Things to do in London

[Curiousmum69]

Is there anything interesting to do or go in London over the next day or 2, plan was to do the science museum and natural history...But the ques today were insane. And it made it all a bit crammed.

Just me and dd (10)

London Transport Museum always gets rave reviews, but I have never been myself. It also isn't free entrance.
Walk over the top of the O2. Again, not free and I don't know if there is a lower age limit.
M&M shop is always popular. Free to get in!!
Matinée at the theatre. May be some half term deals.
Hop on hop off bus tour.

We went to see a show , went to see Buckingham palace . Rode the trams . Went to the British museum and national history museum. Went on a red double decker. Saw Westminster and walked the south bank! Just general seeing London!

Museum of Childhood is good.
Camden market
The M&M shop 😊
A boat trip on the river
St Paul's
London Dungeon (though suspect queues)
China Town
British Museum
Tower of London

Foundling Museum
Florence Nightingale museum
V and A museum of childhood
Chinatown
Camden Lock

westfield shopping centre theres two, go to the one that isn't stratford, bigger and you can window shop in the designer bit

Boat from Westminster/Tower Bridge to Greenwich? Naval museum free and Greenwich Park has the planetarium with various shows and the Observatory. The park is lovely. Lots of restaurants and cafes in Greenwich.

London dock lands museum is great, we went the other day. It's free, great museum, nice ride on DLR. nice cafe or restaurant

What is your 10 year old into?

Well. I thought science. But I think the museum was just too busy.

Some great ideas here. Thank you.

Didn't think we'd be sat in hotel out of ideas by 4pm. More planning required.

You simply can’t be run out of ideas in London, not possible.

Mine love portrait gallery and guessing who people are. Covent Garden and watch the street performers, Chinatown - eat anywhere with Chinese people eating there. Borough market and try all the freebies, print off a treasure hunt, there are some good ones for southbank.

Take the clipper boat up the Thames to Greenwich and wander round there. Weather is good enough to go boating in Regent’s Park. Hamleys is still a hit at 10 too.

The museums unfortunatly do get very very busy at half term and it can be an overwhelming nightmare. The ones that might be less busy are the Imperial War Museum and The Army Museum. If she has been doing WW1 or 2 she might find it interesting. There is a bit about spies at the Imperial War that my science-y girl likes (she has a thing about Enigma Machines).

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide.

Walk along the south bank now, in the dark!
Go to Greenwich, Olympic park (check out inflatable times at the pool).
Go ape in battersea park, Crystal Palace dinosaurs, Dulwich park.
Go on the Thames clipper along the river. Get the old route master from Charing Cross to Tower Hill.
Go up the shard (kids may be free at half term still?).

Oh the museum queues are awful aren't they? Which is why, even as Londoners, my kids have hardly ever been. It's no fun at all. The V&A is much better in terms of queuing - even if you're not interested in decorative arts, the jewellery room is pretty mind-boggling for a ten year old, and the newly reopened Cast Courts are very cool.
A walk along the Serpentine in Kensington Gardens is lovely in this weather... take an apple and see if you can attract any parakeets!
Diana playground NW corner of Hyde Park is great.
At that age mine still loved a thorough browse in Hamleys - also the Lush flagship store in Oxford St.

We will be in London Friday.

My two like the book shops eg Foyles on Charing Cross Road, Leicester Square (Lego ship & M & M World), Covent Garden (Pollocks toy theatres). The Southbank is lovely to wander round.