7 days in London - what to do first?

I agree with Claudia that walking a lot on your first day is a good way both to get an above-ground introduction to London and to fight jet lag. Westminster is a great starting point.

For a two page, zoomable map that shows Tube routes on one side and central London bus routes on the other side including the locations of major tourist attractions, go here.

Even though your time in London will be relatively short, take at least one day trip in the middle of your stay to see a bit of the English countryside. If you like stained glass, I recommend visiting King's College Chapel in Cambridge.

WHAT is it that you WANT to see in London? Museums? Churches? Parks?
Architecture? Theatre? Castles? ALL of it? Since you asked I'll share my POV.
Exchange some money at the AMX booth at Heathrow, buy a copy of Time Out and then take the tube from the airport. You'll get your first glimpse of the outlying areas of London, get used to using the tube, and have time to glance at Timeout. Once you get to your station, Earl's Court and walk to your hotel you'll have heard your first English accents and start to absorb the reality that "you're not in Kansas anymore." Get settled and then head right back to the tube and take it to Westminster. Exit and you'll be right near the Thames, Parliment and in the shadow of Big Ben. THAT will make you smile. Start walking, exploring and the sights and sounds. Personally I loved my day trips to Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge but archeology was my minor. I also recommend talking one or two of the London Walks (www.walks.com). Much fun, nice people, good information. Theatre virtually every night is a drawing card for me in London but as noted it's ALL about what your interests are. GREAT city. EASY to get around. Enjoy.

I really liked Stonehenge too, but I did it by taking the train from London to Salisbury, and then taking a bus trip to Stonehenge. The bus leaves from right outside the train station, and cost about 17 GBP. I don't know if it was a summer-only tour, or if it is available year-round. Salisbury is a really cute town too, and the cathedral is beautiful.

Windsor was another way to see a smaller British town without having to travel far out of London, plus the castle was great.

For your first day, I agree with the Westminster-Parliament-Trafalgar Square option, but make sure that you return to Trafalgar Square another day to see the National Gallery - it has some really wonderful artwork, and each room has a comfy leather couch to sit on, so that you can really study the paintings.

London is so exciting, and even with only one week, you will be able to see a lot. Have a great time!

Hey all you London Lovers, what about the London Wheel? Is that worth the ride? It wasn't there the last time I went. Most recently, I spent my time at Westminster Abbey, The Tower, the British Museum, walking in Kensington Gardens. Oh and I found the murder mystery bookstore!

Pam

I always head for Trafalgar Square when I arrive in London. To me that area is the heart of the city. Buckingham palace, museums, Leister Square, Theatres, Covent Garden and St Martin in the Fields (church) are all nearby.

Check London Walks. They offer walks all over London, probably 2 hours at a shot. Actors, history students, all sorts of interesting people lead these tours. We have learned all sorts of interesting byways following the guides.

In adddition, they have "Days Out" to places you can reach, sightsee, and return in a day.

From Bath you can take a nice tour of Avabury, Stonehenge, at least one castle ruin etc. But you need two nights in Bath to do it.

If you like gardens, go to Kew, even in winter. Take Underground and bus to Richmond and walk along the Thames. You surely will go to the Tower. After, walk downstream past the Tower Bridge and check out St. Catherine's Dock. (The Tower has a nice historic/structural exhibit on the high level passageway.

The Museum at Greenwich is entertaining and educational. Near Covent Gardens the Theater Museum and the Transport Museum are to be recommended. Much smaller than the British Museum.

It will probably be cold and wet so take appropriate clothes or plan to buy some.

Museums may close early, It gets dark early too, so pick out some good shows to see. If you are doubtful about the public transportation at night, taxis are frequent and not too expensive by our standards.

Jean
Shoreline

I really like the London Walks walking tours. Check out their schedule at www.walks.com.

On your first day in London, which really is your first day ever, I suggest the hop-on/hop-off bus. It will give you a good general tour of London and you can get on and get off when you want. YOu can also then decide what attractions you want to go back to during the week.

On my first morning in London many, many years ago, I did a similar tour only in those days you couldn't get off.

London Walks are terrific and numerous ones are offered every day. A good place for a solo traveler to meet other solo travelers.

Bath is a terrific town to visit. I agree Windsor is also nice. Look into London Walks guided walks outside of London such as the one to Oxford.

You'll be in London when it gets dark early and there will be less crowds. It also means some tours may not be running. Be aware of that and plan accordingly.

Oh, and have a great time.

Some great advise here....Definately to the hop on hop off bus....a great way to see a lot and choose what you want to see close up. A big yes to Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square. I liked the walk up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, also.

The Changing of the Guard is a huge attraction but I liked the Changing of the Horse Guard better.
It has been a long time since I was in London but I liked the British Museum but only had a day there so saw so little....loved the mummies, the Guterberg Press and Bible.

I have not been to the continent so England and Ireland is all I have seen but as an American I was SO blown away by the history in London...we have 200 years of history, they have thousands.

My one regret is that I didn't take a day to go outside the city of London. I would surely do that next time if I get there again.
Lastly, if it is still there, go to Brown's Hotel for tea....what a tradition and a great place. If that is gone, I also loved the tea at Fortnum & Mason. Tea at the Dorchester Hotel was well-known at that time, I am not sure about that now.
Have a GREAT trip!

Think about going to the Borough Market in Southwark south of the Thames. It's an open air market with plenty of independent specialty vendors-butchers, produce, fish, olives, baked goods, flowers. We spent several hours there. Look for the website. I think it's open Friday and Saturday. Go hungry because you can buy plenty for lunch, and there's lots of samples.

Wow thanks for all the great ideas! I do plan on going again when I have more time - My husband is from Manchester, so next time I will be able to explore more when we visit north. It does seem like I will be able to see alot of the main London "icons" with a week stay in just London itself, though one day trip out to Bath/Stonehenge does sound more and more enticing!

My husaband and I spent 3 days in London. We started in Westminster area and walked around for a while. The city is HUGE. We bought two day passes for the hop on hop off buses. It was a great way to see the majority of the city, get a lot of history and get off at the sights you want to see. We went to Tower of London, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussads, Buckingham Palace and a lot more in just 3 days.

We then took a two hour train ride to York. I would highly recommend going. The town is small and full of English charm and tons to do. Lots of walking around and shopping. York Minster is a massive church with lots to see, they have a viking museum and a free train museum too.

Hope that all helps!

Definitely head to the West Country. Salisbury, Avebury, Bath, Dartmoor Park are all worth the effort. I recommend the rail.

You have recieved lots of good advice. I'd also add that a walk around Covent Garden and the Leciester Square area is wonderful- both for people/local watching and shopping. From there you can head down to Trafalgar or do it in reverse- do stop by St. Martin's in the Field Church- there is a market in the church yard and you can check the concert schedule too. I also LOVE Windsor. It is a great day or 1/2 day trip- really good when you have theatre tickets that night. The castle is my favorite one in the UK other than Ellan Donnan in Scotland. Windsor is a great walking town and has a good Christmas market also.

Since you're flying from the West-ish coast, you'll have more jet lag than the East coasters. London was my first Europe trip, so I'll tell you what NOT to do: don't schedule yourself to do something that you've wanted to see your entire life for the moment you land, or shortly thereafter. Some things deserve a nights rest in preparation. The best thing I did was a hop-on-hop-off tour the day I arrived - you hit the highlights, don't have to do too much thinking, and get fresh air if you sit up top (best defense from jet lag). I too second London Walks, they're very entertaining and informative. I wished I had got out of town while I was there, so I second prior posters advice on that. Have a great time!

Tami,
London is an AWESOME city! There is SO much to do. I'm planning on going back next year to explore more. I am from the Seattle area and YES you will have jet lag so on your first day, take it easy. The other suggestions are great, get a copy of Time Out and just check out what you want to do. I got to see Les Miserable (LOVED it, if you are passionate about theater). There's so many awesome museums if you love that kind of thing. We got to see the Tower of London, which was worth seeing. I mean you will really just need to get your boundaries and learn how to get around this amazing city by using the Tube. It's pretty easy to figure out, but if you are not used to a public transportation system like it, you'll definitely want to take a moment to figure out which train lines will get you where you want to be. I can't wait to go back. It's an amazing city. You have plenty of time to see alot so get Rick Steve's London book, read up on all the amazing sites. England is VERY expensive but you can definitely find alot of free things to do, such as see all the major museums (British Museum is worth seeing). WE took a boat ride along the Thames, which was nice. We did the bus tour around the city, which was also nice to see all the major sites. We also toured Buckingham Palace, although that won't be open when you are there. Bring good walking shoes as you will be doing alot of walking. And most of all, have fun! :)

Just be prepared for how much walking you will do and how many stairs there are everywhere. It´s easy to exhaust yourself trying to do too much. I would try to combine sights by location as you can take an hour trying to get from one end of London to the other if you have to make several tube changes.
At least in December you won´t have the hot humid weather we experienced last week.

I will never go to London without doing a google search for "London sights"

Do the same search for Bath. You may find you are not interested in seeing the sights listed.

Why don't you go to your library and read some travel guides to look at pictures?

If you list the sights in order of your interest you will know which ones to see first.

Above all, don't rely on another person's choice of sights. Yours will be different.

Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and Royal Mews, St. Paul's, remarkable Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum, treasures in the British Museum, amazing Ritblat room in the British Library, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, St. Martin in the Fields and Cafe in the Crypt for lunch, tea at Kensington Palace and stroll the gardens, ride a double decker, the London Eye, boat on the Thames, day trip to Windsor (fabulous), get tickets to as many shows as you can fit in, Harrod's Food Court, a feast for the senses, gaze and admire Parliament and Big Ben and listen to the chimes on the hour...we did all this and more in only 6 days...we LOVED London. Have a wonderful time.

Forgot to mention Evensong at Westminster...it was extraordinary.

I recently returned from England. My suggestion for London would be to first take a City Sightseeing Tour (You can read other posts about the various bus companies. The company we used was not the CST and was a bit frustrating, because they seemed to have a shortage of buses.) - a bus tour of the city helps you get a good overview of the city and lets you note the places you'd like to revisit in depth. Our tour included the boat ride down the Thames, which is not to be missed (at least in the summer - I don't know how it would be in December).
I stayed in Bath for 3 nights when I first arrived in England, and it was a wonderful beginning! I took two Mad Max tours from there - the Stonehenge one, which was wonderful, and the Cotswolds tour, which was also wonderful. It was a great way to see the countryside without a car, the guides were informative and entertaining, and, as a single woman, I was able to travel with some really nice people. I don't know any particulars about taking those tours from London, but the two experiences I had with Mad Max were great. My only regret: in Lacock, lunch took so long that I didn't have time to tour the Abbey, which was something I really wanted to do; in hindsight, I and a couple of other people would have grabbed something from a bakery instead of participating in the sit-down lunch so we could have seen the Abbey It's a wonderful little village.

London is amazing. Central London is very safe and very clean. We bought a pay as you go Oyster card which we used for the tube and the buses. We mostly used the buses so we could see the sights from the top deck. We did a hop on hop off London bus tour but HATED it. Big waste of money. However, we did do the hop on hop off bus tour in Bath and it was delightful. The problem in London was that the traffic was heavy. It seems that Trafalgar Square is the centre of London and most of the buses travel through so it makes a really easy transfer point. Using a good guide book and riding the #11 and/or #15 you see most of the sights.
We went to the theatre twice in our week. We went to the box offices when they opened and bought tickets for that day's performance. Both times got front row seats for 25 Pounds. Lots of singles in the theatre, especially for the matinee. I would return to London in a heartbeat just for the theatre.

Restaurants are SOOOOO expensive. We were at a B&B so enjoyed the full English breakfast and then mostly ate the other national cuisine of England: sandwiches. You can find sandwich packs everywhere and they are good and fresh. Supermarkets are everywhere and prices are comparable to North America. Good delis in most supermarkets: we bought lots of pasties (like a portable meat turnover) and fruit and chicken drumsticks. Lots of Indian influence so enjoyed chicken tikka pasties (yumm).
I took my 7 year old daughter with me so wasn't exactly a single woman traveller travelling alone but still had the same concerns. We walked and bused everywhere in Central London and never felt unsafe, even at night (after the theatre there were still so many people walking around). Do use a money belt. I actually felt a hand reach into the empty pocket of my rain jacket one afternoon. Bit of a surprise to feel the tug.
Took the train to Bath from Paddington(90 minutes each way). Very easy to figure out and Bath is lovely. Have fun!