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!

[Fruitbatdancer]

For hotels check out the strand palace, it’s big and they often have good deals on rooms (I’ve found it cheaper there than travelodge on occasion) it’s ridicoulsly central and you can fall in it from Covent Garden.
Also - there’s a tube map which tells you how long the walk is between stops so you can decide to tube or walk!

[Fruitbatdancer]

content.tfl.gov.uk/walking-tube-map.pdf

[foxtong]

Citymapper app is brill

We have stayed at the YHA Earls Court and had a garden room - our boys loved the squirrels in the garden! Good breakfast too. V reasonable and good location - 5 mins from tube but quietish area. We went for 3 nights and used the kitchen to cook in one night (m and s round the corner) so didn't have to eat out every night and you don't have that option in a hotel.

In terms of sights, our boys LOVED

Thames clipper
The tower
The postal museum and the mail rail
Greenwich
The mummies in the British Museum
Covent Garden street theatre
Walking round the parks and seeing Buckingham Palace

[puppymouse]

Took DD 5 for first time this summer. I don't know what your budget is but we stayed at the Intercontinental at the O2. Lovely hotel and whilst not central, it's a quick ride of 20mins max to Bakerloo on the Jubilee Line. I find staying in hotels quite challenging if they aren't nice so was very pleased. I found it took a few attempts to get a system going for the Tube. She was struggling to get on the escalator as she isn't really used to them or the speed and pace of London travellers.

We did: London Eye, Emirates Cable Car, Boat from Tower Bridge, Natural History Museum, Hamleys and one of the open top sight seeing tour buses. We also went to Buckingham Palace and watched the guards swap shifts which DD liked. Not bad for two days and one of those was 39c - hottest day on record or something!

She's a bit obsessed with history and queens so next time I've promised her the V&A and the Crown Jewels!

[WeeBitSleepy]

If it’s your first time, I’d suggest staying a bit further out- south wets London where lots of families live. If you stay somewhere like Richmond or Twickenham (or St Margaret’s) Kew type areas-you’ll feel confident to walk and travel at night. I lived there for several years and with a young bab. Easy to travel to central London and back out in late afternoon/evening if you don’t want to be in busier bits by night. It’s especially easy to get to museums from Richmond, Kew as on District Line.

[WeeBitSleepy]

Obviously, West, not wets🙄

[Fudgenugget]

Tube fares: 10 years and under are free. Adults: use your contactless debit or credit cards. No pre-registration required. You need one each. Take the kids through the larger gates. you don't know how many times a day I tell parents that

It's too blooming expensive to drive in London. Leave the car at home. The traffic is atrocious too, even in the burbs.

Some places offer money off if booked in advance, online. National Rail sometimes have 241 deals. The transport museum in Covent Garden is free for kids under 16. Some things like Madame tussauds and the summit of The Shard is hideously overpriced. Plan your budget carefully because some popular touristy things are really not worth your time. The free museums are great. We like the British Museum for the Egyptian stuff the best.

Do not buy any food from vendors on the bridges. You will pay dearly for it. They are not licensed of hygienic!

Hamleys is great for kids. Pricey, but an experience. The zoo is great too, but buy your tickets in advance or wait for ages in the queue!

I work for the tube and lived in the capital for 22 years.

[highlandcoo]

Just to add the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is lovely if you need a short break from the busy streets. Hyde Park generally is lovely for a breather from the crowds. My nieces even paddled in the memorial fountain (near the Serpentine in a different area of the park, and more like a stream than a fountain) in October .. but they are Scottish and very hardy!
Natural History Museum and Science Museum are great too. Personally I loathe Hamleys but just my opinion.
And Covent Garden for the free street theatre is good too.
London feels very safe, but just be careful of your belongings, as you would be in any large city.

[lalafafa]

You’ll be seriously disappointed with Petticote Lane, loads of stalls selling tat. If you really must go make sure you go to Spittlefields and the surrounding area. Pick up a salt beef bagel from Brick Lane too.

[lalafafa]

Mega bus do cheaper LONDON tours

uk.megabus.com/products/london-bus-tour?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk5i9u_6P5AIV2vZRCh0lBQWTEAAYAiAAEgJNA_D_BwE

[lalafafa]

My kids love walking through Piccadilly Circus, down through Leicester Square then up to Covent Garden, great st night with all the lights.
Stop off for a treat here
www.milktraincafe.com/

[lalafafa]

Youth hostels are reasonable
www.booking.com/hotel/gb/yha-london-st-paul-s.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaFCIAQKYAQm4AQfIAQ3YAQHoAQH4AQuIAgGoAgO4AqbI7OoFwAIB;sid=b01dac6bccd703a7a78600fa37a77d05;age=6;age=6;all_sr_blocks=34933205_93736714_0_2_0;checkin=2019-10-26;checkout=2019-10-27;dest_id=-2601889;dest_type=city;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=2;hapos=126;highlighted_blocks=34933205_93736714_0_2_0;hpos=6;matching_block_id=34933205_93736714_4_0_0;no_rooms=1;ref_is_wl=1;req_adults=2;req_age=6;req_age=6;req_children=2;room1=A%2CA%2C6%2C10;sb_price_type=total;sr_block_price=139;sr_currency_code=GBP;sr_order=price;srepoch=1566254419;srpvid=63809f69e45b00cc;type=total;ucfs=1&

[StarlightLady]

If you go for the London Eye, book on line to save the queues and start as early as possible, you can then take the Thames Clipper river bus from the Eye down to Greenwich. For a city of contrasts, return to Tower Gateway on the Docklands Light Railway (driverless trains, if you dash, you can get a seat at the front) and then take the top deck of a bus to Covent Garden

[EmpressLesbianInChair]

Because it became such a tourist attraction, they now have a wall outside the HP store which they use for photographs instead

Yes, whenever I walk through Kings Cross there’s a queue of people waiting to pose . There always seem to be queues at the red phone boxes near Houses of Parliament too.

[Alconleigh]

Why do people feel the need to come onto a thread asking for travel advice to chip in their dreary anti London comments? Bizarre.

Youve had some good advice here OP. Agree re Petticoat Lane btw; whatever it was in your gran's time, it isn't now.

[Zoowolla]

I think the open top bus tours would be best. We went a few years ago and as the dc had only been before when little they had forgotten it and wanted to get bearings
and 'see London". We got a 2 day open top bus tickets ( discounted on wowcher) and used those for transport - we didn't need to bother with the tube other than arriving/ leaving. Our bus included a boat trip.
I used to live in London so know it well - but the bus was easy, exciting and hassle free with the dc. Being overground it gave them a very good sense of the geography of the city.

[user1480880826]

Download the Citymapper app. It shows you the quickest way to get from A-Z on public transport.

Stay on one of the main tube lines if you can. There’s a travelodge in Vauxhall which is cheap (by London standards) and you’re a quick tube or bus ride from central London.

[OhTheRoses]

Looking at the sites you want to see do check out Premier Inn Putney.

[EmpressLesbianInChair]

Just to add the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is lovely if you need a short break from the busy streets.

And look out for the Elfin Oak near the entrance. It’s covered in carvings of fairies, brownies etc.

[scissy]

If you are wanting to factor in Buckingham Palace make sure to check if "changing of the guard" is on so you can avoid it (If you want to see the Palace that is! )
If your kids are into dinosaurs then the Natural History Museum is a must and the science museum next door is also really good.

[IAskTooManyQuestions]

Remember if you are using contactless tap-and-go you need a card for each person, so if you are taking the entire family, you cant swipe them all through on your card, they will need individual cards to get through the barriers.

[AllTheWhoresOfMalta]

Locals tip: this is one of my favourite places in London. It’s free, it’s beautiful and it has events for kids on all year round. October is pumpkin carving time dalstongarden.org

[bluetongue]

Annoyed that I didn’t know about tap and go as Oyster card when I was in London earlier this year. Having said that, I’m not from the UK so it would probably charge me an international transaction fee every time I used it.

Anyway, you’ll love London it’s a brilliant city and as others pointed out you can stay there on a budget if you do your research.

[EmpressLesbianInChair]

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.

Tbf Londoners are usually helpful too. I've carried a buggy / suitcase, pointed people to the right platform & shown them how to use the gate plenty of times.

But when it's rush hour we all just want to get home as fast as we can, & it can be a bit annoying if groups are standing in front of the gates, blocking the entrances to platforms, standing on both sides of the escalator etc. Although I do try not to huff.