Help me plan my itinerary: London

adel,

There's NO WAY you'll be able to visit all those sites in six days, and also fit in a day trip to Bath & Stonehenge!

You might have a look at the England Guidebook, as I believe there are some Itinerary planning suggestions there.

Good luck!

You could "see" everyone of these things in six days but it would be the same as watching a movie in fast forward. I suggest you narrow down your search quite a bit. Bath/Stonehenge can be one day - that leaves 5 days. Assuming that the 5 days does not count travel days/jet lag etc you have time to see a good number of sights...just not all in your list. And in my opinion you have missed some real highlights of London - the Imperial War Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms.

Windsor Castle is least 1/2 day, Tower of London can also be 1/2 day; the British Museum is a few hours minimum; London Eye without a wait is the better part of an hour..and of course none of these times has much if anything to do with travel time to and fro. Narrow down your priority list then we can help you a bit more.

First, get yourself a good tourist map and see for yourself where everthing is.

Second, your list is a list of recommended places. Ask yourself what you really want to see, then see when it's available. Just because RS or someone on this board recommends a restaurant or pub doesn't mean you have to eat there. The best pubs are not necessarily the ones written in a guidebook but the ones where the locals hang out.

Third, Make a calendar for the days you're going to be there and fill it in for the items that only occur at certain times--such as specific walks, changing of the guard, ceremony of the keys, etc.

Third, get a good guidebook that has a suggested itinerary.

Four--some things just don't make sense: Thames River?, St. Pancras Station (going somewhere?),

Five-on your first day, I suggest you take the hop-on, hop-off bus to get a feeling for everthing and to see what you want to go back to. You didn't say when you're going so some of the things you listed may not be open.

Hi Adel:

We Southerners (Tallahassee) want to do it all don't we?! ;} I can sympathize with you having just done this just last June for my wife and me. First, let me say that if you are fleet-footed as we are you will conquer London VERY nicely in 6 days as we did it in 3. We left there feeling satisfied that we had “done” London nicely. Keep in mind that some things seeming desirable to you per the guidebooks will change when you arrive. For us, things such as the London Eye, Harrods, Ceremony of the Keys, etc... simply didn’t matter in light of other priorities once there. They were good for many I’m sure, but not us...not then. To see Pancras Station, I recommend a day day trip by train to Edinburgh from there. Five hour each way… arrives in the middle of town around 11am and departs around 5pm but plenty of time to see the town/take bus tours and the train ride passes very quickly through the beautiful countryside (free wifi on trains!). Arrival back in London around 10 pm-ish.

One last thing. To help you focus on the really important must-dos in London and the surrounding area, I recommend a London Mapeasy map (www.mapeasy.com) or any bookstore. They help to de-clutter all the guidebook readings and show where all the Metro stops are in relation to the sights. I have used them for years in every large city.. a must-have. In closing, if no accommodations yet, I highly recommend the Premiere Kensington Inn at the Earls Court Station. It’s a chain hotel… no frills but very reasonable and in a very safe part of the city (a must) VERY close to the Metro and lots of food/shopping.

Good luck to you!

Jack

I have never seen anyone list so many things,, what is in the air in alanta,, ship some up here,, LOL

Personally this list is pretty broad, are all these things important to YOU?
I loved Bath, while there, beside the Baths check out the Costume Museum , I enjoyed that very much. I did it as a day trip,, and I just took the train there on my own, I was not interested in Stonehenge.I understand you can do bus tours that cover both but I think they are expensive.

I thougth the Tower of London and the British Museum were highlights. Each were worth at least 3 hours. You could spend three days at the Museum and not have seen everything, but thats a personal taste thing for me.
From the Tower of London you can walk down to river Thames and see the London Bridge, no need to get any closer really.
I thought Westminster Abbey was interesting, and Big Ben is just a walk by ( from a distance really).

Anyways, pare down that list,, and don't worry about seeing everything this visit, you can see more next time.

You have a geat starting list. Now try to focus on what YOU really enjoy. READ, READ AND READ some more about all of these things and places. Narrow the list and then get flexible. Don't be so "stuck" to your plan that you can't be spontaneous. From personal experience and based on OUR interests (my husband and I have been more than 40 times in 20 years) I'd suggest you consider some of the following- Windsor- do 1/2 day trip then retur and visit some of the markets- Covent Garden is our favorite- then theatre that night- we love We Will Rock You and Mama Mia.etc. Day trip- pick one (York, Bath, Cardiff, Stratford-Upon-Avon). Do Twer of London, view BigBen, Paliment and one museum on another day. Definietly do the hop on/off bus on your first day. It will help you prioritize and give you an idea of how easy walking/taking the tube really is in London. Feel free to PM me for more ideas, details.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Nothing in the air in Atlanta. Just hopeful thinking and first time outside the U.S. Too much zeal.

I see what you all have been saying. Yesterday I found a great great great website. Did I say great. Goplanit.com Helps we make plans, give me a list of sites to go to with a reminder of their opening times,...alot of stuff are not feasible. Changing of the guards is out b/c the only day I can go is Friday and just could not fit the time in my schedule. Buckingham palace tour out b/c not Summer as well as seeing Parliament for the same reason (out of season)...The time I am going eliminated alot of plans. Camden Market may be out b/c of some fire last year (something like that), Skiing is out...just b/c, Wimbledon tour might be out if I can't find something nearby that I can visit at the same time to streamline my time. BBC is boarder-line. Oh well, I guess I will settle for depth than breath. Thanks. I am still interested in knowing what to see in a linear line such as Trafalgar Square/ Chinatown or Tower Bridge/Tower of London/Shakespeare's Globe.... I am looking at Rick Steve's map to determine these. I am trying to limit my time on the bus/rails. Thanks.

Hi Adel,

To figure out what sights to see in one day, take a look at Rick's walking tours in his London book. He lists all of the things in the area that you might want to see. For instance, he has one (the Westminster Walk) that takes you past Parliament and Big Ben, then Westminster Abbey, then down Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. From there, you can follow the West End Walk, as it starts at Trafalgar Square and takes you through Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus, etc. If you do these two walks, you can go into Westminster Abbey and the National Gallery.

I think there is also a City Walk, which includes St. Paul's and Shakespeare's Globe, as well as some of the famous pubs you mention and the Borough Market.

Harrods you can do in the same day as Hyde Park, as they are close to each other, and you can walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens and to Kensington Palace and the Orangery. Tea at the Orangery is lots of fun, but I don't think the Palace is worth it, as it costs quite a bit.

Camden Market is fine. The fire was just on one side of the road. Although, weekends tend to be better for market.

Borough - Fri/Sat
Portobello - Sat is better
Covent Garden is a good one
Spittlefields and UpMarket are good too on a Sunday but out of the way from the rest of the sights.

Wimbledon is a bit far if you would prefer to stay central.

Ceremony of the Keys is a good evening thing to do but be sure to get tickets in advance.

Make sure you plan a rainy day back up.

One day on the city tour bus is worth it too especially in off season. I prefer to stay on rather than hop on and off so you can see the whole route and just go back to the areas you want to see further.