London precruise - how much time needed

[487]

Hi,

We've booked a British Isles/Transatlantic cruise for Aug 2018. We plan on arriving in London early to see some of the usual 1st timers sites, London Tower, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, Picadilly Circus, etc. How many days should we allow and what part of London is the most central to these places. My husband and I are both in our mid 60's and have never used any type of mass transit, so we were hoping to stay somewhere where we could either walk, get a taxi or organized tour from the hotel. My husband is also a big WW2 buff and would really like to find a daytrip to one of the airfields. We were thinking 3 days, not counting arrival day, is that going to be enough? Also, how far in advance should we make hotel reservations and should we buy tickets to these sites in advance, or wait until we are there?

[easyboy]

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[easyboy]

We stayed in a hotel in the Waterloo area (Premiere Inn) and had no problem walking to places of interest. I guess 3 days pre-cruise stay is enough for a first time. 2 days in central London, and another day for the Windsor/stonehenge/Bath tour.

 

 

 

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[RJHNorthyorks]

We often stay at Doubletree by Hilton Westminster which is within walking distance of some of the places you have identified. The tube / underground is very easy to use for other London sights.

Not sure whether 3 days enough as there are so many sights and places to visit.

You really should book timed tickets if you want to visit places like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey or the Palace of Westminster.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I could stay a month and still not have enough time to see everything. I would plan to spend at least 3 days and more if you can. You will be exhausted from all the walking, trust me. If you don't want to use the tube, plan to pay for taxis. That will save you a lot of walking but will cost you significantly more.

 

As far as the WWII sites, my adult Anglophile son and I went to the RAF Museum: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/

It's really well done and don't let the website that is geared toward kids confuse you. IMO, it is definitely an adult museum and the older you are, the more it will mean to you. My son couldn't get enough of it and I had to almost drag him from it after 3 hrs. and I'm supposed to be the one who is into history!

 

There's also the well-known Churchill War Rooms: http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/439238-churchill-war-rooms#0swW4YF0mIY32dyK.97

 

My biggest tip is to buy as many of your venue tickets and/or City Pass ahead of time, before leaving the US. It'll let you jump the queue at many of the sites and will save you a lot of time! Enjoy my favorite city!

[wheezedr]

While much of London is walkable it is a much larger city than many tourist cities you will have previously visited. When you search for hotels keep tube access in mind as you will likely use it at least once or twice.

If your hubby is a WWII buff you should really consider the Churchill WAR rooms as something to not miss. They are very central and include a museum dedicated to Winston as well.

I would consider 3-4 days a bare minimum if time and cost are not a factor.

[Tiggertastic]

For what you list 3 days is plenty. Use the buses rather than the taxis unless you bring a massive budget with you. London is a large area and one central hotel could be anywhere from Kensington/ Earl's Court n the west to Tower Hill on the east. The transport system is fabulous but somewhere in Waterloo is walking distance to buck palace, Westminster.

 

 

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[Langoustine]

I think you might begin to scratch the surface in a week. London is a huge, sprawling city and mass transit is going to be your friend (bus or the tube).

[Bob++]

All good advice above. I suggest that you start by buying a fairly large scale sheet map of London, and if you have room, pin it on the wall somewhere. Check out the websites of the places you list and find them on the map. That will give you a basis for planning routes.

 

Websites will give you the nearest tube stations and you should plot those separately on the tube map. This is a simplified plan and does not show the surface relationships of stations. Remember that the Thames is also a transport route and you should plan at least one trip on the river. Waterloo is near The Thames, and you can easily get a boat from there down to The Tower and a good view of Tower Bridge.

 

When you have a plan, post it on here and one of the experts will advise you.

 

For me at least, planning is half the fun, but always remember the old saying - If you want to make God laugh, make a plan...:) Weather is unpredictable; transport can be disrupted and London pavements are very hard on the feet.

[GrJ Berkshire]

IWM at Duxford airfield would be a good WW2 day trip out of London , but to fit in even half of these and trips out of the city you will need 5-7 days, or else you will be knackered.

[Hatters cruiser]

If your Husband is a WW2 buff then he might like to visit HMS Belfast a cruiser that supported the Normandy landings that is moored close to Tower Bridge.

 

If you are willing to travel a little further out of London then the Imperial War Museum Duxford is just south of Cambridge. It is home to their collection of aircraft, has a tank gallery and a hall dedicated to US aircraft.

 

During the war aircraft based there took part in the Battle of Britain and later housed Amercan bombers from the Eighth Army Airforce.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford

 

A train ride from London and a taxi from Cambridge station would get you there.

[wowzz]

If you plan to visit Duxford (which I would thoroughly recommend ), you could also see a little bit of Cambridge, but it will be a long day. That would then only give you two days in London, which is nowhere near enough time. I would extend your stay to at least a week.

[newport dave]

Hi,

We've booked a British Isles/Transatlantic cruise for Aug 2018. We plan on arriving in London early to see some of the usual 1st timers sites, London Tower, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, Picadilly Circus, etc. How many days should we allow and what part of London is the most central to these places. My husband and I are both in our mid 60's and have never used any type of mass transit, so we were hoping to stay somewhere where we could either walk, get a taxi or organized tour from the hotel. My husband is also a big WW2 buff and would really like to find a daytrip to one of the airfields. We were thinking 3 days, not counting arrival day, is that going to be enough? Also, how far in advance should we make hotel reservations and should we buy tickets to these sites in advance, or wait until we are there?

Just FYI and googling purposes, it's Tower of London and Tower Bridge. London Bridge is currently somewhere in Texas or Arizona.

 

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[Cotswold Eagle]

Just FYI and googling purposes, it's Tower of London and Tower Bridge. London Bridge is currently somewhere in Texas or Arizona.

 

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Well, there is still a London Bridge in London, but the previous one is in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The legend that they thought they were buying Tower Bridge appears sadly to be untrue [emoji846]

 

Many tourists do make that mistake, though - but at least you get a good view of Tower Bridge from London Bridge!

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

We recently enjoyed a land trip to London. We stayed at the St Ermin's Hotel. I highly recommend this property. It is walkable to so many places you mentioned. Easy tube ride from St James Park station to the Tower of London. St James Park is simply lovely, and you can walk through there to many places. We also took a couple of day excursions. The one to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge well worth the long day.

 

 

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[Bob++]

On sailing day it is possible to book a tour via Stonehenge or Windsor, but not both. Details here https://www.londontoolkit.com/tours/private_southampton_stonehenge.htm

[geoherb]

I don't think three days is long enough. But we're staying three nights in London before our cruise in a couple of weeks. Our highlights will be Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Speakers Corner, the Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert, a church service at Westminster Abbey or a smaller church I used to attend when I lived in London, and maybe a show. The first day there is basically recovering from the flight. We're not planning on any strenuous tourist stuff that day.

[Bob++]

We went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey a couple of years ago - fabulous. I would give Speaker's Corner a miss though, it's a shadow of its former self. If you haven't already done so - check what's on when at the Abbey here - http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

[gometros]

Hi,

We've booked a British Isles/Transatlantic cruise for Aug 2018. We plan on arriving in London early to see some of the usual 1st timers sites, London Tower, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, Picadilly Circus, etc. How many days should we allow and what part of London is the most central to these places. My husband and I are both in our mid 60's and have never used any type of mass transit, so we were hoping to stay somewhere where we could either walk, get a taxi or organized tour from the hotel. My husband is also a big WW2 buff and would really like to find a daytrip to one of the airfields. We were thinking 3 days, not counting arrival day, is that going to be enough? Also, how far in advance should we make hotel reservations and should we buy tickets to these sites in advance, or wait until we are there?

 

By any chance, is that on the Disney Magic?

[NSWP]

You need a week at least to check out the major attractions in ye olde London Town. We have stayed in London 3 or 4 times for a week and not seen it all.:confused:

 

Makes me grin, when I read of the Aussie cruisers on the Princess Line's world cruise, going to London for the day from Dover or Southampton Ports...saying 'They are going to see London.' Waste of time a day trip. I had a golfing mate who was on the Sea Princess world cruise, Sydney - Sydney - 104 days. Went from Dover to London for the day and just had a boat ride on the River Thames, plus a 2 hr drive by of Buck Palace etc.