Taking ds (11) to London. Tips please!

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

It’s been years since I’ve been to London but ds2 and I may be going for a couple of days next week, probably staying in the Greenwich area.

I’m not a nervous traveller but do like to get good value for money!

Any top tips for what to do, where to go, eating out and especially how best to pay for tube journeys would be very gratefully received!

This thread is fab, we're taking the DC for a couple of days next week. Monument and no 11 bus are now on the list. Think we'll get 2 day kids travelcards (£12 each) for the DC and use contactless for us.

Londonwalks are brilliant and all sorts of topics. Best we have done (12yo DS) are Brunel’s London, Jewish London and Westminster by Gaslight. But there are loads to choose from. The generic ones are very full of people so it can be hard to hear (you don’t need to pre-book), but the more specialised ones attract fewer people so you can get more involved in what they say. Adults £10, children free. DS is desperate to do one that’s based around the Tube (transport fiend!)

This is the web link www.walks.com/

South Bank. Walk along the river, lots of street performers, grab some chips and popcorn, there’s mulled wine and cider being sold at the moment. London Eye if you fancy it is brilliant. Then walk over the bridge and head to Leicester Square to the Lego shop and M&M world.
I don’t know London at all really and I am a creature of habit so when we visit family in Kent me and the kids do a day in London and aaaalways do the same 😂🙈 we love it!

Another vote for London walks. They have lots of interesting ones on everyday and you just turn up at the designated start point that is usually outside a tube station and wait for the guide. There are lots of child friendly ones available. I've done lots of different adult ones and enjoyed them all from Jack the Ripper (more of a factual tour than a theatrical style one) an interesting legal one around the Inns of court and a half historical half pub tour along the banks of the Thames (ending in a coaching inn frequented by Dickens).

Think we'll get 2 day kids travelcards (£12 each) for the DC and use contactless for us.

Oyster with young visitor discount applied has daily cap which is less then the cost of a travel card.

You definitely don't need to have the oyster sent to you, you can have a young visitor discount applied to the card by station staff and it lasts for 2 weeks so more than enough to cover a short break. You also get the £5 back that you paid for the oyster when you leave.

I take my DS 3 and my DD 6 months every other month for a day out in London on the train.
With 11yo you'll be just fine!
Do the free stuff If money is a priority - free museums etc.
Contactless is way cheaper than buying a ticket for the underground.

The Citymapper app is brilliant for finding your way around.

I also endorse the Museum of London; don’t panic if it seems a little tricky to get into though! The Barbican area can be a disorientating.

Greenwich has my favourite cheap noodle bar, near Cutty Sark DLR. The DLR itself is fun, especially if you get seats at the front.

The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is fun, although possibly more a nostalgia fest for you!

Hampton Court is my favourite place in the whole of London but not cheap. If you visit there and the Tower of London you might save money with a Historic Royal Palaces membership. I don’t know if Hampton Court has deals on entry but I suspect it may also be part of the discount scheme with overground rail tickets.

Have a wonderful time!

City Mapper app is good and free to guide you onto buses - Google maps will also do the job perfectly well, but CityMapper is better for saving locations so you can plot a route back to your hotel at the drop of a hat. Mobile phones really have made London buses so much easier to use: I say that as a diehard Londoner who was previously a bit nervous about taking unfamiliar buses.

Thanks cactus I thought I could get the travelcards at my local station so would have been worth the extra (in my head anyway) to not have to queue when we get there, but turns out local station only does one day cards so might go with oyster instead. Ta!

Avoid travelling during rush hour as trains are packed and the roads are busy.

You lot are brilliant!

I’m so glad I started this thread 😀

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but the Sky Garden is free. You have to book in advance

We went with our two eldest (14 and 9) last weekend. We were travelling from Manchester so drive to Watford junction left the car and got the train to Euston.
We stayed in close to Covent Garden. We walked to the eye and went to the London dungeons which was amazing and pretty scary! We then had dinner at the ivy grill in convent garden which was amazing but obviously not cheap.
The next day we did the eye-again excellent then went to Covent Garden watched the street performers and had coffee. Next was Buckingham palace and then hamleys (it was dds birthday)
Then train back to Watford and did Harry Potter which was amazing.
Dd said it was the best weekend of her life

*covent

The Sky Garden’s been fully booked for the days that we’ll be there for a couple of weeks.
Next time we’ll need to plan further in advance!

Use citymapper app for transport needs not Google maps. It takes into account live updates eg disruptions and gives you the time it takes to walk, get the bus, get the tube etc. I live in London and still use it tons to see . live bus times. For the bus you just need to tap on with your contact less card and get off the middle doors. You can take multiple buses in an hour and only get charged once. £1.50.

Museum of London is great. If you fancy something different try Dennis Severs House but you need to book in advance. Google it. It's really special.

If you want to see a show matilda and Charlie and chocolate factory really good - not sure if they are still showing.