Itinerary in England question

I’m planning my first trip to London, too, so no experience there yet. The main thing I see is that I think it might be too much to do Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, and the British Library all in one day, especially if you don’t want to get too worn out on your first full day there.

The one thing I wouldn't do is have the Oxford day trip and Bath day trip 2 days in a row. Day trips can be exhausting. I'd look at putting a day in London between them

Your itinerary sounds really exhausting to me. I’d reduce it quite a bit if you want to go slow and steady. I would not want to have such a busy week personally. Maybe just choose one from Oxford, Bath and Windsor (definitely don’t bother with Dover) then limit to 2 sights a day on the other days. That will allow time for a nice lunch and a couple of coffee stops.

That looks an action packed itinerary to me and I think it would wear me out...

Like Kathy I’d also be concerned by doing two major attractions plus the British Library on your first day. Westminster Abbey will need 1.5 -hours plus - more if you do one of the verger tours. The recommendation is at least 2 hours for the Churchill War Rooms and many people spend longer there. It is also a long time to be on your feet.

Oxford and Blenheim Palace in a day - There’s so much to see and do at Blenheim it really deserves a full day. You need to allow about an hour on the train from London to Oxford. Bus to Blenheim is going to be another 40-60 minutes or 20-30 minutes if you get a taxi from Oxford Station. You won’t have much time to see anything of Oxford. So if Oxford is your priority, spend the day there.

Ditto Dover and Canterbury in a day - Depending on the train, this is going to take between 1 hr 15 minutes to 1 hr 58 minutes to get from Lodon to Dover, Dover Castle will need a minimum of 2-3 hours and that really is just hitting the high spots. Allow 3o m inutes on the train to Canterbury (plus time to get to the station etc). Canterbury again deserves at least half a day. Canterbury back to London is another 90 minutes on the train. This again is going to be a full on day.

What time is your tour of Parliament and what time does it end? It will take 30-40 minutes on the train to Windsor . It is recommended to allow 2-3 hours for a visit and the castle closes at 5.15. Again this could be a rush...

There is so much to see and do in London; I think you are planning too many day trips. Just getting somewhere and back can be exhausting. I agree with others that on Wed. you should drop the British Library and concentrate on the Abbey and Churchill War Rooms; maybe one in the morning, one in early afternoon. I also agree that Oxford and Blenheim is too much for one day. You have prioritized Oxford and Windsor, so choose just 2 days for day trips at the most. I'd skip Dover and Canterbury. If you can find a slot in the late afternoon for evensong at Westminster Abbey, I highly recommend it. If you did this you might be able to fit in the British Library and Museum both in on Sunday. Give yourself time to enjoy London, stop for tea, maybe take in a play or musical in the West End, walk in any of their wonderful parks.

You are cutting London short with too many day trips!

On arrival day, instead of a HOHO bus that will lull you to sleep and/or get stuck in traffic, you might consider a boat ride from Westminster to the Tower of London, and back if you want. The fresh air will help you fight the jet lag, and you could find some walking opportunities, consistent with your energy levels, that first day.

I'd skip the Bath trip. Bath has a lot of Georgian architecture but so does London itself. Maybe some of our UK friends could suggest some neighborhoods to explore. If you're dead set on Oxford (and why not?), Blenheim might take too much out of that day. Canterbury Cathedral is wonderful but maybe not worth a day trip if it's the least important to you. Dover, like Bath, seems "a bridge too far" in the time you have.

Like you, I like churches, and one of the best is St. Paul's -- an architectural contrast to the Abbey and full of its own history. I appreciated evensong there, but the service alone won't let you explore the building which is well worth doing.