London advice please - with 6 year old who doesn't like lots of walking!

[buckeejit]

We're going with dc-6&9 for 3-4 days in Nov. Mainly for oldest to go to Harry Potter world. 6 year old tires quite easily & fil has bad knees so don't want to be non stop.

What could fill a morn/eve session enjoyably? I'm looking at booking a show - thinking the lion king or Matilda? And maybe a bus tour?

If anyone has any advice that would be great - we're staying in Trafalgar sq.

Yeah I was going to ask if you've booked HP? You can't just turn up. And it is a mission to get to from the centre. Not faffy especially but lengthy

Just booked HP tonight & the website kept crashing! Since yesterday all the morning slots have gone so we're booked for 4.30! Will work out ok & means we won't have to rush in the morning. So much organising! Journey isn't as bad as I thought.

Is there alcoholic butter beer in there?

Just booked school of rock & big bus tour-thanks for the recs!

That's Thursday booked up & with HP on Friday, won't be back centrally until about 9pm so not sure if there's anything that we could do for an hour or so before bed? Is the London eye better in daylight, if at all?

I'd like to squeeze in another show but dh thinks one is enough 😏. Saturday prob will be natural history museum & then rainforest cafe. Going to make a little list of things near Trafalgar sq that we could do with a spare hour if there's any energy. I'm pretty excited now

Bed or dinner and bed Harry Potter day. Youll be too tired for anything else

Ok thanks - we won't book anything for after HP then. Had thought to book London eye for the morning before it but might hang fire with that too & just have snacks available if we're too tired for dinner!

Anyone know of a decent app to work out the most convenient way of travel from a to b? Don't want to get tubes if bus is easier & think I'll end up alone on public transport as there's 6 of us and only 5 will fit in black cab!

I like CityMapper.

Get the Clipper boat to Greenwich and back. You can see the sights without having to walk!

Thanks - we've booked big bus which includes river trip so will check if we can do that route!

Google maps works a treat. Ive used city mapper before and gone back to google maps. Not least because i dont need two apps when google maps is built in. Hoogle maps is also better if there are mobility issues as you can set it to wheelchair accessible/least walking etc

If you go to one museum make it the Museum of London or the Museum of London Docklands. These are so overlooked and in my opinion offer so much more than Natural History Museum etc (which are great but ALWAYS so packed so you cannot get the full experience).

I work around the Trafalgar Sq area sort of and would recommend the following places for food within walking distance.

www.pastabrown.com/ is a lovely family run Italian, take out is very cheap and they don't take reservations but I would say wait for table as their food is delicious.

www.thaipot.biz/index2.html is also very nice.

You'll also be right by the National & Portrait Gallery and Banqueting House (where Charles I was executed) is just down the road on Whitehall.

The number 24/29 bus from Trafalgar Sq will take you to Warren Street station and then Euston is a 5 min walk (c. 10-15 possibly with slow walkers), for the return you catch them from the top of Hampstead Road which is conveniently by Drummond Street which has some good Indian restaurants. From Euston's side exit by Sainsbury's it is a 5 min walk, you could eat then jump on 24/29 at the top of the road to head back to the hotel after eating.

The 24 will also take you down Whitehall to the House of Commons and Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral or Pimlico down to the river. It will also take you to Camden if that is your cup of tea and all the way to Hampstead Heath. It's like a tour bus!

Don’t go to the Rainforest cafe it is awful. If you want burgers literally every other burger place in London is better.

Second that. I also once found a mouse under our table when we went there (was years ago, but still).

I took my 6 year old out for dinner and an evening in Chinatown which was excellent. The science museum is also great. She also enjoyed riding the tube and the DLR and we did the clipper down to Greenwich. A Thames cruise is lovely if you just want to sit down for a bit.

I find google maps brilliant for planning city trips with kids, because you can figure out how long it takes to walk between places, or from the bus stop to a venue, and get a sense of what’s feasible.

Hardy Potter world is in Watford -take the fast tube into central London else it will take a very long chunk out of your day. I would suggest the Natural History Museum if your son doesn’t like walking - it’s perfect for curious kids and he probably won’t even notice the walking. From there you could have lunch at the Harrods food hall. Hyde Park / Buckingham Palace / Covent Garden / Trafalgar square is all a short walk / taxi ride away

If museums. Look at wonder labs in the science museum. It's a pay bit but has lots of interactive experiments for kids and lots of seats

Rainforest cafe is HORRID

Ugh, I already though rainforest was rank but FIL thinks it will be good for dc so difficult to get out of

@MercedesDeMonteChristo that sounds awesome, thanks so much!

I have no sense of direction so will be educating ds on navigating us around, I still get a thrill out of making an unremarkable journey in London & know he will love 'leading' an expedition!

Tell Gil you tried to book rainforest cafe & cant get a table (it’s worth the lies to get out of going)

Remember that if you get the tube to Natural History Museum, it is quite a long walk through a tunnel from station to museum. A bus will take you nearer. Another fan of ‘citymapper’ App which will give you best route and best route using bus only underneath.

Can I be cheeky and ask for decent / not too expensive hotel recommendations please? Was thinking of taking dd in January for her birthday. Thanks.

St Giles near Tottenham court road. Small but very comfortable clean rooms. In the centre of everything, you can walk pretty much everywhere but fab transport links too.

I always recommend on these threads the Postal Museum and Rail Mail

Resurrecting to ask about school of rock- should we watch the film before or after london? I've downloaded the musical soundtrack. It's good!