Preliminary London in 9-ish days itinerary

I am not so good with itinerary questions, but I can make one observation. The Leavesden Studios tour takes a LONG time, at least half a day. I think we left for it around 11 from Euston (our appointment was at 1) and weren't back in London till after 4. Definitely leave 5-6 hours for it. That being said, going to the British Library before or after is a good idea--we did the same. It is near Euston and it doesn't take more than an hour to look at their room full of treasures.

Good to know. I am going to try to get the first tour of the day. I was thinking it might take more than the 3 hours they say it takes.

First thing I do is use Google Maps Satellite view and type in Big Ben London United Kingdom. Use the zoom on the left side of the screen and you'll see that many of the "sites" in London are close enough to walk to. Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards, and The Palace are a perfect example. I'd group things together. So travel by foot or tube wouldn't be excessive. For example, Borough Market, walk across Tower Bridge, visit Tower of London, off to Leadenhall Market, tube from Monument to London Bridge,visit Southwark Cathedral, walk over to the Globe, tour of the Globe, visit the Tate Modern, cross over the Millennium Bridge, dinner at BlackFriar's pub on Queen Victoria Street, back over the Millennium to performance at The Globe. Another day, Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards, Cabinet War Rooms, Parliament in session, Dicken's Walk and British Museum. The idea of flying open jaw is great but give yourself at least 3 days in Paris. Get the Oyster card.

doable? Maybe - way too much for me. Wednesday- Oyster. Thurs- Oyster. Fri- Oyster and point to point Sat- Can you get a Parliament tour on a Saturday? Oyster. Sun- Hampton Court Palace - Oyster, it is in zone 6 then stop at Richmond on the way back to London. Oyster. We would also like to see the Dennis Sever's house, which might only be feasible on Sunday. Does anyone think Richmond or the Dennis Sever's house would be preferable? No knowledge. The house looks interesting. Where in Richmond? Its a big borough. Mon- Westminster Abbey. Walk around and shopping. Globe tour if no afternoon show. See Parliament in session. I thought you went to Parliament on Saturday? Do you know if they will be sitting? Have you arranged for an invitation? Tues- Day trip to Canterbury or Paris? Oyster can only get you to the station. Wed- Globe tour in morning if we haven't worked that in. Top Gear taping from 2:00-7:00 - have you arranged an invitation? NOT Oyster. or maybe the National Gallery. Oyster Thursday- Maybe a day trip to either Canterbury or Paris, whichever didn't happen. Same answer as Tuesday. Or maybe we could spend Wednesday and Thursday in Paris and try to fly out from there on Friday.
Friday- Fly home. Are you taking any down time? Do you sleep, even a little?

Thanks Nigel. We can get a Parliament tour on Saturday only, and my husband is very into that sort of thing, so we will have to go twice so that he can get the full experience of a guide through the building and seeing it in session. As for Richmond, that's a good question. We were thinking of taking the boat part way back, so we would spend a little time wandering around between the dock and the train station. I thought it might be a good way to have an easy afternoon and see something different. I'm not really set on that. Top Gear, I'm honestly kind of hoping it doesn't work out. Since it is lower on our priority list we haven't secured arrangements, but I'd rather spend that time doing things that fell off the list if we get too tired. I tried to work in things that were not must-sees on days that we do things that are important to us so we can drop things as needed. We are prepared to be a bit tired and pass out at the end of most days. So it looks like a 7 day travel card plus pay as you go should is the way to go. Can we use pay as you go credits to get the ticket from London Euston to Watford Junction? Thanks so much for your help.

The Harry Potter tour itself shouldn't take more than three hours, but to get there it's almost an hour, then you wait to get in, then it's an hour back..a add another half hour for lunch in their cafe. You get the idea.

You can use PAYG Oyster between Euston and Watford Junction. It will make your daily cap £20.20 in peak, £15.20 off peak. Train tickets on the day are £8.50 anytime single, but only £9.20 for an off-peak return.

My daughter lives in London, so I have been lucky to have visited three times in the last year and a half, always planning in advance. When you go to Kensington Palace, I would have tea at The Orangery, it is wonderful, very pretty room. We loved the Parliament tour and also the tour of Buckingham palace, which you need tickets in advance and they are only available at the end of summer for six weeks. When you go to Richmond you have to find Petersham Nurseries, it is a nursery, a home and garden store, a tea house and a Michelin stared restaurant. The setting is beautiful, next to a darling cemetary and a pasture with cows grazing. It is an adventure to find, but so worth the effort. We have had lunch at the tea house twice, and it was delicious! And then you eat in the greenhouses, it is great at any time of year, as we went last December! You could spend a whole day at Hampton Court Palace, Richmond, and Petersham Nurseries! Great day! We did the National Gallery on a Friday evening, it was perfect, not very crowded, and nice to be there at night! I would also plan an afternoon and evening in Greenwhich, it is a charming town, with lots to do. Greenwich Meantime Brewery is a great place to stop, but see all the sights first! Also if you walk up the hill in Greenwich Park to do the Meantime walk through the park into Blackheath, which is another great little town. Also we love St Martin in the Fields Church in Trafalger Square, they have nice free lunchtime concerts, and also concerts in the evening. You can do a brass rubbing, its a nice place to stop. Another nice area to explore is The Liverpool Street Station area, where Spittlfields Market is. There is a great French wine bar in Spittlfields that we love! It is an exciting area! Riding the busses is a great way to see the city, and once you figure it out it is very easy to do, much better than always fighting the crowds on the tube! Spending time in the pubs is a must!

Thank you, that is very helpful information. I've done a ton of reading and have figured out the major attractions to see, but it is great to get the opinions of people who have spent some time there and are not just talking to the masses. The info about Richmond is exactly what I was hoping for. We just want to wander a bit, so having at least 1 destination and some advice on what to look for really helps. I'm really looking forward to Hampton Court Palace. And we can add other places as we have time. Thanks so much!

"Wednesday- arrive in London, take a walk around hotel area (not booked- Bloomsbury or near Trafalgar)" My preference of the two locations would be Bloomsbury. The other location for a hotel would be (depending on your budget) London Marriott at County Hall (high price), or Premier Inn County Hall (low price). Do a Google Map search for either one of these to see exactly where they are. They are both in the same location, one is luxury, one is not. They are near the London Eye, just across the River Thames from Parliament, walking distance on the South Bank to the Globe. Good bus and tube transportation nearby. Hope this helps you choose a hotel. I'm not that much into big hotel chains, but mentioned these because of the good location.

We stayed at the Morgan Hotel this summer, which is right next to the British Museum. The price was right (130 pounds a night for a twin room), and the location was fantastic for both bus and tube routes. The only thing I did not like about it was the lack of potable water from the taps in our bathroom--bottled water got pricey. I was surprised at how exhausting I found London. I thought I was in decent enough shape, but not so much! Definitely pace yourselves.

Like Kathy, I stayed at the Morgan, for the second time. It's family-run. I got a couple of different answers about the tap water not being drinkable, nothing reliable so I won't pass it on. There's always someone from the staff on duty and you can get potable tap water from the kitchen 24/7. There's a Sainsbury (supermarket) very near and open until quite late. I used to stop on my way 'home' to pick up drinks and snacks. Bottled water in large bottles wasn't a budget-breaker. Oyster cards are convenient and you always get the best fares. Go with them. There is a £5 deposit. If you have less than £10 balance (not incl the deposit), you can get an immediate refund when you leave on condition that if you topped up the card you paid the same way as when you got it (either same credit card or cash). If the balance is more than £10 or if you used multiple means of payment, they will mail you a cheque in sterling for the refund. For theatre tickets, look at the theatremonkey.com website for a wealth of information and advice and discounted tickets.

One more thing about the Oyster. If you aren't going to use it much on your first day, you can tell the agent what day you want the 7-day travelcard to start. It doesn't have to be the day you get the card.