How much time

Oh it would be great if you can fly into Edinburgh for 2 days and then go to London and home from there or other way around. Also, Windsor can be done easily from London for at least half day. I think from what I had read before, it is not too far from Heathrow so if you want to see it maybe you can go there and then onto Heathrow for flight home. (Assume you are going into Heathrow). Agree with maybe day trip to Bath, seem to remember that there is a tour that takes in Bath and Stonehenge, maybe MadMax, but not sure. Good luck. Good luck with planning and always think you will go back.

Great day trips around London are Stonehenge/Bath, Windsor/Eaton, Hampton Court, Oxford, Cambridge, Portsmouth, Dover.....

With 10 full days you can see lots of London and a take a few daytrips to such places as Cambridge, Bath, Brighton. To keep it simple, base yourself in London for the entire time. Take daytrips to the other places. I have used the LONDONPLUS PASS several times (check the railpasses section on this website, the end of the Britain part). This pass covers most of southern England and is very useful for daytrips from London. It may save some money, and will save you from having to buy tickets or make reservations. The LondonPlus Pass includes coupons for use on the Heathrow Express to/from Heathrow and London. Read the LONDON book sold by ETBD, and see what Rick Steves suggests for daytrips from London. A suggested itinerary: Days 1 and 2 London, Day 3 Bath, Days 4 and 5 London, Day 6 Cambridge, Days 7 and 8 London, Day 9 Brighton or Salisbury, Day 10 Windsor.

Some sites you can just "see"- Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben- this can take 2-20 min. Others you need a good bit more time- Tower of London- 2 -4 hours for example. So some days you could do more than 3 and others you will only do 1 or 2. It depends on what you want to see and how throughly you plan to see them. The hop on-off bus is ok to get a feel for the city, but I wouldn't plan on using it as your main transportation. I also don't think the London Pass is generally a good bargin- YOU have to do the math. I'd recommend getting an Oyster card and loading a 7 day travel pass and some Pay-as-you-go money OR if you have a companion, purchase a paper travel pass from a national rail station to make use of the 2-for-1 admission deals at many attractions and only use the Oyster for travel outside zone 1&2. You might find this article helpful in planning some day trips by train. I wrote it after more than 40 trips to the UK over 20 years. If you have other questions, or need ideas, feel free to private message me. http://www.aaacarolinas.com/Magazine/2008/Jan-Feb/britain.htm?zip=28105&stateprov=nc&city=matthews

Janis with the exception of the museums and, if you put your skates on, I don't think 3 a day is too many to try for. It just depends on which sights. For me, at any rate, the museums take days in themselves. Since we only sort of know what is on your list. Janis AND John, add to your list of sights, The Tower Bridge Experience. There is definitely nor to the bridge than just "seeing it". Have mercy. I do think, tho, that Piccadilly Circus can best be seen from the top of a HOHO bus. If you have 17 places you want to see in London and that is your first priority, I see no reason to change your itinerary. We are planning an "If I had 10 Days In Just London and By MYSELF" tour. There are a lot of things on my list which enclude Highgate Cemertery and The Temple Church.

Is this 17 sites in England or just in London? In general, some sites can be seen in an hour or less. Some you could spend all day. The time you will want to spend is based on your interests and the complexity of the site. The length of your trip will also depend on how much traveling you plan on doing between points of interest and how you plan on getting around. Sticking with main train lines works well for the major cities. If you venture into the countryside, a car will get you around much quicker than relying on the bus. A 7 to 10 day trip will limit your traveling plans considerably but you can still make it very worthwhile. Have you read Rick's or anyone elses guidebooks?

What are the sights you want to see? If you could see 3 per day and want to see 17 that would be approximate 6 days just in London and you want to see other cities? I don't see how you can add other cities given you will only be there 7-10 days. Is it possible to see 3 places per day, yes depending on which ones. One suggestion is to group the sites together so you are not going from one end of London to another in the same day. If at all possible I would do at least the 10 days. Give us more feedback.

All 17 sites are in London. I have been looking through some guide books and I plan on trying to do the 3 per day that are close to each other. I also plan on taking the train to visit the other cities and will buy a Eurorail pass before I leave. So if I have a general idea I will be able to determine how many days I will need to
buy for.

We are going to be in London just for 2 days in August but it is our third visit. Let me see how many of the 17 I can come up with!!! Parliament & Big Ben and London Bridge (that's ONE); Eye of London; St. Paul's; Westminster Abbey; Tower of London; a SHOW; British Museum; Albert and Victoria Museum; Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard (We finally saw this on our third try and we think viewing is best from the steps of the Victoria statue); Thames Boat Ride (a cheap one is provided by the Tate Museums which of course reminds of ... ; Tate Museums; Kensington Palace and Park; Picadilly Circle; Harrad's Department Store; Pub Crawling; Trafalgar Square; Royal Art Museum; Greenwich Maritime Museum. Have I come up with 17 yet? What's on your London Bucket List?

Are the other cities in GB? If so, I don't believe Eurorail covers GB.

You mention buying a eurorail pass. That's probably not the best way to travel in England. If you are doing just a couple of trips near London, you'll probably be money ahead buying advance tickets off the UK National Rail website. The link is below: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Advance tickets go on sale about 2 months ahead of time. These are usually heavily discounted. I've found them to be much cheaper for a train ride or two on a visit than any of the various BritRail passes available.

John, You had almost all of them. I had the Charles Dickens Museum and Ben Franklins London Abode. I had left off the other museum for if I had time. Also instead of the Eurorail pass I should have said the BritRail Pass but I am going to check out the web site that was posted. I also have another day or two that I can add to
my trip so it may well be 12 days now.

Consider flying into Edinburgh. Take the train to York and then on to London. Spend your time in London and consider doing Bath as a day trip from London. You're spending a lot more time in London than most people would on a first visit.

Laurel has found one of my "hidden" gems- Temple Church and the nearby Inns of Court are definitely worth a visit. Tucked away, so you may be the only person there.

Janis, I won't suggest places to see, with one exception. There are so many, and everyone has different tastes. The exception: London would not exist with the Thames. A walk along, or a cruise on, the river is worth the time. I also suggest ranking the places you want to see each day in order of interest. That way, if you want to stay longer at one site, or leave early at another, you won't have thrown your schedule into disarray.

Westminster and St Paul's can be as short or as long as you want. I believe the audio tour of Westminster is 1 or 1.5 hours long, very helpful. Plus it costs a lot to go there so might as well spend some time. I'd give St Paul's at least 30-45 min, tho I spent longer. Gift shop is good! Tower of London-the Beefeater tour is 1 hour, it's a must if you want to know about the history. The Crown Jewels are there, can be quick or not to go past them, depending on lines, there are other building there too, I'd give it a half day. Museums can be as long or as short as you like, but if you're going at least 1-2 hours I'd think. Brit Museum has some good gift shops. London Eye is 45min-1 hour, but you have to stand in line to start that. Shows are shows, matinees are cheaper but it breaks up your day. I wouldn't do a show on a day you're running your butt off, unless you're really energetic. I went to Harrod's once, spent about 1.5 hours there, everything is just so expensive, except some of their teas, jams, and of course the plastic Harrod's bag. They do have a nice food court tho.
River ride 1 hour. I think a good rule of thumb is plan on2 big sites a day, and if you have time do a third. Don't forget lunch, shopping and just strolling-London is a great city!!