London

We are seniors and going on a cruise next May. We want to know what to see in the short 2 days prior to the cruise in leaving from South Hampton.

Thanks:confused:

We are seniors and going on a cruise next May. We want to know what to see in the short 2 days prior to the cruise in leaving from South Hampton.

Thanks:confused:

Please consider doing a bit of research about London's many attractions and, then, returning to this board. You're asking total strangers to make recommendations without knowing anything about you beyond your age and the month in which you'll be traveling. (The world famous Chelsea Flower Show, one of the premier horticultural displays in the world will fall in May 2015. Are you a traveler who will think this activity is worth a trip in its own right and the cruise is just frosting? Or are you a traveler who will think it's the equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment?)

Ask yourself if there is anything in London you've always wanted to see. Ask yourself if you have any special interests and, then, look for destinations that focus on those interests. With a bit of research, you'll likely develop a long list. The helpful folks on this board will be able to tell you how much of your list you'll be able to do and the best order in which to do it.

Finally, please share something about your level of mobility or stamina when you do return to this board.

Also, please be aware that Southampton is not in London.. It is a port on the south coast so please factor into your planning how you are going to get to Southampton in good time.

If you give us a bit more info, someone will soon be along to help you in more detail. :)

That's a pretty wide remit to answer on a forum, London has hundreds of sights. It's much better for folk on this forum to comment on your proposed plans & choices than to start from scratch.

You really need to start by researching in guide books and on tourism websites like

http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-london?ref=nav

and

http://www.londontoolkit.com/mnu/london_tours.htm

Those websites also help with choosing accommodation, and getting around London - best bets are ho-ho for an overview, & the tube (metro) for quickly & easily getting from place to place. Also pages covering your transportation options from the airport and to Southampton (note the spelling).

And check out the routes of the ho-hos - the yellow route on this site passes the city centre's major attractions.

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/UserFiles/OriginalTourMap.jpg

But here's a start with just some of the must-see's, vaguely in order of importance.

Houses of Parliament (Big Ben etc) and Westminster Abbey, then up Whitehall, (Churchill's War Rooms, Number 10, Cenotaph, Banqueting House & Horse Guards Parade) to Trafalgar Square (Nelson's Column & the lions, Admiralty Arch, National Gallery)

Tower of London & the adjacent Tower Bridge.

Buckingham Palace

St Paul's cathedral

London Eye

The British Museum

The South Kensington museum district (Nat History, Science, Victoria & Albert) and nearby Albert Hall.

For relaxation, Covent Garden and Katherine Dock and London's parks.

For the evening, the theatre district (vaguely Leicester Square & the Strand)

Since you have just two days you will need them both in central London, so don't concern yourselves with sights outside the city.

From London, most people travel to the port on the morning of the cruise. Takes 90 mins to 2.5 hours depending on your transport choice, but very easy

JB :)

That's a pretty wide remit to answer on a forum, London has hundreds of sights. It's much better for folk on this forum to comment on your proposed plans & choices than to start from scratch. You really need to start by researching in guide books and on tourism websites...

 

But here's a start with just some of the must-see's, vaguely in order of importance....

And just to underscore John Bull's and my earlier recommendation that you need to do some research, JB's list omits The Globe Theater. He's listed many great choices, but what if you're Shakespeare buffs or retired English teachers, or retired employees in the costume shop of the Washington Shakespeare Theatre?

I realize you've signed your post "confused" but that's only a temporary condition. The more effort you put into figuring out what means the most to you, the more we can improve your eventual experience by suggesting best times of the day or days of the week or sequence of activities, etc.

Also add the Museum of London; Postmans' Park; riverboat trip to Greenwich and the Observatory; add to the Kensington area: Albert Memorial and Kensington Palace. Add to the Tower area: HMS Belfast; the Monument.

The list goes on.

If you want pub recommendations - I'm your man!:D I know the good ones and check them out on a fairly regular basis!

Restaurants - we have thousands of every conceivable style and price.

Welcome to Cruise critic. I see you have only 6 postings. This is a great place to get information. I was in your shoes about a year ago and know that you have a lot of research ahead of you.

London is a wonderful place to visit and this message board help me so much. After i had narrowed my questions down a bit I started a thread.

Here it is:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1990590

You might find a few answers in this.

also, after my visit I did a mini review of our visit. This is the link to that:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2104112

Have a good time planning your cruise and visit to London. :D

Another option is to stay in Southampton and explore from there. If you can let us know your dates of flights and cruise departure it will help to give more exact information and examples of what is possible.

This is what we (seniors also) did with a two night stay in Southampton.

Day 1: Arrived Heathrow mid-late morning, cleared immigration etc and took a private hire car (Smiths for Airports) to Southampton. Waited in hotel until we could check-in by 3 pm, had a nap, walked to historic pub for an early dinner. We stayed at the Premier Inn, West Quay.

Day 2: Took train to Salisbury then HoHo to Stonehenge. We had a lovely easy day exploring but were too tired to stay for Evensong at the cathedral. Train back to Southampton and walked back to hotel. Dinner at a nice greek restaurant.

Day 3: Walked a little more around Southampton in the morning, went to grocery store for a bunch of flowers for our cabin and other odds and ends, then taxi to the cruise terminal at noon.

Thiese are some suggestions which I wrote on another thread - hope they may give you some ideas.

Please remember that there is much more to London than Westminster. Outside of this area there is a vast choice of interesting places and sights to see - the Tower and St Katharines Dock area and the walk down into Wapping are fascinating. You can walk over cobbled streets and visit old pubs such as the Town of Ramsgate and the Prospect of Whitby. Google history of Wapping and you will find a myriad of interesting places to visit.

The area around the Barbican and the museum of London is fascinating - walk over to Charterhouse Square, visit Smithfield and Hatton Garden - look at Bleeding Heart Tavern etc .this is an area where Dickens based several of his novels such as Oliver Twist. The Museum of London is a great place to visit and I would echo the suggestion of Postmans Park which is a haven of peace with some very poignant memories.

Visit Southwark and Southwark cathedral - just as interesting as St Paul's and free! This is next to Borough Market, one of the best food markets in the world. Again there are some brilliant river walks.

Have a great time.

We are seniors and going on a cruise next May. We want to know what to see in the short 2 days prior to the cruise in leaving from South Hampton.

Thanks:confused:

As has been said, there are just so many things to see and do in London, for 2 days, no one can tell you what to see and do.

Do you want to just 'see' the attractions, like take a pix and move on. if so, then take the HoHo bus tour. it will take you all over London and you can see everything. if you want to get off and spend a bit more time, do so. In just two days you really won't have the time to venture into most of the attractions. Like the British Museum, it would take at least 1/2 a day just to see several exhibits. If you want specific things, like the Tower of London, that is again, at least, 1/2 a day and probably more, but if that's your thing, it may well be worth it for you.

Again, if you just want to 'see' London, do the HoHo bus, maybe even for both days and see and do as you please.

Cheers

Len

We just got home yesterday from our third visit to London and I still feel like I've only seen a tiny portion of what that beautiful city has to offer.

Before we went over the first time I spent a lot of time reading Rick Steves' guide and got some great tips, especially related to what times are busiest at certain attractions. When you only have a couple of days you do not want to spend your time in hour-long queues!

We have found the most enjoyable tourist activities have been the Hop On, Hop Off Bus, the Churchill War Rooms, and the National Gallery. I personally love to just walk and see the character and architecture of the city. There's so much history there!

Hope you really enjoy your first visit to London!