London | two days
Here is what I recommend as major highlights for three days. This is what we did with our tween-age daughter and she really enjoyed it. I cannot emphasize enough the need for recovery from jet lag once you hit London, so plan some extra time for a nap so you have enough energy to see the city. It's one of my most favorite places in Europe.
I think, especially with young kids, that taking the bus tour is essential. You definitely feel like you “see” a lot of the sights without the time and energy it takes to walk all over. Because of jet lag - we did it the first day, first thing and bought the tickets in advance. Boarded our bus at the main office at Trafalgar square, just past the National Portrait Gallery – a little tricky to find the spot, so be patient. The tickets are good for 24 hours so you can start your day from a different tour and ride to where you want to go. I think Day 2 we rode it up to Bloomsbury for the British Museum, so you can definitely make use of the 24-hours.
PS. No more multi-day or weekly visitor Tube Passes – very disappointing. We ended up buying day passes for the two days we needed them because they were equal/cheaper /faster than single rides. Hopefully this will change, be sure to research it before you go.
You can buy your Tower of London tickets in advance, that was VERY helpful for skipping the (long) ticket lines. It is a great thing to do, very entertaining and every half hour or so a tour is led by a retired Beefeater - they are awesome and really make the visit special. Plus you get to see the crown jewels – who doesn’t like BLING? I have been on this tour at least four four times and it never gets old. Highly recommended.
We had an AMAZING afternoon tea at the Wolseley. I did a lot of research and it was just perfect. We had a late tea the day we saw the play and went to an Indian restaurant in the West End for dinner after (something like Chowdry?). If you choose to do dinner after, I’d do a little research on where to go/what is open late. We had a hard time finding something spontaneous. and walked through a few seedy neighborhoods until we found someplace acceptable.
Some helpful links to the things I mentioned above:
- London Bus Tour http://www.theoriginaltour.com/
- British Museum to see the Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone http://www.britishmuseum.org/
- Tate Modern http://www.tate.org.uk/
- Tower of London http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/
- Westminster Abbey http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
- Afternoon Tea at The Wosley http://www.thewolseley.com/
- West End play – Les Miserables http://www.lesmis.com/
- Knightsbridge/Harrod’s Department Store http://www.harrods.com/
I am a big Fan of the V&A Museum – we didn’t get there this trip but there is always something interesting there. It is close-ish to Harrods and the Knightsbridge/Kensington Area, where I lived in college. So many great neighborhoods to explore, Chelsea, Kings Road, Blooomsbury, City of London, anything across the bridges... Next on my to-do list is Pimlico.
BONUS: Add a day trip to Bath or Windsor is also wonderful – easy to do via a quick train ride and you get to see the quaint English village side of the country.
