After nearly a week working on my London guidebook, I’ve reworked my proposed plan for the best seven days of sightseeing in this exhilarating city. It’s my best mix of balance and efficiency, partly dictated by opening hours…but I think it could be better. (References to self-guided walks and tours refer to those chapters in the book.) Any suggested improvements are welcome:
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; 14:30 — Tour Westminster Abbey; 16:30 — 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: 8:45 — Take a double-decker hop-on, hop-off London sightseeing bus tour (start at Victoria Street and hop off for the Changing of the Guard); 11:00 — Buckingham Palace (guards change most days, but worth confirming); 13:00 — Tour the British Museum; 16:30 — Covent Garden, shopping, and people-watching (consider following the self-guided West End Walk). Have a pub dinner before a play, concert, or evening walking tour.
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; 14:30 — 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), the Tate Modern (open Fri and Sat until 22:00).
Day 4: 10:00 — Tour the British Library; 13:00 — Tour the National Gallery and Portrait Gallery. Free afternoon and evening.
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 Tate Britain, Museum of London, the Imperial War Museum, or Kew Gardens (cruise to Kew, return to London by Tube).
Day 6: Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich, tour the town’s salty sights, then ride the DLR train (Pudding Hill Lane stop) to see the Olympics 2012 site. Next ride the DLR to the Docklands (Canary Lane stop) for a look at London’s emerging “Manhattan.” Finally, Tube back to London.
Day 7: 10:00 — Tour the Victoria & Albert Museum; spend afternoon at Harrods or other shopping.
With more time: If you have more than one week for London, I’d spend a day or two side-tripping. To keep an English focus, head out to Windsor, Cambridge, Stonehenge, or Bath for one day. For maximum travel thrills, consider a Paris getaway. With the zippy English Channel train, Paris is less than three hours away and can even be worth a long day trip.
What a great city. In all of Europe, I’d say only Rome, Paris, and Istanbul can keep a week so full of blockbuster sights and experiences. I need to come back to London for a vacation. And with the pound almost at par with the euro, the city suddenly seems relatively easy on the budget.
(Two days later: I’m loving your suggestions. I’ll tweak the week plan and put up the refined version soon. Any more suggestions?)
Considering 30% of London is green, why aren’t there any central parks on your itinerary? Kew Gardens and Greenwich are very nice indeed, but far enough to scare a lot of travellers off. Why not suggest the lovely serpentine in Hyde Park or Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park? -Marie http://www.eurotriptips.com
The Tower of London is such a disappointment; hugely overrated, even if it inevitably ends up on every itinerary. I agree wholeheartedly about the green spaces. Having living and worked in London, I delighted in the differences, with the amount of space dedicated to parks, greenery, and public use a major distinction, and advantage. Regent’s Park is breathtaking, and the flower beds are to die for; there is a zoo for kids, a rose garden, etc. If you want to experience the beauty of London, drop the touristy Tower and add Regent’s Park, or St. James, or Hyde. You can throw in a lunch at one of their cafes, or do a picnic in nice weather.
There is encouraging news for U.S. travelers to Europe in the Wed. April 14 online edition of the New York Times in a travel article titled: “The Jingle of Change In Europe.” The informative story touches upon exchange rates, hotel prices, car rentals, airfares and even tour prices. The bottom line seems to be, book early if you want decent airfares to Europe – or, in other words, if you snooze, you lose.
Thanks for the post Rick. I have always wanted to sit in the gallery and watch the dramatic proceedings of a typical day in the House of Parliament. My wife would never go for it. I heard recently that being a voyeur of the House of Commons is a past-time of Sir Paul McCartney and that he sneaks in as inconspicuously as possible and watches the action when they have night sessions. I would also agree with Marie above that the parks of London are a great way to really enjoy that city. I love to sit and listen to the brass bands that play in the Summers while I eat a packed lunch and watch the distinctly British crowd go about their day.
Also agree about parks. Plus, although I love Kew, it’s a long trek however you travel, and very expensive when you get there. I’d consider Hampton Court instead. I also wouldn’t start with the Tower on Day One. If you have to include hop-on hop-off buses (much cheaper to take a real bus and sit up top) I’d do that on Day One to get the geography sorted out. What happened to the Cabinet War Rooms? And Hampstead? I’d include recommendations for afternoon tea (see my previous comment about the V&A and the Orangery, although Americans seem to like the posh hotels) and fish and chips.
One must have tea while in London. Along with the parks, do not forget that great practice of democracy, speakers corner. Some royalty related sights may be desirable for some.
I know you’re inclined to the arts side of things, Rick, but I would put the Science Museum and/or Natural History Museum *streets* ahead of some of the museums you mention. I also echo the comment about a walk across/around one of London’s parks. Easy enough to do with the tube, if you’re suggesting Exhibition Row (even if it’s the V&A) then send your tours to Marble Arch tube rather than South Kensington and let them walk across Hyde Park to get there.
I second the nomination for Hampstead as worthy of a visit. Hampstead offers a market-town High Street, the Heath for a pleasant stroll, and sites such as the recently-renovated Keats House for lovers of 19th century literature. For a traveler who may not have the time or opportunity to get away from big-city London, an afternoon spent in Hampstead (easily accessible by Tube) provides a different perspective on English life.
Rick- I used to live in London and suggest that if you have a week, see some other parts of London. Chelsea and Fulham have delightful high streets, pubs and usually, on Monday nights, Quiz night, which is super-fun and I would always take my visitors too. Football matches are fun too, as is walking the Thames footpath, especially between Putney and Hammersmith bridges.
For lovers of fine jewelry and unusual silver pieces, I would suggest the silver vaults in Chancery Lane. They are huge actual vaults filled with every sort of silver work you can imagine. Also of interest, but little known, is the Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The place is crammed with art objects of every kind, left just as he had arranged them.
Second the nomination for Sir John Soane’s. I also loved the Geffrye, but it’s bit off the beaten track. And there’s the quirky but atmospheric Dennis Sever’s house on a Monday evening… And Hampstead also has Kenwood house, with a few stellar pictures and a cafe. Just love London…
If you’ve never been to London; you must do the Tower. Hampstead is also my favorite part of London. Fenton House is there and has a wonderful musical instrument collection. I recommend that one should look at the National Trust UK web site before going to see what sites feature your own special interests.
I forgot about cemeteries – if you’re going north to Hampstead might as well visit Highgate and say hi to Karl Marx. Need to check the times, I think you may have to join a tour. Also, I loved the boat tour from Little Venice.
Visitors to London may want to check out some local farmers markets for fresh local produce and maybe unusual food finds while also meetings the locals
Loved London even than I had expected. Must keep Tower of London, with all its history, and I also consider the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms remarkable and not to be missed. And the memory of Evensong at Westminster is still very special and we would choose to do again as a reflective time after a day’s touring. We spent our week there in mid-June and were in the throngs celebrating the Queen’s official birthday. Loved standing along the Mall with a teary British family as they saw their “dear Queen” for the very first time. Happy travels!
Suggest an evening of music at St. Martin in the Fields – near the Naional Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Tickets and a good place to eat well and (somewhat) inexpensive in the basement.
I am loving your blog Rick. Always been a fan of yours. Keep writing!
Perhaps some attention to the architectural history of London taking into account recent modern developments. The rise of controversial modern architecture in London: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,688509,00.html
Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms were the highlight of our trip to London, well worth the time.
For shopping, I’m not a fan of Harrods — too crowded and touristy, especially on the lower levels, and too many tacky trinkets. Love Liberty, though!
I have always wondered why Rick Steves is so enamored of museums. I have traveled quite a bit and hardly ever remember the museums I visited as significant highlights. There are exceptions, of course, like the Vatican museum. But, your time is better spent strolling around the City then in a museum. Leave museums for rainy days.
I’d like Rick to comment on the travel situation 15 and 16 April in Great Britain and northern Europe. It’s an ill wind, so is the volcanic eruption and curtailed air travel helping London’s restaurants and hotels? How about northern Italy?
After living in London for 3 1/2 months while studying abroad in college, I definitely agree with spending an afternoon in a park- particularly Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park, which has beautiful flower displays. I am also a strong advocate of the double-decker bus tour. It was one of the first things I did when I arrived, and it is a great way to receive an interesting history of the city and get a lay of the land. London is such a great walking city and all visitors should set aside a good amount of time to simply wander. Especially around the Westminster area and the west side (Kensington, Mayfair, Belgravia)
Did Hyde Park on my London/Paris visit back in ’05. Not quite New York’s Central Park, but big enough. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend “walking across” it to get anywhere. Rather it should be enjpyed for relaxing and picnicing. Rick, you do need to heed the other commenters’ advice and integrate more parks as a liesure alternative. Now to John J. Bannan’s point about musuems: to each their own. But you have your your opinion, I have mine. Some us are fascinated, and some could do without it. We have to remember that since Mr. Steves is a student of history and is interested in how history has shaped us (as am I), that is what is informing his research. Indeed, this is what sets his guidies apart from all the other glorified phonebooks out there….