best tourist experience in 11 hour London layover
December 15, 2010 8:07 PM Subscribe
11 hour layover in London - how to maximize the tourist experience?
My brother and sister have an 11 hour layover in London (Heathrow, I believe), this coming Monday from 9am-8pm. Can you suggest a plan for them to maximize their tourist experience in that short time? I found this previous question but they want the opposite - they want to see and do as much possible, including visiting as many of the famous London sights as possible.
They're coming from the U.S., and are both U.S. citizens. Any tips about immigration and where to park their luggage (I'm not sure they'll have much besides carryons) are also welcome.
My brother and sister have an 11 hour layover in London (Heathrow, I believe), this coming Monday from 9am-8pm. Can you suggest a plan for them to maximize their tourist experience in that short time? I found this previous question but they want the opposite - they want to see and do as much possible, including visiting as many of the famous London sights as possible.
They're coming from the U.S., and are both U.S. citizens. Any tips about immigration and where to park their luggage (I'm not sure they'll have much besides carryons) are also welcome.
Also...
Immigration should not be a problem if they have paperwork (tickets or printed itinerary) showing that they are definitely leaving the country and proof of funds (in this case a few credit cards should be enough) to support themselves during their stay. But they should probably call someone (airline or British Embassy in US) to make sure. An individual officer may think it's odd.
Also, if they are connecting to a flight leaving the UK then their checked-in bags should just be automatically transferred BUT if their final destination is inside the UK (or possibly Ireland and the whole of the EU too) then they will probably have to wait at baggage claim and walk their bags through customs before rechecking them for the internal flight. Call the airline (and be prepared for them to be wrong) about this.
They should be able to get back to Paddington or Victoria in under 45 minutes on the Tube (underground trains) from anywhere in Central London assuming they don't get lost or get on a train going the wrong way.
posted by K.P. at 8:59 PM on December 15, 2010
Immigration should not be a problem if they have paperwork (tickets or printed itinerary) showing that they are definitely leaving the country and proof of funds (in this case a few credit cards should be enough) to support themselves during their stay. But they should probably call someone (airline or British Embassy in US) to make sure. An individual officer may think it's odd.
Also, if they are connecting to a flight leaving the UK then their checked-in bags should just be automatically transferred BUT if their final destination is inside the UK (or possibly Ireland and the whole of the EU too) then they will probably have to wait at baggage claim and walk their bags through customs before rechecking them for the internal flight. Call the airline (and be prepared for them to be wrong) about this.
They should be able to get back to Paddington or Victoria in under 45 minutes on the Tube (underground trains) from anywhere in Central London assuming they don't get lost or get on a train going the wrong way.
posted by K.P. at 8:59 PM on December 15, 2010
My experience suggests that they'll probably be extremely tired when they land. They should do whatever they can to enhance the quality of sleep they can get on the plane. And they shouldn't beat themselves up if they can't do as much as they'd like.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:37 PM on December 15, 2010
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:37 PM on December 15, 2010
Like K.P. above I came here to mention the Heathrow Express (you'll save a little bit buying a round trip ticket) coupled with a bus tour. The Heathrow express will drop you off at Paddington station where you can get the underground to Baker St. station (like 3 stops away). At Baker St. station there is a tourist bus stop right at the station where you can hop on and go down Baker St towards Oxford Circus and on and on, etc.etc. The "red line" of these tourist buses have live guides which makes it more entertaining. They can just "hop on, hop off" as they want and even use the same ticket for a river tour. Enjoy!
posted by alchemist at 12:47 AM on December 16, 2010
posted by alchemist at 12:47 AM on December 16, 2010
Here's a "one day in London" itinerary. I bet Westminster Abbey would, absolutely, be the highlight.
Also, off the beaten track and probably not that famous but incredible and tiny and just really British, is the Sir John Soames Museum. There are some minor restrictions on what you can take in and when it's open, but it's so worth it.
posted by mdonley at 1:23 AM on December 16, 2010
Also, off the beaten track and probably not that famous but incredible and tiny and just really British, is the Sir John Soames Museum. There are some minor restrictions on what you can take in and when it's open, but it's so worth it.
posted by mdonley at 1:23 AM on December 16, 2010
Given the best route into London from Heathrow is via the exopress into Paddington, there is a left luggage place at Paddington. IIRC ts about £5-6 per piece of luggage per day. When you get off the train the shop is off to your left along the wall near the high numbered platforms.
posted by biffa at 2:29 AM on December 16, 2010
posted by biffa at 2:29 AM on December 16, 2010
The bus tour option is great. Personally, I love walking around London, so here's what I'd do if I had loads of energy and the weather was good:
Go straight to the British Museum (free) and dash around some highlights – the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone, wall friezes from Ninevah…
From there, I’d walk down to Oxford Street and down Regent Street for the Christmas retail experience and nice Xmas lights.
You could then wander down Piccadilly to check out Burlington Arcade, Fortnum & Mason and other posh shopping.
From there, there’s an option of going down to St James Park and walk down the Mall to Buckingham Palace.
Otherwise, walk across to Trafalgar Square – optional visit to the National Gallery (free, with free cloakroom that will take your bag)
Walk down Whitehall, past Horseguards, Banqueting House and Downing Street, to Parliament Square. Visit Westminster Abbey.
Cross the Thames (see if there’s a big queue at the London Eye – you might get lucky!)
Walk down the South Bank of the Thames, past the Globe Theatre to Tate Modern (free and definitely worth seeing the Turbine Hall if nothing else)
Then cross the ‘wobbly bridge’ and have a look at St Paul’s Cathedral.
This would be an exhausting day! But it would be do-able and they'd get a good feel for the city.
posted by sleepy boy at 4:55 AM on December 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Go straight to the British Museum (free) and dash around some highlights – the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone, wall friezes from Ninevah…
From there, I’d walk down to Oxford Street and down Regent Street for the Christmas retail experience and nice Xmas lights.
You could then wander down Piccadilly to check out Burlington Arcade, Fortnum & Mason and other posh shopping.
From there, there’s an option of going down to St James Park and walk down the Mall to Buckingham Palace.
Otherwise, walk across to Trafalgar Square – optional visit to the National Gallery (free, with free cloakroom that will take your bag)
Walk down Whitehall, past Horseguards, Banqueting House and Downing Street, to Parliament Square. Visit Westminster Abbey.
Cross the Thames (see if there’s a big queue at the London Eye – you might get lucky!)
Walk down the South Bank of the Thames, past the Globe Theatre to Tate Modern (free and definitely worth seeing the Turbine Hall if nothing else)
Then cross the ‘wobbly bridge’ and have a look at St Paul’s Cathedral.
This would be an exhausting day! But it would be do-able and they'd get a good feel for the city.
posted by sleepy boy at 4:55 AM on December 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Remember to factor in the queuing - I've never been into Westminster Abbey because the queues have been absolutely massive whenever I've gone. Things like the British Museum and the Tate Modern you don't have to queue to get into, so they'll be fine. On a limited time it's probably best to settle for seeing the things you have to queue for from the outside only.
In terms of being knackered from the flight - if they've got the info on one of the many open-top bus tours of London then they've got an option for sight-seeing that doesn't involve walking while tired.
posted by Coobeastie at 5:32 AM on December 16, 2010
In terms of being knackered from the flight - if they've got the info on one of the many open-top bus tours of London then they've got an option for sight-seeing that doesn't involve walking while tired.
posted by Coobeastie at 5:32 AM on December 16, 2010
Everyone above is on the money; no thanks to British Airways, I had a similar length layover @ Heathrow in October. 11hrs is enough to see and do everything touristy (though I had the advantage of better weather and knowing London from previous trips). In Dec it'll be cold, rainy / snowy, and if you're lucky it'll get dark early rather than stay dark all day.
Your checked luggage should be sorted by the airline, cabin baggage you can carry or leave with left luggage at Heathrow (from memory ~ 8 quid per bag). GET A MAP. Cab from Heathrow to Mayfair is ~ 70 quid, so split btw two not so bad. Alt = you can catch Heathrow Express to Paddington, then underground or cab it from there into central London. Express was 15ish quid from memory, traffic-dependent another ~ 10-12 quid by taxi should get you to Marble Arch or Hyde Park Corner, either of which is a good starting point. You'll save 15 quid a head that way but waste some time, your call. I prefer walking the streets to bussing it, but YMMV and given the weather etc the red buses mentioned might be the go.
Weather allowing I'd start at Marble Arch in Hyde Park, walk Oxford Street to the Circus. Shopping alley. Down Regent to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, then Charing Cross. Then you're right on top of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Admiralty Arch etc and can stroll down Whitehall, check out the Horse Guards (photos) and No.10 on the way to a view of the Thames, the Eye, Big Ben, the Abbey. Retrace your steps a little and walk parallel to Whitehall up Horse Guards Road. You've got Parliament and the Horse Guards Barracks on your right (more photos), St. James Park on your left, the Churchill War Museum on the corner if you're into that kinda thing (90 mins or so, built inside the original WWII bunkers, worthwhile).
Dunno if the swans + ducks will still be about, but there's a decent cafe in St. James Park and some nice views as you cross over to see the Beefeaters do their thing on the Mall, and you can look right back to the Arch again and left to Buckingham Palace. Walk down to the Palace, the gates, the gardens etc and onto Hyde Park corner. Up Park Lane and you're back where you started. This time of year might be smarter to do the sights first and the shopping second: if you start at Hyde Park Corner / Wellington Arch instead you can do the whole thing in reverse. Allow a couple hours for the return airport-city travel plus maybe 5-6 hours all up just wandering - more if you really hit the shops or the museums or whatever, so maybe that's enough.
If not and you're in shopping mode (or the weather is awful and sightseeing is out) get an all-day pass, catch the tube (red line) from Oxford St to Shepherd's Bush and do Westfields. Could waste a day inside easy window shopping. Otherwise more sightseeing: you can hop the Thames via tube / cab, do the War Museum, South Bank, Tate Modern, London Bridge, the Tower etc etc.
Love London. Weather sucks, but it's a great city. Good luck!
posted by bookie at 6:42 AM on December 16, 2010
Your checked luggage should be sorted by the airline, cabin baggage you can carry or leave with left luggage at Heathrow (from memory ~ 8 quid per bag). GET A MAP. Cab from Heathrow to Mayfair is ~ 70 quid, so split btw two not so bad. Alt = you can catch Heathrow Express to Paddington, then underground or cab it from there into central London. Express was 15ish quid from memory, traffic-dependent another ~ 10-12 quid by taxi should get you to Marble Arch or Hyde Park Corner, either of which is a good starting point. You'll save 15 quid a head that way but waste some time, your call. I prefer walking the streets to bussing it, but YMMV and given the weather etc the red buses mentioned might be the go.
Weather allowing I'd start at Marble Arch in Hyde Park, walk Oxford Street to the Circus. Shopping alley. Down Regent to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, then Charing Cross. Then you're right on top of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Admiralty Arch etc and can stroll down Whitehall, check out the Horse Guards (photos) and No.10 on the way to a view of the Thames, the Eye, Big Ben, the Abbey. Retrace your steps a little and walk parallel to Whitehall up Horse Guards Road. You've got Parliament and the Horse Guards Barracks on your right (more photos), St. James Park on your left, the Churchill War Museum on the corner if you're into that kinda thing (90 mins or so, built inside the original WWII bunkers, worthwhile).
Dunno if the swans + ducks will still be about, but there's a decent cafe in St. James Park and some nice views as you cross over to see the Beefeaters do their thing on the Mall, and you can look right back to the Arch again and left to Buckingham Palace. Walk down to the Palace, the gates, the gardens etc and onto Hyde Park corner. Up Park Lane and you're back where you started. This time of year might be smarter to do the sights first and the shopping second: if you start at Hyde Park Corner / Wellington Arch instead you can do the whole thing in reverse. Allow a couple hours for the return airport-city travel plus maybe 5-6 hours all up just wandering - more if you really hit the shops or the museums or whatever, so maybe that's enough.
If not and you're in shopping mode (or the weather is awful and sightseeing is out) get an all-day pass, catch the tube (red line) from Oxford St to Shepherd's Bush and do Westfields. Could waste a day inside easy window shopping. Otherwise more sightseeing: you can hop the Thames via tube / cab, do the War Museum, South Bank, Tate Modern, London Bridge, the Tower etc etc.
Love London. Weather sucks, but it's a great city. Good luck!
posted by bookie at 6:42 AM on December 16, 2010
I've said this before, but the hop-on, hop-off bus tours are really useful to establish your bearings and get a basic sense of how the bits of London fit together -- something you won't get by navigating via the Tube.
Oxford Street can be a bit hellish at this time of year, because of all the shopping, so I'm not sure they'd appreciate it.
I like sleepy boy's itinerary, though, and you could throw in one of the standard TfL boats as opposed to the tourist boats. Tower Pier to Westminster Pier gives you a grand sweep, and emphasises the river as the city's historic main artery. It's dark by 4pm, so plan daylight and evening activities appropriately.
posted by holgate at 7:34 AM on December 16, 2010
Oxford Street can be a bit hellish at this time of year, because of all the shopping, so I'm not sure they'd appreciate it.
I like sleepy boy's itinerary, though, and you could throw in one of the standard TfL boats as opposed to the tourist boats. Tower Pier to Westminster Pier gives you a grand sweep, and emphasises the river as the city's historic main artery. It's dark by 4pm, so plan daylight and evening activities appropriately.
posted by holgate at 7:34 AM on December 16, 2010
I wouldn't recommend Oxford St at this time of year and with this length of time, unless there is something they really want to see or buy. I went out at lunchtime and literally got stuck in people. Sloane Square or Covent Garden have lots of shops and are a bit less busy (but still insane). For the lights, I'd escape the crowds and get a bus that heads from Marble Arch down Regent's St to Piccadilly Circus (sorry, I can't remember which number this is - maybe a 41?)
Westfield is OK for shopping but almost all the shops are chains and many are international. Again, with only a day to spare, I'd rather go to Selfridges, Harrods or Fortnum's as these are very London stores - also very expensive, but the displays are great for window shopping.
posted by mippy at 7:40 AM on December 16, 2010
Westfield is OK for shopping but almost all the shops are chains and many are international. Again, with only a day to spare, I'd rather go to Selfridges, Harrods or Fortnum's as these are very London stores - also very expensive, but the displays are great for window shopping.
posted by mippy at 7:40 AM on December 16, 2010
This is a walking tour and avoids shopping streets.
1. Heathrow Express to Paddington
2. Walk through Hyde Park to Hyde Park Corner - you''ll hit the Christmas Market
3. Via Wellington Arch. Cross Green Park down to Buckingham Palace
4. Cross St. James Park down to the SE corner where the Churchill War rooms are.
5. See WestMinster Abbey, Houses of Parliament
6. Walk north on Whitehall
7. See Downing Street, Horse's Parade to Trafalgar Square.
8. Walk through the National Gallery
9. Walk to the left (W) of the National Gallery up into Picadilly Circus then East into Chinatown
10. North through Soho towards Soho Square then North to cross Oxford street
11. Cross into the alley where Bradleys' Spanish bar is and head East. This will put you onto Great Russell street.
12. Walk down Great Russell street until you hit the British Museum. See the Great court at least. The Rosetta Stone is easy to see too at the entrance of the hall to the West.
13. Walk east to Southampton Row and catch a Southbound bus (any except for the 91)
14. Get off at the first stop across the bridge. You are on the South Bank and right next to then London Eye, the BFI, the National Theatre.
15. Walk East along the Bank of the Thames. Past the Old Globe and to the Tate Modern. (There may be a diversion near Blackfriars bridge - follow the signs) Check out at least the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern.
16. Cross the wobbly bridge in front of the Tate Modern. This leads you straight to:
17. St. Pauls Cathedral. Not worth going in. You may want to catch a cab back to nearby Holborn station and take the Piccadilly Line back to Heathrow. Otherwise nearby is the Inns of Court, Ye old Cheshire Cheese and all that...
posted by vacapinta at 8:08 AM on December 16, 2010 [4 favorites]
1. Heathrow Express to Paddington
2. Walk through Hyde Park to Hyde Park Corner - you''ll hit the Christmas Market
3. Via Wellington Arch. Cross Green Park down to Buckingham Palace
4. Cross St. James Park down to the SE corner where the Churchill War rooms are.
5. See WestMinster Abbey, Houses of Parliament
6. Walk north on Whitehall
7. See Downing Street, Horse's Parade to Trafalgar Square.
8. Walk through the National Gallery
9. Walk to the left (W) of the National Gallery up into Picadilly Circus then East into Chinatown
10. North through Soho towards Soho Square then North to cross Oxford street
11. Cross into the alley where Bradleys' Spanish bar is and head East. This will put you onto Great Russell street.
12. Walk down Great Russell street until you hit the British Museum. See the Great court at least. The Rosetta Stone is easy to see too at the entrance of the hall to the West.
13. Walk east to Southampton Row and catch a Southbound bus (any except for the 91)
14. Get off at the first stop across the bridge. You are on the South Bank and right next to then London Eye, the BFI, the National Theatre.
15. Walk East along the Bank of the Thames. Past the Old Globe and to the Tate Modern. (There may be a diversion near Blackfriars bridge - follow the signs) Check out at least the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern.
16. Cross the wobbly bridge in front of the Tate Modern. This leads you straight to:
17. St. Pauls Cathedral. Not worth going in. You may want to catch a cab back to nearby Holborn station and take the Piccadilly Line back to Heathrow. Otherwise nearby is the Inns of Court, Ye old Cheshire Cheese and all that...
posted by vacapinta at 8:08 AM on December 16, 2010 [4 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
A bus tour can let you see a lot of the city in a short time (2 hours and change for the red tour), and you can hop on and off to actually go visit a particular attraction.
Clearing immigration can take 10 minutes or well over an hour depending upon how many flights arrive at the same time and how full they are. OTOH, practically no one gets stopped by Customs from a North American flight.
If I were doing this, I'd look at what's on the bus tour and pick 1-2 things to visit up close.
Also, earlier this month snow severely disrupted trains in the southeast and shut down Gatwick for 2 days. Several routes were shut down for over 24 hours and severely disrupted for a day or more after. More snow is on the way. I have been told (though not read myself) that the coming snow is expected to be heavier than what came earlier this month. I wouldn't get my heart set on being able to do this (snow may delay the plane's arrival in addition to making a trip in and out of the city risky if not impossible). They should be prepared to abandon this plan if they arrive at a snowy Heathrow, and if they did go into the City I'd take a phone/smartphone/netbook to check how the trains were running throughout the day (but be warned, train operator websites and telephone lines were not 100% accurate). If it snows enough to shut down the trains, a taxi won't necessarily save you in 5 o'clock traffic.
If they're flying into Gatwick, the Gatwick Express gets to Victoria in 30 minutes and leaves every 15. However it is on the Brighton-London route which was one of the most severely affected lines in the last snow.
posted by K.P. at 8:40 PM on December 15, 2010