Travel

[nyc1]

We are taking a Tauck riverboat trip up the Seine in Sept.  We start the trip in London, and I've added 2 days that we'll have on our own.   We're staying at the Savoy.   I would like to go to the theatre one of the evenings...   any recommendations?   I was thinking Lion King, since we've never seen that show.  Also,  should I purchase tickets now and directly from the theatre?  

A friend of mine suggested we go to the War Room.  I know there are so many things to see and do in London,  the Tower, Palace, etc.  I was there many many years  ago, but my husband has never been.   I would also love to avoid long lines if that is possible.

 My girlfriend always does a hop on hop off bus wherever she goes.  I've never done that.   I figured we could walk most places, take the Underground or a cab.   Any recommendations would be appreciaed.  I just purchased Rick Steves book on London and will start going through that soon.    Thanks all.

[kaydee50]

Yes, the war room stands out in my mind from my visit to London many years ago.  If you have any interest in history, a must.  

We like the hop on/hop off busses but not sure that it is necessary in London.  It is such a big city that I would focus on a couple of places, e.g., the British Museum, Tower of London and walk or the underground.  

Cheerio!

[proudlyfromNJ]

@nyc1.  A friend just got back from London. Said the war room was great and spent an hour an a half there. 

I always do the hop on hop off bus in any new city I go to. You get to see much of the city and hop off if you want to see something.

Have fun. I was on a Danube cruise a few years ago. Love those River Cruises.

[judy0330]

I just looked at your cruise.  It's good that you are going early because the tour spends way too little time in London.  (We travel only with Tauck.  The best!!)  There is a ton to do and see in London.  My husband had people working for him there so we have been many times.  I definitely recommend the hop on hop off bus.  On a nice day it's a wonderful way to really see the city.  We laugh about it because one of the times we were in London I just hopped on and never hopped off!  It was a beautiful day and I took all of the routes and just enjoyed the ride.  Yes -- the Churchill War Rooms are incredible.  Other places off the top of my head -- definitely Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.   There is a major exhibit about Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace now if that is of interest to you.  You are fortunate to be going in September if you want to visit Buckingham Palace because it will be open then.  I highly recommend it (get your tickets beforehand online) and also the Royal Mews where you can see all of the incredible carriages.  St Paul's Cathedral is very interesting.  There are a ton of museums -- so whatever interests you is worth a visit.  Of course a stop at Harrods is a must.  (I have actually collected Harrods memorabilia forever.  VERY interesting store!)  Every section of the city is interesting in its own unique way and the underground could not be easier to navigate.  

I just looked at the shows currently playing in London.  If you want a great musical in every sense of the word -- The Lion King is probably a good choice.  We have seen a lot of the shows currently in London on Broadway.  Come From Away was excellent -- but certainly not a rollicking good time musical.  Same with Dear Evan Hansen.  A lot of people loved The Book of Mormon.  I didn't.  We actually saw Mary Poppins in London.  Not my favorite.  Theater is such an individual thing that it is hard to recommend something.

If you have any questions about your exact itinerary you can call Tauck and they can give you more specific information.  We always do that before a tour to avoid duplication.  We did Rendezvous on the Seine with Tauck.  You will be seeing a lot of great sites.  Giverny is incredibly beautiful. As a friend of mine said -- Normandy is a sacred place if ever there were one.  The Rouen Cathedral is magnificent.  Have a great time!!

[godi]

First of all Have a great trip! I love Tauck tours they are the best. Please treat yourselves to a high tea at the hotel. Hop on and off buses are the best. Changing of the guard at Buckingham. If you can get a tour there do that also. And number one Have fun. 

[henderson]

We were in London last year for 4 days.  A must see to me is Westminister Abbey and if you love to window shop you have to go to Harrod's.  I've never in my life seen a store like this!  

[nyc1]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.   This will be our 4th Tauck trip.   We already have a deposit down for the 5th trip  in 2020, which is now SOLD OUT!  And, are looking at what we may do for 2021.  Our first Tauck trip, that I can't recommend highly enough was....  CLASSIC ITALY SMALL GROUPS.

I just purchased Lion King tickets,  and will most likely get tickets for the War Room prior to going.   I understand the Beefeater tour at the Tower is a lot of fun.  Harrods is exceptional.  I still have the postcards that I purchased when I was there with my girlfriend many decades ago.   We love to walk,  so I'd like to walk most places if possible. 

@judy0330 I anticipate going back to London in the future,  but want to give my husband a greater taste of it than provided by Tauck.  I too was a little surprised that they didn't spend more time there.  The hotel is in a fabulous area, but then again,  all Tauck hotels are.  Thanks so much for all of your wonderful suggestions.  Many of them are on my list.  BTW ....   I too was not a fan of Book of Mormon.  It was just ok. 

[Drlinda]

Just booked a week in Spain with Tauck.  Heard they were the best.  Have a great time in London OP.

[judy0330]

@nyc1   Which other Tauck tours have you done?  Classic Italy was our first too!  I had been to Italy but my husband had not so it was a great way for him to go the first time.  We have also done Essence of Japan -- Essence of South America (which I would happily do again) -- Israel and Jordan (fabulous and a great group) -- Rendezvous on the Seine -- Russian Glories Baltic Treasures -- Warsaw/Budapest/Vienna/Prague.  There is another one I can't think of right now.  We always said that we wouldn't do US tours because we can easily do them on our own but it is just so much easier with Tauck.  We did Michigan -- just returned from New Orleans -- and are doing New Mexico in October.  We have an older cat and won't leave her for more than a week so the U.S. tours are perfect.  We are thinking about the Singapore/Bali trip at some point.  We have been to both -- but that tour looks wonderful.

[patbz]

One site not mentioned is the Ferris wheel; I'd do it at night to get a great overview.  Another favorite is the British Museum (Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, Egyptian collection--it's all great!).