Best place to stay in London for sightseeing?

[Eminybob]

We are planning a weekend in London for DH’s 40th. We will have a 5 year old and baby with us so want somewhere family friendly, and centrally located for all the usual tourist attractions.
I don’t know London at all so have no idea where I should be looking.
Can you please recommend areas, and any specific (budget friendly) hotels.
Thanks.

Premier Inn County Hall . Next to London Eye and the river . Over the bridge to the Houses of Parliament and an easy walk from there to Downing Street , Buckingham Palace , Trafalgar Square etc .

Thank you, will check it out.

Well, what is your budget?

Ideally no more than £100 per night, but flexible.

Also, which is the best train station to travel into?

Where are you travelling from ?

Manchester

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is a great location. Prices vary depending on your dates and how far in advance you book. Also the Meininger does great family rooms and can be a bargain - and it's right next to the Nat Hist Museum.

Travel Lodge Plus London City is good.

Travelodge Covent Garden or London City

Thanks for all the recommendations

Stayed at the premier inn bank side was quite reasonable, nice breakfast and right near borough market .
Hope you have a great time x

Am always recommending these things, but have a look on superbreaks especially at their secret hotels....if you read the hotel info it's really easy to match it to that actual hotel

also if you are going on the train get signed up with Days Out Guide, there are millions of 241 deals for all the things, dh and I have saved a fortune over the years with them

Also check out your tesco vouchers especially if you are thinking about London Zoo. ...but again they often have clubcard deals on too.

As you're ravelling from Manchester, you'll arrive into Euston station which is fairly central.

My mum always stays here: pennclub.co.uk - easy to get to from Euston, very good value for the location. I don’t know if they have family rooms - you’d need to have a look at their website.

London is huge, so there isn’t one single place you’d need to stay as you’ll still be catching buses/the tube to get around. You can use contactless cards on the tube and buses and don’t need to pay for the children.

Anything else you need to know?

Also look at Travelzoo and Secret Escapes for hotel deals. With a baby and five year old you might prefer buses to tubes - download the Citymapper app which is super useful for getting around - it gives you all the options, Times and prices. I’d suggest bringing a small foldable buggy or a sling for the baby.

Fab. This is all great advice. I was going to ask about the tube.

Another question - DS will have just turned 5 when we do, literally a week before. He would be free on the train if he were 4, but being 5 costs about £50.
Would it be terrible to say he was still 4 when booking or would they check?

I'd say he's four BUT it might be cheaper to buy a family rail card and if you ask for seats together you'll probably end up with table seats so more room for baby too. If you don't pay for ds you might end up with two seats behind others as they're expecting you to have littlies sat on your lap.

We stayed opposite Gloucester rd tube, 15 mins walk to museums, restaurants right there, excellent transport connections. Room was really good size to take a cot and bed would sleep you both and 5 year old easily, fridge in room too. Millennium chain. Otherwise holiday inn is another good option as they sometimes have family suites. Premier inns are good but can be pricey in London. Sometimes you can get bargains in the city on weekends but many restaurants and cafes don't open on weekends.

Good advice about the railcard - it is definitely worth doing (plus we also go into Manchester on the train fairly often so we’ll save money all year too

There's a Premier Inn and Travelodge at Euston / Kings Cross. The St Pancras Hotel looks amazing but I imagine it's V expensive. I'd say DS was 4.

Check out 2for1 London, it's got lots of half price offers for tourist attractions.

staygenerator.com/destinations/london?utm_source=google-my-business&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=hostel-London

Pretty cool hostel near Kings Cross with family rooms and facilities suitable for families with young children.