London Daily Reminder 2010
You can see lots of London in a few days — but not all days are created equal! This day-by-day list can help:
Sunday: The Tower of London and British Museum are both especially crowded today. The Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park rants from early afternoon until early evening. These places are closed: Banqueting House, Sir John Soane's Museum, and legal sights (Houses of Parliament, City Hall, and Old Bailey; the neighborhood called The City is dead). Westminster Abbey and St. Pauls are open during the day for worship and closed to sightseers. Many stores are closed, and some minor sights don't open until noon. The Camden Lock, Spitalfields, Greenwich, and Petticoat Lane street markets flourish, but Portobello Road and Brixton are closed. Except for the Globe, theaters are quiet, as most actors take today off.
Monday: Virtually all sights are open except for Apsley House, Sir John Soane's Museum, Vinopolis, and a few others. At Somerset House, the Courtauld Gallery is free until 14:00. The Houses of Parliament are usually open until 22:30. The Portobello Road market is sparse.
Tuesday: Virtually all sights are open, except for Vinopolis and Apsley House. The British Library is open until 20:00. On the first Tuesday of the month, St. John Soane's Museum is also open 18:00-21:00. The Houses of Parliament are usually open until 22:30.
Wednesday: Virtually all sights are open, except Vinopolis. Westminster Abbey is open until 19:00 (possible spoken evensong today).
Thursday: All sights are open, plus evening hours at the British Museum (selected galleries until 20:30), National Portrait Gallery (until 21:00), and Vinopolis (until 22:00).
Friday: All sights are open, plus evening hours at the British Museum (selected galleries until 20:30), National Gallery (until 21:00), National Portrait Gallery (until 21:00), Vinopolis (until 22:00), Victoria and Albert Museum (until 22:00), and Tate Modern (until 22:00). The Houses of Parliament close early today (15:00). Best street market today: Spitalfields.
Saturday: Most sights are open except legal ones (Old Bailey, City Hall, Houses of Parliament; skip The City). Vinopolis is open until 22:00, and the Tate Modern until 22:00. Best street markets: Portobello, Camden Lock, Greenwich.
Notes: The St. Martin-in-the-Fields church offers lunchtime concerts (free, Mon, Tue, and Fri at 13:00) and in the evening (jazz £5–8 Wed at 20:00; classical £6–25 Thu-Sat at 19:30, sometimes Tue). Evensong occurs daily at St. Paul's (Mon–Sat at 17:00 and Sun at 15:15) and daily at Westminster Abbey (Mon–Sat at 1700—may be spoken on Wed, Sat–Sun at 15:00), and Southwark Cathedral (weekdays at 17:30, Sat at 16:00, Sun at 15:00, no service on Wed or alternate Mon). London by Night Sightseeing Tour buses leave from Victoria Station every evening (19:30–21:30, only at 19:30 in winter). The London Eye spins nightly until 20:00–21:30, depending on the season).
Updated for 2010. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' London guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited London tours!