London in 2 days

Head out to your local bookstore and purchase Rick's book on London. Gives an excellent preview of the sites as well as suggested accommodations. Loads of practical information to help you plan what you'd like to see. London is a very walkable city. The majority of the "must see" tourist sites are fairly close to one another. Furthest from the city centre is the Tower of London but with London's excellent bus and underground system there is easy access to it. To get an idea of how close sites are, use Google maps satellite mode. Type in Parliament Square, London, United Kingdom. When the image appears you can see that Big Ben, Parliament, The London Eye (across the River Thames), Westminster Abbey are all close. You can also see St james Park and Birdcage walk which will take you right to Buckingham Palace. A walk up Whitehall will take you past No. 10 Downing Street, The Horse Guards, on up to Trafalger Square. Read the RS book to get a better insight into the "must see" sites. Great city! Too bad you only have two days to appreciate it.

Hop on/hop off bus tour is a must! Since you are there such a short time, this will give you an overview of central London. You pay for 24 hours and you can get off at any stop and back on any time. We even used it for transportation to and from sites. That is the first thing we did when we went to London 2 years ago. We rode on the top (open air). Weather was nice (October)! After that I would suggest Tower of London. If you take the whole tour it will take most of a morning. Happy traveling!

Hello, Thank you for the reply. Which tour company do you rEcommend?
Thanks

My guess is that Cindy is referring to the Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tours offered at the Tower of London. They're are included in the price of your ticket. Best advice for touring the Tower would be to get there first thing in the morning when they open to help beat the crowds.

Since you have a short time, my best recommendaiton is to get a hop on/hop off ticket with any of the bus lines that run around the city. There are several that you can choose from; www.theoriginaltour.com www.bigbustour.com www.londontourbus.com.uk I used the first one and had no problems-they provide buses to cover most languages that are used by tourists. My husband and I did a day trip to London (quick flight from Germany-first flight in the morning and last one out) and use the double-decker bus to see the sites and choose where to get off; Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards and toured the Mews; got back on the bus and toured some more, saw Big Ben, London Eye, London Bridge, just about every high light on our list. Using the hop on/hop off was great, had a chance to eat some fish and chips and even a dinner at the Hard Rock cafe. Getting back to the airport we even went with the Underground - a whole other city under London. It was so easy that we came back a few months later with my mother, how has difficulty walking around but was able to see London on the top of the bus and really loved it. For kicks we hopped into a cab (a little more pricey-but it's what my husband wanted) and got a mini-tour from our cabbie. Thre are several recommendations for Heroic B&Bs on the Graffit Wall and you can check with Trip Adivisor too. I really look at the photos that are added by the guests that have stayed at these placed and read the reviews - I've always found that to be extremely helpful. Safe travels!

We have a rule when we travel: big cities get four full days, little cities get three or two full days. I don't think you can get the feel of a place unless you have time to relax in the afternoon with a pint or a dram.

www.tfl.gov.uk This will take care of all your underground transportation needs. Includes a comprehensive route map. Also, I recommend purchasing a Streetwise London map. It is laminated so it won't get ruined in the rain. But the main attractions and Tube stations are well indicated on it. Was revised in 2011.

Your can't possibly see London in two days. We have been there three times. We use the hop-on, hop-off or Gray Line tours for half day or full day tours. Gray Line do a great job. Elaine

You'll need hop on hop off. Look up what you like to do ... london has EVERYTHING. you'll waste hours unless you limit yourself to a very small area. Make plan for wet days and dry days.
S

Tartar - I'm guessing this is the first part of a much larger trip. If you've never been abroad before, you will start to get comfortable about the time you leave. As others have said - you cant see London in 2 days. If you've never been, the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tours that others have suggested are a great way to see the city. I would also recommend walking a LOT. The Tube is great, but with such a short stay, you dont want to spend all your time underground. :)

Are you good walkers? If so, put on your comfy walking shoes because you can see quite a bit in two full days! I would suggest first day start with Westminster Abbey, check out Big Ben, then walk towards Picadilly. If you feel tired, sit in one of the parks for a bit. If you still have time, you could see a bit of the British Museum...........Day 2, go to the Tower of London, then cross the bridge and walk the south bank to the London Eye. You might take a slight detour near the Globe - use the pedestrian bridge and cross the Thames so you can admire St. Paul's, then return to the South Bank........Of course it is lovely to have many days for London, but if two days is it, then carpe diem!........One caveat: sometimes Westminster Abbey is closed, if so switch the two days.