It is advisable not to count on visiting more than two places of interest or museums in a day – trying to cram too much in one day can be too intense and tiring. It’s better to visit a couple of places and to appreciate and enjoy them rather than ending up with a half-remembered blur of images and facts!

In my opinion, Central London is best appreciated on foot if you are trying to have a look at the main attractions. Most of the well-known sights such as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace are located within easy walking distance of each other. Moving around London in a family-sized or other small group does not usually require a car of your own – when the distance to the next museum or palace is a bit too much, we can hop into one of the famous London taxis – the iconic black cabs – or take a ride on a double decker bus. And these short journeys are an attraction all on their own – you can feel yourself local!

If we are planning to go out of town, whether to another city or to somewhere in the country, however, a car is a good idea, particularly if you would like to visit some of the more rural locations – and will prove comfortable and relatively economical.

Most museums in England are closed only during the Christmas holidays and on New Year’s Eve. Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle can sometimes close at other times, and it is always a good idea to check their websites for specific days.

Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral cannot be visited in the normal way on Sundays, when they are reserved for those attending religious services. Similarly, the chapel in Windsor Castle – of particular interest as the burial place of late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – is also closed for tourist visiting on Sundays, although the rest of the castle is normally open.

I do not organize groups; all my tours are for you and your company or family. The cost doesn’t depend on how many people are in your party.

There are some tried and tested combinations of visits that work well in a day, for example Warwick Castle and Oxford, or Stonehenge and Salisbury, another great combination. I would also recommend a visit to Hampton Court Palace combined with a museum visit in the centre of London.

There are also, sadly, some combinations that are far from optimal, even though they are sometimes offered by reputable tour companies. Quite a few people attempt to visit Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath in one day. It is possible, if you carry your breakfast away from the hotel with you at six in the morning, meet the coach at seven, and spend the day rushing from one place to another, with ‘lunch’ on the bus and a return to the hotel at nine in the evening. A day like that means spending seven hours on the road under ideal circumstances, and a lot more if there are, as sometimes happens, traffic problems. If guests really insist on a trip of that nature, I feel obliged to mention the possible down-sides of such a plan!

Many visitor sites now limit the number of visitors they allow inside the premises at any one time – the Tower and Hampton Court Palace are examples. It is advisable to pre-purchase tickets to such venues, sometimes well in advance and with a timed entry: this is necessary, for example, at Windsor Castle and at Stonehenge. And while many museums in the UK are free to enter, a timed entry booked in advance can help you avoid the entrance queue, particularly in summer. At Westminster Abbey, though, you don’t need to worry about advance booking: guides have their own ticket office, and we can buy tickets at a small discount from the normal rate and – most importantly – without queueing.

A very popular place to visit – and one which is not becoming any less so with the passage of time – is the Warner Bros studio where the Harry Potter movies were made. So many people want to see the behind-the-scenes marvels, walk along Diagon Alley and – of course – take the obligatory photo at Platform 9¾ , that tickets have to be booked well in advance, ideally two or three months before you want to visit.

The same applies to the London Eye and Madame Tussaud’s. If you don’t want to stand in line, it makes good sense to buy tickets in advance, and in summer it’s worth spending a little extra to gain fast track entry.

Full day excursions within London usually start at 1000 and finish by 1700, with about an hour of this time being spent at lunch. Out-of-town trips last around an hour or two longer, depending on transport conditions. Read more about tour planning and prices https://londonrusguide.com/en/stripe-payment

If you want time to get to know London on your own as well, I can offer three-hour tours, either from morning until lunchtime or from two until five in the afternoon – this gives enough time, for example, for a pleasant visit to get acquainted with the British Museum or the National Gallery.

A highlights panoramic walk around the main sights of London will also take about three to three and a half hours – read about it in detail https://londonrusguide.com/en/london-panoramic-walk/

The best way is to use booking.com and to compare the prices for your specific dates according to your budget, the rates vary hugely due to different reasons. If you would like to live nearby the main attractions, Piccadilly Street, Trafalgar Square, streets around Buckingham Palace may be your choice – and the rates are always high. Some hotels with excellent feedback I mentioned here

For the less expensive stay there are many small hotels near Victoria and Paddington train stations. They are well connected to the city center, but you should read the testimonials with great care to avoid unpleasant surprises. When you choose several options, I can comment your selection.