London in ONE day

Hi Chris, I would recommend the Blades Hotel~~www.blades-hotel.co.uk/. I would see Buckingham Palace, St Pauls, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Tower Bridge. Since you will only be in London for a day and half, I wouldn't think that you would want to spend hours in one place which you could do at the Tower of London. Not knowing the age of your daughter, I would also suggest the Royal Mews which is by Buckingham Palace, there you will see the Royal Coaches and the Queen's horses, it's a great place to see. Of course you should really take a short walk in one of the parks. Kensington Palace is beautiful and if you would want to sit down for a few minutes you could go to The Orangery by Kensington Palace they serve lunches, teas, etc. Of course it depends on the age of your daughter, to how much you want to get in your day and half. You want to see a lot, but you shouldn't try to race from one place to the next, that would tire you out and it wouldn't be very enjoyable.

I agree that the changing of the guard and the British Museum, although wonderful, would gobble up too much of your time. You didn't say what days you would be there or how old your daughter is? I guess I'd go with the previous suggestion of The Tower Westminster, and St Paul's for sure. The Tower and Westminster are both very old and very important pieces of English history. Do check the abbey website for possible closures, hours, etc (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/). You'll appreciate both the Tower and the abbey more if you've done some reading about them beforehand. St Paul's is stunning and doesn't need to take a lot of time to see. As your time is limited, I might try to find a hotel near Victoria in greater London as it's central to many of the sites, and a convenient location from which to catch express trains to the airports.

Try the Bayswater Inn in Bayswater. Two blocks from the metro. Thr red hop on hop off tour bus.

The usual "must-sees" are Westminster Abbey (and the outside of the Houses of Parliament, hard to get an in-door tour), St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, the British Museum, and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I'd skip the changing of the guard- it will devour too much of your precious time, and with the mobs of other tourists, you won't see very much anyway. St. Paul's and the Tower are very close to each other in The City- you could spend half your day there. Although the British Museum is worthwhile, it occupies too much time for your limited schedule.

I think the London Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/AboutEye.aspx) would be fun. And here is a site about the double decker bus http://www.theoriginaltour.com/tour_map/.

I stayed at the Central Park Hotel near both the Queensway and Bayswater underground stations by myself and felt safe walking around there. The room was old, definitely not a Marriott, but the hotel was nice.

Have fun,
Kathie

I too had a day and a half in London and did the walk along the river to see all the sites, and because I enjoy history and the theatre I went to the Globe theatre early in the morning for the first tour and loved it.

I stayed at Palmers Lodge Hostel quick trip into Picadilly and London Bridge connection.and in my estimation was one of the best I have stayed at. Good morning breakfeast included and free internet downstairs, and a bar room as well.

I stayed at the Premier Travel Inn County Hall, 100 pounds a night but right on Thames and it is a short walk past Big Ben to observe an Evensong at Westminster Abbey. It might be worth a Big Bus Tour (hop on and hop off) and at least drive buy Trafalgar Square, Albert Hall and observe the beautiful buildings.

I agree with Tom above about the Premier Travel Inn at County Hall. If you can get a room there, it is a perfect central location. Clean, safe, and right across the river from houses of Parliament, just walk over the bridge and you will be there, and very close to Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and a little further on is Buckingham Palace. Not to mention that the London Eye is right next to the hotel. There are even some decent restaurants across the street to get food to take back to your room. I can't think of a better location for a reasonable price in London.

Take on and off double decker bus for the highlights. What is reasonable cost to you for London? London is by far one of the most costliest cities in Europe. For 2,approx $150 / night is budget & safe(bath down the hall) in London w/o hostel stays.But try Cherry Court hotel nr Victoria Station.

Which airport are you using? That might help determine a good hotel choice. I also encoureage you to "do" the Tower. Then I would look at (but not necessarily tour) Westminster and Parliment, walk down Pall Mall to see Buckingham and St. James Park. Personally, I'd rather spend the rest of the time in Covent Garden Market, Leceister Square and Picadilly area. Windsor is a nice trip (20-30 min. train ride from Paddington station) and the castle there is marvelous.

Ooh - Windsor is fabulous! It does take a good bit of time to see though - you might have to short-change London to do that. Do let us know what you and your daughter ended up doing and how it all went?

I agree w/ other posters about the hop on/off bus. Your daughter would probably love going to the Hard Rock Cafe because it is the original; they have quite the gift shop, too! Walking through the food halls at Harrod's is a unique experience that won't take too much time.