London for a beginner....

[gingajewel]

I need some help please mumsnetters! I have never been to London before and so me and the OH (who has also never been) are planning to take two DC (3 and 9) in October overnight. Please can i have some planning help! We are coming from the Midlands, would train be better/more cost efficient than driving? Are there any cheapish travelodge type places in the centre that would be worth staying in? Or is it better to stay in a hotel a bit further out of London with parking and catch the tube in? Once i get my head round this i can start planning our actual trip! Oh also money is extremely tight so the cheapest way to do this would be brilliant!

[CloudPop]

And have a great time! It's a fantastic city.

[BBBear]

Get an Oyster Zip card for the 9 year old and they will get free underground and bus travel. 3 year old can just go through barriers with you (but check the age on the zip website in case i’ve Got that wrong).

Your 9 year old will feel very grown up with their own card!

To the PP with a 14 year old - you will also need a zip card but for older children and they will pay half price travel. You need to load it with money via the zip website but the payment needs to be activated within a few days of loading so I would recommend d loading the night before you need to use it (it’s activated the first time you go through the barriers)

[Needallthesleep]

Kids would love sitting at the front of the DLR pretending to drive it. It’s one of the top ten rail journeys in the world apparently. If you go through Canary Wharf it is pretty spectacular. Just like the tube you tap in and tap out using contactless.

The two things I recommend to everyone:

1. The Emirates Airline is a cable car that goes from Royal Victoria to North Greenwich. Amazing views, not expensive (you use contactless just like the tube so no need to book tickets) and it’s so under used you get your own private cable car 90% of the time.
   

1. The slide at the Orbit in Stratford. It’s absolutely brilliant. Lots to do around Stratford for kids anyway (big parks etc). If you stayed in East London you may well find a cheap air bnb.

[SomeAfternoonDelight]

National history museum is a must!

[Ursaminor]

@Bowsy5 - I've stayed at that Travelodge too - I think it was the best Travelodge I've ever stayed in. They were so friendly and helpful. And handy for the tube - just behind Aldgate East tube station.

www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/44/London-Central-Liverpool-Street-hotel?WT.tsrc=GHA_Organic&utm_campaign=GHA_London%20Central%20Liverpool%20Street&utm_medium=GHA_Organic&utm_source=google

[Ursaminor]

OP - Remember to change your Tesco points into Pizza Express / Other chain restaurant vouchers so you can eat out cheaply. (Have to pay for drinks, but you can cut the cost of the food!)

[HeyThereSummerRain]

So I just had a look on Airbnb and I have no idea if anything central is in a good area. I have been to London once to the Houses of Parliament for a meeting but I was with someone who lived in London so they just took charge

The main things we would want to visit are Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament. With those in mind does the river matter as in staying south of the river when everything we want is north?

How easy is it to find places to eat? This would also be October half term this year. My children are 16 and 13 though so was thinking of getting Oyster Zip.

[Ursaminor]

Also, I think some Kellogg's cereals have a special offer "adults go free" which covers the London Eye, if you can find the relevant product! We did this a few years ago and got 2 free adult tickets for having bought 2 boxes of Rice Krispies.

[Bowsy5]

I would actually recommend the bus tours. Some of them are 24 hour hop on hop off, some 48 hour periods, so maybe just choose the shorter ones, you won't need longer. They'll tell you on the bus, travelling between destinations, a bit about the history of the next place they'll be stopping, so you can decide whether you want to go there or not.
I found the Tower of London fascinating. Have lived in London 5 years and never seen the changing of the guards etc.
Shame on me.
I also loved a boat trip on the Thames, so it adds up with a family of four.
Mercifully there are fast food joints such as McD's all around central London, so you don't need to eat out at extortionate prices.
Bring water and a back pack for each of ye that holds water for the day and maybe snacks, umbrellas, coats, hats, too in October. Save you paying out for those at a quid each when you can buy 6 for a quid in Lidl or whatever.
For your first day, have brekkie before you leave maybe, some packed lunch for on the train, if you're doing a lot of travelling/walking they'll get hungry so maybe a McD's and some treat/crap and a movie at hotel on laptop (£3 for wifi at Travelodge last year for 24 hours I think).
I hope you love it. I love London. Be prepared for everyone to appear to be in a rush underground and everyone above ground (particularly when you're in a rush) to be walking around with not a care in the world. Lol.

[Bowsy5]

Is your 9 year old into Harry Potter, if so, I brought my fan on a walking tour (expensive at 38 each). It's 3 hours walking and we were knackered afterwards, but Kings Cross station actually has the platform (now sealed off to everyone but actual passengers) where they filmed it. Because it became such a tourist attraction, they now have a wall outside the HP store which they use for photographs instead. Harry Potter store is nice if they want to buy a pen or something cheap as a souvenir.

Oxford street has a lot of souvenir shops along it.

NikeTown on Oxford Street my dd loved as they played really loud techno style music (ala a nightclub). The prices were extortionate as they just had the new stuff I think, so we went to JD sports and bought some Nike stuff there instead.

[Geraniumpink]

Seconding the DLR to Greenwich- it’s amazing.

[Bowsy5]

And don't mind asking what to do at tube stations etc., if gates don't open etc. The staff are usually helpful. Just try to stand out of everyone's way though if you're unsure and find a uniformed person, or you might find some rude in a hurry hares behind you huffing and puffing.
You planning mid-week or weekend? London is busy either way.

[growlingbear]

I agree that Travelodge Covent Garden would be ideal as it's perfectly placed for East and West.

I'd start with the Clipper boat ride. Get on at Embankment (less than 10 min walk from Covent Garden, past Trafalgar Square) and go East to see St Pauls, the Globe, Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Get off at the Tower if you want to visit it and see the Crown jewels. Then you can either keep going east to Greenwich and visit the maritime museum, the royal observatory, the queen's house, the lovely Cutty Sark clipper boat and the pretty park where the meridian time line runs through or if you've had enough, head back into Covent Garden. The Tower is expensive but you can often find two for one or half price deals - check when you book your train. If you come from outside London you could often get a deal with your train fare.

On one of the days, I'd definitely do the big museums which are free - the Science museum is brilliant for kids and so is Natural history. Then you can walk up to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. You can 'have tea at the palace' by going to the cafe in Kensington Palace, feed the squirrels and parakeets by hand if that's your thing, visit Diana's play park then ride on the top of a double decker back to your hotel.

[growlingbear]

Here's the Tower of London two for one deal if you travel by train.

[stucknoue]

Depends on budget! The cheapest option is to drive to north London and stay in a premier inn with free parking near a tube station. But London traffic is horrific, and it means taking the tube with small kids. Another option is to train in and look for a hotel near South Kensington, I can recommend the millennium at Gloucester rd, 10-15 mins walk from the free museums (ideal for poor weather) and right by Hyde park/Kensington gardens to run off steam. If something is suitable on the Albert Hall is right there, we took dd to see carnival of the animals at that age.

There are travel lodge eg in central London but they tend not to be that cheap, it all depends if you are the kind of family who heads out for a full day or you like to be able to pop back to your hotel.

[nachosTrafficante]

If you are there only one night, stay central.

Don’t go to Madame Tussaud’s.

Walking along the south bank is fab.

Sky garden is free but you have to book.

[Lindormilk]

Just been. You need to register your debit card for use on the tybe. Create an account then register it.

I also used the tube app. Tells you which line/where to change etc.

[HundredMilesAnHour]

I would actually recommend the bus tours. Some of them are 24 hour hop on hop off, some 48 hour periods, so maybe just choose the shorter ones, you won't need longer.

The hop on/off tours are massively overpriced and cover a very limited area. Don't do it! A much cheaper option is the 2 hour tour with Megabus. It gets great reviews and is a fraction of the hop on/off tour prices:
uk.megabus.com/products/london-bus-tour

Or just use London buses themselves. It will be covered by your Oyster/daily travel limit on your contactless so this is the most cost effective way of getting around. And as you can see from the map, there are some great routes past all the main sights:

tfl.gov.uk/maps/visitors-and-tourists?intcmp=40408

Just avoid travelling at rush hour (if you're in town during the week).

I'd definitely recommend getting the train then staying at a central Premier Inn or Travelodge or Ibis Express. There's also a very good value Qbic Hotel at Aldgate (I always recommend this to my visitors). Part of the excitement of a first trip to London is actually staying in the city and hearing the sounds at night. Staying in the suburbs is much less fun.

[Clementara21]

If you're only coming overnight, and have never been to London before, I would ignore anyone sending you out to attractions at Stratford, Greenwich etc. As lovely as they are, you're going to want to be doing Trafalgar Sq, Houses of Parliament, the Tower & Tower Bridge, St Paul's, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and the London Eye for your first visit surely?
I would stay as centrally as you can afford (def. arriving by train and not car -you can get single tickets from B'ham to Euston for £6 sometimes) Covent Garden area or surroundings down towards the river would be a great place to stay if you can find something in budget and as time is short, I would probably splash out on a open top, hop-on hop-off bus tour ticket. They're not cheap but usually valid for 24 hours and often include a free riverboat tour too. That would be the easiest way to see everything above and more besides. Two days is not long enough to even scratch the surface of all London has to offer.
Citymapper app is a MUST - but do walk if there's not much difference in timing. The biggest pleasure I think is freedom to wander and see what you come upon.
The are places to eat on every corner but to save cash, you could compromise on a takeaway sandwich on a bench somewhere for lunch and save the sit down restaurant meal for evening.
Your family will have their own interests and that will dictate how your spend your time. Dinosaurs or theatre; markets or museums - you'll know what your family like to do. Spitalfields / Brick Lane is very interesting for teenagers (markets, hipsters / street food and street art)- but it's not the London of tourist postcards.

[Simkin]

9 yr old is free on tube, just take them through the bigger barriers with you. 12 yr old can get an oyster and ask station staff to set it to the child rate.

Get your kids Blue Peter Badges (might not need one for 3 yr old) for free entry to various things and unbelievably you can combine them with the days out rail 2 for 1. We did this at the Tower of London recently and saved ££££.

[gingajewel]

Thankyou so so much to everyone that has contributed on this thread! Genuinely am so grateful for all the experience and knowledge been shared! I will start planning and organising now, thankyou.
My eldest wants to see all of the ‘sites’ so I have a loose plan of where I want to go and I am going to get the planner a pp suggested and work out where to walk/tube it too. We have visited a lot of the major cities but my eldest is so excited for London I want to make sure we see the main things she wants. I suggested petticoat lane as I remember my Nan used to tell me how much she loved it, however I am happy to go to another market to have a look round so Thankyou so much for the list of markets that are on. We have Merlin passes so London eye is free so I am going to book a time slot for that! Am coming down from Wolverhampton so I think I have decided on train and then a central hotel, so Thankyou all for helping me with this desicion! I can never work out in London how close things actually are to each other so I’m so happy for the suggestion of an app I can download and work it all out.
Places we will hopefully want to go too are Houses of Parliament, Buckingham palace, Big Ben, London eye, Covent Garden, hamleys, tower bridge/Thames (I am looking to book a boat trip, Thankyou 😀) and then maybe Hyde park? Travel dates are October half term.

[sleepwhenidie]

@lindormilk you only have to register a debit card to link with an Oyster card. You can just use a contactless card alone, make sure you tap in and out with the same one all day and it will charge the same as an oyster and max out at travel card cost if you use it enough.

[Bowsy5]

Given what you want to see, I'd recommend a bus tour.
It's no hassle, you hop on and hop off at what you want to see.
If something doesn't interest you, you move onto the next stop, all the while, you've a guide giving you little tit-bits of history about London.
You could do that on day 1 and then Markets/shopping day 2.

[YogaLite]

If it's overnight only, then maybe plan to get on open top bus to get a feel of the place and maybe just get off for one attraction for a couple of hours.

It would help to stay near-ish one of the stops if poss.