London thanksgiving week itinerary feedback?

I'd suggest skipping the Day 1 sight seeing bus - you'll basically sit in traffic while jet lagged which is no fun. You may also snooze through evensong, so if that's important to you I'd maybe do that later in the trip. Give yourself some grace that first day since you have plenty of time.

There are dozens of posts in the England forum about things to do in London as well as suggestions from Rick https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/london. If you've never been there, I would suggest your list is missing the Tower of London and the National Gallery (not the portrait gallery, the main art museum). Make advance reservations for things you really want to do (restaurants in particular). As Claudia noted, Thanksgiving is not a holiday in England but if the restaurant is popular you will definitely want to reserve. Check out walking tours with London Walks (walks.com) there are many that might fit into your plans, depending on the days of the week you are there. You have to make reservations for those too.

"Thanksgiving is not a British holiday!"

Actually to me when people mention a vacation over Thanksgiving, they are more about saying WHEN their trip time frame is and possibly that they are working and their trip needs to fit in a short time frame. No where in her post does Marjorie mention looking for what most would call a Thanksgiving dinner.

To OP, British Library can be easy to work in. The public collection that is open every day is fairly small but so very interesting. It's basically one large room with a small side room where the Magna Cartas are kept. You could either do it on the day you do the British Museum because that is "sort of" in the neighborhood. Otherwise, fit it in on one of your 2 open days.

I agree with Churchill War Rooms if you have an interest in WWII. Similarly, Bletchley Park is very interesting if that is a historical era that you find interesting.

Any interest in Tower of London?

To me your Day 1 may be too busy. I wouldn't be able to do the sightseeing bus after arrival because it would put me to sleep. You may not have the same reaction. I'd do better walking. I might put the Borough Market on Sunday after your arrival so you can walk around, then slot something else in on the day you've got it set.

What a fun time you will have! There is so much to see and do. For myself I'd add in more museums but I know not everyone is a museum person!

You might enjoy a London Walk - www.walks.com That is such a good way to get to know a neighborhood!

The traditional pub Sunday dinner (the famed Sunday roast) is a lunchtime to mid-afternoon type thing. You don’t say specifically that’s what you’re after on day one, but some pubs may not serve food on a Sunday evening so just double-check where you’re planning to go.

Loads of restaurants around, anyway.

Personally I'd swerve Brixton.
Although it is becoming gentrified it's still gritty in places.
Not the place to wear a good watch.

This definitely has a degree of truth, though I'm not one to tell visitors to flat out avoid areas in London. Tourists that have been to places like Brixton, Peckham or Hackney would always get a little salute from me and I'd encourage people to venture out of central London. To me, you've seen the real London then. I have a higher tolerance for "grit" than some though! I'm more at home in some of the inner London boroughs with a less than stellar reputation than I am in the posh bits.

By my reckoning, you're more likely to be relieved of your Patek in Mayfair than in Brixton. On the whole, people in Brixton are getting on with their life and minding their own business. The nice watches tend to congregate in upmarket areas and have been targeted as such in recent years.

Also, you'd have very little problem finding a Thanksgiving Dinner in London if you wanted it. A bit of judicious Googling would turn something up. American former colleagues of mine celebrated Thanksgiving eating out every year. Many pubs will do something for Thanksgiving, particularly out towards west London where more North Americans would tend to congregate.

Brixton has been gentrifying for years. My son lived there for several years until around 2015 and then the biggest risk I had when walking from the tube to his house by Brockwell Park was avoiding running into Jay Rayner scurrying to the tube. If it was the morning that was best avoided - he's not a morning person.

I don't think I've seen Greenwich on anyone's list. An excellent day out for most people.

From a quick Google search here are some ideas for Thanksgiving Dinner in London- https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/best-for/thanksgiving-dinner-london_9392

OP

Have to agree using a sightseeing bus is a complete waste of time and money. Instead use the Tube from where you’ll be staying and take it to Westminster. Can’t get much closer to Parliament Square
( Parliament building, Elizabeth’s Tower and Westminster Abbey. If you arrive on the hour you’ll be able hear the Big Ben bell chime.)

The Courtauld Gallery might be of interest. https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/. It's known for its Impressionists. There are many more art museums in and near London. Let us know if you want to overdose on art and you'll get more suggestions.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is probably the world's best museum of decorative art--everything from jewelry to carpets, furniture and wrought iron.

The British Museum is usually massively crowded, especially the first floor. It's worth spending a bit of time on the museum website to figure out which exhibits interest you the most so you don't have to wander aimless through masses of people. If you can go on Mon-Thu rather than Fri-Sun, that might help a bit; I understand weekends and holidays are worst, and then Fridays.

There's usually a significant security line at the British Museum. The museum's free/donation-requested, but you can now book a timed entry online; I don't know the reason for that unless it allows you to bypass the long line of folks who failed to do that. I waited in line about 30 minutes in September 2022 after arriving just after opening time. The line would probably be a lot shorter in mid-afternoon, but this is a monstrously large museum that takes multiple days to see, so consider your degree of interest before deciding you want to go when the line will be shortest.

There are three food sources at the museum: a grab-and-go place in the atrium on the ground floor, a pizzeria (tucked away I don't know where) and a nicer place on the upper floor. A reservation would be smart for the nicer place if it's important to you. It serves afternoon tea as well as lunch. All those places close rather early, even on Fridays when the museum itself stay open until 8 PM (theoretically; they start ushering people out by 7:45).

I want to second the suggestion for London Walks. There will be dozens and dozens of walks offered while you're in the city. They cost 15 GBP per person and last about two hours. The guides are licensed, so you'll be getting accurate information.

No day trip to Windsor Castle? Be sure to check what days it's open. I too would add Churchill rooms, Tower of London, National Gallery if you like art. Have you looked at London Walks website?

Borough Market is practically next door to the Tate Modern so I’d visit both at the same time. The bar at the Tate Modern has good views over the Thames towards St Paul’s.

Scarfes bar at the Rosewood hotel is very nice. Get there when it opens for the best chance of grabbing a seat.

Head out to East London eg Spitalfields, Brick Lane, Shoreditch. Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch is very London. Brat is another extremely popular (and good) restaurant in that area.

What Pam said--many people use holiday names as a marker to point out a time period. But even if not, travellers can celebrate whatever holiday they like when they like. I don't see the point in trying to make someone feel bad just because they want to celebrate a homegrown holiday in a different country. If I was in England during Thanksgiving, I would for sure celebrate!

The spirit of Thanksgiving is worldwide. ❤️ We can give thanks for what we have and celebrate with our foods of choice no matter where we are.

I love your itinerary! It's not jammed with activities and allows for plenty of spontaneous wanderings!

I like the plan for day 1, and maybe since it's a Sunday, you won't have too much traffic on the sightseeing bus. An alternative would be a Thames River Cruise. We did this on our first day last summer (a Monday) and absolutely loved it. We chose Thames River Sightseeing ( https://book.thamesriversightseeing.com/en) because it has lovely "traditional vessels" and great narration. It was also far less crowded than some cruise outfits. We took a one way from Westminster Pier to the Tower Bridge Quay. It would be easy to get from here to St. Paul's. Either way, I recommend working in a river cruise during your stay!

Have a wonderful holiday!

marjoriesiegel, I would third the recommendation for doing a London Walk (at least one, if not more). They're fun, interesting and you learn a lot. I did several many years ago and loved them; plus you get to meet other travelers. In fact, I would swap that out for the sightseeing bus, as walking around in the outside will counteract jet lag much more than sitting in a bus will.

Also, as has been pointed out, many Christmas displays are up now. I just posted this thread that came from an article I read in Secret London. If I were there, I might try to find some of these beautiful displays. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/christmas-displays-in-london-via-secret-london

Whilst I think that you probably can find some references to Thanksgiving in the UK, especially in London, it really passes by the majority of the population. When someone says that they're coming to the UK for Thanksgiving I know that means some time in late November but I couldn't tell you the date. I expect that the majority of the population couldn't pin it down that closely, except that maybe now the imported Black Friday has permeated.

Without Googling, it's the third weekend in November. Am I right?

See if you can book a ticket for The Postal Museum or the Museum of Steam and Water

The correct name is the Museum of Water and Steam. From their website there is zero need to book a ticket. If you choose to there will be no difficulty in doing so, there is no quota system. Additionally, as was pointed out to me by Nigel last time I recommended it, it is best to visit there when the engines are in steam- the next steaming dates are December 30 to January 1.
The Museum is closed on Monday to Wednesday.

Likewise the Postal Museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday, and booking is merely advised, not essential. Looking at the system a day or two beforehand will be ample, if you do feel the need to book ahead,

Bearing in mind that there are a lot of Canadians on the forum the date depends on whether you are from Canada or the United States- the Canadians having celebrated it several weeks ago- as they hold it rather closer to the original version of kind of being the British harvest festival.

For various reasons, even as a Brit, the date- being the 4th Thursday of November- is strongly engraved on my mind- thus 23 November this year. Not to say, that living in Hicksville these days I mark it (or need to), but I certainly always know the date.

This thread has got a bit derailed, for this first time poster.

Agree with Pam and Mardee.

Marjorie, you look like you have some great ideas here for your trip !!! I used to travel often to Budapest over the Thanksgiving holiday so I totally understand about taking advantage of the time off work to travel then before places get too crazy for Christmas stuff !!

So I was a week out then? Doh! Should have quietly Googled it and not looked like such a numpty lol

On the contrary Gerry - I think you just proved my point!

It looks like you have a great plan at a nice pace.

As others have suggested, you might consider a London Walk. This might be a good activity for your first day (much better than sitting on a bus). I personally tend to prefer the walks that take you to a specific neighborhood (e.g., Notting Hill, Hampstead), but they have many themes so choose one that piques your interest. https://www.walks.com/

Another possibility for your first day might just be to take a walk along the South Bank (from Waterloo down towards the Tower Bridge).

With regard to Dishoom, I find it to be a better option for either breakfast or lunch. There is often a long queue for dinner, but I have always gotten a seat at breakfast and when I have gone for lunch when they start serving (at 12:15). The Covent Garden location seems to always be crowded, so you might look to one of the other locations.

The V&A is one of my favorites and they have great special exhibitions. I went to the Diva exhibit in October and enjoyed it. Tickets are timed.

I also think the Churchill War Rooms are really interesting.

I haven’t been to the Connaught, but if you go it will be a splurge.

I go to the theatre just about every night when I visit London (on my last trip I went to 8 shows). If you like theatre, there are lots of choices and tickets can be less expensive than in the U.S.

With regard to Dishoom, I find it to be a better option for either breakfast or lunch.

I would agree with that. For one thing, Dishoom takes reservations only for breakfast or lunch, and the breakfast menu looks AMAZING! I'm planning on trying breakfast there next year. I went to Dishoom for lunch in Edinburgh and had a great meal!

I agree with Pam, Mardee and Kim.

I certainly didn’t get from your post that you were going to London to observe Thanksgiving, just to be there the week of. There is far more to do in London than you have time for, but I’m sure you’ll do the best you can to prioritize your own interests. I’ll throw in with everyone else that the London Walks tours are great.

First, let me apologize for the US centric use of Thanksgiving in place of dates, of course there are loads of people on this from countries (looking at you Canada) that don't have the same holiday dates. Then, huge thanks to everyone for all the help thinking about my trip. Especially appreciate the redirection about our first day -we will hopefully get from the airport in time to do a London walk but even if we're delayed, we'll be walking around and skipping the sitting in traffic. And thanks for drawing my attention drawn to the Christmas lights which will make the early evenings a bonus. Finally, I'm a HUGE art lover (and one of the main reasons I want to go to London in the first place) which clearly requires me to adjust plans more so I can soak in as much as possible. Turners just don't look the same on my computer! Again, thanks, I'm be in the air in under 10 days!

Turners just don't look the same on my computer!

I note that you have National Portrait Gallery and Tate Modern on your list. Neither of these is the place for Turners!

The Fighting Temeraire and a few others are at the National Gallery (in Trafalgar Square, round the corner from the National Portrait Gallery). But the best collection of Turners in London is at Tate Britain. This is a completely different museum to Tate Modern, although obviously related. It’s in the Pimlico/Victoria area, not far from the Parliament building. I think it’s a much nicer collection altogether than Tate Modern, but doesn’t get as many visitors. It’s a really good collection of British art up to the 20th century.

"Turners just don't look the same on my computer!"

Hahaha...oh gosh, that made me laugh so much! And so true...for any artist. I almost cried when I walked into the special Vermeer exhibition at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam last Spring and was confronted with his View of Delft. I agree with going to the Tate Britain and the National Gallery for Turner, Turner, Turner.

Not just two.

If you like art then try to get to the Courtauld and the Wallace collection. Smaller art galleries with several very famous works of art between them. I like a smaller gallery where it’s possible to see everything properly and because you have to pay to get in they are much less crowded.

Highgate Cemetery, weather permiting

Hampton Court Palace

Victoria and Albert Museum

My itinerary

On the back of this thread I have been investigating whether there is anywhere in the Lake District where any US tourists may be able to have a thanksgiving meal if they wish (I have done that in several previous years as well).

I have looked at several of the most likely places I could think of, but to no avail. It might be of help to others if anyone does come across somewhere in the lakes which does offer such a thing.

Unrelated to Thanksgiving I did see that the Alhambra Cinema (Movie Theatre) in Keswick is screening this lovely documentary about Red Squirrels in the Lake District on Thanksgiving which anyone in the area may find of interest- https://keswickalhambra.co.uk/KeswickAlhambra.dll/WhatsOn?f=3309

The Alhambra is an independent theatre so can do slightly different things like this.

Beautiful Bars:

The Booking Office 1869 at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

The Fumoir at Claridges. 1930’s looking. Small, intimate and proper attire stipulated.

Lastly, the Bufort Bar at the Savoy.

Consider an evening night bus tour since the Christmas lights will be up. I was there for Thanksgiving about 10 years ago and did this and it was wonderful. I agree with others who suggested the sightseeing bus on day #1 during the day might make you drowsy. Save it for the night bus. Enjoy!!

To avoid any possible confusion Claudia, whilst you're absolutely right about the bat at St Pancras, it's in the Renaissance, not the Marriott. Still part of the Marriott group but it might confuse a visitor if they're looking for the Marriott there.

Johnew52

Thank you. I’ve corrected my post.