Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My family and I plan to visit London March 13th - 19th.
Of course, this is St Paddy's week.
Partying is not on top of our list. I hope we haven't made a timing mistake.
The girls are ages 12 & 17.
Our main goal is to get the feel of London both old and present.
Are most of the attractions open during this time and if so, are they typically busy?
Our hotel is on Berkerly Street.
Have you any advice on how we should plan our days?
We would love to take a short trip outside of the city to visit a charming small town. Do you have any suggestions?
St Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, not England's and therefore St Patrick's Day is not a national/bank holiday in England. Schools, banks, places of business, attractions, etc are all open. Any St Patrick's Day celebrations in England aren't much different to what they are in the US (a parade, street markets, people wearing green, etc). Also, I'm fairly sure that most Irish immigrants to England settled in the north of England - so down south in London, there is probably even less Irish influence.
I'm not hugely familiar with the countryside outside London (I'm up in Manchester) but definitely have a meal at a good pub - preferably on Sunday to catch the Sunday roast. And if you have time, visit Bath - I enjoyed it much more than London.
Don't worry about St Patrick's Day in London, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
I've been in London twice during that time and had good weather.
The daffodils and crocuses should be blooming everywhere.
Buy tickets for the hop-on/hop off bus. This will take you all over London and its sights and you can get on/off as you please.
Visit Hampton Court; the girls would probably like the maze.
There are many, many things to see and do in London and a lot of them are free (which is good because London can be awfully expensive.)
On Sundays at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, you can see democracy at work.
If you do a search on this site (upper part of your screen) you can find more suggestions. I agree about Bath, it would be a nice day trip.
I suggest visiting the Museum of London (about the history of London & a great museum for school age children as well as adults): Museum of London - English. There is no admission charged (as is the case with most museums in London).
Are most of the attractions open during this time and if so, are they typically busy?
Forgot to say, London is ALWAYS busy. It's a hugely overcrowded city and probably the most popular tourist destination in England. But don't be intimidated by long lines - for example the line to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London is ridiculously long... but they keep it moving pretty steadily and it doesn't take that long to get through.
I grabbed drinks with some friends on St. Paddy's Day but it actually seemed a lot more low key in London than in my hometown of Boston. I wouldn't worry- though if you want to pop into a pub for some good green beer, that's your chance!
Everything will be open, but it will be chilly. Make sure to dress appropriately. London attractions are busy year round- worse during the weekend but you have to put up with obnoxious school groups during the week. Also, keep maps handy. A to Z London was a favorite of mine. Various Tube lines shut down for the weekend for maintenance and I know that really threw off tourist friends of mine, so keep a map to be prepared. London is a great walking city and the Old City really isn't too large so it's manageable.
The free museums (best being the Imperial War Museum, Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Natural History Museum) are wonderful, but each could easily take a full day. I am in no way a war junky and didn't stop at everything in the Imperial War Museum, but it still took me a full day. The Tower of London is a bit expensive but ENTIRELY worth it.
As far as going out of the city, I'd recommend Salisbury, Winchester, or Windsor (which isn't exactly a small town and is fairly touristy, but quite easy to get to from London and you can walk down to Eton as well).
I'd suggest Woodstock as a small town to visit. It's a 43 minutes bus ride north of Oxford (which is easily reached by train from London) and you've also got Blenheim Palace there too. You can catch a bus to Woodstock from right outside Oxford rail station.
Or Oxford city centre itself is well worth visiting. There's a wonderful panoramic view of Oxford from the top of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (£3 admission to climb the stairs)
My family and I plan to visit London March 13th - 19th.
Of course, this is St Paddy's week.
Partying is not on top of our list. I hope we haven't made a timing mistake.
The girls are ages 12 & 17.
Our main goal is to get the feel of London both old and present.
Are most of the attractions open during this time and if so, are they typically busy?
Our hotel is on Berkerly Street.
Have you any advice on how we should plan our days?
We would love to take a short trip outside of the city to visit a charming small town. Do you have any suggestions?
For trips outside of London there are many places which commend themselves. However, I would recommend taking the train either to Bath (roman ruins and a lovely Georgian town) or Canterbury (cathedral and also a nice town).
Also, recommend taking a boat down the Thames to Greenwich. The boats leave from Westminster pier.
Forgot to say, London is ALWAYS busy. It's a hugely overcrowded city and probably the most popular tourist destination in England. But don't be intimidated by long lines - for example the line to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London is ridiculously long... but they keep it moving pretty steadily and it doesn't take that long to get through.
The best way to visit the Tower of London is to go when it opens and head straight for the Crown Jewels. Then do one of the Beefeater tours. I've never queued for the Crown Jewels by doing it that way.
Well, like I say, it didn't take that long even in the queue. I think the best way to see any tourist site is to arrive right when it opens but that's not realistic because most people have too many sites they want to see. When we visited Bath, we got to the Roman Baths just as they opened - plus, it was the day after the Christmas Markets had ended. For about the first half hour, NO one else was there, it was great! You really got a feel for the place, it was almost spiritual! It really made me realize how much the crowds usually ruins the atmosphere.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
