I have a 7 hr layover in London and want an inexpensive way to take a quick tour of some main attractions?

Question

I have a 7 hr layover in London and want an inexpensive way to take a quick tour of some main attractions?

Answer 1

Which airport?

Heathrow is on the tube line, you could quickly ride the circle line (? it might be called something else) to see the Tower of London and back.  You'll have to go through security again when you get back, so allow yourself the time to do so.

Answer 2

Best that you sleep for 7 hours and get out of the UK asap. The whole place is in a state of decay.

Answer 3

Use the Tube (undergraound) to get to Westminster Tube Station, Zone: 1, it is on the Circle, District & Jubilee lines. See Big Ben and go on a cruise along the Thames. Also if you go across the bridge you can get on the London Eye, which is a great way of seeing the vastness of the City -good for photos and very relaxing.

Here is a link to a tube map : http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/s...

Also check out: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/  - it is a great website for checking out transport links around London.

Answer 4

Arriving and departing from Heathrow, presumably?... if you have to change airports, or if you're flights are in and out of Gatwick, I'm afraid you won't have time for sightseeing.

But from Heathrow, yes, seven hours gives you just long enough for a taster. =)

So I'd say 'go for it', as long as

1. Your luggage is booked right through from your starting point to your destination (that's usual, but do check.)

2. Your stopover is during daytime or early evening, when tubes are running frequently.

Assuming it's 'yes' to both the above, you will probably have around two and a half hours to explore, once you've subtracted check-in time and travelling in and out of town.

You have two sensible travel choices.

1. The Heathrow Express (overland train) -- £15 each way, takes 15 minutes and runs every 15 minutes. But that brings you to Paddington and you'd have to take a tube from there to get to any of London's big landmarks.

2. The tube: cash fare £4 each way but buy a one-day travelcard if it's either a weekend or after 9.30am Mon-Fri. The journey into central London takes 40-50 mins -- but it gets you right to the heart of things.

Look at the tube map (pdf here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1108... ) and you'll see Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden next to each other in the centre of town.

They're only strolling distance from each other, with Trafalgar Square between them (have a look at this map and you'll see: http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GB|T#... ...

why not print it off and take it with you?

The best 'potted tour' is probably from Leicester Square station. Follow the map above and walk south to Trafalgar Square (2-3 minutes).

Here, you have Nelson's Column and the surrounding fountains and lion statues. On the northern side is the National Gallery; on the eastern side is the beautiful and historic church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (yes, 300 years ago this was countryside.)

At the south-western corner is Admiralty Arch. Walk through it and wander down the road called The Mall to Buckingham Palace. The walk takes about 8-10 mins and you can leave the road and stroll through St James's Park instead. This is one of London's famous Royal Parks.

Another quick hop from Trafalgar Square is Whitehall. That's the southern exit from Trafalgar Square. Stay on the right-hand side of Whitehall (beside the oncoming traffic). That way you walk past Horseguards Parade (guarded by the Queen's Cavalry in scarlet uniform coats and bearskins), then also past the end of Downing Street, where you can see Number 10, home of the British Prime Minister.

At the end of Whitehall (about 15 mins walk), you come to Parliament Square. Here are the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and you're also right beside the Thames. Lots and lots to look around!

When it's time to head back to the airport, get a Jubilee line tube from Westminster station, right beside Westminster Bridge. It's just one stop from there to Green Park station, where you change back on to the Piccadilly line heading west for Heathrow.



I really hope the sun shines for those few short hours.

Love from a Londoner born and bred.

=D

Answer 5

A seven hour layover may not be enough time. I just went there and lemme give you a general timeframe:

1) You should get there 2 hours in advance (or more if you have an international flight) for security. So heads up on that.

2) If you're coming into Heathrow, you can get the Tube into downtown. Depending on the time of day, the ride will take between 45 min and 1 hour & 15 min.

3) Once you get to downtown, Buckingham, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, and most of the main hotspots are within a 5 to 15 minute tube ride of each other.

4) I'm pretty sure a Tube day pass in London costs 7 pounds -- quite a deal!

So given bad traffic and the heavy security, you will have about 3 hours to explore. Take into consideration that you need to be sure how to get back to the airport so don't be shy in asking the attendants who work there! Trying to figure out that system takes time.

I also want to note that when I went through Heathrow (for an international flight), my family got there well in advance because we didn't want to miss the flight, but security was very quick. I'm pretty sure I saw signs that said they don't want people waiting in line for security for more than 15 minutes. Heathrow is so freaking busy that they have moving masses of people down to an art.

Also, if you're going to save on things like transportation, but want to go to something like the London Eye and you're short on time, splurge a little and buy the "Fast Pass". You pretty much get right on and then you have more time to check out other things.

Answer 6

Although the bus tours may seem expensive (£22-£24 per adult) you see evrything in 2-3 hours.  You could get off the picadilly line at Green Park where the tour starts.  Going around on the tube may seem good at he time but you may find you spend loads of time wondering around lost and don't get to se as much as you'd like. You can get good discounts for the bus tours by dealing with the sales staff at the pickup points espescially wherethere is more than one cmpany opperating.

Answer 7

There is a London events listing site that has a complete listing for everything happening in London and they've just published a walking tour guide that's 'off the beaten path' for tourists but will give you a great view of the city.  You can read it here:

http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/articles/Spoon...

Alternately, do the really touristy bits! Take the tube from Heathrow into the center of the city (You can take the Piccadilly line to Earl's Court, change onto the District line to Upminster and get of at Westminster stop).  From Westminster, you will exit the tube to see The London Eye, Big Ben, the houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and a number of those red telephone booths that are so popular for pictures.  From there, you can walk to Buckingham Palace through some of the beautiful London parks.  This is a great area for a really quick look at the can't-miss bits of London.

Have a great trip!

Answer 8

Use public transportation and get a map. That way you can make your own timings in the 7 hours. Or just rest up.

Answer 9

7 hours, thats not enough time at all.

I suggest getting a subway train to any name you like, leave the subway and ask where the pub is.

Spend 3 hours at the pub talking to people and drinking and then remember the subway, well find it and get the train back.

Some people never made it back though.........

Answer 10

first off, is the airport going to let you leave and come back in ??? (security can be a pain in the a** these days)