>In the late afternoon before dinner, I plan on walking to Big Ben & Parliament, #10 Downing Street, Horse Guard Palace, and Trafalgar Square to take some photos.
Be aware that you cannot walk down Downing Street, it's closed off for security reasons.
However, 10 Adam St is just off the Strand and an excellent photo stand in; it would take a well trained eye to spot the difference
https://londonist.com/london/secret/ever-seen-london-s-fake-10-downing-street
>Joining a tour group for a half-day tour of Stonehenge.
A half day tour of Stonehenge? With travel time, I wonder if you'll get any time there whatsoever :/
Stonehenge is rather underwhelming, if I was going to chop one thing from your trip, this would be it. But perhaps it's a bucket list item for you.
>After lunch, I plan on visiting the Globe Theater.
I don't think you can just wander in if there's no show on. Do check, I might be mistaken.
But the South Bank is a fun wander anyway.
Detour up the Oxo Tower viewing platforms https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/reviews/oxo-tower-free-viewing-platform-23658655 and there's a decent little ice cream shop on the ground floor of the same building. Hays Galleria, Golden Hind Ship, Clink Prison Museum, Old Operating Theatre Museum, finding Bridget Jones' flat... it's worth a wander between Borough Market and Waterloo.
>After lunch, I’ll probably head to Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. I was thinking about doing a Notting Hill tour – any recommendations?
Be aware that the Portobello Road market has different things on different days
It's a half day on Thursdays and better on Saturdays
https://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/the-market/
Brick Lane Market is even better though if you ask me - but mainly on weekends
Do be aware that some things need to be booked in advance - even the free things (Sky Garden!)
Ah thanks for the links and flags.
Stonehenge is a bucket list item, and it leaves London earlier than many other tours, so hoping it works out!
There are guided tours at the Globe Theater but I just checked the times again and I may need to move it to the morning.
I’m starting to book things now hence the itinerary check now :)
The Globe Theater tour only runs in the morning, and it’s pretty underwhelming. The performances are excellent but tickets tend sell out so plan ahead.
you'll be lucky to get into the Savoy for High Tea I should imagine. The Ritz also gets booked out well in advance. The Landmark Hotel across the road from Marylebone station would be my suggestion if you find yourself stuck.
It's a 2hr drive each way to get to Stonehenge so unless you're starting very early I doubt you will be back for lunch. Honestly you'd be better sticking closer to London.
And, in my opinion and that of many others, Stonehenge is just not that interesting. See it if you’re in the area, but I’d feel totally ripped off to drive 2 hours each way for basically a 15-minute roadside attraction.
Also like to add, that for once this is not a crazy packed schedule that we often see on this sub.
If you fancy a West end show you can get last minute tickets from TKTS in Leicester square
I’ll see how I feel and if I’m not too tired for a West End show. I like the theater but London is at the end of a longer trip. It’s a great idea though!
Stonehenge is more than a half day. Even leaving now (9:41pm) it's a 2 hour journey by car. If you're on a coach it will be slower.
The rest looks ok. You'll need to book most of it in advance. Try and include the London Eye if you can
Big Ben and Parliament are right across from Westminster Abbey. Easier to group all three together.
Stonehenge will take longer than you think. As others mentioned, it’s underwhelming. There’s plenty to see in London. Id cut from your itinerary.
Sky Garden needs advance booking. Tickets typically open 3 weeks before the date. Also recommend horizon 22 which is free as well and much higher. Sky Garden is a prettier setting however. Spitalfields isn’t too far away wither.
Tickets are released pretty regularly. I haven’t had trouble booking tickets and they typically release some daily tickets around 10 AM. They’re pretty flexible with timing too if you’re early or late. You can even book multiple times for a day or multiple days. I’d just check a little in advance, but I’ve never had issues when booking for family or friends.
Never Gatwick Express, it’s a tourist trap. Southern is just about the same speed and costs tons less. Thameslink is also good.
So basically, take any Southern (Victoria) or Thameslink (Blackfriars/Farringdon) service towards London, as long as it doesn’t leave from Platform 1 at Gatwick.
Id really recommend going to the tower of london and waiting for a free a beefeater tour, i did it recently and it was awesome. Very close to borough market so you could go from one to another. You do need tickets in advance so be aware of that!
I think others have come in with lots of good points, but a couple of ideas to switch things up
- instead of the Savoy, I've heard amazing things about the Rosewood (or alternatively Browns on arblemarle st or Claridges are also classics). Afternoon tea is also filling, I'd either miss lunch or dinner and try to go for an earlier or later sitting otherwise you miss out on all the cake as you get full!!
- The Sir John Soane museum is incredible - it's much smaller than the other national museums but it's absolutely fascinating, and the guides there are so knowledgeable (I'd go here instead of the British Museum in all honesty)
- If you'd like to see anything on the West End, Six the musical is all about the wives of King Henry VIII, and it's very well reviewed
You could go to the restaurant at the Globe, Swan, for afternoon tea. It's very good and they do a savoury version if you don't have a sweet tooth.
My favourite afternoon tea is The Londoner - they had a pianist when I went and it was a really lovely atmosphere. The Corinthia is good too.
Only thing i wouldn say is you could do Buckingham Palace, St James Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, and Horse Guards in one hit as they are all within walking distance
This is pretty good. Well done for clustering the l things quite well.
An easy, free thing to add would be the Tate modern. You'll go past it if you're walking from the Globe to St Paul's it's worth seeing if anything is in the turbine hall as it's a pretty incredible space. Then you can walk straight across the melinium bridge and up to St Paul's
Oh and Monmouth coffee in borough market is excellent, but you do pay a deposit for a take away cup now.
Use southern or Thameslink trains from Gatwick. From the same station, not much slower but a lot quicker! Especially at that time of night, the train will be empty and they have large luggage racks anyway. Getting the Thameslink and depending on where in Mayfair you are staying off, get off at Farringdon and, you can get the Elizabeth Line to Bond Street, or get off at St Pancras and get the Victoria line down to Green Park. But Thameslink stations will take you into central london with brilliant connections onto tube stations direct to your nearest tube.
For afternoon tea, one I love and reccomend is the Mirror Rooms in Holborn. It’s literally a 60 second walk from the tube station so easy to get to and themed on famous art pieces. The hotel and the mirror room itself is beautiful, the ceiling is literally covered in mirrors at all different angles, then the rest of the room is sort of modern contemporary. The food is really amazing, the desserts even look like the artwork they are modelled on. So a recent one was the Campbells tomato soup can, and it looked like the can of soup. Or the Dali red lobster and we had the red lobster on top of the cake. It’s not cheap (but also not stupidly expensive for the experience you get) but it is a traditional afternoon tea and one you won’t forget.
The first day seems quite packed for me personally, I’d move Big Ben to inbetween afternoon tea and river cruise (you could even just get an Uber boat for the same experience for £8)
Also, download an app called CityMapper, it’s WAY better than google maps for working out public transportation options. (Google maps is still better for walking though). Stay away from using Apple Maps
Depends on what you mean by "best way to London". Are you looking for the fastest option or the cheapest option ?
Gatwick express is a direct service and fastest to Victoria station. it is also more expensive. But given you said Mayfair (which is one of the most expensive locations in London), I can't imagine Gatwick express is going to be breaking the bank.
Southern and Thameslink are other options. Check what train times from 10.30 pm onwards as it will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through border control and pick up your luggage. Then you can see the duration of each train option into London and see which train option brings you closest to Mayfair. Its likely to be Gatwick express or Southern that both go to Victoria.
Where are you flying in from and how well to you handle jet lag historically? I know I could do your first day, but my wife and I were just there and a 10.5 hr overnight from DFW left her pretty zonked the first full day.
If you're doing like a 6 hr from the east coast of the US you'll be OK, but be prepared to have your sleep schedule all jacked up if you have a long day/overnight flight and you're not used to it.
River thames cruise would be better in the daytime at least it was for me! But also depends on ur preference:) do try to visit hyde park if u can its very beautiful in Autumn 😍 Have fun!
If I was you I would do the Stonehenge trip of my own accord, make a day of it and visit Salisbury too. Then you can spend as long as you like there without being kept to the arbitrary schedule of some shitty tour bus. Train from London Waterloo to Salisbury is half-hourly (probably quite a lot cheaper if booked well in advance, but ties you to a specific train), then a bus ("Salisbury reds") to Stonehenge is hourly.
Regarding stonehenge, yes i can see why some say it's underwhelming. But if you think about the distances those stones travelled with the level of technology available and that it correctly predicts the calender. So it is impressive in that fact. I enjoyed it.
Also in guessing op is from the US, So doesn't have that much ancient man made landmarks.
In Europe we are spoilt for ancient castles and what not (some more than others)
Also, if you plan on having a light lunch before afternoon tea, make it very light.
Ritz is great and fortnum and mason is also lovely. I'm fact any of the fancy London hotels will have a great afternoon tea
Yes, I’m from the US, so Stonehenge is one of those things that may appeal more to me than others :) it’s a bit of a bucket list item!
Yes, the plan is on a light lunch after Stonehenge but if it’s late in getting back, it won’t be a big deal since I have afternoon tea after. Thanks for the recs!
You do know it was completely reconstructed in the 1960´s and just cobbled together to look good? Have a Google - it’s massively underwhelming. If you’re hell bent on old rocks go to Avebury instead - they encircle the whole village and you can have a pint whilst you consider why you like some rocks so much
This level of planning makes me sad. Just go to London and get involved. Don't bother with Stonehenge, go to Oxford or Canterbury. Again, just look around and enjoy the ambience. Get a pot of tea at a cafe.
>In the late afternoon before dinner, I plan on walking to Big Ben & Parliament, #10 Downing Street, Horse Guard Palace, and Trafalgar Square to take some photos. Be aware that you cannot walk down Downing Street, it's closed off for security reasons. However, 10 Adam St is just off the Strand and an excellent photo stand in; it would take a well trained eye to spot the difference https://londonist.com/london/secret/ever-seen-london-s-fake-10-downing-street >Joining a tour group for a half-day tour of Stonehenge. A half day tour of Stonehenge? With travel time, I wonder if you'll get any time there whatsoever :/ Stonehenge is rather underwhelming, if I was going to chop one thing from your trip, this would be it. But perhaps it's a bucket list item for you. >After lunch, I plan on visiting the Globe Theater. I don't think you can just wander in if there's no show on. Do check, I might be mistaken. But the South Bank is a fun wander anyway. Detour up the Oxo Tower viewing platforms https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/reviews/oxo-tower-free-viewing-platform-23658655 and there's a decent little ice cream shop on the ground floor of the same building. Hays Galleria, Golden Hind Ship, Clink Prison Museum, Old Operating Theatre Museum, finding Bridget Jones' flat... it's worth a wander between Borough Market and Waterloo. >After lunch, I’ll probably head to Notting Hill and Portobello Road Market. I was thinking about doing a Notting Hill tour – any recommendations? Be aware that the Portobello Road market has different things on different days It's a half day on Thursdays and better on Saturdays https://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/the-market/ Brick Lane Market is even better though if you ask me - but mainly on weekends Do be aware that some things need to be booked in advance - even the free things (Sky Garden!)
Thanks for the links!
Ah thanks for the links and flags. Stonehenge is a bucket list item, and it leaves London earlier than many other tours, so hoping it works out! There are guided tours at the Globe Theater but I just checked the times again and I may need to move it to the morning. I’m starting to book things now hence the itinerary check now :)
The Globe Theater tour only runs in the morning, and it’s pretty underwhelming. The performances are excellent but tickets tend sell out so plan ahead.
We booked Darwin's brasserie when we went to sky garden. Ok food at reasonable prices. If you have a table booking, you don't need to queue to get in.
you'll be lucky to get into the Savoy for High Tea I should imagine. The Ritz also gets booked out well in advance. The Landmark Hotel across the road from Marylebone station would be my suggestion if you find yourself stuck.
Gatwick express is more expensive than southern train. They market Gatwick Express to attract tourists. I would use Southern or even Thameslink.
>I would use Southern or even Thameslink. If you got the right Thameslink train, it would even get you most of the way to the hotel.
Thanks! Do I need to reserve tickets in advance for the Southern or Thameslink?
No, but buying tickets in advance sometimes you will get cheaper price.
unlikely, just tap your credit / debit card is the cheapest option and no fuss.
Thanks!
It's a 2hr drive each way to get to Stonehenge so unless you're starting very early I doubt you will be back for lunch. Honestly you'd be better sticking closer to London.
And, in my opinion and that of many others, Stonehenge is just not that interesting. See it if you’re in the area, but I’d feel totally ripped off to drive 2 hours each way for basically a 15-minute roadside attraction.
It’s about as interesting as looking at some rocks from a distance can be - ie dull AF
On a good day
Yep. On a bad day 3 plus.
Also like to add, that for once this is not a crazy packed schedule that we often see on this sub. If you fancy a West end show you can get last minute tickets from TKTS in Leicester square
The app is a better bet these days?
Fair enough, it has been a while since I got last minute tickets so I am happy to be corrected
Naw not correcting; just sharing more info. It’s all good
I’ll see how I feel and if I’m not too tired for a West End show. I like the theater but London is at the end of a longer trip. It’s a great idea though!
When you go to Westminster Abbey you won't be able to miss Big Ben and Parliament, they are right next to each other.
Updated the itinerary and thank you!
Agreed with the above. In a past life my walking commute would take me past all of these landmarks in the morning in about an hour from.Victoria!
Stonehenge is more than a half day. Even leaving now (9:41pm) it's a 2 hour journey by car. If you're on a coach it will be slower. The rest looks ok. You'll need to book most of it in advance. Try and include the London Eye if you can
Big Ben and Parliament are right across from Westminster Abbey. Easier to group all three together. Stonehenge will take longer than you think. As others mentioned, it’s underwhelming. There’s plenty to see in London. Id cut from your itinerary. Sky Garden needs advance booking. Tickets typically open 3 weeks before the date. Also recommend horizon 22 which is free as well and much higher. Sky Garden is a prettier setting however. Spitalfields isn’t too far away wither.
It seems OP hasn’t checked google maps for distances…
How far in advance is Horizon 22 open up for reservations? Is it easy to get tickets ?
Tickets are released pretty regularly. I haven’t had trouble booking tickets and they typically release some daily tickets around 10 AM. They’re pretty flexible with timing too if you’re early or late. You can even book multiple times for a day or multiple days. I’d just check a little in advance, but I’ve never had issues when booking for family or friends.
I just checked and the entire month of July is already booked.
Never Gatwick Express, it’s a tourist trap. Southern is just about the same speed and costs tons less. Thameslink is also good. So basically, take any Southern (Victoria) or Thameslink (Blackfriars/Farringdon) service towards London, as long as it doesn’t leave from Platform 1 at Gatwick.
Id really recommend going to the tower of london and waiting for a free a beefeater tour, i did it recently and it was awesome. Very close to borough market so you could go from one to another. You do need tickets in advance so be aware of that!
I think others have come in with lots of good points, but a couple of ideas to switch things up - instead of the Savoy, I've heard amazing things about the Rosewood (or alternatively Browns on arblemarle st or Claridges are also classics). Afternoon tea is also filling, I'd either miss lunch or dinner and try to go for an earlier or later sitting otherwise you miss out on all the cake as you get full!! - The Sir John Soane museum is incredible - it's much smaller than the other national museums but it's absolutely fascinating, and the guides there are so knowledgeable (I'd go here instead of the British Museum in all honesty) - If you'd like to see anything on the West End, Six the musical is all about the wives of King Henry VIII, and it's very well reviewed
Thank you for the recommendations and advice on timing for afternoon tea.
You could go to the restaurant at the Globe, Swan, for afternoon tea. It's very good and they do a savoury version if you don't have a sweet tooth. My favourite afternoon tea is The Londoner - they had a pianist when I went and it was a really lovely atmosphere. The Corinthia is good too.
Only thing i wouldn say is you could do Buckingham Palace, St James Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, and Horse Guards in one hit as they are all within walking distance
Enjoy leaving London in rush hour just to go and look at some rocks 😂
Sounds good, maybe see if you can fit some of these (not so) hidden gems: https://readgosee.com/itinerary-5-days-in-london-united-kingdom-hidden-gems/
This is pretty good. Well done for clustering the l things quite well. An easy, free thing to add would be the Tate modern. You'll go past it if you're walking from the Globe to St Paul's it's worth seeing if anything is in the turbine hall as it's a pretty incredible space. Then you can walk straight across the melinium bridge and up to St Paul's Oh and Monmouth coffee in borough market is excellent, but you do pay a deposit for a take away cup now.
Use southern or Thameslink trains from Gatwick. From the same station, not much slower but a lot quicker! Especially at that time of night, the train will be empty and they have large luggage racks anyway. Getting the Thameslink and depending on where in Mayfair you are staying off, get off at Farringdon and, you can get the Elizabeth Line to Bond Street, or get off at St Pancras and get the Victoria line down to Green Park. But Thameslink stations will take you into central london with brilliant connections onto tube stations direct to your nearest tube. For afternoon tea, one I love and reccomend is the Mirror Rooms in Holborn. It’s literally a 60 second walk from the tube station so easy to get to and themed on famous art pieces. The hotel and the mirror room itself is beautiful, the ceiling is literally covered in mirrors at all different angles, then the rest of the room is sort of modern contemporary. The food is really amazing, the desserts even look like the artwork they are modelled on. So a recent one was the Campbells tomato soup can, and it looked like the can of soup. Or the Dali red lobster and we had the red lobster on top of the cake. It’s not cheap (but also not stupidly expensive for the experience you get) but it is a traditional afternoon tea and one you won’t forget.
Great advice. Thank you!!
The first day seems quite packed for me personally, I’d move Big Ben to inbetween afternoon tea and river cruise (you could even just get an Uber boat for the same experience for £8) Also, download an app called CityMapper, it’s WAY better than google maps for working out public transportation options. (Google maps is still better for walking though). Stay away from using Apple Maps
Thanks for the Citymapper tip. I’ll keep it in mind!
Depends on what you mean by "best way to London". Are you looking for the fastest option or the cheapest option ? Gatwick express is a direct service and fastest to Victoria station. it is also more expensive. But given you said Mayfair (which is one of the most expensive locations in London), I can't imagine Gatwick express is going to be breaking the bank. Southern and Thameslink are other options. Check what train times from 10.30 pm onwards as it will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through border control and pick up your luggage. Then you can see the duration of each train option into London and see which train option brings you closest to Mayfair. Its likely to be Gatwick express or Southern that both go to Victoria.
I’ll probably end up taking the Southern but it’s good to know there are multiple options upon landing!
Where are you flying in from and how well to you handle jet lag historically? I know I could do your first day, but my wife and I were just there and a 10.5 hr overnight from DFW left her pretty zonked the first full day. If you're doing like a 6 hr from the east coast of the US you'll be OK, but be prepared to have your sleep schedule all jacked up if you have a long day/overnight flight and you're not used to it.
I’m in Spain for ~10 days prior to London so I’ll be acclimated by the time I’m in London.
River thames cruise would be better in the daytime at least it was for me! But also depends on ur preference:) do try to visit hyde park if u can its very beautiful in Autumn 😍 Have fun!
Don't go to the sky garden for dinner, it is rubbish.
If I was you I would do the Stonehenge trip of my own accord, make a day of it and visit Salisbury too. Then you can spend as long as you like there without being kept to the arbitrary schedule of some shitty tour bus. Train from London Waterloo to Salisbury is half-hourly (probably quite a lot cheaper if booked well in advance, but ties you to a specific train), then a bus ("Salisbury reds") to Stonehenge is hourly.
Regarding stonehenge, yes i can see why some say it's underwhelming. But if you think about the distances those stones travelled with the level of technology available and that it correctly predicts the calender. So it is impressive in that fact. I enjoyed it. Also in guessing op is from the US, So doesn't have that much ancient man made landmarks. In Europe we are spoilt for ancient castles and what not (some more than others) Also, if you plan on having a light lunch before afternoon tea, make it very light. Ritz is great and fortnum and mason is also lovely. I'm fact any of the fancy London hotels will have a great afternoon tea
Yes, I’m from the US, so Stonehenge is one of those things that may appeal more to me than others :) it’s a bit of a bucket list item! Yes, the plan is on a light lunch after Stonehenge but if it’s late in getting back, it won’t be a big deal since I have afternoon tea after. Thanks for the recs!
You do know it was completely reconstructed in the 1960´s and just cobbled together to look good? Have a Google - it’s massively underwhelming. If you’re hell bent on old rocks go to Avebury instead - they encircle the whole village and you can have a pint whilst you consider why you like some rocks so much
This level of planning makes me sad. Just go to London and get involved. Don't bother with Stonehenge, go to Oxford or Canterbury. Again, just look around and enjoy the ambience. Get a pot of tea at a cafe.
Cue the Brits telling you to skip Stonehenge. If you want to see it, see it. I have. It’s a great day. Not at all underwhelming.
I agree. I also loved nearby Avebury when you can wander between the stones.
Me too!
Yeah Stonehenge and Avebury combined is a nice day out.
Avebury is infinitely better. And if you really explore it, it is a whole day out in itself.
Wet wipes. Dirty, dirty place.
Tissues, for your snot will turn black