Our days in London were a brilliant blend of history, pageantry, and classic British charm. We started at the Charles Dickens Museum, stood in awe before the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, and admired centuries of style at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). Feeling nicely steeped in culture, we were ready for the main event: the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan, joining the crowds near Windsor Castle for a truly once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Along the way, we stropped past some of London’s greatest hits – Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and even peeked at the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. We enjoyed an organ recital in Westminster Abbey, strolled through Leadenhall Market, and soaked up the royal vibes at Kensington Palace. A fancy afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason gave us our posh fix, while Hamlet at the Globe brought Shakespeare to life in proper dramatic fashion. We capped it all off with a mini pub crawl – including a pint at the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. With charming neighborhoods, historic pubs, and iconic sights all effortlessly connected by the Tube, London truly delivered a proper memorable adventure.
Itinerary
This itinerary is based on the England leg of our May 18-21, 2018 Europe trip.
Flights
- ✈️ 5:20 PM – 7:19 PM: STL > DFW via AA 196
- ✈️ 9:55 PM – 1:15 PM (+1): DFW > LHR via AA 80
Day 1: London Arrival + Museums
- ✈️ 1:15 PM: Arrive Heathrow, go through customs
- 🚇 Tube to hotel (1-hr) – Heathrow 1-3 ➝ King’s Cross St. Pancras
- 🍽️ Snack/lunch on plane or take-out
- 🏨 3:00 PM: Check-in to Point A Hotel King’s Cross ($94/night via Orbitz)
🚶 9-min walk (Entire evening walk route – 34-min, 1.4 miles) - 🏛️ 3:45 PM: Charles Dickens Museum (£9, last entry 4 PM)
🚶 6-min walk - 🍺 Drink @ Princess Louise Pub
- 🍽️ Dinner @ Nando’s (popular South African fast-casual chain specializing in Portuguese-style peri-peri chicken)
🚶 10-min walk - 🏛️ 6:00 PM: British Museum (🎧 68-min Rick Steves’ Audio Tour 📲 download App)
- 🚇 Tube (33-min) – Holborn ➝ South Kensington
- 🏛️ 8:00 PM: Victoria & Albert Museum (free, open late 10 PM on Fridays, café on-site)
- 🚇 Tube (27-min) – South Kensington ➝ King’s Cross
- 🍺 10:30 PM: The Queens Head (near hotel, live music)
Day 2: Royal Wedding + Globe Theatre
- 🥐 8:00 AM: Aux Pains de Papy (breakfast + lunch to-go)
🚶 5-min walk ➝ King’s Cross - 🚇 8:35 AM: Tube (18-min) – Point A King’s Cross ➝ Waterloo
- 🚆 8:52 AM: Train (45-min) – Waterloo ➝ Windsor & Eton Riverside (🎟️ Pre-purchased roundtrip via SWR)
- 🇬🇧 9:30 AM: Explore Windsor and find spot along Long Walk
- 💍 12:00 PM: Royal Wedding Watch (video screens setup for viewing on Long Walk)
- 🐎 1:00 PM: Watch Carriage Procession
- 🚆 3:00 PM: Train (45-min) – Windsor & Eton Riverside ➝ Waterloo (🎟️)
- 🚇 Tube (4-min) – Waterloo Underground ➝ Piccadilly Circus
🚶 Walk through Hyde Park - 🏰 Admire Kensington Palace
- 🍰 5:45 PM: Afternoon Tea @ Fortnum & Mason – Diamond Jubilee (🎟️ Reservation recommended, £49, unlimited food & drink)
- 🚇 Tube (25-min) – Green Park ➝ London Bridge Underground
- 🎭 7:30 PM: Hamlet @ Shakespeare Globe (🎟️ Pre-purchase recommended)
🚶 13-min walk - 🍺 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Historic Pub Crawl (🎧 75-min Rick Steves’ Historic London Audio Tour 📲)
- Ye Olde Watling (didn’t get a drink here)
- 👀 St. Paul’s (night view)
- 🍽️ 9:30 PM: Blackfriar (🎟️ Reservation recommended)
- 🍺 Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub (Historical medieval pub frequented by Charles Dickens, who even featured it in his novel A Tale of Two Cities., open until 11 PM)
- The Old Bell Tavern (closes at 9 PM Saturday so didn’t enter)
- Ye Olde Mitre (closed Saturday & Sunday so didn’t enter)
Day 3: London Icons Day
- ☕ 7:30 AM: Breakfast @ Cappadocia
- 🚇 Tube (14-min) – Acton Street (Stop HA) ➝ St. Paul’s Cathedral
- ⛪ 8:30 AM: St. Paul’s Cathedral (free Sunday, opens 8:30 AM, 🎧 38-min Rick Steves’ Audio Tour📲)
🚶 15-min walk- 🧙 Leadenhall Market (Harry Potter filming location)
- 🏰 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Tower of London Tour (🎟️ Pre-purchase recommended, £21.50, open 10 AM – 5:30 PM on Sunday, 2-3hrs)
- 🌉 1:00 PM: Walk across Tower Bridge
- 🍽️ 1:30 PM: Lunch @ The George (Historic galleried inn, mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit, try Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding)
- 🚶 Thames Path Walk (33-min)
- 🚶 4:00–7:00 PM: Westminster Walk (2.3 miles, 🎧 43-min Rick Steves’ Audio Tour 📲)
- 🎡 London Eye (ride if time)
- 👀 Big Ben
- ⛪️ 5:00 PM: Westminster Abbey (free organ recital on Sundays, closed Sunday except for services/recitals)
- 🌳 Stroll through St. James’s Park
- 🏰 Admire Buckingham Palace
- 🖼️ Explore Trafalgar Square
🚶 7-min walk - 🍽️ 8:00 PM: Dinner @ Lamb & Flag Pub
- 🏪 Explore Covent Garden (shopping, time permitting)
- 🚇 Tube (25-min) to hotel – Covent Garden ➝ Point A King’s Cross
Day 4: London > Paris
- 🎒 9:00 AM: Harry Potter Shop @ Platform 9¾
🚶10-min walk - 📚 9:30 AM: British Library (free, opens 9:30 AM, 🎧 30-min Rick Steves’ Audio Tour, admire Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible, Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook, William Shakespeare, Beatles artifacts)
🚶10-min walk - 🏨 10:20 AM: Check-out of hotel
🍽️ Get lunch to-go on 8-min walk to train - 🚆 10:45 AM: Train check-in
- 🚄 11:31 AM – 2:47 PM: Eurostar via Chunnel – London St. Pancras Int’l > Paris Gare du Nord (🎟️ Pre-purchase recommended, arrive 45-min early, $93 for coach 13, seats 57-58 window/table)
- Other London Activities (time permitting):
- Natural History Museum (free)
- Science Museum (free)
- Churchill War Rooms (great for history buffs)
- Afternoon Tea – Orangery @ Kensington Palace
- The National Gallery (free, world-class art, right in Trafalgar Square)
- Thames River Cruise (sunset or at night when the bridges are lit up)
- Sky Garden or The Shard (for epic skyline views)
- Ride a double-decker bus
The next stop on our European trip was Paris. Check out our dedicated Paris blog for a detailed itinerary and insider tips.
Pictures
Charles Dickens, British and Victoria and Albert Museums
Windsor Royal Wedding, Kensington Palace, Fortnum & Mason, Globe, and Pubs
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