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Eurostar, Paris to London (×2)
inbox, search “Eurostar”
Day 15 of 18 · London
Eurostar, Louis Vuitton at 16:00, Pride Rock.
Train from Paris · Abbey at 13:00 · booked LV at 16:00 · dinner at 17:00 · 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 and reach Westminster Abbey for 13:00. Leave in time for the booked Louis Vuitton consultation at Selfridges at 16:00, then the 17:00 Cafe Murano table and 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. Advance Passenger Information is completed for both of you. Details under Apps to download.
Today’s shape, roughly
01Morning
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.
Advance Passenger Info is completed for both of you. Have the UK ETA approvals ready (both of you are already approved, done 20 Sep, valid to 2028). On the EU exit scan: nothing new to worry about here, that fingerprint-and-photo step only happens the first time a passport enters, which was already done back in Barcelona on day one, so this is just a quick re-scan on the way out, not a repeat of that longer first check. 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, drop the bags. Tap a contactless card or phone for everything, no Oyster (auto-caps ~£8.90/day).
Check-in is 14:00 and you land at St Pancras at 11:30, so plan on a bag drop, not a room. citizenM answered this by email on 18 Sep: luggage storage is free, and early check-in cannot be arranged in advance, it is only offered on arrival if a room happens to be ready. Ask at the desk, take it if it's there, and either way the bags go down and you walk to the Abbey. The hotel is staffed 24/7, so a late arrival is never a problem.
02Afternoon
13:00
Westminster Abbey (ticketed entry window 13:00-13:30). 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. You also have the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, up in the triforium by the Weston Tower lift, looking straight down the length of the Abbey. Allow an extra half hour.
Booked: Abbey admission 13:00-13:30, then the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries 14:00-14:30. Drop bags promptly after the 11:30 train arrival and reach the Abbey before 13:00. The four-page PDF has two admission and two gallery tickets.
15:00
Short Westminster look after the booked Abbey Galleries. Then take a cab or tube toward Selfridges at 400 Oxford Street for the 16:00 Louis Vuitton appointment. This replaces the longer Whitehall and Trafalgar stroll today; leave the Abbey in time and preserve the 17:00 Cafe Murano table.
16:00
Louis Vuitton London Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street. Booked in-store personalization consultation for Le Andra's already-owned passport cover under John's name. UK Client Services says stamping is complimentary and generally takes 2-3 working days, not a same-visit service or guaranteed pickup. Do not leave a cover without a store-confirmed return time that fits before the Oct 30 departure. Confirm eligibility for this already-owned cover and exact completion before deciding. Leave time to reach Cafe Murano by 17:00.
03Evening
17:00
Cafe Murano, Covent Garden, booked, Main Dining Room, table for 2. See Meals.
Swapped from Dishoom (booked then cancelled, 18 Sep) for a non-Indian pre-theatre dinner. 34-36 Tavistock Street, a 6-7 minute walk to the Lyceum.
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 19:25 for the 19:30 curtain, 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~$70
Cafe Murano, Covent Garden, booked 17:00
house pick booked Angela Hartnett's modern Italian, Main Dining Room, 34-36 Tavistock Street, WC2E 7PB, phone +44 20 7240 3654, a 6-7 minute walk to the Lyceum. Booked live, no deposit, reservation number on the confirmation email. The table is yours 17:00 to 18:30 (they hold tables 1.5 hours for a party of 2) and there is a 20-minute grace period, so ring them if you are running later than that. Out by 18:30 leaves a clear hour before curtain. The Covent Garden branch has had some mixed recent reviews (a few reports of kitchen slowness or small portions on the pre-theatre menu), so keep an eye on timing against the 19:30 curtain.
Order: A pre-theatre 2 or 3-course menu (~£25-30) built for exactly this timing, ask what's on it that night, it's seasonal. Cafe Murano's reputation is built on Angela Hartnett's Venetian-leaning modern Italian cooking, ask what they're known for and let the kitchen steer you toward the pasta or the day's best protein dish.
Tickets and bookings
inbox, search “Eurostar”
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citizenM London Victoria hotel stay
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Cafe Murano, Covent Garden dinner for two
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Louis Vuitton London Selfridges personalization consultation for Le Andra's existing cover
Booked directly in LV's official appointment calendar under John's name for arrival day after Abbey and before the 17:00 Cafe Murano table. UK Client Services replied Oct11 that hot stamping is complimentary and generally takes 2-3 working days, superseding the store's generic 48-hour listing as a practical planning estimate. Eligibility for an already-owned cover and exact completion before Oct30 departure are not established. John permits leaving a cover only if the store confirms a practical return time. The booking is a consultation, not a service guarantee.
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Westminster Abbey (×2)
inbox, search “Westminster Abbey”
Admission 13:00-13:30 and Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries 14:00-14:30, as printed on the four-page ticket PDF. Non-changeable, non-refundable. Small bag only (40×30×20cm, no wheeled bags); no photos once you're up in the Galleries.
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The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre (×2)
inbox, search “Lion King”
Today's voucher: Eurostar tickets (Google Drive). Other confirmations remain in the private trip Drive folder. Only travelers with access can open linked files; no ticket contents are embedded here.
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.
JulianAvoid 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.
JulianBackup 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 pickIdeal 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 19:25 for the 19:30 curtain, latecomers wait at the back until the opening song ends.
House pickIf 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 + Jubilee Galleries (×2) | $100 |
| Early dinner, Cafe Murano, Covent Garden | $70 |
| The Lion King, Lyceum, Royal Circle N24/25 (×2) | $240 |
| Today, London | $446 |
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.