London and Oxford itinerary up for suggestions and improvements

The National Gallery, British Museum and Tate Modern are open late at least one night a week. It may be Friday for all of them, but I believe there may be a Thursday in the mix. It's a good way to squeeze out some extra sightseeing time. However, ask when you arrive whether the entire building is open late or just part of it so you can strategize.

Big Ben is shrouded due to long-term construction work.

The Pitt-Rivers is very interesting but tends to be dark. If you stop at the shop they'll loan you a flashlight so you can read the exhibit labels more easily.

I get the impression there's a very long wait for the London Eye if you just show up, but I haven't looked into ways around that.

Have you figured out a luggage-storage solution at Windsor?

Thanks acraven-
Great idea to look at the late nights for the museums. I think the British Museum is Friday, so we could switch to Friday and do ToL and Westminster on Monday. Tate Modern is open late Saturday so that could be something to think about moving to Saturday night.

With regards to Windsor, I found this (below) on the Windsor website. It says that some items must be checked and reclaimed at the end of the visit. I assume this will work for us. Has anyone had problems doing this?

Security screening
On arrival, you and your belongings will be subject to airport-style security checks. Try to bring as little as possible with you as it will help you to get through security screening more quickly.

Just the same as if you were at an airport, please remove all metal objects from your pockets before going through the security arch and put cameras, phones, keys and wallets in your bag before placing the bag through the security scanner.

You may carry handbags and use pacemakers, hearing aids and other electrical or electronic equipment needed for health reasons. Please approach a Warden if you have any concerns or require assistance.

Restricted items
Some items, such as large items of baggage, backpacks, pen knives and scissors will have to be checked in and reclaimed at the end of the visit. Other items may not be brought into the Castle at all. Download the list of prohibited items below and check before you visit.

My "very picky" friend did this tour to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and swears by it: https://funlondontours.com/tours/changing-guard-walking-tour/ Just a suggestion. For Tuesday night, I hear this walk is great: http://www.walks.com/our-walks/tuesday-walks#ghosts-of-the-old-city

Just reading your plan exhausts me, but you know what you can do so good luck with it! I do have one suggestion about days 5 and 8. On both days you travel from one side of London to the other, seemingly unnecessarily. Why not visit St. Paul's on day 5, when you're in the eastern part of the city, and Big Ben and Westminster Abbey on day 8, when you're nearby for Buckingham Palace? (BTW, you know all you'll see of the palace is the outside, right?) You could spend part of either day -- or both days, if you want -- at the British Museum. St. Paul's might also fit into day 10, when you'll be at the Millenium Bridge.

You must be high energy travelers! Hopefully you and your kids will have more chances to jump the pond and see more of Britain and Europe, maybe at a pace that will give you more time to enjoy more fully what you experience.

Thanks Calimom for the suggestions! I’ve been considering a walking tour like you mentioned.

Thanks Dick-I appreciate the suggestions for rearranging some things and will consider them. I know we won’t get into Buckingham. A few of the things on my itinerary are ‘walk-bys’, so should be quick. We truly enjoy our ‘busy’ travels, and I don’t think this is even that rushed, but I understand that some folks prefer a much slower pace. Since we’re young-ish and able to, we will travel this way as long as we continue to enjoy it! You probably wouldn’t have approved of our previous trips that involved 4-5 different lodgings and hundreds of miles over the course of 10-12 days lol, now that was hectic! Maybe that’s why this trip actually sounds kind of leisurely to me, since we are only moving once and not traveling more than about an hour at any point (except Stonehenge/Bath, I think)). And most evenings will stay unstructured/unplanned to allow relaxation.
Thanks for the feedback :)

If you want to visit Shakespeare's Globe, you should do it in the morning, as on a Wednesday afternoon there will be a play on in the theatre and only ticket-holders will be allowed in. (Play tickets tend to sell out well in advance now.)

One good tip is to group attractions that are near to each other in one day to minimize running back and forth across town.
For example, Westminster Abbey and Churchill War Rooms are within a couple of blocks of one another.
Walk across Westminster Bridge after doing these two, and you will be walking past Parliament buildings, Big Ben and its Elizabeth Tower, and on the south bank you will soon come to The London Eye.

From here, you can board the River boat the Thames Clipper and take that to The Tower of London pier, or get off at any of the other piers. The reverse order is also a very handy way to travel.

Another way to see sights efficiently is to see all the attractions along a certain bus line. There are several useful bus lines, one of which is the Number 15 red bus.

Here's It's route:
Trafalgar Square.......several stops.......Covent Garden.........St. Paul's Cathedral.........Tower of London/Tower Bridge.

It also follows the reverse order.....Tower of London.....St. Paul's.....so you can take it east or west.

You could group sights along this route.
Take #15 from Covent Garden (your apartment location if I remember correctly) to Tower of London.
After visiting Tower,
get on #15 bus and head to St. Paul's Cathedral.
After you finish there, hop on #15 and ride to Trafalgar Square, do The National Gallery & Nat. Portrait Gallery.
Then hop on #15 and travel back to Covent Garden area.

Be sure you have a good map of London to take with you, plus pick up tube & bus maps.

Thanks! I have made a few modifications to try to group sights together to avoid too much back and forth. Appreciate the advice!

Are you taking the boat on Day 5 between the Tower and Westminster? If the weather cooperates, I think that’s a fun alternative to the Tube.

I used Oxford Walking Tours and had a good experience. Also had a good meal at the Turf Tavern afterward. https://www.oxfordwalkingtours.com
They were filming Endeavour while I was there—plenty of large trucks, cables, and lighting equipment around!

I’m also exhausted by reading this Itinerary. You know your family better than I do, but I’d allow some breathing room for the teens to be teens. And, keep in mind that the little things that can go wrong so just be prepared. For me this trip it’s been no hot water at the hotel for a couple of hours (emergency plumbing repair), a forgotten toothbrush, and some time in straightening out a hotel reservation. None are trip killers, but they did suck valuable time, especially in Newcastle where I only allocated two days.

Thanks Rachel-I have rearranged the trip a little but I do have us taking a boat from Westminster so we can experience a Thames cruise through the city. It sounds like a fun way to travel! And how cool to see them film Endeavour! Thanks for the restaurant suggestion.

Thanks Dale-I totally agree that my kids need some downtime and I am sure we won't do everything I have listed. I know how things can go awry-like when our luggage got stuck inside the automatic storage unit in Cologne and we missed our train to Amsterdam...we are pretty good at rolling with the punches! :)

Just wanted to add another vote for the walking tour to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace! You will have an entertaining guide, you get to walk through St James Park, and you get to walk with the band as it approaches Buckingham. You will be pretty far away when you arrive at the castle for the actual changing of the guard (and the end of the tour) but most of the crowd leaves pretty quickly and you can get to the fence to watch the guards march back and forth for as long as you want. https://funlondontours.com/tours/changing-guard-walking-tour/

Just wanted to add another vote for the walking tour to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace! You will have an entertaining guide, you get to walk through St James Park, and you get to walk with the band as it approaches Buckingham. You will be pretty far away when you arrive at the castle for the actual changing of the guard (and the end of the tour) but most of the crowd leaves pretty quickly and you can get to the fence to watch the guards march back and forth for as long as you want. https://funlondontours.com/tours/changing-guard-walking-tour/

Thanks! I will check it out!

Have you thought about seeing Blenheim Palace while in Oxford? Also check out Head of the River for lunch.