How would you spend a morning in C.London alone (tourist)

[SnowwDr0p]

Next week I have a free morning before a work event and would like to make the most of it. I'd like to see some sights and do a bit of shopping. I'm disabled so will be driving and using Blue Badge Parking. I quite fancy a bit of Oxford Street, maybe a Charlotte Tilbury shop, Fortnum & Masons/Harrods but also see Big Ben, the Palace to name two and on my way home the next day would live to visit some charity shops (heading out north) so recommendations welcome.

Is there anything that would be a must do/see for you? I'd like to come back with family to do bus tour, Museums, and full on sightseeing visits

Where do you need to get to for work in the afternoon?

I like walking around Tower Hill and along the river or you could go East and go to Spitalfields Market and eat until you feel sick, or you could go to Trafalgar Square and wander around the national portrait gallery or down towards Covent Garden or up the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Embankment to Westminster (or vice versa) is quite nice to do.

You don’t say how mobile you are. But here are a few pointers:
You need to register your car or you will be charged £12.50 simply for driving into Central London. More if your car is not compliant with the Diesel Free Zone.

Blue Badge rules are different from Borough to Borough and very strict in Westminster so you need to check everywhere you are thinking of parking
Also, much of Central London is double yellow lined so, again, check the rules.

Covent Garden might be a good bet - there is a Charlotte Tilbury and the market is looking very festive. There are lots of shops in Long Acre adjacent to it and there is a nice coffee shop/ bar in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Fortnum’s (on Piccadilly) is looking very festive but I would say Harrods (which is not close to it) is a waste of time - overpriced and a magnet for tourists.

London is big and travel is slow, especially if you are travelling by car and have to negotiate parking etc. there are LOTS of driving restrictions so do be careful where you drive.

I'd pick one location and spend time there properly. so options could be

• christmas shopping on Oxford St / Regent St. Fortnum & Mason is a 10 min walk from there too, depending on walking speed
• harrods is awful, don't bother
• London Eye (book tickets, it is excellent) and then Big Ben / Parliament Square.
• Tower Bridge and Tower of London then borough market.

But you'd only have time for one of those

I spent 5 hours yesterday in London which included a long lunch but I managed Hamleys, Fortnum & Mason and Liberty. F&M was heaving but its quietest times are before 11am. Walk through Burlington Arcade if you can. CityMapper is a great app. I left by 4pm by which time the lights were on.

Charity shops St johns Wood high St or hampstead high St

Burlington Arcade

Also 159 bus goes from Oxford Circus down Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Horseguards Parade Houses of Parliament and over River near the London Eye ( which I found very boring) the get off and do the return journey. It’s fab.

A morning is not very long. I agree with the PP that Covent Garden/seven dials would be a lovely festive place to spend a morning and has a CT.

Alternatively go to Oxford and regent street and make your way to fortnums.

You'll never make it to Big Ben and the palace too in the space of a morning unless you create a clever driving route past them both on your way in or out!

I agree a morning isn't very long at all.

FWIW, I highly recommend the National Gallery if you've never been. I'd never understood art and how people pay crazy prices. I went this year and was just blown away by the quality. Even if I could afford it, I still don't think it'd pay the millions, but I can now see why people do.

Fortnam’s and the area around it are heaving - people were queueing to get in and the pavements were blocked. There’s loads of building work going on so it’s narrower than normal, too.

But it looks very pretty, with adorable mechanical mice window displays and the whole front is decorated. Bond Street has really ostentatious lights (although better in the dark, of course).

You’d see a lot of nice Christmassy stuff in that area of Piccadilly, and the shops are much nicer than Oxford Street, which is now just chains and money laundering fronts.

Depending on how mobile you are, China Town is close, and you can walk to Liberty’s. Carnaby Street is that area, although again is just chain shops and the lights are meh this year.

Parking will be a nightmare, as will driving anywhere, but that’s London for you. If you can, I’d park a little further out and take black cabs - much quicker and easier, but you pay handsomely for the convenience.

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster is looking good at the moment.

Have you considered taking the clipper? You see loads from the river and it doesn’t take long. Depending on where your work is in the afternoon, it takes about an hour from the new Battersea Power Station development (very nice for a giant mall) to Greenwich (Cutty Sark, Naval College all very nice) and you will pass Big Ben / PoW + Tower of London and several other iconic buildings on the way.

You could also hop off at Embankment for the London Eye (overpriced but quite nice to do once), the area round the South Bank theatres is pretty buzzy.

Even using the tube you'd be very unlikely to get all that done in a morning, they're all quite far away from each other. I suggest checking the driving/parking situation for each place and then pick one or two things to do. You'll need to leave plenty of time to get to wherever your work event is.

How far are you able to walk, OP? I would stay well away from Oxford Street, it's really hectic, and rather shabby these days. Regent St is better but I wouldn't bother at this time of year.

Depending on your mobility, if it's a nice day I'd go for a walk in St James's Park and get a coffee and sit outside the café for a bit. Then head down to the Strand to the Courtauld. It's a small but lovely gallery and doesn't take long to get round. Then cross the Strand and head into Covent Garden. It's busy around there but a much nicer atmosphere IMO than Oxford St.

Also depends on how long you have and where your work event is.

If you wanted to go to Fortnum and Masons then you could do the StJP bit then head over there, or head straight for Piccadilly and F&M if the weather isn't good. The shops on parallel Jermyn St are also great for window shopping and it's very pretty (and posh), quieter and less touristy there.

OP that is a very ambitious plan! London is heaving atm so as others have suggested you need to limit yourself to one area, take it slowly, enjoy what it has to offer and not worry about trying to battle through crowds and traffic. I would suggest one of these three plans.

Covent Garden, lots of small, rather crowded shops, but a good variety, also a market area with various things on different days, all looks beautiful, lots of places to sit down have a coffee and people watch. One of our favourites is the roof top bar at the Royal Opera House. Downside is quite uneven walking surfaces, lots of changes of material underfoot and unexpected changes of level.

Fortnums, such an amazing shop, gorgeous displays, their windows at Christmas are legendary. Fabulous perfumery department and Christmas shop. Within the same area you also have the huge Waterstones, Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy ( yum), Burlington Arcade, Royal Academy for your soul. Again lots of places to sit and eat have coffee, including quite a few chain places so not too exorbitant. Downside is you will need deep pockets and willpower of iron.

Marylebone High Street, not quite as glamorously “London”, but great range and variety of independent shops, cafes , etc, also a few (pricey) charity shops which you wanted. All make a great effort to put on a show. Nearby is the Wallace collection if you need a respite from the mayhem. Downside is quite narrow pavements and an inordinate number of tiny dogs!

I think your biggest issue is going to be getting around, even with a blue badge you are going to struggle with finding parking, and unless you are used to London traffic I think you will end up traumatised by driving through pre Christmas London streets. I am used to London driving and I would not drive into central London in the daytime for a thousand pounds at this time of year.

Public transport is your salvation, park up somewhere on the outskirts near a tube station and plan your journey from there. TFL website will help with this, it lists step free tubes and you can plan journeys that are minimal walking.

I hope you have a lovely day whatever you end up doing. I love people coming to my city, think it’s the best place in the world ( slight bias showing). Keep your belongings safe because there are mean people about, as there are everywhere, a well zipped shut cross body bag is best.

Watch out for lemmings (people who just step off pavements into traffic) and bikes.

Keep a tight hold on your phone - phone thefts are rife.