Help with travelling around London with kids

[Mumma12345]

We are going to London over half term for my oldest dd birthday, we already have the train tickets there and I know me and dh can use our contactless cards to travel on the underground but obviously my 3 dc don't have them, we don't have time to order them oyster cards as they won't get here in time.
Can we have to buy them a ticket once we get into London and still use our family railcard. I've looked online but keep getting mixed messages
We are going to the national history museum (already have pre booked tickets). Is there anywhere else we could go on a budget as we have had a unexpected bill and it's taken most of our budget for the day
Dc ages 13(birthday) 10 and 8

I think the thirteen year old I think will need his own ticket or Oyster card (you can get those from the station and pay child rate) but the younger two can go through the bigger barriers with you. Just go for the family/disabled barriers. Obviously you and your DH can’t go through at the same time though, so one goes through with one of you then the other. The 13 year old will travel for free on the buses though.

Science museum is nearby and really good for children of those ages.

For free stuff to do - if the weather is good then Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are lovely to walk around and right by the Natural History Museum - there’s a great playground if it’s open based around Peter Pan.

Walking along the South Bank is also good. St James, Whitehall and through Trafalgar Square to the a river.

Can you get tickets to the Science Museum or V&A. Both are free entry but I assume you need tickets due to covid?

Re the tubes most of the gate line staff just let kids through in my experience which I appreciate isn’t cast iron!

Are your train tickets One Day Travel Cards? Because the price usually includes tube/bus travel.

You can buy an Oyster card at any main station and get a member of staff to apply a visitor discount for your 13 year old. The others just walk through the large barrier with you, or a member of staff will let them through. Check buses instead of underground- it's often similar time but much easier

The 10 and 8 year old can travel under your Oyster cards, just go through the orange/disabled barriers together. The 13 year old will need a travel card. Can you not buy that as an add on at whichever station you leave from before travelling - I’m sure at our local station (outside the zones) we can buy just an underground card.

This website is quite useful: www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/london_transport_child_fares.htm

Have you checked out the 2 for 1 discounts with your train tickets?

www.daysoutguide.co.uk/london-transport-museum

London transport museum is good.

What kind of thing are you and your children interested in?

Thank you everyone,
Train tickets aren't travel cards, just advance singles there and back and it was half the price that way
I will have a look and see if we can get tickets for the science museum as well
We do plan on going again over the summer to meet up with family so might try and get her a oyster card as will then save us money next time

@Mumma12345

We are going to London over half term for my oldest dd birthday, we already have the train tickets there and I know me and dh can use our contactless cards to travel on the underground but obviously my 3 dc don't have them, we don't have time to order them oyster cards as they won't get here in time. Can we have to buy them a ticket once we get into London and still use our family railcard. I've looked online but keep getting mixed messages We are going to the national history museum (already have pre booked tickets). Is there anywhere else we could go on a budget as we have had a unexpected bill and it's taken most of our budget for the day Dc ages 13(birthday) 10 and 8

You can buy day ticket from the tube stations, you don't need an oyster card. However you can buy oyster cards from most news agents

You can tap a debit card rather than an oyster card (although each person needs their own card) - it works on London buses and trains. So two of you could use oyster cards, one could use a debit card, and the youngest two children are free..

OP if you pm me I literally have loads of spare oysters that I don’t use anymore- I’d honestly be happy to send you one. They’re not registered to me or anything. You can then just top it up.

If you get an Oyster card from someone you will still need to get station staff to apply the visitor discount.