Hello,

Will be in London from wed. 4/9 at 4:00 p.m. until sat. morning 4/12. My husband has never been to London and I have but am not even sure what I did when I was there. Some ideas are to do a tour of tower of london and visit the portobello road market. I think we will be pretty museumed out after 2 weeks in Italy and 3 days in Paris, so don't feel too inclined to go to the British Museum. I thought maybe on our 2nd full day of getting out the city on a very close daytrip. Would love to see a bit of english countryside in the spring. Any recommendations for our time in London and getting out of the city? We are staying in the Covent Garden area of London. Also, looking for recommendations for some traditional English pubs. Thanks, Liora

Hi Liora,

We've had several discussions on the message board about day trips from London. Here are a couple to give you some ideas:

Best Day Trips from London

Cotswolds Day Trip or other day trip ideas

I found this little book by Frommers very helpful in planning a couple day trips during our last two-week stay in London: Frommer's Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes by Train, Bus or Car . We ended up going to Greenwich, Hever Castle and Cambridge. On a previous trip to London we went to Windsor Castle.

If I had just 2-1/2 days in London, I personally wouldn't try to do any day trips. Even if you decided not to visit any museums, I think you and your husband would find so many things to do right in the city.

You mentioned the Tower of London... it's fun to take the boat down the Thames to visit there. And the Portobello Road market is Saturday morning-- hopefully your schedule would allow you to visit before you have to leave.

Kathy

I think you should go to Windsor. I live in London and go down once a year, I never get tired of the place and always discover something new. The castle is located right in the centre of the town.The old town has cobbled streets and little side streets to explore. You can take the train from Waterloo station to Windsor, it takes an hour and it goes through some lovely countryside.

Not quite countryside, but outdoorsy things:

Richmond Park
Kew Gardens
a trip to Greenwich by boat one way and Docklands Light Railway the other
just walking through the parks from Westminster to Kensington (or any part of the way)

If you are going to visit the Tower, I'd suggest going early.

Would second a visit to Greenwich, interesting to see the meredian separating the Eastern/Western hemispheres and also a nice replica of the Cutty Sark. I caught a cruise from near the London Eye that went there directly.

Guided cruise on the Thames late eve is a must.

I think a day at Windsor Castle would be a nice change after London city, Italy and Paris. It is very 'British' and small town. As Mary said it is a bit of a ride through the country on the train, so you would get to see some of the country side.

The town of Windsor has several pubs with good pub food, there are lots of shops if that's your thing. It is just a pretty little town.

Hever Castle is one that is on my list- I haven't made it there yet. Next trip???

I agree with the Windsor Castle trip - easily done in one day and worth the effort to get a feel for small town England, as well as how the Royal family lives.

London proper has so many choices! For a second day, I'd opt for the Piccadilly Circus area, which is colorful and vibrant (crowded, too), but just walking around is fun. Short walks from this area to almost all the central London sights, or for a change of pace consider a quiet stroll along the Serpentine in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, a stop at Harrod's in the Knightsbridge area and a window shopping visit to upscale stores along Sloane Street.