A week in London

[Beachrules]

We are going to be staying in London with our 9 and 12 year old girls in Summer and are looking for places to eat, things to do etc - things that are a bit different would be great but we are on a budget. My daughters are Harry Potter obsessed so will be doing the Warner Bros tour which is pretty expensive so any budget ideas/insider tips would be great. Thank you :-)

Fortnum and Mason ice cream parlour

I was there last week with my 14 year old.... firm favourite was Chinatown, Covent garden and liberty's

Check out londonist, the nudge, and secret London.

Are you coming by train? If so you can get 2 for 1 vouchers for lots of places. lots of free museums.
Time out publishes a list of cheap eats annually and those tend to be fun and independent.
Columbia road flower market is worth a look.

Maybe a bit of a Harry Potter tour for photographs? Leadenhall Market, St Pancras station, the bridge which I've currently forgotten the name of. Get to Kings Cross early for Platform 9 and 3 quarters.

A walk along the South Bank. The Eye is expensive, but I think worth it if you can stretch to it.

Mine used to like the British Museum and bits of the V&A at about that age - both free.

Greenwich makes a nice day out - could go on the DLR (try to sit at the front) or even a boat. The park there is lovely and there are deer there.

Book tickets for the Sky Garden. Incredible views across London, and it’s free! Get the Clipper down the Thames instead of one of the tourist boat cruises. Most museums are free and the Science Museum, Natural History and V&A are all very close together so can be done in one day.

Free views from the Skygarden if you book.
The cable car across the Thames is fun and not too expensive.
The Geffrye museum is great (if it has reopened after refurbishment) as is the V&A and the Museum of Childhood, and the Foundling Museum. Mine also like the view from the Tate Modern and the Diana Fountain. The Unicorn Theatre only has shows for children which aren’t too expensive.
For food, mine really like the dumplings in Chinatown. Also Ethiopian restaurants are very popular if they don’t mind some gentle spice - I think it’s the novelty of the way it is served. If you want afternoon tea for a reasonable price I would really recommend Number Sixteen in South Ken which is great and half the price of anywhere else I’ve found.

Museum of London

I also got Tower of London tickets with Tesco vouchers, worth checking any offers you can get.

Lots of the galleries are free and have nice tea rooms. The parks, like Green Park, are nice for a runaround/kick about and have coffee stalls. The Unicorn Theatre is a dedicated children’s theatre with some great shows.

Mine are excited by getting the Tube and I think under 12s go free. You can just use a contactless card to ping through with them.

So much I can think of!

Camden Market
Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens - it's huge and so much fun stuff (go to the Diana Memorial Fountain/feed the parakeets near the Peter Pan statue/climb trees/swim in the lido/hire a pedalo)
Escape Rooms are great fun and there are some fab ones in London
Southbank
Go up the Shard or on London Eye or similar to see the view (there are a few free places like One New Change roof terrace in the City)
Postal Museum
London Transport Museum
Brick Lane on Sunday
Notting Hill (market at the weekend is fun)
Hampstead Heath (you can swim in the ponds)
Fortnum and Mason/Harrods/Liberty are all cool to wander around
Battersea Park - fun adventure playground and also you can hire recumbent bikes (the santander bikes in London are huge and meant for 14 year olds and over so this is a great alternative)
Greenwich - got to the observatory and the market - you can get a Thames Clipper there for fun
So much walking if the kids are up for it - there are some fab treasure hunts you can do that show you bits of London you might not have seen

Fun places to eat:-
Kingly Court if you are in Oxford Street area
Camden has loads of food options
Mercato Metropolitano - I've been to the one by Elephant and Castle but I think they have just opened one in Mayfair
Inamo is fun
Loads of places to eat in Chinatown - go to the Chinatown Bakery and try the pastry fish filled with nutella or the green tea ice cream
Pizza Pilgrims is yum - lots of them around
Try an afternoon tea if you can afford it - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at One Aldwych is amazing
Find a really good pub for a roast lunch - lots of choice in London

There are always lots of random things going on - keep an eye on Time Out London/Londonist/Secret London FB pages for ideas

Camden Lock
London Zoo, though it's expensive
London Transport Museum

Kids go free to theatre shows in August for a week so keep an eye out for deals if that's the right timing

London Transport Museum is great though a tad expensive. Museum of London is free and has a whole section of Victorian streets and shops you can peer into or sit in. Nearby is Postman's Park which is worth a look for its glazed tiles commemorating acts of Victorian courage. Holland Park is lovely in summer, great for a picnic.

Honest Burgers = another cheapish chain place.

Dishoom bacon/sausage naan for breakfast maybe, with free refills of chai tea.

This site is good for unusual things to do

Oh yes Kings Cross is good and you can walk along the canal to Camden Market - fun for the kids

Broadway Market, Netil Market and Mare Street Market on a Saturday. Very Hackney hipster.

Don't pay a fortune for a bus tour. Use Citymapper to choose a bus route that passes lots of famous sites and sit on the top deck. Kids are free on buses.

Following for ideas. Where are you staying OP? I'm looking for a minimum 1 bedroom for four of us and I'm clueless (although getting helpful tips on another thread)

Treasure trails are fun - you download them from
The internet for a few pounds and then take a walk hunting for the clues etc. You can choose which area of London you want to be taken round and it just makes a walk more interesting. Some of the clues are simple spotting things and others a bit more cryptic.
Just wandering down the South Bank or round Covent Garden is fun.

Sky Garden for views - book in advance but it's free.

All the big parks are lovely in the summer and you can easily pick up supermarket food for a picnic so that's one meal a day sorted.

If they like Harry Potter have a look in the basement at Hamleys.
The ice bar is an 'experience' and they let children in at certain times if the day.
The Tower Bridge experience is fun too and reasonably priced for London.
All the museums are good too.