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This 10 day itinerary will give you 5 days in London and 3 days in Dublin, with 2 travel days. During this trip you will see several famous sites like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower of London, Stonehenge, Belfast, Giant’s Causeway and Dublin. Hope you are ready to “crush it"
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart for London
If you are departing from the US you will mostly likely be taking an overnight flight. Pick a flight that lands in London Heathrow by 10am the next morning so you can maximize your sightseeing time. Try to get some sleep on the plane as you have a full day ahead of you.
Day 2: Arrive in London
Lodging: London
Welcome to London! London is an amazing city to visit as it’s rich in history, has a working monarch, and is actually the smallest city in England!
Once you arrive at Heathrow and get through passport control, make your way to your lodging. For this itinerary I’m going to assume you are staying at Georgian House Hotel. Georgian House Hotel is in a convenient location, as its a short walk to Victoria Station and it also has a Harry Potter themed room for the Potter fan in your group.
Leaving Heathrow you can book a shuttle service to the hotel or you can take the underground. When I was there, I took the underground as we were budget conscious. The tube took about 1hr and required a transfer from the Piccadilly line to the District line. London is pretty easy to get around so take the mode of transportation that best fits your budget. Don’t forget London’s famous black cabs are always an option.
You should plan to get to your hotel around 12:30pm. After you check-in find a place to stop for a quick lunch and then make your way to the Tower of London. From the hotel you can take the tube from Victoria Station to Tower Hill which will take about 20 minutes on either the District (green) or Circle (yellow) lines.
The Tower of London is a fascinating place, it was built by William the Conqueror as a fortress but has gone on to be an infamous prison and home of the Crown Jewels. Three of Henry VIII’s wives were executed at the Tower, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey. Henry’s daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, was also imprisoned there early in her life by her sister, Mary I.
Plan to get to the Tower of London before 2pm so you can take a Beefeater tour. The Beefeaters, or Yeoman Warders, are charged with protecting the Tower. The tours run every 30 minutes with the last one starting at 2:30pm. On the tour you will see the grounds, hear tales from the Beefeaters and visit the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately you wont be able to take any pictures of the Crown Jewels. This is one of several locations in London where pictures are not permitted.
You should plan to spend about 2hrs at the Tower. After your tour walk over the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge is often confused as the London Bridge, which is next to it. Make sure you take pictures of the bridge before you cross it!
Once you cross the bridge you have some options. You can stop for an early dinner or you can keep walking to see some more sights. If you decide to keep walking, head from the Tower Bridge to The Shard building. From the Shard, walk to Shakespeare’s Globe to the London Eye. If you want to do a night ride on the London Eye feel free to hop on, otherwise, plan to take an afternoon ride on the Eye later in the week.
After the London Eye cross Westminster Bridge to see Big Ben up close. Big Ben is part of the Palace of Westminster, or better known as the House of Parliament. Walking past the House of Parliament you will see Westminster Abbey, where Kings and Queens are married and coronated. After Westminster Abbey walk back to your hotel to freshen up for dinner. You should arrive back around 6pm.
Try to head to bed early as you have a big day ahead of you, tomorrow you will be touring Buckingham Palace!
Day 3: Changing the Guard and Buckingham Palace Tour
Lodging: London
Today you will get to visit Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen. Grab breakfast at the hotel and plan to be at Buckingham Palace by 10am, this way you can get a good spot for the changing the guards. Changing the Guard is the ceremony where the guards currently on duty exchange places with the New Guard. It’s quite the production with marching, horses and music.
Changing the Guard is a very popular event so make sure you get there early and be prepared to be standing in a very crowded area, rain or shine. You can try to get a spot by the gates of Buckingham Palace or you can watch from the stairs of the Victoria Memorial. I personally like to watch from the memorial as it will give you a higher vantage point.
Activity will start around 10:40am and last about 45 minutes. After the ceremony feel free to walk The Mall, the street that runs between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. Around noon grab lunch in the area before heading to your tour of Buckingham Palace. I would suggest doing the Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace tour so you can see inside the palace and the royal carriages. The palace tours only run certain times of the year, so check the schedule while planning your trip.
Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the monarch, and Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there in 1837. Despite multiple bombings by the Germans during WWII the royal family never left Buckingham Palace. A good way to know if the Queen is at the palace or not is by the flag flying above the palace, if its the Union Jack flag, she’s not there. The Royal Standard flag will be flying if she is there.
Walking through Buckingham Palace is pretty amazing, you will get to see the grand staircase, the throne room and the other state rooms. Unfortunately there are no pictures allowed in Buckingham Palace. After you tour the palace you can make your way to the Royal Mews to see the royal carriages and even sit in one! You should plan to spend over 3hrs between the two tours.
Walk back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Plan to have dinner between 5:00pm - 6:30pm so you can take a night bus tour around 7:30pm.
The night bus tour of London will give you a different perspective of the city. Make sure you book an open top bus so you can get some good pictures, but remember to bundle up!
The bus tour will last about 1.5hrs so plan to be heading back to your room or to a pub after 9pm.
Day 4: Westminster Abbey, London Eye and Afternoon Tea
Lodging: London
Yesterday you got to tour the home of the monarch, today you will tour Westminster Abbey, the place of their coronations and weddings. Westminster Abbey has hosted 39 coronations dating back to 1066. Westminster Abbey is also the final resting place for 30 kings and queens, like Queen Elizabeth I and influential figures like Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Unfortunately this is another building where you are limited as to where you can take pictures.
After your self guided tour of Westminster Abbey walk to the London Eye. The London Eye will give you a great panoramic view of London, make sure its a clear day so you can maximize your view. The car will rotate once around, which should take about 30 minutes. This will give you plenty of time to catch some great shots of Big Ben and the surrounding area.
Once you are done with your pictures on the London Eye, walk over to Trafalgar Square. The square commemorates the famous Trafalgar battle which defeated Napoleon’s plan to invade England. In the square you can see the National Gallery, Nelson’s column with its four lion statues, and there is even a statue of George Washington!
From Trafalgar square head over to Piccadilly Circus, which is like London’s Time Square with its bright advertisements. Its also very close to London’s theater district, if you are interested in seeing a show.
After Piccadilly Circus head back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for a proper afternoon tea. You don’t have to be a tea drinker to enjoy afternoon tea, it’s a great social event that can range from a glitzy reservation at The Ritz, to tea on a vintage double decker bus.
Take your time with afternoon tea as the rest of the evening is free to walk around or relax back at your room.
Day 5: Music Tour and Harry Potter Movie Tour
Lodging: London
Today is about the guided tours. In the morning you will take a London Rock Music Tour to learn more about the prominent British acts like the Beatles, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse and more. The tour will run from 9:00am to 12:30pm. You can walk to the pickup spot which will take about 30 minutes or you can take the underground from Victoria Station to Green Park and walk from there.
The tour will stop at current and former music stores, music studios and famous homes to share their stories. The last stop of the tour is outside of Abbey Road Studios to replicate the famous Beatles album cover.
After the tour ends, head back to your hotel to get ready for your next tour. Make sure you grab a quick lunch before your pickup otherwise you will be having butterbeer for lunch!
In the afternoon you will take a tour of the Harry Potter Movie Studio outside of London. The Leavesden studio is where they filmed a lot of the movie, so you will be able to walk through the real movie sets.
Your tour pickup will be around 2:30pm for your 4:00pm entrance time. Check the closing time for your tour day as you can expect to spend around 3hrs+ at the studio.
The tour is self guided through several of the Harry Potter sets. You will walk through the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest. You can board the school train on platform 9 3/4, see various costumes and an amazing model of Hogwarts Castle. You can also pickup cool souvenirs at the gift shop!
After you return back to London head out for dinner but don’t stay out too late, you have an early pickup for tomorrow’s tour.
Day 6: Stonehenge and London Sightseeing
Lodging: London
Get ready to visit one of the 7 wonders of world, Stonehenge. Today you will take a bus tour about 90 miles outside of London to see this mysterious wonder.
The Stonehenge bus tour will run from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Plan to leave the hotel around 8:00am for your pickup at Victoria Station.
No one knows why Stonehenge was built but it’s believed the construction started in 3000 B.C. and lasted for 1,500 years.
It is definitely worth the trip outside of London to visit Stonehenge. While the stones are roped off, you can walk around them from a distance. Enjoy viewing the site and speculating on how the stones got there and why they are placed that way!
If you are interested in extending your time outside of London there are other Stonehenge tours that also stop at Windsor Castle, Oxford or Bath.
Assuming you get back to London by 2:30pm plan to spend the rest of afternoon walking around London. Since this is your last day in London feel free to revisit somewhere you want to see again or missed earlier in the week.
If you are looking for something new to see, I would suggest walking through Hyde Park by Kensington Palace. You could also do some shopping in Harrods one of London’s most famous department stores.
Enjoy your last night in London!
Day 7: London to Dublin
Lodging: Dublin
Today is a travel day, fly from London to Dublin at a time that works best for you. The flight from London to Dublin should be about 1.5hrs.
You can fly out of multiple airports in London: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or London City. When I did this trip we flew out of London City Airport on British Airways. Pick the airport that works best with your budget, schedule or airline preference. You will need to go through border patrol once you land in Dublin so keep that in mind as that could take a couple of hours!
When you get to Dublin plan on staying at the Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin or a hotel nearby as its in a great central location. The hotel is about 30 minutes from the airport, you can take a taxi or a shuttle service to get there. I booked a shuttle ride with DoDublin in the airport and was able to buy both the airport shuttle and hop on hop off bus tickets.
If you arrive in Dublin at a decent time head out to the Temple Bar area with its lively pubs and restaurants.
Day 8: Dublin Sightseeing
Lodging: Dublin
Welcome to Dublin! Today you’ll get the opportunity to explore Dublin via the hop on hop off bus and then tour the Guinness storehouse and Jameson distillery.
I would suggest starting the hop on hop off around 9am so you can maximize your time with the tour. The DoDublin hop on hop off bus starts at the bus stop right across the street from the hotel. The bus has 25 stops and takes about 2hrs if you ride it in its entirety.
Feel free to hop off and on as much as you would like, my suggested stops would be College Green (Trinity College), Market Street South (Guinness Storehouse) and Arran Quay (Jameson Distillery). If you are not interested in visiting Guinness or Jameson, I would suggest spending time at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, tour the Natural History Museum or stop at the Dublin Zoo.
At Trinity College, briefly walk around the campus as it has amazing architecture. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an illustrated manuscript of four gospels of the New Testament. The book dates back to 800 AD and is on display in The Long Room, a beautiful library. The wait for the Book of Kells can be long so make a reservation if you want to see it. Please note you aren’t allowed to take any pictures of the book.
After Trinity College hop back on the bus and ride it until the Guinness Storehouse. Plan to arrive at the Guinness Storehouse around 11am for the Guinness Storehouse Experience (can buy tickets online).
During the self-guided tour you will be able to explore the seven floors of the original Guinness home. At the end of the experience you’ll be able to enjoy a drink in the Gravity Bar with a panoramic view!
Plan to spend about 2hrs at Guinness, after the tour head out for lunch or you can eat onsite at one of the Guinness food areas.
Once you are back on the bus, ride it to Arran Quay for the Jameson Distillery. Plan to arrive at Jameson for 3pm. The Bow St. Experience is a 45 minute guided tour throughout the facility with a comparative whiskey tasting and a full drink at the end. Jameson offers other tours if you are interested. Plan to spend about 2hrs at Jameson.
After Jameson, take the hop on hop off bus back to the first stop for a nice short walk to your hotel room. Enjoy dinner but don’t stay out too late as you have an early start tomorrow for your Northern Ireland tour!
Day 9: Northern Ireland Tour
Lodging: Dublin
It’s the last day of your trip so we are going to make the most of it by taking a full day tour of Northern Ireland. Your Northern Ireland Highlights Day Trip Including Giant's Causeway from Dublin starts at 7:00am and returns at 8:30pm.
The tour travels north from Dublin to Belfast where you will have the option to take a black cab tour or to visit the Belfast Titanic Experience.
When I did this trip I did the black cab tour so I could learn about the conflict between the UK (Northern Ireland) and Ireland. On the black cab tour you will visit the Falls and Shankill roads, the Peaceline and see the famous political murals. It was really interesting to hear what happened there from someone who experienced the events, I would highly recommend this tour.
After your tour in Belfast the bus will continue to travel north up the Atrium Coast to Giant’s Causeway. Mythology of the Giant’s Causeway says the causeway was built by the Irish giant Finn MacCool to fight a rival giant in Scotland. The Giant’s Causeway is a beautiful scenic area with basalt columns, sweeping cliff views and even a peak of Scotland’s coast on a clear day. You’ll get quite a bit of time to walk and explore the area.
On the tour I took we also visited the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which was unfortunately closed that day due to high winds. The Carrick-a-Rede rope is currently closed to the public so the tour now stops at Dunluce Castle, which we had passed on the drive up.
Dunluce Castle is a ruined medieval castle located on the coast. The ruins served as the backdrop for the Iron Islands, House Greyjoy’s home in the Game of Thrones series.
While it’s a long day, the tour is amazing and worth the long bus drive. When you get back to Dublin head out to dinner and celebrate a successful trip to London and Dublin!
Day 10: Depart Dublin
It’s unfortunately time to pack up and head home. For US bound travelers, US customs does pre-clearance in Dublin so you will go through security twice. Make sure you get to the airport early so you have extra time for security. At least it will save you time once you land at your final destination.
I hope you enjoyed your trip exploring London and Dublin. On this trip you were able to visit three countries, see several palaces and castles, a wonder of the world and eat all the fish and chips you could imagine. Enjoy flipping through all the pictures you took and reliving all the new memories you made.
Crushed it!
Timetable:
Day 1: Depart for London
Day 2: Tower of London
10:00am arrive in London
12:30pm arrive at hotel
2:00pm - 4:00pm tour of Tower of London
4:00pm - 6:00pm self guided walking tour
Day 3: Changing of the Guard and Buckingham Palace
9:30am leave hotel and walk to Buckingham Palace
10:00am arrive at Buckingham Palace for Changing the Guard
10:40am - 11:30am Changing the Guard
11:30am - 12:00pm walk The Mall
12:00pm - 1:00pm lunch
1:30pm - 4:30pm tour Buckingham Palace and Royal Mews
5:00pm - 6:30pm dinner
7:30pm - 9:00pm London night bus tour
Day 4: London Sightseeing
9:00am - 9:30am leave hotel for Westminster Abbey
9:30am - 11:30am Westminster Abbey
11:30am - 11:45am walk from Westminster Abbey to London Eye
12:00pm - 12:30pm London Eye
12:30pm - 12:45pm walk to Trafalgar Square
1:15pm - 1:30pm walk to Piccadilly Circus
1:30pm - 2:00pm walk or take underground to hotel
3:00pm - 4:30pm afternoon tea
Day 5: Music Tour and Harry Potter Movie Studio Tour
8:00am - 8:30am leave hotel for music tour pickup site
9:00am - 12:30pm London Rock Music Tour
12:30pm - 1:30pm lunch
2:00pm arrive back at hotel
2:30pm - 4:00pm shuttle to Harry Potter tour
4:00pm - 7:00pm Harry Potter Movie Studio Tour
7:00pm - 8:30pm shuttle back to hotel
Day 6: Stonehenge
8:00am - 8:15am walk to Stonehenge pickup spot
8:30am - 2:30pm Stonehenge bus tour
2:30pm - 3:30pm lunch
4:00pm - 6:00pm sightseeing
Day 7: Fly from London to Dublin
Day 8: Dublin Sightseeing
9:00am - 10:30am hop on hop off bus tour and Trinity College stop
10:30am - 11:00am bus from Trinity College to Guinness Storehouse
11:00am - 1:00pm Guinness Storehouse tour
1:00pm - 2:00pm lunch near Guinness Storehouse
2:00pm - 2:30pm bus to Jameson Distillery
3:00pm - 5:00pm Jameson Distillery tour
5:00pm - 5:30pm bus back to hotel
Day 9: Northern Ireland Tour
6:30am leave hotel
7:00am - 8:30pm Northern Ireland Tour
Day 10: Depart Dublin
Things to Book
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Lodging:
5 nights in London
3 nights in Dublin
Tours:
Tower of London entrance
Buckingham Palace and Royal Mews tour
Westminster Abbey entrance
London Eye entrance
Afternoon tea reservation
Dublin hop on hop off bus
Guinness Storehouse tour
Jameson Distillery tour
Transportation:
Flight to London
Car service, shuttle or underground from London airport to hotel
Car service, shuttle or underground from hotel airport to London airport
Flight London to Dublin
Car service or shuttle from Dublin airport to hotel
Car service or shuttle from hotel to Dublin airport
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