Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Planning Your Time
The sights of London alone could easily fill a trip to Great Britain. It's worth at least three
busy days. You won't be able to see everything, so don't try. You'll keep coming back to
London. After dozens of visits myself, I still enjoy a healthy list of excuses to return. Espe-
cially if you hope to enjoy a play or concert, a night or two of jet lag is bad news.
Here's a suggested three-day schedule:
Day 1
9:00 Tower of London (crown jewels first, then Beefeater tour and White Tower; note that on Sun-Mon,
the Tower opens at 10:00).
13:00 Grab a picnic, catch a boat at Tower Pier, and relax with lunch on the Thames while cruising to
Westminster Pier.
14:30 Tour Westminster Abbey, and consider its evensong service (at 15:00 Sat-Sun, at 17:00 Mon-Fri
and Sat in summer).
17:00 Follow my self-guided walk of Westminster.
(or after
evensong)
When you're finished, if it's a Monday or Tuesday, you could return to the Houses of Parliament
and pop in to see the House of Commons in action (until 22:30).
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 May-July at 11:30, alternate days Aug-
April—confirm).
12:00 Walk through St. James's Park to enjoy London's delightful park scene.
13:00 Covent Garden for lunch, shopping, and people-watching.
14:30 Tour the British Museum.
Evening Have a pub dinner before a play, concert, or evening walking tour.
Day 3
Choose among these remaining London highlights: National Gallery, British Library,
Churchill War Rooms, Imperial War Museum, the two Tates (Tate Modern on the South
Bank for modern art, Tate Britain on the North Bank for British art), St. Paul's Cathedral,
Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Courtauld
Gallery, or the Museum of London; take a spin on the London Eye or a cruise to Kew Gar-
dens; enjoy a play at Shakespeare's Globe; do some serious shopping at one of London's
elegant department stores or open-air markets; or take another historic walking tour.
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