# How many days in London?



## Judy

Those of you who have been reading this forum know that I've been trying to get an exchange to London.  So far no luck. We'd planned to spend a week there, mainly because that's how long a timeshare exchange would be. Now it's time to make back-up hotel reservations and I'm rethinking our plans.  Maybe just a few days in London and then travel somewhere else in the UK (I still have the recommendations for timeshares outside of London that you all kindly posted in response to my earlier questions.)
So the question becomes, how many days would we need in London to see the major sights?  I was looking at the London Pass with Travel and noticed that it's possible to buy 1, 2, 3 days or 6, but not 4 or 5. The six day pass is by far the best deal. Should that be a consideration?


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## Carolinian

Three full days would pretty well do London for me.  Since the Cutty Sark burned, that is one less thing to do.  Of course, that is not doing any close by trips just outside of London like Hampton Court Palace (highly recommended) and Windsor Castle.  Also, depending on the time of year, you might need to factor in some extra time for lines at some sites, particularly the Tower of London.  It also depends on how long you generally take in museums.  The British Museum is huge.


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## Luanne

We went to London for the first time last summer.  We also spent two days in Liverpool to attend dh's graduation ceremony.  We were in London for four full days.  I could have easily spent more time than that as I didn't feel we saw everything.


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## DeniseM

I could easily spend a month in London - there is so much to see and do.  It's is also easy to use London as your base and take the train to visit outlying areas.  

If you like tours, www.walks.com has a lot of day trips that take the train to places like Salisbury and Stonehenge, for a very reasonable fee.  Since they use public transportation for their tours, and get a discount, it's quite a bit less than taking coach tours.

Here is a link to their day trips:  http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Home/Day_Trips_from_London/default.aspx


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## mecllap

I spent roughly 4 days there and hit the highlights that I was most interested in.  It was a trip that was my first attempt at a travel blog -- London is on page 4 and 5 (I think) of the blog lists.  My days are kind of out of order, and I failed to go back and post photos (sorry):  http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mecllap/page-6.html

I planned my trip for Sept. to see Buckingham Palace and I did a one-day bus tour (leaving from Victoria Station) to go to Windsor and Stonehenge (and Bath) which were not included on the bus tour I was doing (reports also follow along in the blog -- I did 2 package tours, the first on the continent to see King Ludwig's castle, etc. and the 2nd in England (and Scotland) -- with some days added between in London.  (Sorry about my helter-skelter blogging, if you do try to follow it to get an idea what can be done in a short time).

So, I would say prioritize the things you most want to see and determine if they are on the Pass, or if you can do them on your own (on my own worked fine for me, altho there was a little London stuff included with my tours).

Things are close enough together, and close enough to the UG, that you can see a lot (well, not everything in the huge museums, but pick out the items/collections of more interest to you and just see those).  I saw much more than I had originally planned.

On the tour, I loved the Lake district and would enjoy a timeshare week there (which hadn't previously interested me).  The Harrogate/York area is also great -- well, the whole country is great to see, but you do have to prioritize.  Even if one had unlimited money, I expect you'd still miss some things in a month's visit.

Try for at least 4 days/nights in the City --maybe get the 3-day Pass if it looks like it would work, and then plan your own day for your own additional priorities.

In Sept. I experienced wonderful weather -- but do be prepared for rain, fog, etc.


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## Jimster

*London*

As i think i said before, I wouldn't count on getting a TS in London.  Your chances are about the same as wining the powerball lottery.  As for staying there, I am sure you could probably see most of it in a few months.  "London Walks" has about 30 tours alone.  So if you saw one a day, it would take you a month.  London is one of those places you could come back to again and again and still find something new. I have been there for a total of several weeks and I still have a long list of things I want to see.  If all you want to see is Big Ben, Westminster, and Buckingham palace you can do that in a day or two.  If you are the kind that reads about all the exhibits, you could spend a month in the British Museum and still not see everything.   Having said that, you could do the hop on hop off bus tours in 4 days or so.


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## Judy

If I leave out the recommendations for a month or more (since I don't have that much time and money), it seems that the consensus is four days in the city of London.  That'll work for me.  I just booked the Travelodge London Tower Bridge for four nights with early check-in on a fully refundable rate.  It can be cancelled, extended, changed etc.  so if anyone else has thoughts and suggestions, keep them coming.  And thank you all


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## Luanne

One tip, that someone gave me and was excellent by the way was to do the "hop on hop off" bus tour the first day.  Our flight arrived in London at 7:30 a.m. and we were at our hotel by around 9:00 a.m.  Too early to check in.  We didn't want to waste our first day, so we left our bags at the hotel, and went off to catch the closest bus.  We were able to see a lot of the city, and decide which areas we wanted to go back to for a closer look.  After a couple of hours on the bus, and then lunch, we were able to check into the hotel, take a nap, and be ready to meet a friend for dinner.  

And a touristy suggestion, but one that many locals recommend as well is the London Eye.  You can combine it with a boat tour of the Thames.  As one of my London friends said "an interesting view of the backside of the city".


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## Beaglemom3

Judy,

I am a seasoned London Traveler having been there about 13 times now . I'm an Allen House owner for 14 years.

This last trip (a few weeks ago), I purchased the 6 day with travel card and was very pleased. In the past, I have only bought Oyster tickets, but this time I changed tactics.

It paid for itself PLUS there's a bonus of giving 7 days zones 1-6 + overland and DLR travel without time restrictions. The other lesser day passes with travel card are off-peak travel only.

I'm at work now, but will list where we went, what we would've paid for entrance fees and the approximate Tube/DLR/Overland Rail fees we paid.

I tallied it while in London and we came out ahead. 

One thing though, you sort of obligate yourself to "max" it out in order to break even, but that was okay for me.

Also, some (not all) sites, let you in ahead of the lines.

Lastly, we used our card 3 times for a 10% meal discount at The Tower, Hampton Court and another place (name escapes me now).

It all adds up.

We came a goodly amount ahead using the 7 day with travel. Paid $450 ( late edit here) adult ticket as there was the "Royal Wedding Promotion" going on.

The ticket office (where you pick it up) is between Picadilly Circus & Trafalgar Sqaure.  Lots of pamphlets and booklets.

PM me if you'd like.

Cheerio.


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## Beaglemom3

They are running a special that ends today:

http://www.londonpass.com/ http://www.londonpass.com/london-pass-prices.php


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## regatta333

*Just back from One Week in Sloane Gardens*

Judy,
Read the review I just posted on Sloane Gardens.  I would buy the paper travel card from the rail station as it enables you to take advantage of many 2for1 offers.


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## Judy

regatta333 said:


> Judy,
> Read the review I just posted on Sloane Gardens.  I would buy the paper travel card from the rail station as it enables you to take advantage of many 2for1 offers.


Helpful review.  Thanks.  
Is Soane Gardens exclusively SFX?


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## Judy

Beaglemom3 said:


> They are running a special that ends today:
> 
> http://www.londonpass.com/ http://www.londonpass.com/london-pass-prices.php


Missed it  But thanks for posting.  I'll keep a look out for another sale.  I've go almost a year.


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## Beaglemom3

Judy said:


> Missed it  But thanks for posting.  I'll keep a look out for another sale.  I've go almost a year.



There'll be other sales.

I got in on the "Royal Wedding" one although I was there 2 weeks after the event.


Feel free to PM me if you'd like so that we can discuss (when the time is right for you).


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## x3 skier

*A Day or a Lifetime*

Four days is a good duration. I have been traveling to London for over 30 years and always find things to do for the first time or the thirtieth time. 

As Dr Johnson has been quoted as saying, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of living".

I second the HoHo bus the first day to get the lay of the land. Depending when your plane lands (most from the States are in the early morning), riding the HoHo is a relaxing way to get acclimated to the time change.

Cheers


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## wauhob3

We stayed in London via Priceline and were very pleased. We were placed at the Novotel and our room overlooked the British Library sculpture gardens.  It has been a long time but we paid about $76 Us dollars. I wouldn't do less then 4 days in London. Bath is an easy day trip either via bus or train you could always stay overnight at a Bed and Breakfast and then go back to London we did that one trip. Windsor is another nice day trip. Paris would be another good day trip or possible overnight but it is expensive to take the chunnel. 

If you can find a bus trip to Warwick castle that is an exceptional castle. The Costwolds are beautiful but you would probably have to drive.


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## Judy

The hop on hop off bus sounds like a good idea for the first day.  We'll be arriving in Dover by cruise ship at 7 AM.  
After our London stay, we'll probably rent a car if we decide to stay in the UK longer.  We'll be coming off a two week dive trip + 2 months cruise and expect to have too much luggage for trains & buses.  I'm even wondering how we're going to fit it and the two of us in a European sized auto


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## Beaglemom3

The 6 day London pass gives you six days of site passes and 7 days of anytime tube, DLR or overland rail. This is one bonus day and all days are anytime.

The lesser days (1,2, 3) give you off-peak travel and no bonus days. I like to get an early start and come back when I'd like.

For us, this was a savings, but we did the full 6 days of sightseeing and used the day 7 for a trip out to Greenwich.

It all depends on how heavy or light a schedule you want.

I do wish that they'd add a 4 or 5 day pass.

It helps to be in good form as the contiguous days require stamina.

As you may already know, the pass, for however many days you select, the days must be continuous, no off days. I wish that there was a 4-5 day pass that could be used within 7 days. That would be great for touring.

The cost of that day 7 of travel pass alone helped justify our purchase as we used it for sites not on the "Pass". On our last day, when the site pass portion had expired, but the anytime travel pass was in effect, we took the Tube & DLR out to Greenwich (no entrance fee) and the Royal Observatory (entrance fee required, but not included on the London Pass) and took the Thames Cruise Line back to Westminster Pier and walked back to the Marriott County Hall.
This would've been a pricey rail trip if not for the London Pass bonus travel days.


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## Janie

*Don't short yourself....*

My husband and I go every year, sometimes twice a year, for a week.  We haven't yet done all the things there are to do in London.   Unless you are planning another trip to London in the near future, stay for 5-6-7 days.   It will take you a day or two just to get the lay of the land and figure out how to get around.


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## mav

There is SO MUCH to see and do in London, 1 week even is a minimum!


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## regatta333

Judy said:


> Helpful review.  Thanks.
> Is Soane Gardens exclusively SFX?



Yes, Sloane Gardens goes exclusively through SFX.  In fact, a studio week just appeared on their sell-off list for 7/23 check-in.


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## Beaglemom3

A factor in deciding is how many days you'll be in London.

I was there for 9-10 days, so the 6 day London Pass with the 7 day Tube pass worked well.

If you're going to be in London for 6-7 days, then a lesser day pass would probably be your best bet.

Don't forget that you get a Thames River Cruise with the London Pass.


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