London Itinerary on Bank Holiday in August

It's not bad but you have one or two too many things each day.

Windsor Castle is out of town - allow 30 minutes at least each way for travel time. And Windsor is a very pretty town where you might want to stay longer.

I think the Tower of London, Borough Market and St Paul's is a very full day already, although you won't get the full market on a Tuesday, just a few stalls. Check closing times for St Paul's. While you're near the Millennium Bridge it's worth popping into Tate Modern just to take the lift up the new Switch Tower for the views (free, and no need to pre-book).

Greenwich is lovely, but I wouldn't go there just for dinner as you will miss out the wonderful attractions. And it's a long way for a meal after such a busy day - but I guess it's one of those where you decide whether you feel like it.

You need to pre-book tickets for Buckingham Palace.

Have a back-up plan if it's pouring with rain (Brits tend to jokily assume it'll will rain over the Bank Holiday weekend... ). Lots of brilliant free museums if you need to get under cover.

Oh, also it looks like you've got the right Abbey Road from your other plans (the one in St John's Wood that's relatively near Camden or Little Venice.) Don't be tempted by the station called Abbey Road on the Docklands Light Railway!

Have a great time.

I reiterate the points already made.

You are unlikely to arrive at your hotel before 2pm on day 1. The walk from Victoria to Trafalgar Square should take less than 30 minutes and would be better than taking public transport to help get over jet lag. You could take a slightly longer detour and walk through St James's Park. Public transport will only be about 5 minutes quicker.

Note that London to Windsor is going to take you much longer than 30 minutes! There are 2 rail stations in Windsor - Central is closer to the action than Riverside, but for either, you will have to change at Slough. The quicker trains take about 30/40 minutes, but depart from London Paddington, which is further from your hotel than Waterloo Station (c an hour to Windsor). Allow plenty of time to get to Paddington or Waterloo, but the tubes will be less busy as it is a Bank Holiday.

I doubt that you would be there in time, but Camden Market is a good place to go for lunch.

Greenwich merits a longer visit or drop it, as it is a long way to go just for dinner. Personally, with only 4.5 days in the UK, I wouldn't go to the over-rated Cotswolds which takes out a whole day, particularly with an early flight out the next day, but each to their own.

Note that London to Windsor is going to take you much longer than 30
minutes! There are 2 rail stations in Windsor - Central is closer to
the action than Riverside, but for either, you will have to change at
Slough. The quicker trains take about 30/40 minutes, but depart from
London Paddington, which is further from your hotel than Waterloo
Station (c an hour to Windsor). Allow plenty of time to get to
Paddington or Waterloo, but the tubes will be less busy as it is a
Bank Holiday.

Oh yes, you're right. I underestimated the time. You need to count Windsor Castle as a 3/4 of a day visit. It's well worth doing, but count on having lunch in Windsor then getting back to London mid-afternoon. Definitely worthwhile, though. But you would need to slim down the rest of your day's plans.

Thank you Jane! I think I will take your advice and skip the River Cruise to Greenwich. We thought a nighttime cruise would be fun. Maybe we can fit it in another evening or just take a short one and not go all the way to Greenwich if we have any energy left :) I know that is a full day already! We will also skip the St. Paul's dome climb and do the Tate instead since we are on our feet that whole day. Great suggestions, thank you! Should we get Windsor Castle and train tickets in advance?

with Borough Market only a slim shadow of its real self on Tuesday can you swap days to have lunch there at the end of the week when it is really rolling?

Where in "Cotswolds" are you taking the train to, what do you expect to see, and how are you getting around that particularly rural area?

Check out the rail blockades for the bank holiday and surrounding days. The shutdowns around the country and particularly in London are even more extensive than usual.

the train situation is described in this previous thread:-

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/england-august-bank-holiday-rail-major-disruptions

No need to buy Windsor Castle tickets in advance.

From your very precise Cotswolds times, I'm assuming you're doing an organised tour? If you're travelling under your own steam, note the train only goes to Moreton in the Marsh and to get any further you'd need buses.

Nigel makes a good point: August Bank Holiday weekend is when major rail works tend to take place as there are fewer commuters. So check train times carefully. Things should be okay though as the week goes on.

Abbey road seems like a lot of work to get there. Is it worth the trouble? My husband really just wants a picture of us cross the road LOL! That afternoon can be trimmed easily! Thanks! We have a private tour/driver for the day seeing a few villages and gardens. Taking the train from Paddington to Charlbury roundtrip. Nigel, I will check the train service...thanks for that tip! Negil, what day would you recommend for Borough Market? Will Camden Lock Market be ok on Monday afternoon around 3:00 or should we skip it?

Abbey Road - well, it depends on your Beatles love. It's a road crossing in a residential suburb just north of Regents Park. Not sure what else you're expecting! Short walk from St John's Wood tube station. Takes a couple of minutes for a photo. You could do it one evening if you wanted to.

Thanks for all the great tips! I'm looking ok for now with the trains but I will keep checking and not purchase them in advance for Windsor Castle. I've tweaked our schedule and now trying to decide if Camden Market is worth it if we are there around 3:00. I see it closes at 6:00. Any advice there? Jennifer, thanks for the advice on Greenwich - it is dropped!! But the Cotswolds has always been on the bucket list so even though it will be an extremely long day it is a must for us! Should be back and in bed by 9:00pm for the next day (I'm an optimist lol)!! Thanks again everyone!

See this morning's post about the huge fire overnight at Camden Lock Market. I assume that by the time of your trip everything will be a bit more together, and you are talking about Camden Market not Camden Lock (adjacent) but it is worth checking.