Private transfer from Heathrow

- Your driver meets you at Heathrow in a private car, with your flight tracked and up to an hour of free waiting time - About an hour to the hotel, depending on traffic - Monday 7 June, timed to your landing

Monday 7 June. If your room isn't ready when you arrive, leave your bags at the desk and have tea in the Palace Lounge. Later, walk up to the palace gates and back through St James's Park. Keep dinner light: the hotel bar or room service.

Monday 7 June. If your room isn't ready when you arrive, leave your bags at the desk and have tea in the Palace Lounge. Later, walk up to the palace gates and back through St James's Park. Keep dinner light: the hotel b…

Afternoon tea in the Palace Lounge

Sandwiches and scones in the hotel lounge, served from noon to 17:00: an easy first meal after the flight.

St James's Park and Buckingham Palace

Ten minutes on foot to the palace gates, then follow the lake path through St James's Park and loop back to the hotel.

Good to know in London

Good to know in London - US citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they fly. - Contactless cards work almost everywhere, and many places no longer take cash. - Tip 10 to 12.5% in restaurants unles…

Arrive at the Rubens

Westminster Abbey with a Blue Badge guide

Four hours in a small group of up to 20 with a Blue Badge guide, London's top guiding qualification: skip-the-line entry to the coronation church, then Big Ben, Parliament Square and the royal route up to Buckingham Pal…

Tuesday 8 June. The Abbey is a 15-minute walk from the hotel, and the tour finishes at Buckingham Palace, a short walk from the Rubens. Dinner is back by the Abbey.

The Cinnamon Club

Modern Indian cooking in the book-lined Old Westminster Library, a few steps from the Abbey; go for the tasting menu.

Inside Westminster Abbey

Aldwych, the hidden Tube station

Seventy-five minutes inside Aldwych, a station closed to passengers since 1994, where national treasures sheltered during the Blitz and film crews still come to shoot.

Sweetings

A Victorian fish restaurant that serves weekday lunch only and takes no bookings, so arrive before 12:30; order potted shrimps and a Black Velvet.

Hidden London on foot

Two hours in a small group of up to 15 through the City's quieter corners: Postman's Park and its memorial to everyday heroes, St Paul's, then over the river to Shakespeare's Globe.

Wednesday 9 June. Aldwych is 15 minutes from the hotel by taxi. From there, walk east along Fleet Street to Sweetings for lunch, about 25 minutes. The London Mithraeum, a Roman temple to Mithras seven metres below the street, is a few minutes further on; entry is free, but book a timed slot. The afternoon walk ends on the South Bank, about 25 minutes from the hotel by taxi.

Wednesday 9 June. Aldwych is 15 minutes from the hotel by taxi. From there, walk east along Fleet Street to Sweetings for lunch, about 25 minutes. The London Mithraeum, a Roman temple to Mithras seven metres below the s…

A ghost station

Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace with a guide

A full day by coach with a live guide and the best seats on board: Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace, then the State Apartments and St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, with entry to both and a packed lunch.

Thursday 10 June. The coach leaves Victoria at 8:30, a short walk from the hotel, and drops you at Gloucester Road in the late afternoon, ten minutes from the hotel by Tube or taxi. At Windsor, look up at the Round Tower: the Royal Standard flies when the King is in residence. The castle can close at short notice for state occasions. Have an easy dinner at the hotel tonight.

Thursday 10 June. The coach leaves Victoria at 8:30, a short walk from the hotel, and drops you at Gloucester Road in the late afternoon, ten minutes from the hotel by Tube or taxi. At Windsor, look up at the Round Towe…

Windsor and Hampton Court

The Lion King from a private box

Box E sits beside the stage in the Lyceum stalls, and we take all four of its seats so you have the box to yourselves for the 19:30 show.

Fortnum & Mason

Piccadilly's royal grocer since 1707, a 20-minute walk through Green Park from the hotel; pick up tea or a hamper to take home.

Rules

London's oldest restaurant, two minutes' walk from the Lyceum; book an early table and order game from its own estate or the steak and kidney pudding.

Friday 11 June. Take the morning slowly after the palace day. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is ten minutes on foot if you want it; the Army posts the week's schedule a few days ahead. Have dinner at Rules from 17:30, then walk two minutes to the Lyceum for the 19:30 curtain. A taxi back to the hotel takes about 15 minutes.

Friday 11 June. Take the morning slowly after the palace day. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is ten minutes on foot if you want it; the Army posts the week's schedule a few days ahead. Have dinner at Rul…

Your box at the Lyceum

The Tower of London, opened by the Beefeaters

Watch the Yeoman Warders unlock the Tower in their morning ceremony and see the Crown Jewels before the crowds; a guide walks you round the outer walls and Traitors' Gate, and the rest of the Tower is yours with an audi…

Tower Bridge

Walk across the bridge from the Tower after your visit; The Ivy is at the far end.

The Ivy Tower Bridge

Lunch on the terrace at the south end of the bridge, looking straight across the river at the Tower.

The English Grill

Your last dinner is at the hotel: steaks from the charcoal grill, or the beef Wellington the kitchen is known for.

Saturday 12 June. Take the District line from Victoria to Tower Hill for the early start; it runs direct. The King's Birthday Parade will probably fall on this date (it isn't announced yet), and if it does, roads round Buckingham Palace close that morning, so the Tube is the better way across town. You'll be back at the hotel by mid-afternoon, with time to pack before dinner. Sunday is for the flight home: breakfast, check out, and your driver takes you to Heathrow.

Saturday 12 June. Take the District line from Victoria to Tower Hill for the early start; it runs direct. The King's Birthday Parade will probably fall on this date (it isn't announced yet), and if it does, roads round…

The Crown Jewels, early

- A Red Carnation hotel across the road from the Royal Mews, home to the King's state coaches and carriage horses
- Ten minutes on foot to Buckingham Palace and St James's Park
- Afternoon tea in the Palace Lounge and dinner in The English Grill, both in the hotel
- Your room faces the Royal Mews and has one double bed
- Free cancellation until 6 June 2027

London, palaces and a ghost station

Your trip at a glance

London

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