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London sights, too much in one day?

Visiting London for the first time in August. Do you think it is practical to visit Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, and Buckingham Palace (probably just the state rooms) in one day? Probably on a Monday.

Posted by
2693 posts

I did the Abbey in the morning, had lunch at a nearby pub and then the Churchill War Rooms (one of my most favorite sites in London), and went on to do other things after that, so yes, you could certainly do all 3.

I toured the State Rooms this past August and spent perhaps 2.5 hours total there, including a snack and stop in the gift shop--had to get the tea towel with Warhol's depiction of the Queen.

Posted by
444 posts

It'll be a full day, but doable. They are all close together. I'd go to the Abbey first thing (you can get tickets in advance) and go on the Verger tour-it is great! We spent ~3 hours in Westminster. Then Buckingham and Churchill, not sure the order matters, maybe whichever one is open the latest you can do that last. You can get timed entry to CWR. We spent 2 1/2 hours in CWR and could have spent more but they were closing.

Posted by
7207 posts

Shouldn’t be an issue. The Abbey and war rooms are within a five minutes walk of each other. Buckingham palace is a little further down the street.

Posted by
2816 posts

I will be contrary. I am in London now. What I didn’t consider was information overload and the physical stamina required to tour sites. You can do all three timewise I think but whether you will enjoy all three is a different story.

Posted by
9023 posts

Based on our 2017 visit, I'll suggest that it may depend on how much time you want to spend in the War Rooms. If you want to see everything in detail, you could spend all day there, but I could have walked through in less than an hour. The security lines before getting in are a bit of a unknown however.

Posted by
4088 posts

Consider going to the War Rooms first so you can make a reservation. Reports indicate that sometimes it will see line-ups, so early arrival may be an advantage. Several hours will cover its holdings in depth. Take lunch in a pub and walk the triangular route to the other two places. This only becomes a tight timetable if you want to linger in the Palace state rooms, detour to the royal gallery, or encounter special events.

Posted by
2816 posts

There are long lines for both Westminster Abbey and the Churchhill War rooms right now. The abbey opens at 9:30 am while the War rooms not until 10. I would get reservations for both or you will spend at least an hour in line for both.

Posted by
13 posts

Thank you for the feedback. I really appreciate it. One more question, am I correct in assuming that if I purchase a London Pass I can't use it for advance timed entry?

Posted by
11609 posts

I agree with information overload. I would only do two of those in one day. Then do the other the next day. Make sure you have purchased tickets in advance online for all of them.

Posted by
360 posts

You can totally do all of this in one day and I don't think it's information overload. You can't get a timed entry with your London Pass, it's just a skip-the-line option. We showed up at Westminster around 1 p.m. and our line was maybe 10 min. to get in, and I think we were in there for about an hour or so with with audio guide (it was also extremely crowded on the inside, almost like a cattle herd so we didn't enjoy lingering around). For Buckingham, you will have a timed entry (the London Pass doesn't cover), and I think we also went through it in about an hour or so. There's an audioguide, but we skip through them when they start to drone on with random details.

Posted by
713 posts

There are only six venues where the London Pass gives you a skip-the-line option, listed on their website. They don't include Westminster Abbey or the Churchill War Rooms. (If you can use the London Pass to get timed entry tickets, that sounds like a good plan. But, you'll have no higher priority in line than others who have tickets for the same time.)