Last year I planned my family's first trip to Europe. I was having my wedding in Italy since the hubby is a born and raised Roman.
As a frequent traveler, I love when I get long layovers. This time around we had a 6 hour layover, which gave me 2 hours to show my parents the London highlights. I've been asked how I made this possible so I've decided to write it out here. I can't take complete credit for this, the basic plan was inspired by a post from Tripadvisor. If I can find the exact post I'll update here to give proper attribution.
This was my fourth time in London so I knew a quick 2 hour layover could be done!
Since we had 6 hours for a layover I planned on 2 hours actually in London after hearing about the nightmare stories of how long immigration takes on arrival and how long security takes on the way back. We really lucked out both on arrival and departure. It took maybe ten minutes to go through immigration (for Daniele with his Italian passport it took him less than five minutes). On the way back there really wasn't much of a security line to speak of, had we known we could have stopped for a meal in London, but in cases like a layover, better safe than sorry.
I planned out two different routes dependent on whether or not we had a long wait with immigration, since we did not, I went with the longer plan. I have the longer plan listed below, but just for reference, the shorter plan started at Westminster, cut out the Tower Bridge and Tower of London, and ended at Green Park.
This is for first time visitors who just want to have a quick overview of the major sites.
2 Hour Layover In London
Arrive at London Heathrow and head straight to the Underground.
Buy a 1 day travel card for zone 1-6 to include the airport (we arrived after 9:30am so we were able to purchase off peak tickets which made transportation really cheap) and take the Piccadilly Line and get off at Green Park. This takes about 45 minutes (not including buying tickets or waiting for the train). Some people recommend the Heathrow Express as an alternate since it takes 15 - 20 minutes to get to Paddington Station, but when you factor in the time it takes to take the Underground to the more touristic parts of London, the time saved really isn't worth the increase in cost. For example, the 1 day travel card for zone 1-6 if bought for off peak hours is under 9 GBP, this allows for all day travel on most forms of public transportation. While the Heathrow Express costs around 40 GBP for a return fare and then if you plan on taking other forms of transportation you'll need to add the cost on top of that.
Walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace and enjoy the view.
After Buckingham Palace walk through St. James's Park to get to Westminster Abbey/the House of Parliament/Big Ben/Westminister Bridge.
Go along Whitehall to see Downing Street and the Horse Guard's Parade.
You'll end up at Trafalgar Square where you can see Nelson's Column.
If you have a little more than 2 hours, feel free to take a quick tea at the Crypt Cafe underneath St. Martin in the Field. Touristic, yes, but also pretty cool to visit. They offer a great cream tea option.
At Trafalgar Square you can use your day travel pass to take the 15 bus for a scenic route to the Tower of London. If you are lucky you'll be able to ride on one of the Routemaster buses, but the newer double deckers are just as fun. The journey takes about 25 minutes.
After the Tower of London walk across the Tower Bridge, take in one last sight of London and head back to the Underground for a ride back to the airport.
That ends the quick overview of the highlights, but trust me, there's so much more in London that if you get a chance, make sure to go back for more!
As a frequent traveler, I love when I get long layovers. This time around we had a 6 hour layover, which gave me 2 hours to show my parents the London highlights. I've been asked how I made this possible so I've decided to write it out here. I can't take complete credit for this, the basic plan was inspired by a post from Tripadvisor. If I can find the exact post I'll update here to give proper attribution.
This was my fourth time in London so I knew a quick 2 hour layover could be done!
Since we had 6 hours for a layover I planned on 2 hours actually in London after hearing about the nightmare stories of how long immigration takes on arrival and how long security takes on the way back. We really lucked out both on arrival and departure. It took maybe ten minutes to go through immigration (for Daniele with his Italian passport it took him less than five minutes). On the way back there really wasn't much of a security line to speak of, had we known we could have stopped for a meal in London, but in cases like a layover, better safe than sorry.
I planned out two different routes dependent on whether or not we had a long wait with immigration, since we did not, I went with the longer plan. I have the longer plan listed below, but just for reference, the shorter plan started at Westminster, cut out the Tower Bridge and Tower of London, and ended at Green Park.
This is for first time visitors who just want to have a quick overview of the major sites.
2 Hour Layover In London
Arrive at London Heathrow and head straight to the Underground.
Buy a 1 day travel card for zone 1-6 to include the airport (we arrived after 9:30am so we were able to purchase off peak tickets which made transportation really cheap) and take the Piccadilly Line and get off at Green Park. This takes about 45 minutes (not including buying tickets or waiting for the train). Some people recommend the Heathrow Express as an alternate since it takes 15 - 20 minutes to get to Paddington Station, but when you factor in the time it takes to take the Underground to the more touristic parts of London, the time saved really isn't worth the increase in cost. For example, the 1 day travel card for zone 1-6 if bought for off peak hours is under 9 GBP, this allows for all day travel on most forms of public transportation. While the Heathrow Express costs around 40 GBP for a return fare and then if you plan on taking other forms of transportation you'll need to add the cost on top of that.
Walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace and enjoy the view.
After Buckingham Palace walk through St. James's Park to get to Westminster Abbey/the House of Parliament/Big Ben/Westminister Bridge.
Go along Whitehall to see Downing Street and the Horse Guard's Parade.
You'll end up at Trafalgar Square where you can see Nelson's Column.
If you have a little more than 2 hours, feel free to take a quick tea at the Crypt Cafe underneath St. Martin in the Field. Touristic, yes, but also pretty cool to visit. They offer a great cream tea option.
At Trafalgar Square you can use your day travel pass to take the 15 bus for a scenic route to the Tower of London. If you are lucky you'll be able to ride on one of the Routemaster buses, but the newer double deckers are just as fun. The journey takes about 25 minutes.
After the Tower of London walk across the Tower Bridge, take in one last sight of London and head back to the Underground for a ride back to the airport.
That ends the quick overview of the highlights, but trust me, there's so much more in London that if you get a chance, make sure to go back for more!
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