Thoughts on this whirlwind London itinerary? (first-time visitors)

A general rule of thumb is to plan two major tourist sites a day. You have 3, maybe 4 if you add in St Paul’s. The Churchill War Rooms and the Tower each need around 3 hours minimum, as frankly does Westminster Abbey. Something needs to give.

The obvious answer would be to drop the Big Red Bus tour. The vast majority would think that a HoHo bus ride in London should be avoided. The traffic means that the tours make very slow progress. If you get off it can often be difficult to get back on again quickly. There are hundreds of big red buses run by Transport for London who will get you across town for £1.75 a ride and the tube will do it quicker although obviously with no views.

I would agree about the bus tour. Our my sons' first trip to London, we did the tour thinking we'd get a good overview/see sites that I knew we wouldn't have the energy levels to visit. Wrong idea. It was not very interesting, we didn't actually see much, we spent a lot of time in traffic, and given it was day two of our visit, I fell asleep :) I'd suggest using that day to do your other must dos and taking proper time to walk around, eat a good meal, and just enjoy the vibrancy. (PS: Borough Market is great but VERY busy and you may spend a lot of time in lines waiting to order.)

What Johnew52 and anne said!!!

Check out the TFL site for bus routes that take you by big tourist sites: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/experience-london/bus-leisure-routes

Edit: CJean is 100% about taking a taxi - use the tube and save gobs of money!

You've got an optimistic schedule. You're not likely to be able to take all of that in, so just prioritize. I'd do the War Rooms first thing in the morning. It's windowless and lots to take in and read. Once you've spent your time in there, you'll need to get fresh air by heading to your next site.

I agree that you are trying to cram in too many things into one morning and afternoon. Looking at opening hours, if you were to arrive at Westminster Abbey when they open at 0830, and are at the Tower until it closes at 1730, and also take the time for a very quick lunch, it would be physically possible to do it, but each visit would have to be at a faster pace than most would recommend. And this all assumes that you have advance admission tickets for all these places.

I also wouldn't recommend a taxi between the Westminster location and the Tower, unless you relish the idea of paying for a half hour cab ride. Instead, take the Tube.

You need to revamp it. Been going to London since 1972. Have seen all the tourist sites more than once.

First caution. Double check the Westminster Abbey website to be certain of opening and closing times as well as seeing if it is not closed to the general public for a special event. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/prices-entry-times
You can wander about on your own or take either the London Walks tour (www.walks.com ) on Vergers Tour. I’d give 2hours.

Have you booked your Churchill War room tickets yet? You Must have tickets to gain admission.

Are you adverse to using the London Underground?
Easy peasy 25 minute Circle or District line ride from Westminster to Tower Hill. When you exit at Tower Hill the Tower of London is across the road.

Busses take forever as London traffic is worse than LA’s.

Is St Paul’s worth a stop? Yes.

EDITED post after Simon’s input.

Be aware that Westminster Abbey is closed to visitors on Fridays, May 2 and 16. I don't know which particular Fridays you'll be there in May, but if it's either of these two, that will change part of your schedule.

We all view sites at a different place, your schedule suggests you don't have an interest at lingering and are fine with a quick look and then move on. I can't speak for the War Rooms, but we did spend 3 hours at Westminster Abbey which in my opinion was a good start. At the Tower of London, we got there for opening at 9am and left at 2:30.

it sounds like your Borough Market visit is on your hoho bus day, and that's Saturday.

Saturday is the always busy Borough Market's busiest day, and lunch is the busiest time of the day - take two or three truckloads of patience and expect the 4 of you to find it difficult to stay together.

The problem I see with Cabinet War Rooms, The Tower, Westminster Abbey and St Pauls (yes it is), is that the first three all really benefit from a "when it opens" arrival and only one will get that.

So, what exactly, do you want to see at each and those of us well familiar with all of them may be able to help in that regard.

Maybe your friends have walking difficulties which is why they chose a hoho.

Sounds like you're trying to jam too much into one day. If I had one day in London, I wouldn't go to the Tower of London, or the Churchill War rooms.

I would do Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum. You could add a quick trip through the National Gallery if you're feeling ambitious. The British Museum is one of the great museums in the world, especially if you're a history buff and interested in antiquities. It's freaking spectacular and it's free. Compare that to the Churchill War Rooms, which is... some offices? Interesting to see if you're a WWII obsessive like me, but if you've never seen the British Museum, you need to go.

I've also found Borough Market to be overcrowded for lunch whenever I've tried to eat there. FWIW.

I would skip the Big Red Bus tour to allow time for the places you know that you want to see. Churchill War Rooms and Westminster Abbey will take the better part of one day and after a long travel day on Thur, you may be short of energy. I think the Tower of London would be a better experience than sitting in traffic on a bus tour.

Way too much for a single day as others have said. The War Rooms have a great museum on Churchill and that needs time. Westminster Abbey and the War Rooms make a great day. Add walking around to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St James Park. Consider watching Horse Guards at 4pm. You don’t have to travel far and it is all within walking distance.

London is very busy and roads clogged. I love taking the buses for the views but they aren’t fast. Cabs and Uber are no better. The tube trains move fast but you may have quite a walk underground to get to the platform. Even just stopping at Pret a Manger or a Costa for coffee to go take time since line ups are the norm. Think Times Square crowded in most places that tourists might go.

Part 2
A second day where you start at the Tower, then cross Tower Bridge, see Borough Market, walk along the south side of the Thames, cross back at Millenium Bridge, and end day at St Paul’s. Evensong can be worth doing. Do the docent's tour in St Paul’s.

"St Paul’s worth a stop? You mean the cathedral that survived the blitz, was designed by Christopher Wren, where Prince William and Princess Kate were married and houses the final resting places of Horatio Nelson and Winston Churchill."

William and Kate were married at Westminster Abbey, not St Paul's. And Winston Churchill is buried in the churchyard at St Martins, Bladon (near his birthplace at Blenheim Palace). You may be thinking of Charles and Diana (married at St Paul's) and Churchill's funeral was at St Paul's.

Nonetheless, you're absolutely right it's massively historic and it's worth far more than "a stop".

WONDERFUL advice. Thanks so much for the helpful suggestions. Especially helpful were the notes about the BRB tours and the Borough Market. We're adjusting our plans accordingly...

The truth is you can’t see everything you want to see in one trip to London. The sooner you can wrap your head around that, the happier you will be. We have made two trips (one five night and the other six night) and still will have to return.

The other thing is that we have found it important to have some balance between museums and strolling. We enjoyed, for example, St James park after spending the morning at Westminster.