Can anyone help me plan a last minute trip to london tomorrow for me and DS (9)

[DingDongMerrilyOnline]

My sister has tickets booked to go to London tomorrow with DN to see the panto at the palladium and spend the day shopping. Unfortunately DN has tested positive so rather than waste the train ticket and panto tickets she’s asked me if I want them!

I’ve been to London a fews times, DS has been once and we’ve been on the London eye and to the viewing platform at Tate modern. I’ve had a look where the palladium is, the show starts at 2.30 and will finish at 4.45. Our train gets in about 9ish and our train home is at 8.30 so quite a long day and I really don’t want to spend the day kind of wandering around in the cold with no plan.

My rough idea so far:
Arrive at Euston, head to Leicester Square for Lego shop, M&M world and probably a maccies breakfast 🤣.

Go to Covent Garden for the snow, not sure what else is there or the best time?

Have dinner before the panto

Have a mooch around Oxford street. Go to Liberty’s to get a Christmas bauble for my Nan, maybe go to hamleys.

And that’s literally it! That’s all I can think of. I wanted to go somewhere nice or cool with ds for a treat for dinner (lunch!) but not sure where. My other thought was a bus tour.

If anyone can help that would be brilliant, it’s really last minute but I just want us to have a nice day, we’d never normally be able to afford to do something like this so I’m
Excited!

Also my automatic thought was winter wonderland but I’ve read it’s hell and gets really busy especially on Saturdays. My DS’s plan was literally panto, food and shopping allllll day but as much as I’d love that, DS would hate it

Natural history museum in South Kensington is great with a 9 year old. If he's a Harry potter fan they have a fantastic beasts exhibition which is paid, but otherwise it's free

Do not go to Winter Wonderland. It's awful.

Tacos El Pastor in Soho is nice and you can just walk in. I had lunch there last week and just walked in.

The Regent St lights are nice. I wouldn't bother with Oxford Street. Fortnums is nice and Christmassy.

Just seen he's nine. The London Transport Museum is in Covent Garden and fun. He will also enjoy wandering around Chinatown.

Oh yes, get a boat along the river! Perfect for children and adults - use your debit card to hop on and off. Such good fun even when it's cold.

Transport museum right by Covent Garden, free for kids, £18 for an annual pass for adults and think they have Christmas stuff out now - might be okay as term time but worth booking online just in case

I'd do a museum. Natural History and Science are both excellent and free. London transport museum really good too and in Covent Garden but £££.

Otherwise there are usually good street performers in Covent Garden.

The bus tours are good, or get the boat. If you get the clipper (commuter boat) you.see the same sights as the tourist boats, just without the commentary, and for half the price.

The cable cars over the Thames? Jubilee Line to North Greenwich and it's short walk past the 02 to the cable cars. You can get off at Royal Victoria or just stay on for a round trip. No need to book and you can just tap in/out with Oyster or bank card. With a bit of luck a flight will be coming or going from City Airport for extra drama.
Plenty places to eat at 02.

Don’t bother with winter wonderland, so expensive and crowded.

Agree transport museum. Or any museum, it's cold at the moment! Why are you planning to eat before the theatre? Eating after will kill most time.
Tower of London is my favourite place to go if he hasn't been.

London transport museum great. Tour of Golden Hinde is fantastic, took 2 boys that age and they loved it.
Standard commuter boat to Tower

What a lovely treat! If you don’t already have it, do download Citymapper which is brilliant for helping you find yourself way round London. I think your plan looks great and you will find yourself busy! By the Palladium you also have Carnaby Street which DS9 might well enjoy, and I I would wander down there and then go on down to the river to catch the Christmas lights and all the hustle and bustle by the river, perhaps ending up back on the south bank not to go onto the Eye but just to see all the activity going on there. Lots of little restaurants there if you want to eat tea or supper before heading back to the train.

I would also ensure I took a boy that age to the Apple Store! It’s not for shopping but for playing. Have a great day!

Might he enjoy skating? Lots of rinks around as well.

I'd go to the science museum in the morning. The re's a hands on section upstairs that is utterly brilliant for children, whether they like science or not. It's warm and it's free. Then you can stop off at Harrods to look at the fancy food and toys if you want.

Also maybe do a boat ride down the river. It will be dark after the panto so it would be a sort of London at night experience. Then take him for some food and head for the train.

Have a lovely day!

London transport museum is good but we also really like The Postal Museum

www.postalmuseum.org/#

My nine year old loves Yo Sushi for food.

Tate Modern
China Town

Transport museum in covent garden is brilliant. Sky Garden is lovely for good too but might be a bit late to get a table.

Have a lovely time whatever you decide!

Some TFL busses have been decorated on the outside for Xmas to show they're the best for seeing lights from. 139, 453, 390 or 90. You can pay with a credit / debit card for tfl fares and if you register your card on the website the overall fee is capped. Kids are free.

Standard London buses are a good way to see the lights and sights if you don’t want to splash out on a bus tour. I forget which routes are the best but google it, there’s some helpful articles about it,

Always, always WALK between Leicester Square and Covent Garden (you can go via Chinatown).

Don’t go to Winter Wonderland - even if it’s not awful, it’s not ‘Londony’ so why bother, it could be anywhere.

@northerngoldilocks

Some TFL busses have been decorated on the outside for Xmas to show they're the best for seeing lights from. 139, 453, 390 or 90. You can pay with a credit / debit card for tfl fares and if you register your card on the website the overall fee is capped. Kids are free.

Missed this comment. What a fab idea!

Transport museum + Covent Garden market
My fav places to eat - Dishoom (Covent garden) or Spagetti house (regent st)

No winter wonderland or river boats (too cold for me)

I agree Transport Museum and Covent Garden or Science Museum.

London Eye?
London Dungeons?

DS and I went on the open top tour bus this summer. It was deeply disappointing. No real tour (we wanted some interesting history), and spent a lot of time stuck in traffic.
M and M shop was fun though.

You won't have time for much else. I'd plan to have a snack/fast food type lunch before the panto and dinner afterwards if your train doesn't leave until 8.30pm.

Whatever you do, book. We went to pizza Express the Saturday before last and it was all booked up (we got takeaway)

I'd do Covent Garden first then walk across to Leicester Square (whatever you do don't get the tube between the two!). Lego & M & M World and a shop with lots of cuddle Octopuses.

If you do want lunch before the panto I can highly recommend an Italian restaurant about 2-3 mins walk from the Palladium called Bar Remo

After the panto you will be in the right area for the Oxford Street stuff you want to do. There is no way on earth I'd risk trying to go across to Winter Wonderland or the Kensington Museums although the transport museum is probably do-able.

You need to allow plenty of time to get back across to Euston. Are you used to getting the train from there. It's not so bad if you have a booked seat but what happens is they put the platform up on the board last minute and everyone swarms!

There's ice skating at the Tower of London, by the Natural History Museum and at the Embankment. They might have turn up availability as it's a school day for most.

If you are in town for just the day and have the panto booked for a chunk of it, I wouldn't be travelling to South Kensington to go to a museum. Irrespective of the distance, you'd have to pre-book entry and they are running under Covid restrictions.

There is so much to explore and eat in Soho, so I'd do your plans of Liberty's and Hamley's then spend the time exploring. I'd graze throughout the Seven Dials area (don't miss the Market, which is a covered indoor food stall area) and get doughnuts at St John's Bakery. Get a hot chocolate at Said in Soho (unforgettable!), and explore the unique boutiques in the area. Grab a Pizza Pilgrim in Soho and then see the panto. Time will fly by.