<p>I’m trying to plan a trip to London in July or August of 2012, which is the only time all three of us can go. But London will be hopping this summer. The Olympics are taking place there July 27 to August 12, and then the Paralympics from August 29 to September 9. That doesn’t leave much downtime. I was hoping that early July would be relatively sane, but is there any way to know? </p>
<p>I read that Central London will be the locale for many events, so I imagine last-minute construction and other prep work going on there. Should I aim for next year instead? Anyone willing to speculate?</p>
<p>I tried to use frequent flyer miles to book travel to the UK in June and the number needed for a ticket was 3 times the usual number both on American and Delta so I ended up using money. You might consider flying into a different airport if you have trouble finding flights and book tickets from there to London separately. I think London will be very crowded from early July on but it might be worth checking on what accommodation you can find. I’ve had good luck finding accommodations and info from londontown website. Sorry I don’t have more info.</p>
<p>You can see where the main events will be held and which central London sites will be likely closed to the public by searching the London 2012 website. Horse guards parade for beach volleyball for example. Greenwich park will also be impacted as the equestrian is taking place there. I should think everything else will be open although places with ticketed entry (eg Hampton Court Palace) could well be sell outs and/or very busy. I would also expect flights and hotel prices to have rocketed. London is going to be rocking this summer, which will be fun, but yes, crowded and expensive.</p>
<p>Or not. I remember well the dire predictions for what would happen in LA during the '84 Olympics. It simply didn’t turn out that way – people marveled that traffic flowed more smoothly than in “normal” times, and lots of restaurants had plenty of capacity since many locals had decamped.</p>