Is this too much for one day? After all that would you do the London Eye in the evening or wait for another day?
We are visiting in November if that helps. We will be with my 72 year old mom.
And before anyone asks, we got turned down by another apartment because they wanted to keep their options open to have guests that would stay longer than 10 nights.
Now we have contacted London Connection and have asked some questions about apartments with them?
Any other firms I should look at?
Do you intend to go inside the Houses of Parliament? Because they are only open to visitors on some days. I think that if you were to only see Parliament from the outside, then it is possible to do all three in one day. I have not been inside Parliament, but I suspect that if you were to add that, then it would probably be too much.
I've been inside all three.
You need to pre book the interior Parliament tour. It's an hour tour though I'd set aside 2.
Westminster Abbey can easily take an hour or longer depending your interest and whether you use the audio tour and walk around on your own or take a guided Verger's tour. I'd plan 3 hours.
Churchill War Rooms can be done in an hour.
So yes it is possible but given your mother is 72 and your husband has mobility issues you'll need to factor in those realities and decide if it's a pace that works for you.
At Home In London which I believe I've suggested before or Home Away are other websites to review.
You might also check out the apartments that Vancouver Studio Apatrments operate.
I'll be in the UK in November for business and pleasure. Already confirmed accommodation and airfare.
2 years ago booked 3 Parliament tour tickets in May for November visit. Sadly the day before my friends departed from the states one took a horrific fall down the back stairs of their home.
INstead of returning the tickets I wandered by Parliament one morning in order to give 2 of the tickets away.
Took all of 10 minutes to find an older couple who had an interest. They insisted on paying and I said,
" how about buying me lunch instead? ". Walked over to the 3 Chairman pub and enjoyed a lovely few hours of conversation and dining.
Saw them again the day of the tour. We've kept in touch.
Nearly book all tickets in advance. Everything but theatre. Perfectly pleased to use the half price TKTS at Leicester Square for my theatre visits.
Purchasing in advance is up to you. I do it so I'm not disappointed. Matter of convenience. My mode of travel.
Have you looked at Go Native? Serviced apartments.
Ivy Lettings and Coach House Rentals. Or Citadines.
If you're just walking by the Houses of Parliament, then you can likely do all three.
Thank you all for your input. We have a hotel booked as a backup plan but my mom was really hoping for a kitchen. I will keep looking but be less stressed about it.
I will ask my travel mates if they want to visit inside parliament.
You have to book that ahead of time right? How far in advance for a visit in November ?
I visited Westminster and on the way to Churchill's War Rooms I had lunch at a pub, recall all this taking perhaps 4 hours total. I must say that the Churchill War Rooms (and the connected museum about the man himself) stand out as one of the most fascinating, interesting and enjoyable museums I have ever visited, extremely impressed and will visit again if I get the chance.
Also, you don't have to take a tour of Parliament, unless something's changed since June 2015. We visited the gallery of the House of Commons and observed the debate for 30 minutes or so. We had to go through security, of course, and there was a bag check, then wait a bit for an usher to take us to the gallery. No reservations or fees. It was very interesting, but for the fact it was our first jet-lagged afternoon and we were all struggling to stay awake as the members droned on.
The Rick Steves London guide has information on how to do this, visiting hours, and when the houses might be in session. I'm sure you could find resources online, as well.
In our rather whirlwind first day, we stood outside Buckingham Palace for a while, had lunch at a pub, visited Parliament, went to Westminster Abbey, rode the London Eye and spent a glorious hour or two at beautiful St. James's Park, which totally rejuvenated our flagging spirits. We finished the night with a fine dinner, got a decent night's sleep and woke up the next morning good to go, jet lag conquered.
Thank you all so much. Will look into if we can just go to observe parliament or not. Interesting.
If you have a chance to get into the Palace of Westminster (Parliament building) I'd recommend the guided tour, which will tell you a lot about what you're seeing. Availability will depend on when you're there, whether they're meeting or not, etc. On our tour the chambers were empty (September I think) and we could go in and sit on the benches while the guide explained things. Much better than watching routine proceedings, which is what you're likely to get from the gallery. (If you want to see the best of Parliament debating, C-Span often covers the Prime Minister's "question time" which is always lively and interesting.)
