together. I’m planning maybe 4-5 nights in Oxford and then another week in London after the tour ends. He has to decide how much of that he wants to do on each end of the tour. I know he will not be up for 3 weeks of museum intensive touring.

When we travelled years ago he first joked, ‘Hon, being a tourist is hard work!’. We have said that and laughed many a time over the years because it’s true. I think it’s as much sensory overload as much as the physical demands. We just aren’t used to that much stimulation in our normal life. Doing what you need to do to let your body and brain relax is a good thing.

There’s been some really good advice from folks in this thread. Thanks to Gerry and Mardee and others with thoughts about where to find your hotel.

I stayed in Bloomsbury on Gower Street, and really loved the residential vibe of that neighborhood. I could feel myself relaxing as I walked past trees and flowers on my way to the hotel.

Bloomsbury is so much nicer than Kings Cross. You're still near the stations, but Euston Road down to where it meets York Way is one of my least favourite parts of London. Just a few hundred yards across the way into Bloomsbury makes a big difference.

ETA: I feel the same way about Victoria. Just a few blocks down you're into the much more pleasant environs of Pimlico.

So true, Gerry and Mardee.

And yes another bus fan here. The tube is great for getting long distances but I loooove the bus - as someone mentioned, the people-watching is great and watching the city go by and evolve is just so fun.

I am just back from five nights in London and as Gerry has mentioned about smaller neighborhoods, really loved Islington / Clerk well where we stayed this time. It's a bit of a hike to the nearest tube station, but the neighborhood is so cool and the bus gets you to Kings Cross in a jiffy - handy for us Parisians and Eurostar ! Or up to Angel ...

Still reading? Pick fewer things to do and plan to go back! It is an easy place to get overwhelmed. I have trouble sleeping there because i think i'll forget something interesting.

I am glad I started this thread! I have reflected on things I would not have otherwise.

One thing that occurred to me is that one problem with having to reserve attractions in London is that it is easy to schedule things too close together. I think I made the mistake of assuming things were going g to go a certain way and then didn’t end up with enough down time in the middle of the day.

So advice to myself: plan for a two hour break for lunch to ensure you get one!

BethFL, such a wonderful topic. You've gotten lots of good advice. One of my 'tricks' for surviving London is the museums. Many are free/just a donation. So I schedule short breaks at some of the biggest museums. I study beforehand what I REALLY want to see and only visit those. Hopefully there is a bench or chair somewhere you can just sit and absorb the things around you. Then I have tea or lunch or an early dinner. I love the cafes in most of London's museums and I often have a cream tea instead of lunch or an early dinner. I used to do this also in Paris, especially the Louvre before it got so busy, the museum pass limited you to one visit and you also needed a reservation. So many times in the past I would pop in to the Louvre my 1st day, early evening (I usually scheduled arrival day around those days it was open late.) I'd see some of my favorite art pieces, then I'd return for another short 'bite' (or two) later in the trip.

"Maybe it's the same for Pam, it's what I read into her post, but I'm an introvert and the hotel room is a place I can go to get away from people to recharge without the continuous din of crowds."

@VAP, yes, I'm an extroverted introvert. I can push myself to be extroverted but it's wearing. I don't mind solo eating but sometimes I just want quiet, lol!!

"I stroll and enjoy the architecture"

@Wray - A couple of years ago I did a few walks from the blog Lady in London. It was an excellent way to get off the main streets as the ones I chose involved various Mews in both Kensington and Belgravia. That was a wonderful way to keep moving but be out of the fray, lol!

"One thing that occurred to me is that one problem with having to reserve attractions in London is that it is easy to schedule things too close together."

@Beth - I think this is the real downside to having to do timed entries (Paris even moreso than London) or reserved events like plays. I generally have plenty of time so have started scaling back on doing more than one reservation per day. That's not a consideration when you've got a first-timer and want them to get a great intro to a fabulous city!

I agree with the others...this is a great topic!

So appreciate this topic. And while I'm just repeating others, the whole idea of overbooking time, figuring out breaks is a fantastic thing to push to the fore. My husband I were in London in May visiting our daughter, who lives in Wimbledon. We go about once a year so have seen much in London, but as others keep noting, way more still to see. 27k steps a day isn't out of the question. I too overbook our time in London, morning til night, with the idea we've come this far... gotta do so much. There was a London day this trip that was so overdone that if I'd been a toddler I probably would have been pitching an exhaustion fit. And it was all my planning. We'd started early and did endless walking, a museum and theater after dinner. And the next day we were catching early train. Ahhhh!
That said, this time we did a few things that helped make most days less packed.
I took some Claudia advice and instead of staying at PI County Hall and doing our usual back and forth, we stayed in Wimbledon. Thanks too, Claudia, for recommending a day in Richmond. We roamed that gem of a town, strolled the river, had a wonderful lunch at one of her spots and walked back to Wimbledon from Richmond Park. All through connecting parks and green belts. Heaven. On our last day we tubed up to Hampstead Heath for a gorgeous walk through the park then relaxing pub lunch and wandered the village. That plan scrubbed plan A, which was two museums and tremendous city walking.
I'll be back in London in the fall with a friend for four days and I'm the main trip planner. I'll be sure to schedule the breaks, the park sits, the pub pints etc to ease our pace. Thank you for the reminders and advice.

I took some Claudia advice and instead of staying at PI County Hall and doing our usual back and forth, we stayed in Wimbledon. Thanks too, Claudia, for recommending a day in Richmond. We roamed that gem of a town, strolled the river, had a wonderful lunch at one of her spots and walked back to Wimbledon from Richmond Park. All through connecting parks and green belts. Heaven. On our last day we tubed up to Hampstead Heath for a gorgeous walk through the park then relaxing pub lunch and wandered the village. That plan scrubbed plan A, which was two museums and tremendous city walking.

I liked this paragraph a lot. I'm always interested to hear what Claudia says and it's cool you took some tips from her.

It's good that once you've been to London a few times you can branch out and enjoy places like Wimbledon, Richmond and Hampstead. It's a whole different experience.

It's always a bonus if you've someone you know to lodge with. Brussels isn't popular on here, but I had a great time there, because I had some local friends and I pretty much stuck to the Saint-Gilles neighbourhood with them without really trying to see any tourist sites. Same goes for when I stayed in Badalona, near Barcelona, with friends. I ended up spending quite a bit of time out there rather than in the city centre.

I came back to east London in an Uber from Feltham, west London last week and enjoyed seeing some of the sights out that way. I crossed the Thames at Richmond and Chiswick and it all looked rather nice. Even Hammersmith looked quite chic compared to how I remember it years ago.

AirBnB isn't popular on here, but that's the best way to get the most out of locations out of the centre of cities. There's lots of nice apartments in the locations I've mentioned in this thread. There's another thread active discussing the pros and cons of the platform in Germany, so I won't dwell on them here, but it opens up more possibilities for a different kind of experience in cities than a hotel does.

Adding to the comments ( again ) simply to say I’m delighted that other forum readers have been appreciative of my sharing. Thank you.

To be repetitive, London is my favorite city on the planet.

I am currently on a bench in Kensington Garden resting from a busy day exploring London. I’m also a solo traveler and like to take frequent breaks at pubs, or on a park bench. Today’s pub break was in Richmond at the Prince’s Head (Ted Lasso’s Crown and Anchor). It’s easy to wear yourself out. Go slow and take a break when your body is screaming to stop. Try not think you have to see and do everything on one trip. My goal for traveling is quality over quantity.

if you don't want to get tired out getting to the sites, ride the bus. London's bus system goes everywhere and will most likely get you closer than the Tube will. Plus there are no stairs up and down to get to the bus stops. You can see out the windows on the bus. Go ahead and sit on the top level of the bus and really see London! And the winter bonus is that while the Tube is broiling hot, the buses are cool and comfortable.

There's so much good advice in this thread, about knowing oneself and looking after needs on a trip like this. My partner and I always examine what went well and what we learned from our trips to London. (We're fortunate to go multiple times a year because we tack on a few days after visiting his parents.). Things that work for us (sharing in case it helps anyone):

1. Nice, centrally located hotel. We like stopping by during the day to drop off packages, change clothes/outerwear/shoes, etc. It also makes a convenient meeting spot if we've spent part of the day separately. We take advantage of that time to sit and have a cup of tea. We also like walking home after dinner or the theatre. The location and quality of our room directly impacts our enjoyment of the trip. Having read what others have said, it is certainly related to introversion for both of us.

2. 1. Nutrition. It's human nature to get hangry and feel worn down when blood sugar is low. Knowing ones nutritional needs and what it's takes to stay energized all day without those crashes helps a lot. For me personally it's lean protein and fibrous plants. It's easy when traveling to grab something convenient for lunch (or skip a needed snack) and pay the price later. Especially in London.

3. Focusing on what interests us most. My partner and I pursue different activities for part of a day. He even treats himself to a nap! When I go to a museum, I know which exhibit(s) I'm seeing ahead of time and about how long I can spend before my museum fatigue sets in...I have a love of learning and this fatigue used to be frustrating until I embraced it.

4. Semi-defined and flexible schedule. We have an A list of activities with defined times. We preserve blocks of time each day and slot in whatever feels right from the B list (or spontaneity) at the time. For the B list, I group it by neighborhood and keep it as a list in my phone. If we don't make it to things on the B list, no big deal. Some of those shorter gaps are perfect for a cup of tea in a real mug, sitting down somewhere interesting.

I'll just add that I'll be very happy when my daughter gets a 2-bedroom place and we can stay with her! We stayed in May at the Premier in Wimbledon, which was fine. This thread is a great one to bookmark and review before future trips.