London & Beyond Awaits

So fun! London was the first city that I ever visited in Europe and it holds very fond memories for me. Getting around on one’s own is pretty easy. The only difficulty I remember having was trying to figure out how to get from the Gatwick airport train at Victoria to the subway/tube at Victoria. Everything else I recall being very easy navigation-wise. I see no need to hire a guide in London unless you just particularly enjoy hearing an expert talk about a certain thing.

Tower of London, Tate Modern, and Westminster Abby are awesome. (Well, I thought Tate was awesome but my husband who is not a big modern art fan might disagree.) Be aware that the Tower of London involves a lot of walking and takes several hours to really appreciate.

I know this is an unpopular opinion but we were slightly disappointed in the war rooms despite being WWII buffs. We also thought the changing of the guard is a total waste of time. It is very difficult to get a spot where you can actually see anything unless you get there crazy early, which in my humble opinion is not a good use of travel time (eg just standing around).

Some other things that you may want to consider are the Museum of London and the Imperial War Museum. The problem with London is that it’s like New York City. You can go a dozen times and still see new things and never get bored. It will wear you out if you try to do everything in six days. I advise making a list of the things that you want to do and then rank ordering them as ones, two, or threes. Make a reservation for each “one” (one per day) and then plan a “two” for the other half of the day, without a reservation. That way you can abandon your two if you are too tired or if you stumble across something that seems even cooler in the moment. Use Google maps and put pins on the sites you are considering and then visit the ones that are close together physically each day so that you don’t spend a lot of time riding the tube or in a taxi or crisscrossing back-and-forth across London on different days.

Have fun!

London is easy on your own but check out London Walks for daily group tours. We especially loved the tour of Westminster Abbey. https://www.walks.com/our-walks/westminster-abbey-tour/

The Tower was on of our favourites. There is a free tour included
with your ticket that runs every hour (half hour?)

Bath has a free tour everyday that is well done. https://www.bathguides.org.uk/when-where/. Their is an audio guide for the Roman Baths that is worth using.

Three nights somewhere is only two days, so you are going to have a lot of driving relative to the time spent in places seeing the sights.

I would suggest that you drop either Conwy or the Lake District (my choice would be drop the Lakes as I prefer north Wales) and add these nights to York and Conwy. You can easily fill 2 full days in York.

In London, I wouldn’t bother with the Changing of the Guard and avoid Borough Market at the weekend as it’s far too busy. Many places offer afternoon tea (high tea is a heavy meal traditionally working class in origin served around 5pm and not often seen). You don’t need a guide. Walking tours are popular.

Since Earls Court is my "neighborhood" in London, if you tell me exactly where your apartment is located I can tell you about the area. (A lot of rentals will say "near xxx" but are actually miles away.

Our location in London is Philbeach Gardens, London SW5 9EY, UK. Sugggestions for where is pick up essentials for breakfast for instance would be helpful and any good restaurants in the neighborhood. Thanks

I will suggest a route that takes in some interesting places for your journey from the Cotswolds to Conwy::>

Join A44 going towards Evesham - which you loop around on the by-pass. Then B4084 towards Pershore
& pass south of Worcester to rejoin A44 going towards Bromyard. (It is very bendy). As you approach Bromyard, look out for signs directing you R to LOWER BROCKHAMPTON HALL It is a bit of a drive but at the bottom of the hill you will find the Hall. (Everything you expected Ye Olde England to be).http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brockhampton-estate/
Return to A44 & continue W to join A49 heading N. Do not take LUDLOW by-pass but drive into this small town and take a look around.
http://www.ludlow.org.uk

Now back onto A49 going N (towards Shrewsbury). About 10 minutes up the road is this:> http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stokesay-castle/
After STOKESAY CASTLE return to A49 heading for Shrewsbury & then A5 going NW into Wales via Llangollen*. However, if you have time, turn R off A5 in the village of Froncysllte (before Llangollen) and follow B5434 to PONTCYSLLTE To see the famous aqueduct.
https://www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk
* If you want a quicker but less scenic route between Chirk & Conwy - use A483 towards Chester and then A55 North Wales Expressway. This route is dual highway whilst the A5 route is not & twists and turns through more rugged countryside. (You can still see the aqueduct if you wish to use the faster route as it is just a slight detour).

Then return to A5 at Froncysllte and head W to Llangollen - here, if you have time, you might like to visit the historic house PLAS NEWYDD.

If you arrive in the Conway area early (unlikely), you could do BODNANT GARDENS as it is just off your route. Otherwise - do it on another day. Other places to see in NW Wales (besides Conwy) are the Italian style village of PORTMEIRION and perhaps go to Llanberis for SNOWDON MOUNTAIN RAILWAY.
LLANDUDNO is also worth a look.

When leaving north Wales for England, consider taking a look at CHESTER.

I know the street you're staying on.

Your nearest tube station is Earls Court. There are two exits. The closest one to your apartment is the Warwick Road Exit. The other exit, Earls Court Road, is on the other side of the station.

There are no shops near your apartment. There is a Tesco Superstore (very big supermarket) a few blocks north at the corner of Warwick Road and Cromwell Road. It's like a big, American supermarket. You can pick up anything you need here. They have a bakery with daily baked bread and pastries. It's about a 5-7 minute walk and open from 6 AM to midnight except Sunday when it has limited hours. It used to be open 24 hours/day but that changed with the pandemic.

On Earls Court Road--the other side of the station--there are numerous shops, pubs, restaurants, etc. It's only a couple of blocks from where you are to Earls Court Road but you can't go through the station without pay to get in. The road must north of the station, Trebovir Road, is the easiest way to go back on forth.

On Earl's Court Road, near the station, are a couple of mini-supermarkets--Co-Op and Marks and Spencer Simply Food. Directly across from the station is Greggs for premade sandwiches and pastries and next to Greggs is Paul a french pastry shop. Most of the restaurants on Earls Court Road are parts of chains but a few independent ones are on the side streets.

Right next to the Earl's Court Station entrance on Earls Court Road is Pret a Manger This is a chain for healthier sandwiches, salads and soups. They are also open for breakfast and you can get pastries and coffee. There is also a Caffe Nero a chain like Starbucks--for coffee and pastry. It is on Earls Court Road between Trebovir and the station.

For a full English breakfast in the area, my suggestion is the Blackbird Pub which is one block south of the station on Earls Court Road. Directly across the street from the M & S Simply Food. (No traffic light here so cross up near the station. The road is very busy.) The Blackbird also specializes in pies. (That's meat pies not fruit pies.) Most of the pubs on Earls Court Road and owned by the same brewery so their menus are similar and they all serve the same beer.

I avoid the Prince of Tech pub due to their rude employees. I suggest the King's Head one block east of Earls Court Road, for the best ambiance. (Look on the map to see it but it's not far from the station.)

There's a lot more on Earls Court Road but it may be best to just walk up and down to see what's there.

Oh, on the corner of Trebovir and Earls Court Road is Nando's. It's a large chain serving chicken. This was the second location of the chain in the UK. I admit going there quite a bit.

For a better, independent pub in the area, try the Pembroke on Old Brompton Road. About a 10 minute walk from your flat. Good Food and a rooftop area for drinking and dining if the weather is nice. One block east of the Pembroke is La Pappardella for decent Italian food and pizza.

Well buy using Google Maps which I hope is on your phones you’ll find a Tesco Superstore with in walking distance.

Always cross with the lights and remember traffic flows opposite to what you are used to. Take tap debit or credit cards. Cash isn’t accepted much in London anymore. Flew back from London yesterday. Withdrew a 20£ note from an ATM when I arrived. still have it.

Also pack a grocery bag. Easier than having to pay
for one. For my longer London I always take my canvas Trader Joes bag.

Hopefully your VRBO host has a list of restaurants.

So all of this is awesome and so helpful. So here is another conundrum. Planning our days. Let's start with London. We have 6 days. We arrive on 1 September around noon and we'll take the train to Bath on 7 September. Hopefully the flights are ontime. We've hired a driver to take us to our apartment. That first day I think should just be acclimating to our place and the neighborhood. Here is a list of what we would like to see and do. I'm not sure what order to do them and should we pay for each sight individually or buy some sort of pass? We would really like to be able to buy tickets in advance and have a set time to visit so we skip the long lines.
Westminster Abbey - suggested that we go with London Walks
Churchill War Rooms
National Gallery
A Play - we have tickets for Six on Sunday 4 September 4pm. Any other plays that you loved and we should see?
Should we do the Hop-on/Hop-Off? - It was suggested that the traffic is so congested that it might not be the best use of time
Buckingham Palace - I heard it's open to the public in September because the Queen is away
Is it worth seeing the Changing of the Guard and if so what's the best way? One suggestion was go to St James Place and walk along with the guards to BP
British Museum and Library
Which Gardens should we see? Hampstead Heath?
Should we do a boat tour from Tower Pier to Black Friars Pier?
There is also a boat that goes from Tate to Tate
Walk Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern
London Eye
A Street Market- Which one?
Then I have questions about restaurants. We saw the PBS TV show "Somebody Feed Phil" on London and there were some awesome suggestions but of course we don't know anything about where these places are. So here's the list...
Ken's Fish Bar on Half Moon Lane
Rovi Restaurant - Yotam Ottolenghi vegetarian
Les Filles Kitchen
Ginger & White for coffee/espresso
Maria's Market Cafe in Borough Market or Kappacasein Dairy for the toasted cheese
Rochelle Canteen for breakfast
Dukes Bar for a martini
Brat
Ledbury
Dishoom

Westminster Abbey is best done with a verger tour. You pay your entrance fee and then sign up for the next verger tour. This gives you access to parts of the abbey that are not available to the general public and you will receive an excellent tour. Try to get here when it opens. There is an interesting cafe in the crypts for lunch.

I would follow with the Churchill War Rooms which are not far away.

Changing of the guards (unless it has been your lifelong dream) may not be the best use of time.

Hop on ; Hop off is on solid traffic jam. If you want a chance to rest your feet and still sightsee, consider a Thames river cruise instead.

Hampton Court Palace or Windsor Castle I can high recommend as excellent destinations easily reached from London. A little further, but still quite interesting is Bletchley Park. If any of your party are WWII or computer/math interested, they will enjoy this destination as well.

As a traveler who has been visiting London since Nixon was in office I’ll shall share my thoughts.

Do it on your on. Wear worn in and comfortable walking shoes.

September is a good month to visit although days will be shorter ( sun will set sooner ). After the 4th schools will be back in session.

Weather should still be warm but do expect rain and pack accordingly.

Forget the Changing of the Guards. Too crowded and a waste of time. Instead do this. Book tickets to the Churchill Warm Rooms at Noon. Train ( ride the Tube ) to Westminster at 10am. Exit and meander about Parliament Square then walk over to the Royal Horse Grounds Parade. Watch the Royal Horse Guards changing and then watch their ride up to the Palace.

For access to Westminster Abbey take the Vergers Tour. Have lunch at the cafe afterwards.

Definitely see theatre! Always fun and enjoy some ice cream cups at intermission.

A proper afternoon tea is a full meal. Fortum and Mason’s does it properly. Not cheap. You could also go cheaper and visit a Bea’s of Bloomsbury for a cream tea which has scones and jam.

Visit Spitalfields Market ( if any your party collects LP’s or 45 records Vinyl Fridays is something to explore there)

Spitalfields Market has a great many food vendors. Had some good tacos there. Spitalfields is a wonderful place to meander about for food and gifts.

OR if a foodie try Maltby Market on a Saturday. Haven’t been to Borough in ages. Too touristy now.

If you know your September dates and you can plan accordingly https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/

Be sure take a tap debit or credit card or both.

Cash used very little now even at small mom and pop markets. Banks are closed ( no on site tellers ) with the exception of their ATMS.

Great city. Enjoy it.

Gardens: Kensington or take the boat from Westminster Pier to Kew Gardens, if you're willing to devote most of the day to see Kew. Kew would be on my top 10 list of things to see in London. I can't believe we had not been before(this May was my 6th or 7th trip to London and I will definitely go back to Kew next time I go. We've done one of the Thames boat tours in London and weren't fans. Pre-Covid, there was a free tour in York given by a local. We are a fan of the F&M tea and you don't have to dress up-business casual is fine-and it will take the place of dinner. F&M is walking distance from the National Gallery.

Re James's suggestion
En route to Brockhampton you pass through some of Worcestershires hop yards
The road leaves the valley and climbs onto Bringsty Common and there is a sign on the left for the Live and Let . Its a thatched pub down a dirt track road in the middle of the common with great views of the Malvern Hills
See www.liveandletlive-bringsty.uk
A couple a miles further down the main road is the entrance to Brockhampton

We arrive on 1 September around noon and we'll take the train to Bath on 7 September. We've hired a driver to take us to our apartment. That first day I think should just be acclimating to our place and the neighborhood.

We stayed in the Earls Court area last month for a day prior to our return to the US. While convenient to transit and within a mile or so of the Victoria and Albert museum, we didn't think there was a lot to do in the immediate neighborhood. I would suggest at least developing a plan for the afternoon, even if you decide on the ground not to do it.

We also stayed in London for a few nites at the start of our trip and took a few London Walks tours. Can't recommend them enough! Enthusiastic guides and they have tours of museums, neighborhoods, a pub walk, etc. Take a look at their schedule as your trip nears and register in advance (you pay at the tour).

Pre-Covid, there was a free tour in York given by a local.

They still do them, and our guide was very good. Pre-booking is a good idea so you know you have a space in case there is a big turnout. See https://avgyork.co.uk/ A great place for coffee and a snack is Brew and Brownie; try the cinnamon pastry. If you happen to be in York on a Monday you might be interested in one of the stone-mason tours - see https://yorkminster.org/visit/plan-your-visit/hidden-minster-tours/

One of the best boat rides in London is from the Tower of London pier to Greenwich, in my opinion.

You may wish to do what we did. We arrived at the Tower of London first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. Upon entering, went straight to the Jewel Exhibit, then took the Beefeater Tour, then explored the rest of the tower on our own. You can eat lunch at their cafe there in the tower The Armouries Cafe has good sandwiches, salads and main dishes such as chicken and vegetables or a hearty bowl of beef stew.

When you exit the Tower of London, go to the pier on the river behind the Tower, and catch the Uber Thames Clipper boat to Greenwich.
Tap in with your Oyster card as payment.
It's a fairly long and scenic boat ride. No narration as far as what you're seeing, but you'll see the Docklands area, pubs, condos, houseboats, and soon you'll arrive in Greenwich.
Tap out with your Oyster card when you get off the boat.

The main sight here is the Maritime Museum, and it's great. Free.
Up the hill is the Royal Observatory and a great view out over the river and eastern London.
There are pubs near the waterfront, good for an afternoon drink or an early supper.
The tall ship Cutty Sark is on display near the waterfront; not free to enter, but very interesting to go onboard.

You can return to London by the same boats that brought you there, arriving at perhaps a different dock/pier than Tower Hill.
Closer to your lodgings would be perhaps Westminster Pier at the foot of Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower.
This would give you the benefit of seeing more of London from the water on your way back.

Map of the river, boat routes and piers here:
https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/route-map

Many of the things you've said you want to see are free, therefore I would not buy a pass.
Free:
British Museum
British Library
National Gallery
Tate Modern
Walking around Hampstead Heath
Walking around Borough Market or any of the other markets

To purchase tickets for other sights, go online to their websites and do that.
There's no skip-the-line; that's a myth.
There is, however, one line for people waiting to buy their tickets, and a different line for ticket-holders who are waiting to enter the attraction/sight.
You can solve this by buying tickets online ahead of time.
Or being first in line to buy a ticket when they open the ticket booth in the morning (such as at the Tower of London).

The two best sights you've mentioned that are "pay to get in" are:
Westminster Abbey
Churchill War Rooms
I would add the Tower of London to your list, unless you just don't want to see it.
The London Eye does not do much for me, but hey! if you think it would be cool, do it.

Two really great free museums you haven't mentioned are:
The V&A Museum (not far from where you are staying)
The Museum of London (walk to the north of St. Paul's)

Don't buy a pass. You don't need it.
You will not run out of free sights to see in London in the time you have.

Don't forget to do a couple of London Walks. They're great.
https://www.walks.com/
https://www.walks.com/day-trips-from-london/

Yo Korn,
I do not consider myself a London expert. But we were just there too. Some opinions, observations and facts below. We'll expound on those and more, once we post our TR/foto essay over on Fodors, where I go by 'zebec'.

The free Sunday dinner-hour organ recitals @ Westminster are brief affairs, but very worth your while. Peter Holder is currently the organist. His outstanding take on 'Farewell to Stromness' was clearly the crowd fave---folks of all stripes broke the 'no applause til the end' rule. I asked Peter whether he might perform 'Innagaddavida' for the encore but he just ignored me.

For something different as regards weekend tea, maybe check out Clerkenwell's Zetter townhouse? Both setting and food/drink were outstanding in the truest sense of the word.

Borough Market seems best (i.e. less-crowded) on Thursday morns around say, 10:30. Maria's is indeed the real deal for authentic breakfasts, served lovingly with Cockney accents so thick that cor mate, you could cut 'em with a knife. We also have such a touristy market here in Toronto, one that National Geographic rates #1 in the world (shakes head). As if. But whatever quotient of touristiness one might find there at such markets, the sheer variety of high-quality all in one location makes it worthwhile. It pays to do some homework and maybe plot your most sought-after vendors.

Which other markets are 'worthy visits' is the topic of much debate. Dunno, Brixton offers a distinctively different vibe. Our fave was the Sunday Brick Lane one, with its irresistible youthful vibe and sooooo much variety both within and also without at several close-by satellite markets. I normally run a mile when seeing LARGE crowds but at Brick Lane it was genuinely fun to be in the midst--we'd deliberately rented there.

Hampstead Heath has much to offer but for a quieter visit, one could check out the adjoined Golders Hill garden. Its pergola is just one attractive area there. Afterwards, Hampstead village itself is another neighbourhood one might visit to dine in.

We went to Dishoom more than once. Fantastic place. Highly recommended and for once, an eatery that lived up to its hype. Style. Grace. A reasonable amount of authenticity (see if you can find the original Sacred India book by Lonely Planet in one of the mini-book collections among the decor). And please say Hi to manager Radda for me--we hit it off.
Good luck!
I am done. The end.