London with a 5 year old girl

[pollylocketpickedapocket]

Planning 3 days in London with my dd who will be 5.
Looking for ideas to make it amazing. We are staying on the circle line but prepared to go anywhere for something great.
I’m already thinking a museum, diana memorial playground and a child friendly show, west end or otherwise, the later is a bit iffy at the mo.
Hit me with hidden gems and unique experiences!

We’ve already been to tower bridge and Greenwich! Love challenging playgrounds too, have heard coram fields is a bit run down??

London Zoo (my 5 year old loved it)
hamleys or Lego shop
National History museum
Tate Modern
London eye

St. James has a nice playground and there is a children’s theatre near Southbank.

When you’re queuing for the Diana Memorial Playground, look out for the Elfin Oak. www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/memorials-fountains-and-statues/elfin-oak

Brilliant ideas, thank you.
Any thoughts on restaurants?

Thanks Clipper ride to Greenwich - used to do that a lot with my DS. Maybe read Katie in London before you go so that she’s familiar with the sites. You can visit the lions in the book in Trafalgar Sq. Waterstones in Piccadilly has the most wonderful children’s book section. Bus ride sitting on the upper deck. Duck Tour from South Bank. Water play area in Science Museum basement. I loathe Hamley’s but would be nice for her to see. Depending on what time you are there and where you are staying, changing of the guards at Buck Palace. And then walk to Horse Guard’s Parade to see the horses.
These are things I did regularly with my son - bringing back happy memories!!

*Thames Clipper

Book tickets for the WonderLab at the Science Museum. It’s incredible.
Take a trip on a boat along the Thames. No need for an excursion boat, just incorporate the Clipper service as part of your travelling around.

Covent Garden is fun if the street performers are back (take some money to donate, she can put it in their hat!); also the South Bank, street performers there too plus carousel etc; Trafalgar Square; Definitely a ride on an open topped bus; what kind of food does she like? Could go for dim sum in Chinatown?

If it rains Dd loved Kidzania at that age.

If you are going in the summer carry a swim suit, watershoes and a small towel with you do that she can play in the fountains and cool off. A swim in n the Serpentine ludo was a big hit and they have a paddling g pool and park for little ones.

The parks at the Olympic Park are great there are lots of them but a great sand / water one and tree house type one too.

I'd recommend Stomp if it is on, no words just music and comedy and my Dd really liked it.

When you go to the Diana playground you can also feed the parakeets in Hyde park. You will have to google instructions online for the best place, but I think it's near the Peter Pan statue, from memory. Take some fruit with you, hold it out and the parakeets will come and land on you to eat it.

Near London Zoo is Primrose Hill suitable for your DD to run about.

Yes to the boat rides and if at all possible, do that when it’s getting dark & everything’s lit up.

For restaurants with a 5 year old it is the chains that tend to be easiest with kids menus etc. Eg Wahaca, Comptoir Libanais, Wagamama, the decent Burger chains like Honest Burger. Yo Sushi fun too.

The playground at Hampton Court palace is great - huge and really imaginative.
The palace itself is fun to explore, the kitchens are good, and the gardens down to the river. Cafe is quite nice.

Obviously it's a bit further out, but perhaps you could go by boat.

Greenwich park has a wonderful playground.

Crystal Palace park has dinosaurs if she's into that.

The Transport Museum in Covent Garden is great for that age - mine found the Natural History and Science museums a bit too 'wordy'. Having said that, they are both worth a quick visit, we loved the dinosaurs, whales, and then I think in the science museum the earthquake - they still talk about that bit!

Otherwise they mostly talk about the buses, tubes, trains and the boat we went on! But we are in the countryside, so don't use public transport much at home.

We also went to Buckingham Palace at their request because they'd seen it on Go Jetters!

These ideas are fantastic, thank you

The rainforest cafe is fun for the kids. Pricey. But fun.

@Ghostlyfeet

The rainforest cafe is fun for the kids. Pricey. But fun.

Our credit card for cloned in here before lockdown but food/experience was great - maybe pay cash

The M&M store near Leicester Square.

No idea what would actually be open anytime soon. But I took my daughter when she was 6. The Science Museum was great. We took the boat (Thames Clipper or one of the other ferries) to Greenwich. Greenwich market was great and there is (was?) a traditional fudge shop there that was fantastic. The guys showed her how to make fudge and gave a little history of fudge making and it was really great.

Mine really likes going to Yo Sushi. She doesn't particularly love any of the food, but she's amused enough by the concept that she'll eat some prawns and rice and cake. We also went to the Harrod's food hall and got things for a picnic and went and had a picnic at the Diana memorial playground.

& take a look at the Bablands London blog. She has tons of great ideas & reviews of places to go, or that might be en-route of your plans (recent focus on playgrounds in lockdown, but if you menu/choose central London & scroll back to pre lockdown ideas you’ll find plenty)

Benihana for dinner - keep an eye out for special offers
There is a branch on kings road and one on Piccadilly

Go Ape, crazy golf, a huge adventure playground, a boating lake and a small zoo in Battersea park. It’s a short walk over the bridge from Sloane Square/kings road

We tried the Playground and the queue was ridiculous. We just went to the fountain instead. So so much fun, safe, full of kids paddling.