First time in London - itinerary feedback + tips and recommendations
Hi everyone, I’ll be traveling to London at the end of October and staying until the second week of November. The main purpose of my trip is to attend my graduation, but since I’m traveling all the way from Southeast Asia, I’d also like to do some sightseeing and make the most of my time there. This will be my first time in London, and I’ll be traveling solo, so I’d really appreciate some advice from locals or anyone familiar with the city.
I’ve put together a rough itinerary although I'm pretty sure I may have packed too much into some days. 😅 I basically just researched places that looked interesting and tried to fit everything in! A little bit about me: I'm a Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes fan, and I'm also interested in history and paintings so I wanted to visit some of the places that have these in London.
Here's what I currently have planned:
- Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden
- Day trip to Oxford
- Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, Thames Riverside
- British Museum, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Leicester Square, Chinatown
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
- Day trip to Windsor
- Kensington, Hyde Park and Notting Hill
- Day trip to Stonehenge and Bath
- Sherlock Holmes Museum, Regent's Park and Marylebone
- Day trip to York
I’d really appreciate any feedback on the itinerary. Are there any places here that you think I could skip, or attractions that deserve more time? Are there places where it's perfectly fine to just see the outside rather than pay for admission? I’d also appreciate advice on which attractions I should book in advance, especially anything that tends to sell out.
For the day trips, would you recommend booking an organized tour/package, or is it generally easy enough to do them independently using public transportation? I'm comfortable traveling on my own, but I'm wondering if there are certain places where a tour is more convenient or worthwhile.
One other thing: I'm hoping to buy a good winter coat while I'm in London. Where I'm from, proper winter coats are either quite expensive or difficult to find, and I'd like to get something that I can also use when traveling to colder countries in the future. I am not looking for anything too fancy, just something good quality, warm, durable, and reasonably priced. Are there any shops or brands in London that you'd recommend for this?
Thanks so much for any advice. 😊