Best of London Tour - Apr 26-May 2, 2026

I have advice about Stonehenge since you are spending extra time after. Take the train to Salisbury and stay for 2 nights. Do the Cathedral, the Cathedral Close and Salisbury Museum as well as the town the day you arrive. On your full day, get the shuttle out to Stonehenge run by the local bus company, the Salisbury Reds. It's called "The Stonehenge Tour" although it is not a tour in my mind. They pick up in the City Center and at the train station and make a loop out to Stonehenge then back via Old Sarum.

https://www.salisburyreds.co.uk/stonehenge-tour

IF you want to just do a day trip to the Cotswolds, after Salisbury go to Bath for a couple of nights and take the Mad Max small van tour to the Cotswolds for the day.

Hotel-wise, over the last 12 years I've always stayed at the Lime Tree on Ebury Street. HOWEVER, they've been acquired by a hotel chain and I might be priced out of rooms there even though I love the location. Forum Member Mardee stayed at the Resident Victoria last spring and I may stay there next spring when I'm in London.

I like Pam's plan. I have been to both Salisbury and the Mad Max tour from Bath and recommend both.

Please define middle of the road.

How much is that in £’s?

What’s on the tour?

Been going to London since 1972. Always changing, always the same.

The Parkland Walk is easy. Start in Finsbury and walk to Crouchill. Then meander to The Blue Owl Cafe.

Or travel to the Battersea Power Station and see how it’s been converted.

Or stay at the Chiswick Premier Inn, have a pint and a meal at George and Devonshire pub. Can also walk along the Thames Path to Hammersmith. There’s a great sit down delicatessen called Mari’s that’s a nice stroll from the PI.

Another neighbors I’ve stayed in and explored was near the Tower of London. Stayed at the PI on Fleet Street. The gorgeous art deco Blackfrair pub is 2 blocks away. Across the road from the pub is the Blackfriars Train/Tube station. Love the architectural dichotomy.

So many differing neighborhoods, easy to find different neighborhoods.

See if the vibrant Shoreditch neighborhood would be of any interest to you.

Lastly if not allergic to cats visit the Seven Stars pub near the Royal courts of Justice and meet The General. Very good food and ambience. If lucky you might hear 2 or 3 barristers discussing a case.

@Pam-Thank you for your experienced suggestions and options. I'll check out all of those and the hotel too.

@Claudia-3* prices, not 4 or 5. I know London is expensive, but we don't need luxury accommodations. I'm not sure in British Pounds what a good price is for that level of hotel or B&B, so I'll check out the areas you mentioned. Thank you for the suggestions.

Susan, you will love this tour.

We almost always stay at a more modest hotel before a tour begins. For our recent Best of London tour, which also stayed at the Washington Mayfair, we stayed at the Celtic, in Bloomsbury. Getting to the Washington Mayfair from the Celtic couldn't be simpler: the Piccadilly Underground line goes straight from the Russell Square stop, a 5 minute walk from the hotel, to Green Park, the closest tube stop to the tour hotel.

A few years ago I posted a review of the Celtic: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/the-celtic-hotel-in-london-comfort-and-convenience-at-145-per-night

The price has gone up since then, but the rate, with a good breakfast included, is still comfortably under £200 per night. I just now checked, and we'll be paying £175 a night, with breakfast for 2 people included.

This has become "our" hotel in London; we've stayed here 4 times, and are booked again for next summer. I highly recommend it.

Time is money. The Washington Mayfair is a decent hotel very well situated. Most hotels in that area are 2 to 3X the cost. You lose a good part of a precious day switching hotels. Stay at your tour hotel.