London trip - advice please!

[RiseUp]

Hi!

Looking for a bit of advice please!

We (me, DH & 3DC aged 14, 11 & 9) are planning a trip to London in February.

We are hoping to do 3-4 nights, bit of sightseeing, maybe a West End show or two.

We’d also like to go to the Harry Potter Studios in Watford on one of the days. I know we need to book tickets well in advance which is why I’m planning now!

We will be travelling (most probably by train) from Edinburgh.

So I’m hoping I can tap into Mumsnetters knowledge to help me decide the following:

1. What accommodation is reasonable for a family of 5 - we normally stay in Premier Inn/Travelodge style accommodation but this means 2 rooms…….or can anyone recommend fairly cheap apartment accommodation?

2. We’re not totally set on staying in Central London - would we be better/cheaper staying out at Watford & traveling into London each day? If we went to an evening West End show, would it be easy enough to tube/train back to Watford?

3. We were hoping to go in the Scottish half term holiday, week beginning 14th February-but a bit of Googling suggests it’s English half term too (or at least in some areas) - would we be better off planning the visit at another time, to make accommodation cheaper?

I’m doing lots of research online but it’s be great to get your ideas/advice! Thanks!

Definitely try and stay and in London not Watford!
Watford is miles out!! Don't stay there try and stay as cental as you can. Or somewhere like the Notting Hill, hampstead. Primerse Hill

@KitchenKrisis thanks for the advice! Good to know we are definitely better off staying in London 👍🏼

Bumping hopefully for any other recommendations for accommodation!

We travelled with LNER from Scotland to london kings cross, we bought advance singles with a family rail card and our tickets were £50 return for an adult and child. We stayed in the Premier Inn at Kings Cross which is so handy, come out of the station and cross the road and it's a 2 min walk. There is also a Premier Inn at Euston. We took the train to Watford from Euston and then got the Harry Potter bus from the station out to the studios it was straight forward. We also saw some shows in the evenings and kings cross is so easy to get back to from the theatre area.

Stay here:

www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/344/London-Central-Euston-hotel

20 odd minute fast train from Euston to Watford for the Harry Potter World. You are also a few tube stops from the west end for theatres etc and other big ticket sights.

Have you looked at youth hostels? Some have private rooms you can rent so you might get one for all of you? If not the Travelodge at Royal Scot (short walk from King's Cross) was ok.

The Travelodge at Kings Cross (the one nearest to the station) is okay and you can get some good deals there. Definitely don't stay in Watford. Loads of restaurants in the Kings Cross area, and quick and easy to get to Leicester Square, Covent Garden etc or down to the river.

I'd look at air bnb for a family. Might work out better value and you will have kitchen facilities for breakfast etc.

Book ahead for everything is all I'd say

Looking at the hotel sites, Travelodge has a good range of places in fairly central London, that are well placed for the Tube.
Also Premier Inn, but be wary of locations that are more suburban.
Go for one near a mainline station for the best transport options.
The ones that are a bit cheaper are all further from Tube stations, if you are sightseeing all day you don't want a long trudge 'home' at the end of the day.

Download the free Transport for London app, TfL Go. It will plan your route for you by Tube or bus and give you updates on how services are running.

You'll have a wonderful time, London is the greatest city in the world!

Search on the Accor website and search as if all 5 of you are going in one room - it will throw up a special family rate for hotels that can't accommodate 5 in one room (most of them!) where you get the second room 50% off. We've got 2 rooms in an ibis right in the heart of London at Blackfriars for 500ish for 3 nights this way next week in October half term.

DS and I stayed in Premier Inn in Leicester Square during the summer holidays. We booked quite far in advance and it was about £100 per night including a proper breakfast. I think it was a great location.

We stayed at Premier inn Southwark, it’s right opposite the tube station, lots of local restaurants, Tesco metro, Sainsbury’s and a short walk to Waterloo. We loved it. Kids eat free breakfast with paying adult, 2 kids per adult. It was super, I took the kids, 13&11 on my own from Edinburgh and we had an absolute blast. It was very cheap and very new and clean on a perfect little secluded area with grass and seats.
Under 11’s travel free on the tube and under 16s get half price we got 13yo an Oyster card and the really helpful tube staff set it to half price. I just tapped my debit card as there is a daily cap on charges.

1. Search AirBNB for apartment costs, we've always preferred that as we can just relax in the evening.
2. Definitely stay centrally whether hotel or flat. Kings Cross / Euston / Warren St very easy for you with luggage, there's barely any distance between them (Victoria line for Euston). You'd be fine for hotel cost in half term, but no discounts on attractions. Might be better to do end of summer term as London schools go to 22nd July, but you should be done at end June. That's a long wait though, so depends what prices you get.
3. There are a few threads about interesting / quirky things to do in London that you might find useful. Hard to advise for that age range of kids without knowing their interests, there are so many options, you'd need to give a bit more to go on.

Take a meal deal with you to HP world. Food there is ridiculously expensive.

Kings cross is a great place to stay with a wide range of places to eat.

Thanks so much everyone - lots of great advice and recommendations to look through - really appreciate it! 😊

Thanks for starting by this thread. I’m planning the same!

But would come into Paddington.

@KitchenKrisis

Definitely try and stay and in London not Watford! Watford is miles out!! Don't stay there try and stay as cental as you can. Or somewhere like the Notting Hill, hampstead. Primerse Hill

Watford is far from miles out, watford junction to Euston on tye fast train is less than 20 mins but anyway I would suggest staying in London tbh. Much more going on and much more choice.

Harry Potter bus goes from Watford Junction to the studios.

Definitely don't stay in Watford. Travel Lodge in Covent Garden is a great location. I just took my kids to Harry potter in the evening and it wasn't busy at all. Bring own food and drinks there as others have said.

A great thing to do which is free is Sky Gardens, needs to be booked in advance and just get a drink at the top.

Things we've done which they loved were Matilda the musical, tower Bridge with glass floor, Tower of London, London eye, HMS Belfast, Cutty Sark, River cruise and not done it but the Emirates flight looks great.

Just come back from 3 nights in London from Scotland on the train. Would recommend Sky Garden too. I have to say your itinerary looks exhausting if you want to go to 2 shows and Harry Potter. We loved Wicked and Hamilton but did one per trip. There’s so much going on all the time it’s nice to leave a bit of breathing space and watch the world go by.

I second HMS Belfast and the others to, also clinks prison museum to if you like that kind of stuff. Borough Market, all along the southbank. Clipper boat, bus tours....

There is a brilliant thread in the London section, rounding up lots of advice. I don't know how to link to it, sorry

Look on air B&B or booking.com. We had a brilliant 2 bed apartment for less than a hotel. Whitechapel I think but above the tube station

Personally I wouldnt do the watford one I would do that covent garden experience for afordability and time or even better do a day at chessington literally 40 mins from central london and you can find 241 vouchers. Look at going to madame tussauds and shreks adventure also. Go to pizza union and kingsx for dinner amazing price and quality, or fiori on the corner of leicester square is amazing. Everyone loves the designer outlet at wembley if you have time. Go to the emirates skyline for a cheaper london eye experience and try the thames clippers , also visit dow the south bank especially borough market x

affordability and down* as a hint there's merlin deals for attractions and there's a skyliner and boat combo deal for families. Also look at visiting the bear and staff for a drink if allowed

Absolutely agree re KX. It will be by far the easiest if you're on the East Coast route, OP, and you'll have really easy access to everywhere in London. If you stay in Watford, you might as well stay in Peterborough.

BTW, do look at London buses as they will take you absolutely everywhere from KX, and are far more fun than the Underground, especially for children.