London for 10 hours

Had this dilemma one time.

Hmm - Tower of London, Tower Bridge, see Big Ben, see changing of the guard if it was being done that day at Buckingham Palace. I would probably see the British Museum of history, but from what I hear you could only quickly walk through it. We went to a Chelsea soccer match. A lot to do there, but take PLENTY of money. London is always expensive and the weak dollar makes it even worse right now. (Assuming from your profile that you would be dollar based).

Have fun, nice city, but my favourite city in the UK is Edinburgh.

 

The Tube is my favourite way to get around London, especially if you are short on time. Get a guide that has the subway stops and you will come out just a short walk from the stops and sights you want. It is a great way to get around and you can buy a day pass for the Tube at a very reasonable cost.

Here is the website for the Tube - it has an interactive guide for the sights you want to see. TUBE LINK

 

The London Eye is very enjoyable. It takes about 30 minutes but there can be a long line. It is a huge, enclosed, revolving platform on the Thames. You can really see a lot.

Westminster Abbey is great but is closed at some odd times.

I REALLY liked the British Museum, especially the Egyptian and ancient Near East exhibits. But it would be hard to see the Museum and do anything else that day.

Harrod's was great for shopping. I couldn't afford to actually buy anything, but it was interesting. The food gallery was very impressive.
Covent Garden (where Eliza Doolittle sold flowers ) is a very quaint shopping area now. And near a major tube stop.

On sunny days the open-top red busses are worthwhile. But expensive. You get a great view of lots of the city.

Lots of things close by 5 or certainly 6 even in the tourist season. Hard to get used to when you have limited time. The U.S. is far more a twenty-four hour culture.

Karen

 

I've gone through Gatwick. But there are trains between Heathrow and London proper. I THINK it would take about 30 to 45 min. one way. You would come into a major station and then be able to take the Tube there.

Karen

 

I think the Tube has a connexion directly to Heathrow. If you are flying to Stanstead, City, or Luton you will need to get a train in to the Tube system, but they all have connexions into a station which is on the Tube line.

I was going to mention Harrod's. WAY too expensive (of course, as Karen mentioned). If you are not a shopper you even have to pay about $3.00 to use the toilet. There is a small, souvenir type shop on the third floor.

Never been on the Eye. The last time I was there it was really foggy, but we are going back in May.

 

Ten hours in London would hardly cover the relatives, so time would be spent on one street. I sometimes feel like a door knocker when I go home.

Cheers, and happy visiting in London; greatest city in the world.

Jim

 

The Tube I believe runs all night (check the link above) with leed trains running in the middle of the night.

Do the fish and chip. Tower Bridge is only a short Tube trip from the section Dr Bob is talking about and, IMHO, well worth the trip. The tour of the Tower of Londin is VERY expensive, about $20 a person.