London 3-day Itinerary
United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
Bucket list experience:
With a Hyde Park backdrop, this handsome red-brick palace has been modernised over the centuries, but dates back to the 1700s. Much has happened in these hallowed apartments: Queen Victoria was born here and the late Princess Diana lived here; now William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have made it their London home.
The latest big renovation project finished in summer 2012, with newly landscaped gardens, revamped state rooms and exhibitions like Victoria Revealed, an exploration of Victoria’s reign in her own words.
The highlights here are a collection of Queen Victoria’s jewellery, an interactive display where you can step into Victorian garb and a statue of Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden. The palace’s rotating programme of temporary exhibitions is well worth checking out, previously including a display of Princess Diana’s dresses and a look back at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
Take afternoon tea in the Pavilion – the only place in London where you can take tea in the grounds of a royal palace.
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United Kingdom (UK)
Where to go and what to see in London to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Annabelle Thorpe.
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The nearest Underground stations are High Street Kensington (Circle and District Lines) and Queensway (Central Line).
You need to buy tickets in advance from the website and for afternoon tea in the Pavilion. There are no tours or audio guides, but a series of self-guided exhibitions.
The palace is open year-round, Wednesday to Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
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The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.