I am arriving in London after a long-haul flight from Australia at 6.30 am on a Monday, and check-in for our hotel is not until 4 pm (which seems extremely late!).
I am looking for suggestions on some stress-free activities to fill in the day until we can check in, given we will be tired and probably not at our best to enjoy a lot of sightseeing (I have been assured we can drop bags off at the hotel upon arrival)
Where's your hotel? Knowing that would allow folks to suggest places within
walking distance. Going too far afield and trying to navigate the Tube (although
it's not very hard) while jetlagged might be better saved for the days following.
Also, you say "I" and "our", so knowing the makeup of you/your family is helpful
also.
I have seen some hotels that offer early check-in for an additional charge, and
there is always the possibility that rooms will be ready sooner - for sure, ask
when you arrive.
We are staying in Piccadilly at the Thistle London Piccadilly Hotel, which is pretty central. I was thinking it might be a good opportunity to go to a museum or two and just take our time wandering around
You could book a day earlier and let the hotel know of your arrival time. A quick shower and a nap may be a good way to start the day.
I would book hotel the night before and then sleep a couple hours and take a shower. We did this arriving in Sydney at 7 am, asleep by 9 am up and out to find lunch before noon, we were good to go until after 9 pm. First trip we slept before bedtime on arrival day and the first trip I have not had jet lag. That hotel room was the best money I spent on the entire trip.
We try to walk around outdoors for as long as possible on our arrival day in London to help us adjust to the new time zone. Your hotel is not from from Trafalgar Square, the Thames, and Buckingham Palace. You might try a slow walk through Trafalgar Square, then towards the Thames until you get to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Head west and walk through St. James Park to take a look at Buckingham Palace. After that you could have lunch and loop back towards your hotel to see if your room is ready.
We usually do a RS audio tour if we are landing in a city for which he has one available. If not, we purchase an audio tour from the VoiceMap app. While listening to the audio tour we are walking around, outside, and engaged. Makes it easier to stay awake until a normal bedtime.
We never make reservations for any sight or museum for which we need to prepay. There is no guarantee that a flight will arrive as scheduled. I also never schedule any "must see" sight on the day of arrival--even if it's free. Again, no guarantee you're going to arrive as scheduled. Therefore, we do the RS audio tours, which are free, or the VoiceMap tours, which are inexpensive.
Walk up to Leicester Square….walk further up to Covent Garden and over to Seven Dials Market. By taking this meander your senses will get used to the noise, sites, smells and sounds of London. You’ll learn how to deal with the crowds, how to safely cross streets, see all the kitchy souvenir shops, see the double decker buses and black cabs, and enjoy the different architecture
I’m with those who suggest booking the hotel for the night before. Just be sure to let the hotel know that you won’t arrive until morning. I’ve done this on many trips and it’s so wonderful to have the room all ready for me without any hassle! A shower, a nap, then out and about. Worth every penny.
