While this is likely interesting only to itinerary wonks, I wanted to share with you my revised “Best Seven Days in London” plan after some great feedback from people on this blog (e.g., enjoy the parks, Cabinet War Rooms, and afternoon tea, and go a bit lighter on the museums). Thanks for the help. This is the proposed plan (improved from the earlier blog entry) that will be in my 2011 edition of Rick Steves’ London. (The self-guided walks and tours referenced are those included in that guidebook.) It’s a fun challenge to make it geographically efficient, fit the opening hours, balance the days, and be realistic. This is very ambitious…but perfectly doable for the well-organized traveler.
Day 1: 9:00 — Tower of London (crown jewels first to beat the crowds, then Beefeater tour, then White Tower); 13:00 — Munch a sandwich on the Thames while cruising from Tower to Westminster Bridge; 15:00 — Tour Westminster Abbey (consider Evensong service at 17:00); 17:00 — Follow the self-guided Westminster Walk. When you’re finished, you could return to the Houses of Parliament and pop in to see the House of Commons in action.
Day 2: 8:30 — Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off London sightseeing bus tour (from Green Park or Victoria) and hop off for the Changing of the Guard; 11:00 — Buckingham Palace (guards change most days, but worth confirming); 12:00 — Walk through St. James’s Park to enjoy London’s delightful park scene; 13:00 — After lunch, tour Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum; 16:00 — Tour National Gallery. Have a pub dinner before a play, concert, or evening walking tour (for ideas, see the Entertainment chapter).
Day 3: 9:00 — Follow the self-guided City Walk from Trafalgar Square to London Bridge, inserting the full St. Paul’s Tour in the middle; 15:00 — Follow the self-guided Bankside Walk along the South Bank of the Thames, then walk the Jubilee Promenade from the Millennium Bridge to the London Eye. Cap the day with South Bank sights or experiences open in the evening: a ride on the London Eye, a Shakespearean play at Shakespeare’s Globe (19:30 in summer), or the Tate Modern (open Fri and Sat until 22:00).
Day 4: 10:00 — Tour the British Museum; 14:00 — Take the self-guided West End Walk to see Covent Garden, Soho, and the Regent Street shops; 17:30 — Enjoy an afternoon tea (at Fortnum & Mason or at The Wolseley).
Day 5: Spend the morning at an antique market. Spend the rest of your day at your choice of major sights. Depending on your interests, choose from the British Library, Tate Britain, Museum of London, Imperial War Museum, or Kew Gardens (cruise to Kew, return to London by Tube).
Day 6: 10:00 — Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich; 11:00 — Tour salty sights of Greenwich; 14:30 — Ride the DLR train to Pudding Hill Lane to see the Olympics 2012 site; 16:00 — Ride the DLR to the Docklands for a look at London’s emerging “Manhattan”; 18:00 — Tube back to London.
Day 7: 10:00 — Tour the Victoria & Albert Museum; after lunch (or a picnic in the park), stroll through Hyde Park. Spend the afternoon at Harrods or other shopping.
17:30 is awfully late for afternoon tea. In fact, if you’re doing it at the Wolseley it stops serving tea at 17:30 on Saturdays, and 18:30 weekdays, and Fortnum’s pianist quits at 18:00. Not a problem on weekdays if all you’re doing is a scone, but a lot of people like to do the full monty (and the Wolseley’s menu looks a bit sparse). Places like the Ritz and Brown’s are more usual stops for Americans. I’d suggest putting it on Day 7 and recommending the Orangery. A full tea plus an after theater supper would work well. Brits would be doing it around 15:00 or 16:00.
We are booked on the Best of England starting 9/5. We intend staying over for two additional days in London after the tour ends and this helps us in selecting what to do for those additional days that wern’t seen in our tour.
Shame that Camden Town didn’t get a mention. I’ve lived in London for 20 years – and my visitors/guests always love visiting the place. I’m sure that younger and more artistic travellers would prefer the hundreds of art-deco, bohemian and fashion shops at what is probably London’s largest market. Good place for lunch too. I’d miss out a museum or Canary wharf/Olympic site to see this. Travellers coming to London should bear in mind that parliament is currently closed until the general election is held May 6th.
Andy – great call with Camden Town. I work in Portsmouth, my family visited from Nova Scotia for 3 weeks in summer ’08, and their favorite overall day out was Camden Town, and nearby London Zoo, followed by Spamalot that evening (I know the Zoo isn’t so “bespoke” to London/England, but my folks had never been to one before and really enjoyed it). They were impressed with the Bohemian-ness and especially the yummy food stalls of Camden. It also has a good rep amongst hepcats down this way for the same reasons :) Personally I could give a toss about roving the richie-rich neighbourhoods; in a place like Camden the multiculturalism of London puts its best and earthiest foot forward. Cheers, Brian
good article…
This is a great first-time visitors’ itinerary, combining must-sees with plenty of room for discovery. It does feel slightly cramped into Zone 1, though, with the exception of the Greenwich excursion and the Kew option, where the river is the axis. Given the amount of intensely urban exploration on the agenda, it might be worth suggesting a trip north to Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath, especially for those who like early starts or late finishes; it’s a way to allow visitors to step back and enjoy the grand panorama of the city in a less formal natural environment than the Royal Parks, and one that’s beloved by Londoners. (For instance, it’s a relatively straightforward trip from Stratford up to Hampstead on Day 6 for those who aren’t interested in Docklands.)