Travel day Day 2 · Thursday 18 June 2026

Abu Dhabi
to London

02:20 GST Abu Dhabi
→
7h 40m In the air
→
07:00 BST London Heathrow
Flight Etihad EY 61
Aircraft Airbus A380-800
Arrives 07:00 · Heathrow T4
Hotel The Clermont London, Charing Cross
Sunrise 04:43 BST
Sunset 21:20 BST
02:20 GST
EY 61 departs

Airbus A380-800. Seats 44A, 44B, 44C, row 44, all together on the left side of the upper cabin.

In the air
7 hours 40 minutes

Northwest over the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Europe. Try to sleep, the cabin will be dark for most of the flight.

07:00 BST
Land Heathrow T4

Terminal 4. Immigration, bags, and out. Cab to The Clermont on The Strand, 45–60 minutes depending on traffic.

First hours in London
Breakfast, then the afternoon

Drop bags (room not ready until 15:00). Walk two minutes to Page 8 Common House for breakfast first — it’s right at Trafalgar Square. Then: Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Stanfords, Neal’s Yard, Forbidden Planet, Cecil Court, Leicester Square, Piccadilly, back to The Clermont by 15:15. Dinner 17:00. Bed 20:00.

£1 = A$ 2
Budget rate
£1 ~A$2
£2 ~A$4
£5 ~A$10
£10 ~A$20
£15 ~A$30
£20 ~A$40
£25 ~A$50
£30 ~A$60
£40 ~A$80
£50 ~A$100
£75 ~A$150
£100 ~A$200
The day

Hour by hour

Day 2 of 26. The second leg of the journey, the longer one is done. Abu Dhabi to London on the A380. By 07:00 you’ll be on the ground. By 10:00 you’ll be in London.

Day 2 of 26
AUH → London
18 June
Act One
Abu Dhabi transit
01:10 GST · Land AUH

Abu Dhabi, connection transit

Land at Zayed International, Terminal A. No terminal change, all Etihad flights use Terminal A. Bags transfer automatically to EY 61. Follow the Connections signs immediately on leaving the aircraft.

Allow roughly 10 minutes to disembark and walk to the transit connection point. There is a security re-screening for all transit passengers, budget another 10–15 minutes (it will be quieter at 1am than during the day). ZIA Terminal A is one of the largest terminal buildings in the world, so allow a further 10–15 minutes to reach the EY 61 gate. That puts you at the gate around 01:45, roughly 35 minutes before departure. It is tight but workable at this hour. Move with purpose, no stops until you have found the gate, then water and bathroom.

02:20 GST · Depart AUH

EY 61, Abu Dhabi to London

Etihad EY 61, Airbus A380-800. The A380 is a double-decker; row 44 is in the main economy cabin. Seats 44A, 44B, 44C, window, middle, aisle on the left side. The route heads northwest over Saudi Arabia, the Levant, Turkey, and across Europe. The cabin will be dark for most of the flight; it’s 02:20 and everyone will be trying to sleep.

Act Two
London Heathrow
07:00 BST · Land LHR

London Heathrow, Terminal 4

Land at Heathrow Terminal 4. The A380 is a big plane and deplaning takes time. Head for UK Border, Australian passports use the e-gate lanes (look for the biometric gates, faster than the staffed desks). Collect bags from the Terminal 4 carousel, then follow Arrivals out.

08:00–09:00 · Heathrow to London

Cab to The Clermont

Follow Arrivals out of T4 and head to the taxi rank, black cabs are right outside. Journey to The Clermont on The Strand is around 45–60 minutes depending on traffic. Expect to pay £55–80. Drop-off is directly at the hotel door. With three people and luggage after a long-haul flight, a cab straight to the door is the right call.

Act Three
First London morning
~09:30 · The Clermont

Arrive, drop bags, then eat

Room won’t be ready until 15:00. Drop bags at the concierge desk, freshen up, and get out. First priority: find breakfast. You’ve been awake for the best part of 24 hours, you came off a plane at 07:00, and Covent Garden can wait 30 minutes while you eat properly.

~10:00 · 2 min walk

Breakfast, Page 8 Common House

Two-minute walk to Page 8 Common House at Trafalgar Square. Specialty coffee, breakfast baps, sit down and eat properly. A real meal before the walk, not a grab-and-go. Then north to Covent Garden.

11:00 · Covent Garden

Covent Garden piazza

5 min walk from the hotel. The piazza, the market hall, the street performers and living statues, this is the first proper London moment for the kids. Grab lunch here from one of the market stalls and eat while you wander. No sit-down, no decisions. Free.

12:30 · West End

Leicester Square → Piccadilly Circus

10 min walk from Covent Garden. Leicester Square is the West End hub, cinemas, buzz, always something happening. Walk south down to Piccadilly Circus for the Eros statue and the giant illuminated screens. Touristy, yes. You still have to see it. Free.

13:15 · Regent Street

Regent Street north to Oxford Circus

Walk north up Regent Street from Piccadilly Circus. One of London’s great streetscapes, that long curved sweep of white Portland stone, the scale, the energy. The shops and the spectacle will get the kids. Walk as far as Oxford Circus, then turn back south. Free.

14:15 · Soho

Wander back through Soho

Head south from Oxford Circus back toward the hotel through Soho. Carnaby Street, Old Compton Street, the side streets. Soho is unlike anywhere else in London, the energy, the mix, the density of it. Keep it loose, no agenda. Just walk. Free.

15:30 · Hotel

Back to the hotel, proper rest

Back to the hotel, check in, shower. Get out to dinner as soon as they’re ready — 17:00 or earlier if Ave Mario can take you. Keeping the body clock moving is the priority.

Act Four
First London evening
17:00 · Dinner, Covent Garden

Ave Mario (10 min walk)

Italian on the Covent Garden piazza. Book ahead. Pasta, truffles, the room is beautiful. Walk back to The Clermont after, 10 minutes on foot.

~19:30 · Done

Back to the hotel

In bed by 20:00. That’s the target. Twenty-two hours of travel and a full first afternoon, they’ve earned it. London properly begins tomorrow.

Your flight

Etihad EY 61

Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow on the A380. 7 hours 40 minutes over the Middle East and Europe, touching down at Terminal 4 at 07:00 BST. London begins.

Etihad Airways · Nonstop Flight EY 61 · Thu 18 Jun 2026 · Ref 95KNI5 ✓ Confirmed
MIDDLE EAST UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE 02:20 AUH Zayed International T A GST · UTC+4 07:00 LHR Heathrow Terminal 4 BST · UTC+1 7h 40m FLIGHT TIME Airbus A380-800
Amy
44A
Row 44
Window left
Henry
44B
Row 44
Middle, all together
Scarlett
44C
Row 44
Aisle left
Departure
02:20 GST · Abu Dhabi T A
Arrival
07:00 BST · Heathrow T4
Aircraft
Airbus A380-800
Checked baggage
30 kg per person
Booking reference
95KNI5 · Etihad Airways
Into London
Black cab · ~45–60 min · £55–80
Arrival plan
07:00 Land T4. E-gate lanes for Australian passports, no need for the staffed desks.
08:00 Bags collected, into arrivals. Head straight for the taxi rank, black cabs are right outside T4.
09:00 Arrive The Clermont on The Strand. Drop bags with concierge if the room isn’t ready, then get outside.
From 10:00 Hotel, clean up, get outside. Daylight is everything for jet lag reset. Keep moving until 21:00.
Manage booking → Amy → Henry → Scarlett →
Tonight’s hotel

The Clermont London

Right at Charing Cross station on The Strand, Trafalgar Square is a 5-minute walk. The cab drops you at the door.

Hotel · 3 nights Confirmed
★★★★ 4-star · Booked via Expedia

The Clermont London, Charing Cross

4-star hotel · Superior Room · Buffet breakfast included

3 nights Thu 18 June → Sun 21 June. Buffet breakfast included each morning, a proper start to each London day.

Address The Strand, London WC2N 5HX
Check-in / out From 15:00 · By 11:00
Expedia itinerary 73445582149863
Room type Superior Room
Guests Amy Eade, 2 adults, 1 child
Breakfast Buffet breakfast included
Paid AU$2,769.02 · Non-refundable
Nights 3 · 18 → 21 June 2026
What to know
  • LocationCharing Cross station is on the doorstep. Trafalgar Square 5 min walk, Embankment tube 3 min walk, Covent Garden 10 min walk, South Bank 10 min walk.
  • Check-inFrom 15:00, early check-in is not guaranteed after a long-haul arrival. Leave bags with the concierge and get outside if the room isn’t ready.
  • BreakfastBuffet breakfast included each morning, use it. Saves time and money every day.
Manage on Expedia → View on map →
Morning fuel

Breakfast at Page 8 Common House

Two-minute walk from the hotel to Trafalgar Square. Page 8 Common House does specialty coffee and a proper breakfast — sit down, eat well, then go do London.

Page 8 Common House

Specialty coffee & breakfast · Trafalgar Square · the first meal in London

Eat before the walk Trafalgar Square Specialty Coffee Walk-in

Sit down, have specialty coffee from Assembly Coffee, eat properly. Breakfast baps, cheese croissants, single origin pour-over. Five kilometres of walking ahead — fuel up before leaving.

After breakfast: Trafalgar Square is right outside — Nelson’s Column, the four lions, the fountains. Take a few minutes here, then head north to Covent Garden. Under 10 minutes walk.
What to know
When to go ~10:00, after dropping bags at The Clermont. Two-minute walk — it’s right at Trafalgar Square.
The rule Sit down, not grab-and-go. An afternoon on foot needs actual fuel.
After Walk north to Covent Garden, under 10 min. Piazza, street performers, lunch from the market stalls.
Hours Daily 07:30–18:00
Page 8 Common House · 8 St. Martin’s Place, London WC2N 4JH · 2 min walk from The Clermont
Open in Maps →
10:45 · Two minutes from the hotel

Trafalgar Square

Step outside from Page 8 Common House and London opens up in front of you. Nelson’s Column, the four lions, the fountains. A quick first moment before heading north to Covent Garden.

~10:30
Page 8 Common House
Step out to Trafalgar Square
2 min walk S
10:45
Trafalgar Square
Cross The Strand · you’re there
Walk to Trafalgar Square (~1 min)
10:45 · Quick first stop

First look at London

Not the full Trafalgar Square experience, that comes on Day 4. This is just the opening moment: the column, the lions, the scale of it. Take it in, take the photo, then walk north.

Free · Always open

Trafalgar Square

Nelson’s Column · the four lions · the fountains · 2 min from hotel

Fifty-two metres of column topped by Admiral Nelson, surrounded by four enormous bronze lions and two large fountains. The National Gallery runs along the entire north side. Look south from the steps and Whitehall stretches toward Westminster. It’s a proper landmark, the kind where even adults stop and take stock of where they are. Two minutes from The Clermont and completely free. A quick 30-minute stop today, they’ll do this properly on Day 4.

Touch the lions

The bases of all four lions are worn smooth from decades of climbing. Perfectly acceptable behaviour, nobody will stop you. Then walk north up St Martin’s Lane toward Covent Garden, 12 minutes.

Walk from hotel 2 minutes south
Time here ~30 minutes, quick first look
Next Walk 12 min north up St Martin’s Lane to Covent Garden
View on map →
11:15 · First proper London stop

Covent Garden

Twelve minutes north from Trafalgar Square up St Martin’s Lane. The piazza, the Victorian market building, the street performers. The Apple Market inside. Easy 30-minute wander before heading to Stanfords two minutes around the corner.

11:15
Trafalgar Square
Walk north on St Martin’s Lane
12 min walk N
11:15
Covent Garden Piazza
Via theatre district · straight up St Martin’s Lane
Walk to Covent Garden (12 min)
11:15 · Two stops

The Piazza & the Apple Market

The piazza for the street performers and the scale of it. The Apple Market inside the Victorian hall for the artisan stalls. Stanfords is two minutes away when you’re done.

Free · Street performers

The Piazza

Street performers · living statues · the Victorian market building

The central courtyard of London’s old fruit and vegetable market. The Victorian building, glass and iron, now holds independent shops and cafés. Outside, street performers and living statues work the space from late morning. The west side of the piazza, facing St Paul’s Church, is where the best auditioned acts perform, a crowd usually means something worth watching. The kids will stop for all of it. Let them.

West side of the piazza

Face the church, not the market building. That’s where the auditioned acts set up, the ones who actually had to qualify to perform here. Reliably good. Completely free.

Walk from Trafalgar Square 12 minutes north up St Martin’s Lane
Best spot West piazza · facing St Paul’s Church
Next Stanfords · 2 min on Long Acre
View on map →
Apple Market · Artisan stalls

The Apple Market

Artisan stalls inside the Victorian hall · crafts, jewellery, ceramics, prints

Inside the Victorian market building, the Apple Market on the upper floor has independent makers selling jewellery, ceramics, art prints, clothing, and curiosities. Not tourist stalls, actual makers. The hall itself, with its glass roof and iron arches, is worth seeing as a piece of Victorian engineering even if you don’t buy anything. Note: don’t eat lunch here, save it for Seven Dials later.

Location Upper level of the market building
Cost Free to browse
Lunch Save it, Seven Dials has better options at 12:45
View on map →
11:45 · Two minutes from the Piazza

Stanfords & Neal’s Yard

Walk out of the piazza onto Long Acre and Stanfords is right there. Then five minutes west to Neal’s Yard, the hidden colourful courtyard, and Seven Dials, the unusual seven-street junction. This is hidden London.

11:45
Covent Garden Piazza
Exit onto Long Acre · turn right
2 min · Long Acre
11:45
Stanfords, 12 Long Acre
On your left · you can’t miss it
5 min walk W
12:10
Neal’s Yard & Seven Dials
Via Short’s Gardens · look for the coloured buildings
Walking route: Stanfords → Neal’s Yard
11:45 · Two stops

Stanfords & Neal’s Yard

The world’s greatest travel bookshop, then through to the hidden courtyard that most people walk straight past. Both within 10 minutes of the Covent Garden piazza.

Opens 10:00 (Sat) · Free to browse

Stanfords

The world’s greatest travel bookshop · 12 Long Acre, Covent Garden

Founded in 1853. Every explorer, expedition, and long-distance traveller has been in here. Maps of every country, city, and trail on Earth, globes in every size and finish, travel writing from every tradition, expedition guides, nautical charts. Shackleton sourced his polar maps here. So did Scott and Livingstone. The shop on Long Acre is beautifully stocked and genuinely interesting even if you’re not planning another trip. Since you clearly are, this is dangerous territory for the wallet.

Buy something

A map of somewhere you want to go, a globe, a travel book that’s been there. This is the right place for that kind of purchase. Opens Friday 09:00, Saturday 10:00, so Day 2 or Day 3 works. Not Day 5 (opens midday Sunday).

Address 12 Long Acre, Covent Garden
Walk from Piazza 2 minutes on Long Acre
Time 25 minutes, unhurried browse
View on map →
5 min walk west · Hidden

Neal’s Yard & Seven Dials

The colourful hidden courtyard · the seven-street junction · 12:10

Five minutes west of Stanfords through the back streets of Covent Garden. Neal’s Yard is a tiny courtyard hidden off Short’s Gardens, brightly painted buildings, Neal’s Yard Remedies, independent food shops. Most people walk straight past the entrance. The kids will like finding it. Seven Dials, one minute away, is the unusual junction where seven streets radiate from a single column, there’s a market and good independent shops on most of the spokes.

Finding Neal’s Yard

Look for the small entrance off Short’s Gardens, it’s easy to miss. The colourful painted buildings are the signal you’re in the right place. It’s tiny and hidden, which is exactly the point.

Walk from Stanfords 5 minutes west · Short’s Gardens
Seven Dials 1 min from Neal’s Yard · seven streets meeting
After Lunch at 12:45 · two options right here
View on map →
12:45 · Seven Dials area

Lunch before the afternoon

Sit down properly and eat. Forbidden Planet and Cecil Court are ahead, this is the energy stop that makes the afternoon work. Two good options within five minutes of Seven Dials.

12:45
Seven Dials & Neal’s Yard
Options are right here
within 5 min
12:45 → 13:30
Wahaca · Seven Dials Market
Pick one · sit down · take the time
Walk to Wahaca (5 min) Seven Dials Market (on site)
12:45 · Two options

Lunch around Seven Dials

All within five minutes. Sit down, eat properly, take 45 minutes. The afternoon is not rushed, Forbidden Planet and Cecil Court are both close from here.

Recommended · Shareable plates

Wahaca Covent Garden

Mexican street food · shareable plates · good for groups

Mexican street food done well, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, fresh guacamole. Good for a group with different appetites since everything is shareable. On the piazza level of the Covent Garden market building so the room is great. Reliable, consistent, and quick without feeling rushed. Kids enjoy the food and the format.

Walk from Seven Dials 5 minutes east
Budget ~£15–20pp
View on map →
Seven Dials · Walk-in

Seven Dials Market

Street food hall · multiple vendors · everyone picks their own

A covered street food market right at Seven Dials. Multiple vendors, everyone picks their own thing, shared tables. Ramen, pizza, burgers, Thai, sandwiches. No booking, no minimum spend. Exactly what you want on a jet-lag recovery afternoon, relaxed, flexible, quick.

Location Earlham Street, Seven Dials · right here
Budget ~£10–15pp
View on map →
13:30 · 179 Shaftesbury Avenue

Forbidden Planet

Eight minutes south from Seven Dials down toward Cambridge Circus. Comics, sci-fi, gaming, anime, Marvel, Star Wars, Doctor Who, collectibles, floor to ceiling. Budget 40 minutes and expect to lose someone in here.

~13:30
Seven Dials, lunch done
Walk south on Monmouth Street
8 min walk S
13:30
179 Shaftesbury Avenue
Via Cambridge Circus · on your right
Walk to Forbidden Planet (8 min)
13:30 · Must stop

Forbidden Planet & Cecil Court

The definitive pop-culture megastore in the UK, then five minutes east to the quiet antiquarian alley that couldn’t be more different.

Must stop · Comics & collectibles

Forbidden Planet

Comics · manga · sci-fi · gaming · anime · Star Wars · Marvel

The largest sci-fi, fantasy, and cult entertainment retailer in the UK. Multiple floors of comics (Marvel, DC, Image, independent), manga, graphic novels, film and TV merchandise, gaming, collectibles, figures, and limited edition prints. Doctor Who, Star Wars, Marvel, anime, Warhammer, it’s all here at a scale you won’t find elsewhere in London. The kind of shop where 40 minutes disappears and you’re still on the first floor. Naturally positioned at 179 Shaftesbury Avenue between Seven Dials and Leicester Square.

For the kid especially

Comics, gaming, anime, Star Wars, anything with a fandom, it’s all here. Budget 40 minutes minimum. Signed prints and limited editions are on the upper level. This is the one shop on the itinerary worth being late out of.

Address 179 Shaftesbury Avenue
Walk from Seven Dials 8 minutes south toward Cambridge Circus
Time 40 minutes minimum
View on map →
14:10 · 5 min east

Cecil Court

Books · antiquarian prints · maps · curiosities · between St Martin’s Lane and Charing Cross Rd

After Forbidden Planet, walk five minutes east along Shaftesbury Avenue toward Leicester Square, then cut south. Cecil Court is a small pedestrianised alley, you might walk straight past it. It’s lined entirely with independent specialist shops: antiquarian and second-hand booksellers, dealers in old prints and maps, coin and stamp shops. Most have been here for decades. The film location scouts who used it for Diagon Alley in the early Harry Potter films knew what they were doing, the street looks like it hasn’t changed in a hundred years, because much of it hasn’t. A complete contrast to Forbidden Planet. Browsers are welcome everywhere.

Walk the full length slowly

Look in every window, go into any shop that catches your eye. The booksellers are knowledgeable and happy to talk. You almost certainly won’t buy anything, but you might. Prices range from £2 paperbacks to serious antiquarian pieces.

Walk from Forbidden Planet 5 minutes east on Shaftesbury Ave then south
Finding it Between St Martin’s Lane and Charing Cross Rd
Time 25 minutes, walk the full length
View on map →
14:35 · Quick pass south

Leicester Square & Piccadilly

Five minutes north from Cecil Court to Leicester Square, five minutes south to Piccadilly Circus. Quick passes, not stops, LEGO Store if the kid insists at Leicester, photo at Piccadilly, then walk back to the hotel.

14:35
Cecil Court
Walk north on St Martin’s Lane
5 min walk N
14:35
Leicester Square
Pass through · then south to Piccadilly
5 min walk S
14:55
Piccadilly Circus
Photo stop · then 15 min SE via Haymarket to hotel
Walking route home via Piccadilly
14:35 · End of day

Piccadilly & home

Pass through Leicester Square, photo at Piccadilly Circus, then 15 minutes back to The Clermont. Room ready, 90 minutes rest before dinner.

Back here tomorrow
LEGO Store & M&M’s World are on Day 3

Tomorrow morning starts right here at Leicester Square — LEGO Store opens at 10:00, M&M’s World is directly across the square. Today just pass through. The proper stop is tomorrow.

14:55 · Photo stop only

Piccadilly Circus → The Clermont

Photo stop only · Eros statue · then 15 min walk home via Haymarket

Five minutes south from Leicester Square. The Shaftesbury Memorial (Eros), the illuminated advertising boards, the crossroads. Take the photo, this is the one. Then walk back to The Clermont: head east on Coventry Street, south on Haymarket, east on The Strand. Fifteen minutes. Check in, shower, and get straight out to dinner.

The shot

Stand at the base of the Eros statue with the illuminated advertising boards behind you. That’s the photo. Takes 30 seconds. Then walk home.

Walk from Leicester Square 5 minutes south
Walk home 15 min via Haymarket & The Strand
Arrive hotel ~15:15 · room ready
View on map →
15:15 → 17:00

Shower, then Ave Mario

Back to The Clermont by 15:15. Check in, shower, get out again. They’ll be struggling — dinner earlier is better than waiting. Ave Mario is 10 minutes on foot, book the earliest table they have.

17:00 · Tonight’s dinner

Ava Mario

Italian on the Covent Garden piazza. One of the best-looking dining rooms in London, and the pasta is the real thing.

Ave Mario, the piazza entrance
The dining room

Ave Mario

Italian · 6 The Piazza, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8HB

Book ahead Italian Pasta 10 min walk

Ave Mario sits on the Covent Garden piazza in one of the most recognisable dining rooms in London, grand arched windows, high ceilings, the kind of room that makes the meal feel like an occasion. The kitchen is Italian and serious about it: house-made pasta, good antipasti, proper secondi.

For a first London dinner after a 22-hour journey, this is the right call. The room does a lot of the work, the kids will be impressed by it, the adults will appreciate a proper meal rather than a queue. Book in advance, get the earliest table available, eat well, and walk back to the hotel in ten minutes.

What to order

Pasta, the house-made pasta is the reason to come. Whatever’s on the menu, start there. Antipasti for the table to share while everyone settles in. Truffle dishes if they’re on the menu, Ave Mario handles truffle well. The room and the pasta together are the experience.

Walk from hotel 10 minutes
Cuisine Italian · pasta · truffle
Budget ~£40–55pp with drinks
Booking Essential, book online
Location The Piazza, Covent Garden
Website bigmammagroup.com
6 The Piazza, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8HB
Walk from hotel (10 min) Open in Maps avamario.com
Practical

The area

Everything on this afternoon is within 15 minutes of The Clermont on foot. No tubes required. Trafalgar Square is visible from the hotel door.

Jet lag rule: Keep moving until at least 19:00. The afternoon walk is not just sightseeing, it’s the most effective jet lag treatment available. Natural daylight and movement resets the body clock faster than anything else. Push through the tiredness. Dinner by 17:00, in bed by 20:00. London properly begins tomorrow.

Map covers The Clermont, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Seven Dials, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus. Open full day route in Maps →

Walk: The Clermont → Covent Garden (5 min) → Leicester Square (12 min) → Piccadilly Circus (5 min) → Regent Street north to Oxford Circus (15 min) → south through Soho back to hotel (20 min). Total: ~90 minutes, ~5km.