Day 15 of 18 · London

Eurostar in, Pride Rock at night.

Train from Paris · Westminster · The Lion King

☼ 57°F / 48°FGrey, dampWear: Warm coat, waterproof, umbrella. Dark by ~16:40 now.

English school half-term · more families about

An airport-style border, then two and a half hours to London. Drop bags, walk Westminster, and open the London run with the show that has to happen: The Lion King.

Carry your passport the Eurostar is a full border crossing, French exit control and UK entry control at Gare du Nord, passports out and ready.

Download before you leave the hotel the Eurostar app on both phones with the trip added (booking reference on the Drive voucher), as a backup to the printed tickets and to see the gate. Do the Advance Passenger Info in the booking before you leave the hotel. Details under Apps to download.

01Morning

Eurostar

10:01

Eurostar from Gare du Nord (Coach 2, seats 77/78), at the terminal by 08:45, it's a border. Arrives St Pancras 11:30.

Do the Advance Passenger Info in the booking beforehand, and have the UK ETA approvals ready. If you bought anything tax-free in Spain, Italy or France, this is the final EU exit: French forms may use the French PABLO process in the terminal (follow the “Détaxe” signs), Spanish and Italian forms follow their provider's instructions. Allow extra time if you have tax-free forms to handle.

on arrival

Victoria line (tube) to citizenM Victoria, check in. Tap a contactless card or phone for everything, no Oyster (auto-caps ~£8.90/day).

02Afternoon

Westminster Abbey · Westminster walk

13:30

Westminster Abbey (last entry ~15:30). The Coronation Chair, Poets' Corner (Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy's heart), Newton and Darwin under the floor, the Unknown Warrior. 900 years of coronations and burials. Audio guide included, no photos inside.

15:30

Westminster walk, Big Ben, Parliament, Whitehall, Downing Street's gates, Horse Guards, Trafalgar Square, then up into Covent Garden so you know the walk to the Lyceum. Keep it moving, you want to be at the restaurant by 17:00, not lingering to 17:15.

03Evening

The Lion King

17:00

Early dinner near the theatre. See Meals.

Moved from 18:00, Dishoom Covent Garden does not take bookings at 18:00 for a table of 2, it is walk-in only from 6pm with a possible 30-60 min queue. 17:00 is a live, bookable slot.

19:30

The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre (21 Wellington St, Covent Garden). The opening “Circle of Life” with the animals coming down the aisles is the reason to see this one in a theatre. ~2h30 with an interval.

Booked, Royal Circle N 24 and N 25. Bars open 18:00, be in your seat by 18:25, latecomers are held at the back until the opening number ends. The eTickets are a PDF on the confirmation email, load them on both phones or print them.

The table

Lunch~$16

Eurostar / a sandwich at St Pancras

house pick Eat light on the train.

Dinner, 17:00~$55

Dishoom Covent Garden, or The Delaunay, or a Soho pub

house pick reserve ahead Dishoom (Bombay-café homage, the black daal, the bacon naan roll) is 6 minutes from the Lyceum and takes bookings up to 6pm, not later, verified live 10 Sep 2026. Book 17:00, not 18:00: after 6pm it is walk-in only for a table of 2, with a reported 30-60 minute queue on a weekday evening, too risky against curtain. Or a pre-theatre menu at The Delaunay. Or a pie and a pint at the Lamb & Flag, the oldest pub in Covent Garden.

Order: At Dishoom: house black daal, chicken ruby, a naan, a chai. Pub: pie, mash, gravy, a pint of cask ale.

mapreserve

Tickets and bookings

Item	When	Est.	Link	Status
Eurostar, Paris to London (×2) inbox, search “Eurostar”	BOOKED · 27 Oct, dep 10:01	$294 · in Fixed	open	booked
Westminster Abbey (×2) inbox, search “Westminster Abbey”	27 Oct, 13:30 entry	~$75	open	to book
The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre (×2) inbox, search “Lion King”	BOOKED · 27 Oct, 19:30 · Royal Circle N24/N25	$240 · paid	open	booked

+ add this day to your calendar

Today's voucher: Eurostar tickets (Google Drive). All confirmations live in Europe 2026 / Reservations & Vouchers, shared with the two of you. Nothing sensitive is on this page.

Before you leave the door

Insider edge

London theatre is cheap if you buy it right. The TodayTix app, same-day or day-before, put me in the 4th row for The Lion King for £34. For a must-see night you can also just book a good seat ahead; either way, not full price on the official site at the last minute.

Julian

Avoid this

Buying an Oyster card, just tap a contactless card or phone; it auto-caps at ~£8.90/day (zones 1-2, 2026). Use the same card or phone every time or the cap won't link. Don't take a black cab from St Pancras for a 10-minute tube ride.

Julian

Backup move

Eurostar delay or strike, your ticket flexes to the next train same-day; worst case a CDG-LHR flight. If the train runs very late, The Lion King also plays a Wednesday and Saturday matinee, move it and shuffle.

House pick

Ideal window

At Gare du Nord by 08:45 for the 10:01. The Lion King is booked, Royal Circle N 24 and N 25; dinner at 17:00, done by about 18:00, and in your seat by 18:25, latecomers wait at the back until the opening song ends.

House pick

If time, or if a deal lands

Option	Added	Note
The National Gallery (free)	+$0	if the Abbey runs short; Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Turner, 45 min
Kensington Gardens + the Diana Memorial Fountain	+$0	free, ~1 hr, but it needs its own half-morning and a trade against the plan; details on the London page

What today runs

Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.

St Pancras to Victoria + first-day contactless (×2)	$20
Lunch, sandwich on the train	$16
Westminster Abbey (×2)	$75
Early dinner, Dishoom / a Covent Garden pub	$55
The Lion King, Lyceum, Royal Circle N24/25 (×2)	$240
Today, London	$406

Flights and the places to stay are on the costs page, not counted here.

How it went

Written after the day: what you did, what you loved, what you'd skip, the photographs, a voice note or two. It fills in here and in the album.