| If you have one day, start off at the (free!) National Gallery in Trafalgar Square or at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard (daily or every other day at 11:30 a.m.) Picnic in St. James’s Park on your way to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. From Westminster, take the Tube’s Jubilee line one stop south to Waterloo and catch an evening play at the Royal National Theatre. Before heading home, take a late night stroll along the Waterloo Bridge for spectacular (and romantic) views of the city.
If you have three days, explore at least one of London’s outdoor markets, such as Portobello Road on a Saturday or Spitalfields on a Sunday. Spend a sunny day in Hyde Park or take a boat cruise along the Thames; you might try the cruise running between the Tate Modern and Tate Britain if you’re interested in either museum. At night, explore Soho and Covent Garden by foot or for a younger, trendier, and invariably cheaper evening scene, head further east to the Shoreditch area.
If you have a week or more make sure to explore the fringes of London. The expansive grounds of Hampstead Heath in northern London and Greenwich, site of the world’s Prime Meridian, are both excellent excuses to leave the crowds of central London behind. Consider a side trip to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, or Bath, all two hours or less from London by train. With the luxury of more time on your hands dousing the must-see-it-all fire under your britches, you might spend your first day recovering from jet lag atop a double-decker bus which, for a couple of pounds, gives you a full tour of the city’s sights.
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