How can I best arrange my London itinerary for post-cruise stay??!!

[butterfly0202]

Hello all! I’m excited to be on the Disney Magic next week on the Northern Europe 10 night cruise. I’m trying to figure out our post-cruise stay In London for two full days (a Tuesday and Wednesday) with 8 family members . We are a mix of 2 children, 3 adults and 4 seniors in good shape lol. I’ve been trying to plan a fun itinerary that is not tooo jam packed (since we will be tired from this post-intensive )- yet one that makes good use of our two day London Pass .

Here is a list of our must-dos and maybes —

Must do:
Westminster abbey
Tower of London
Hop on - hop off bus
Cruise of Thames river
Buckingham palace
Big Ben


Maybes :
The shard
Changing of the guard
Church hill war rooms
St James Park
Photo-op at platform 9 3/4
Kensington palace
HMS Belfast

can anyone suggest how I may cluster these together into the two days to make the most sense ?
Also which are the best ones to do early in the am vs late afternoon?

Any feedback would help immensely !! Thank you !!!!

 

[FSU Girl]

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey are next to each other. In case you don’t know Big Ben is doing renovations so it’s covered in scaffolding. Try and go to Westminster as early as possible the lines to get in can be crazy long. I loved visiting Tower of London, also recommend getting there early to beat the crowds.

I would do Westminster first thing, walk by Big Ben across the bridge and catch a river cruise entrance by the London Eye. I did a high speed boat ride which was a lot of fun I prebooked and included London Eye in the price.

The hop on and office bus is a good way to see the city and help you get to different places.

 

[smacmillan83]

Most of your must do's are within reasonable walking distance of each other (with the exception of the Tower of London). Perhaps stay in Westminster (recommend County Hall - there are a few hotels there, the Premier Inn is good value). You then just need to walk over Westminster Bridge to get to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Changing of the Guard happens mid morning everyday and is a short walk from Westminster and you can walk the Mall to Buckingham Palace. You will pass Downing Street and lots of other sites on your way there. There is also a stop for a river cruise at Westminster as well All the hop on-hop off buses run past here and are fairly regular.
You will want to pre-book Tower of London. I believe you need a good couple of hours there. Easily accessible as a stop on the bus or underground.

 

[piccolopat]

I second staying near Westminster. We loved the Conrad St. James. We were able to walk to all of the places on your must see list except the Tower of London which was a quick trip on the tube from the St. James' Park station across the street from the hotel. From your maybe list, I would only recommend the Churchill War Rooms and St. James Park. If you stay at the Conrad, you can walk to Buckingham Palace via the Birdcage Walk that runs alongside St. James Park. You can walk to Westminster Abbey and then see the green in front of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower which houses Big Ben (though largely covered in scaffolding these days). Walk past that and at the foot of Westminster Bridge you can take the Thames Cruise to Greenwich and back. Take the tube to Tower of London and after your visit there consider doing the Tower Bridge Experience. You can also get on or off the Thames cruise boat at the Tower of London stop if you want to combine those. I would also suggest St. Paul's Cathedral, then crossing the Millenium Bridge (one of the Harry Potter Half Blood Prince filming locations) and then going to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. It's a very interesting tour there. Two days isn't a lot of time and there is so much to see in London. If the kids are really into Harry Potter, you might consider going to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour. There are some tour companies that go there or you can take a train/shuttle. It has many of the sets, props, costumes, etc. from films. You'd probably need to plan on at least 5 or 6 hours to do that. Have fun!

 

[KDG]

I’ve toured most of these sites twice in the last year, once before and once after our cruises. My group purchased the London pass. This pass includes admission to the HOHO bus, Tower of London, the observation floor of the Shard, Westminster Abbey, the river cruise between Tower of London and Westminster and possibly the Churchill War Rooms.

Unless you are very close to the front fence, it is very hard to see the changing of the guard because of the crowds. The ceremony happens around 10:30-11:00. I think watching the band parade down the Mall before and after the change is way more exciting than the actual guard change. I prefer to see the palace later in the day. St. James park, in front of the palace, is one of my favorite places to stroll in London and is a short distance from the Westminster Abbey/parliament building/bridge area.

The river cruise floats past the Shard and the HMS Belfast.

Platform 9 3/4 is at Kings Cross train station. There is a long line to get your picture taken pushing the trolley, even when it first opens at 8:00, but the gift shop is very nice for Harry Potter merchandise. We stayed across the street from Kings Cross at the Premier Inn and took the tube to the Tower of London (get there first thing in the morning- the line to see the crown jewels moves steadily so don’t be discouraged by the line). Then we took the river cruise to Westminster and saw the rest of the sites around there on foot.

Hope you get to see everything you want to see! Be prepared for lots of walking!

 

[butterfly0202]

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey are next to each other. In case you don’t know Big Ben is doing renovations so it’s covered in scaffolding. Try and go to Westminster as early as possible the lines to get in can be crazy long. I loved visiting Tower of London, also recommend getting there early to beat the crowds.

I would do Westminster first thing, walk by Big Ben across the bridge and catch a river cruise entrance by the London Eye. I did a high speed boat ride which was a lot of fun I prebooked and included London Eye in the price.

The hop on and office bus is a good way to see the city and help you get to different places.

Thaanks so much for this information! I will put westminster as the first stop on day # 1 and tower of london as the first stop on day # 2. Did you happen to go to the jubilee galleries and, if so, where they worth the visit? How much time to you think we would need at westminster and the tower of london?

 

[butterfly0202]

Most of your must do's are within reasonable walking distance of each other (with the exception of the Tower of London). Perhaps stay in Westminster (recommend County Hall - there are a few hotels there, the Premier Inn is good value). You then just need to walk over Westminster Bridge to get to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Changing of the Guard happens mid morning everyday and is a short walk from Westminster and you can walk the Mall to Buckingham Palace. You will pass Downing Street and lots of other sites on your way there. There is also a stop for a river cruise at Westminster as well All the hop on-hop off buses run past here and are fairly regular.
You will want to pre-book Tower of London. I believe you need a good couple of hours there. Easily accessible as a stop on the bus or underground.

Thank you for your feedback! I was thinking of doing westminster as the first stop on day # 1, then walk the mall as you suggest to Buckingham palace for the second stop. As far as the river cruise at Westminster -- are you able to take that round trip or is it just a one way visit? What would you suggest as a good route for the river cruise? Thank you!

 

[hmsTigger]

Would highly recommend the Churchill War Rooms from your maybe list.

 

[butterfly0202]

I second staying near Westminster. We loved the Conrad St. James. We were able to walk to all of the places on your must see list except the Tower of London which was a quick trip on the tube from the St. James' Park station across the street from the hotel. From your maybe list, I would only recommend the Churchill War Rooms and St. James Park. If you stay at the Conrad, you can walk to Buckingham Palace via the Birdcage Walk that runs alongside St. James Park. You can walk to Westminster Abbey and then see the green in front of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower which houses Big Ben (though largely covered in scaffolding these days). Walk past that and at the foot of Westminster Bridge you can take the Thames Cruise to Greenwich and back. Take the tube to Tower of London and after your visit there consider doing the Tower Bridge Experience. You can also get on or off the Thames cruise boat at the Tower of London stop if you want to combine those. I would also suggest St. Paul's Cathedral, then crossing the Millenium Bridge (one of the Harry Potter Half Blood Prince filming locations) and then going to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. It's a very interesting tour there. Two days isn't a lot of time and there is so much to see in London. If the kids are really into Harry Potter, you might consider going to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour. There are some tour companies that go there or you can take a train/shuttle. It has many of the sets, props, costumes, etc. from films. You'd probably need to plan on at least 5 or 6 hours to do that. Have fun!

Thank you so much for this info! I like the idea of taking the river cruise from Westminster all around and then stopping at the Tower of London. Is St. Paul's cathredral worth a visit inside - or do you reccomend a walkby? I would LOVE to do all the harry potter stuff -- but I am the biggest fan in the family (and I can't imagine the grandparents caring about it all in the least!). I can't wait to return and take the Warner Brothers tour.

 

[butterfly0202]

I’ve toured most of these sites twice in the last year, once before and once after our cruises. My group purchased the London pass. This pass includes admission to the HOHO bus, Tower of London, the observation floor of the Shard, Westminster Abbey, the river cruise between Tower of London and Westminster and possibly the Churchill War Rooms.

Unless you are very close to the front fence, it is very hard to see the changing of the guard because of the crowds. The ceremony happens around 10:30-11:00. I think watching the band parade down the Mall before and after the change is way more exciting than the actual guard change. I prefer to see the palace later in the day. St. James park, in front of the palace, is one of my favorite places to stroll in London and is a short distance from the Westminster Abbey/parliament building/bridge area.

The river cruise floats past the Shard and the HMS Belfast.

Platform 9 3/4 is at Kings Cross train station. There is a long line to get your picture taken pushing the trolley, even when it first opens at 8:00, but the gift shop is very nice for Harry Potter merchandise. We stayed across the street from Kings Cross at the Premier Inn and took the tube to the Tower of London (get there first thing in the morning- the line to see the crown jewels moves steadily so don’t be discouraged by the line). Then we took the river cruise to Westminster and saw the rest of the sites around there on foot.

Hope you get to see everything you want to see! Be prepared for lots of walking!

Thank you for this insight! After I purchased the passes for everyone, I began to doubt my decision as I saw that you can't fast pass any of the lines (which seems to be reccomended for most of the sites). But I am relieved that the pass seems to have worked out nicely for your trip. I am prepared to scratch the changing of the guard off my list - you are not the first person to mention that it may be hard to see - and with my limited time in this city, I don't want to waste a moment.
How much time do you estimate for the tower of london? Did you end up doing a tour after viewing the crown jewels?

 

[butterfly0202]

Would highly recommend the Churchill War Rooms from your maybe list.

Thanks for your input! How much time would you approximate for this visit? Is it go at your own pace? I have an 8 year old who may/may not be interested in this but I would hate for the others to miss it since I think they will really like it

 

[FSU Girl]

Thaanks so much for this information! I will put westminster as the first stop on day # 1 and tower of london as the first stop on day # 2. Did you happen to go to the jubilee galleries and, if so, where they worth the visit? How much time to you think we would need at westminster and the tower of london?

I didn't end up getting inside Westminster the line was around the block so we just took pictures outside. I would put aside a few hours for each. You could easily spend half a day at the Tower of London, it just depends how quickly you want to go through everything. They offer free tours, I highly recommend doing one of those, they take you to a few spots outside and after you can explore indoor areas.

 

[piccolopat]

Thank you so much for this info! I like the idea of taking the river cruise from Westminster all around and then stopping at the Tower of London. Is St. Paul's cathredral worth a visit inside - or do you reccomend a walkby? I would LOVE to do all the harry potter stuff -- but I am the biggest fan in the family (and I can't imagine the grandparents caring about it all in the least!). I can't wait to return and take the Warner Brothers tour.

We enjoyed going into St. Paul's cathedral but we had the time to do so. I think a lot will depend on what the line looks like and what your other plans are that day. A walk by will let you see an iconic church, one not only seen in Harry Potter but also Mary Poppins, Doctor Who and other films. We've done two trips to London, each for about 12 days, and still want to go back to see more. The city has so much to offer (and we've lived in the NYC area all our lives). I'm glad to hear that there will be another visit in your future. By the way, when you go to the Tower of London, there is a lot to see there. We did the Crown Jewels and while it was nice to see, I wouldn't wait on the usually long line for it. Instead I would recommend the White Tower in the middle of the complex which we found much more interesting.

 

[KDG]

Thank you for this insight! After I purchased the passes for everyone, I began to doubt my decision as I saw that you can't fast pass any of the lines (which seems to be reccomended for most of the sites). But I am relieved that the pass seems to have worked out nicely for your trip. I am prepared to scratch the changing of the guard off my list - you are not the first person to mention that it may be hard to see - and with my limited time in this city, I don't want to waste a moment.
How much time do you estimate for the tower of london? Did you end up doing a tour after viewing the crown jewels?

There was not an issue with long waits in line using the London Pass. It was nice to have admission pre-paid and the wait was minimal. We spent a couple of hours at the Tower seeing the jewels (it took an hour from the time we got in line until we exited the exhibit), walked through the armory and walking the top of part of the walls, having a snack, restroom break, and briefly visiting the gift shops. Didn’t take a Beefeaters tour but those tours are highly popular.

There is no need to take the river cruise both ways. You see the same things twice. Though you can stay on for a round trip if you want. Most of the cruise companies just go between the Tower and Westminster. And vice versa. A few go on to Greenwich. There is no getting on and off like a HOHO bus, just the beginning and the end. It takes maybe 30 minutes.

We spent about an hour at Westminster Abbey. Very beautiful and interesting.

 

[Kellycanada]

Hi. You could do the Muggle tour if your kids are Harry Potter fans. We are doing it after the Tower of London visit as the meeting place is only about a 12 minute walk from there. We are doing a Jack the Ripper tour in the evening and going to Wicked another night. We are also big Fawlty Towers fans, so we are also going to the improve dinner show. We are booking a Stateroom tour at Buckingham Palace and skipping the changing of the guards. My husband is a big Templar Knights history fan, so we are going to visit the Templar Inner Temple. Have a fabulous time. We aren't going on the Northern Europe cruise until 2020, so please pass along any advise after your cruise!

 

[DahliaRW]

I HIGHLY recommend doing the free tour at the Tower of London. It is fantastic and you learn so much. Plus they are funny. I'd get there early, be in line 30 minutes before opening, and take the first tour. Once they fill up you are out of luck. I could easily spend a full day at the tower. There is so much to see and do there.

St. Paul's is nice, but not worth going out of your way for. If you go to a service you get in for free, otherwise there is a cost. We went at Christmas time and went to a carol service which was extra magical. But in the summer, I'd skip it unless in the area and then just walk by. With 2 days it's not worth going out of your way for a 5 minute look.

I don't know the ages of the children, but the Princess Diana Memorial playground at Kensington/Hyde Park is AMAZING! Peter Pan themed! Even my 12 year old at the time LOVED it. We went more than once (but we were in London for a week). If you have time to get there to let the kids play and blow off steam it is really, really great. And free!

 

[hmsTigger]

Thanks for your input! How much time would you approximate for this visit? Is it go at your own pace? I have an 8 year old who may/may not be interested in this but I would hate for the others to miss it since I think they will really like it

War Room is Go at your own pace I think your 8 year old would enjoy it as well My adult son and I spent 2 hours there at least and we could have spent more but had a jam packed day. Great experience! Your trip sounds wonderful Hope you post a trip report when you arrive home and are settled. We are taking the British Isles cruise in September. Looking forward to it!