3.5 days in London Is this feasible ?

[EffieeBriest]

So much to see and trying to work out an itinerary. Also not sure what’s worth it.
I’m into Art, history, books. DP along for the ride but deffo wants to go to Kew.

Sir John Soane’s Museum, maybe Hunterian which is opposite I believe or
Denis Severs house
Got Sky garden booked last morning
St Paul’s cathedral Or Westminster Abbey or both ?
Tower of London and St Dunstans in the east church (believe it’s really atmospheric), probs last morning as close to Sky Garden.
Walks along south bank to Tate modern and also through St James park to Buck palace/Big Ben
Churchills war rooms
IWM
Partner is desperate to see Kew Gardens. Is this a full day ?
Would love to visit the National Gallery or Tate Britain. Not sure which ? And would be very much focused on seeing certain things rather than wandering aimlessly.
As we are coming by train many of the attractions can be booked 2 for 1 which reduces the cost.
Any advice would be really welcome !

@Rebootnecessary we’re on Goodge st.

@LaurieFairyCake yes I’d like to go to BM but it’s so busy and it would be very much a ‘pick the 10 best objects and then leave’ plan. I’m actually thinking of coming down on my own later in the year or next. Just got to pluck up courage 😂

Also factor in entry costs. Nat Gall and Tate are both free for the general collections, though you pay for exhibitions.

Kew is c. £20, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and the Tower are c. £25 each. I'd personally pick the Abbey if I was only doing one.

If you're going to Kew, check out if there's anything interesting at the nearby National Archives - they often have interesting small exhibitions.

If you are based around Goodge St then try and visit the Wallace Collection. I spent sometime there waiting for a train at Marylebone. It's not huge but full of beautiful things. And it is free https://www.wallacecollection.org/

Perhaps have good weather and fallback itineraries just in case?

TBH I'd skip Denis Severs unless I was in the Spitalfields vicinity, it's interesting but not worth a special trip IMO.

I like both St Paul's and the Abbey so no help there! I'd pick the one closest to where you will be (I think they're very different).

Goodge St is really close to the British Museum. Just checked and it's open late on Fridays so may be worth considering popping in then if you're here on a Friday? It's free entry and should be quieter.

It's zone 3!!

So it is. I was thinking Zone 5 forgetting how small the zones are. Still not the shlep some people are making it out to be.

I'd dump Kew Gardens. Too far away and takes up a whole day.

Still no to the Chelsea Physic Garden because it's not near your other sites.

If you must have Kew to get your partner to come, you need to be ruthless about your choices.

It sounds as if you haven't done a lot/any sightseeing in London before so I'd stick to the big hitters like the Tower, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey/Big Ben/ Southbank and scrap more minor attractions like Sir John Soane, Denis Severs, the Hunterian.

OK if you are based near Goodge St then you should do the British Museum. You don't need to do the whole thing just pick a bit the Assyrian lions

@AnnaMagnani done a bit but not a whole lot you’re right ! Probably been 4 times but was either as a child myself, with my own youngish child right before lockdown or visiting friends and just mooching.

Kew is amazing, went recently and so much was in bloom, can’t wait to go back to see it change through the seasons. Get the hop-on, hop-off little train around the grounds (extra ticket when you get inside). Stay on it for one loop around the gardens to get your bearings (around 40min and the guides give a nice history along the way), then use it as a shortcut between landmarks within the Gardens. Definitely keep a whole day for it, it’s vast and so much to see (including two art galleries within the grounds and currently a large-scale sculpture show).

OP, it seems strange to be told that Kew is not possible by people who live in London? It’s actually very doable and easy on the district line (far more pleasant line out there as it’s mostly overground from Hammersmith), walk to the gardens from station. You could even district line to Richmond and have a mooch there by the river before going back towards Kew. Or there’s good bus routes out to Kew from Hammersmith.
It can be a few hours wander around Kew with a coffee stop or a long day, whatever works for you and is a lovely break from central London noise. Personally, I’d jump on a bus to go back via Hammersmith or Chiswick, could even stop for food there and walk back towards Hammersmith if it’s a nice, light evening, which will give you a nosey around nice residential parts of London other than the tourist-filled central areas.

You can get riverboat to kew from Westminster so definitely do-able if you include the riverboat as an activity

I reckon you could see a lot of kew in 3-4 hours including lunch. It’s definitely worth a visit and you don’t need to see every inch of it

@AnnaMagnani - I love the Assyrian galleries!

OP: Be aware that the National Gallery and British Museum are usually very busy with tourists because they're free and are some of the main attractions in London. BM is open 10am-5pm, NG 10am-6pm (9pm on Fridays). There's a back entrance at the BM which is usually quieter than the main entrance (but if you do enter that way, leave via the main entrance so that you can see it - it is impressive).

NG you can combine with Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace (one of my favourite views in London). Then through St James Park (my favourite park in London) and either walk down to Parliament Square or cut through Horse Guards into Whitehall. And you could do Churchill War Rooms too, if you spend the whole day in that area.

Tate Modern and St Paul's can be combined - walk over the Millennium Footbridge. If you want to spend the whole day in that area you could include St Dunstan's in the East (won't take long) and Tower of London (do you actually want to go inside?) and Tower Bridge. Although your half day suggestion of ToL, St Dunstan's and Sky Garden sounds sensible.

Given closing times, maybe factor some of the walks into the evenings (although you may be tired if you've spent all day on your feet).

@zzplex this itinerary sounds pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks for confirming !
I’ve read that the BM is horrendously busy and it’s difficult to see things. There’s also a weird ticketing system I believe with huge queues. People who’ve booked and people who haven’t all getting mixed up. Not sure if true.

Tate Britain is much nicer than Tate Modern you can get an 87 bus which stops right outside and passes the Houses of a Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Its a lovely building in itself and is never as crowded as the T Modern. The permanent collection is lovely and there are 2 really good exhibitions on at the moment , you do have to pay for them but they are worth it, if you get an art pass you can get in half price to the exhibitions at many galleries, and free to a lot of places - worth checking out. I’d recommend the V and A just pop into the jewellery gallery and have a coffee in the courtyard - lovely you can walk from there through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens- some lovely gardens to look at also Green Park which has a lovely rose garden and wildflower meadows -you could get your garden fix in there.

It depends when you go to the British Museum.

Went recently on a weekday, didn't know about the ticketing so went off for lunch.

Booked a slot over lunch, queued about 1 minute at the gate and the same for bag search and in. Apparently it's the bag searches that take the time.

Wasn't that busy although we never go the Egyptian mummies as that tends to be very busy.

Apols for incorrect timings on Kew. I googled it, rather than using tfl Journey Planner. It probably added on a lot extra because of my vague "central London" starting point.

If you're south of the river, the Old Operating Theatre Museum is really interesting, but probably a bit out of the way if you're on a strict time-budget.

Get the Citymapper and TFLGo apps on your phone for tube maps, bus info etc

I would say St Paul's and Westminster Abbey are very different. If you can factor a in musical event ( sometimes there are free or cheap lunchtime/early evening events at St Pauls) then that would be worth visiting, otherwise I'd opt for Westminster Abbey, which I find more interesting historically.
If you were to go to the National Gallery, you could nip in to St Martins in the Fields which is also looking onto Trafalgar Square, and have refreshments in the very nice crypt cafe, have a quick look at the church ( cool and peaceful on a warm day ) and again, time it to see one of the free short concerts. The Chandos pub nearby is also lovely - wooden panelled booths.
Kew needs a day to itself

The tower of London is great but will take you 10am-3pm. If you like history then it's unparalleled though.

I agree with this. I love Kew but tend to go for a couple of hours or so and you can see a lot if you plan. If you do go, don’t have snacks/lunch in the cafe by the main gate and shop, go to the Pavilion Cafe, I think that is what is called, as it is much nicer and in a lovely setting.

I’d choose the abbey over St Paul’s and then you could do St. James’ Park and all that. I’d also choose Nat Gallery or Portrait Gallery over Tate Britain.

The Tower of London is great, really well organised and interesting. John Soane’s museum also good but the last few times I’ve been there have been long queues to get in. I don’t know if you can book for it.

We did Kew as an afternoon trip...is the Pagoda still open? If you just want a museum or gallery the wallace and its cafe are excellent. The British Museum is too busy to enjoy.

Tower of London is fantastic but you'll want a whole day. I'd get out at monument on Pudding lane, climb Monument for city views then walk to the Tower

I'd keep Kew for a separate trip, tag on Hampton Court and overnight in Richmond.

Galleries and IWM can be done in one day. I'd start at IWM, then walk to the War rooms via Parliament and Downing street then lunch at St James park and then go to National Portrait Gallery.