Two days in London with an 8yo!

[SirSamVimesCityWatch]

I've just booked a couple of days in London with DH and DD. She's never been, he's barely been, I used to live in the home counties and visit occasionally but not been down south in years. So I'm after some up to date advice!

We're going down by train on Friday morning, getting into Kings Cross about midday. Leaving Sunday early pm. So not a lot of time!

Going to do a few Harry Potter related bits: the luggage trolley and shop at KX, and a trip to the house of Mina Lima in SoHo. Not going to do the studio tour this trip, want to focus on central London (and DD hasn't gone past book 3 yet so leaving it for a couple of years).

So far, in addition to the HP stuff above, I've got:

London Eye
Natural History Museum
British Museum (not all of it, just the mummies and Romans)
Go look at Buckingham Palace from the Mall

Wondering about the Tower of London but concerned DD might be a bit over walking around and looking at stuff she can't do.

Any good suggestions? Central London, accessible via tube and minimal walking ideally.

We did this last year but only stayed one night. We did the bus tour on the saturday so we could hop on and off for the full 24hrs. I would definitely take your DD to see Buckingham Palace, it is Jubilee year after all. DD enjoyed the national art gallery as well. Pollocks toy shop in covent garden was also a hit. We decided MinaLima was a bit too out of our way for HP mad DD and like yours she had only read up to book 3 at that point so we didnt do the exhibition.

Probably repeating what others have said but

Definitely a ride - boat or bus tour. This is brilliant downtime where you can also eat or snack etc.
Something high with views, eg Sky gardens or Eye.
Tower bridge
Things associated with London to look at, Changing the guard, Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square
Walk along the South Bank
Maybe one 'long' visit eg Tower of London, Science Museum/Natural History Museum
Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens
Anything he's done at school, eg Great Fire of London so monument, pudding lane etc. If you're in this area there might be city buildings to look at, Gherkin, Cheesegrater etc
Maybe a show if you can get tickets.

Get together all your definites and plan a route.
Have fun and don't try and cram too much in!

The Science Museum is always my go-to, plus you can either grab food at South Kensington/Old Brompton Road or take a picnic up to Hyde Park or even eat it in the picnic area in the Science Museum if you want - the food in the museums round there isn't great and it's quite expensive.

I love all of the Science Museum but on the top floor there's Wonderlab which has loads of interactive experiments and is loads of fun! You have to pay for Wonderlab but the rest of the museum is free and you don't have to donate on the way in if you don't want to (though obvs helps with their funding).

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/wonderlab-equinor-gallery

If you go to the Sky Garden it is worth a visit to Leadenhall Market, it was used for filming Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. They within 5 minutes walk of each other.

Op I agree drop the wheel... actually it is fun and I would do it at some point but I think you have enough to do central.

One of our favourite route's, is museums of London ( lots and lots of interesting interactive point's; far far more fun for a young child than British museum.
Musuems of London however also has a Roman section ( far more interesting lay out with mini walk through) for a child.
Walk from museum of London over the wobbly bridge towards Tate modern. Look back and admire st Paul's cathedral.
Pop Into Tate modern and do the whole " is this art of part of the actual building"😁
Go to the viewing gallery at Tate modern.

The. Stroll down past the globe theatre... towards the London eye, wheel...play area there whjchis good..pit stop....

Walk over that bridge which takes you past Westminster...up through Westminster... Trafalgar sq to China town for dinner or Lunch?
Then meander the short distance to covent garden... chill...sit and watch some street performers...

That would be a brilliant Day taking in so many wonderful things.

• you could take the boat down to near the musuems of London area then start the tour.

Skip the eye and get a free ticket to the Sky Garden

I like the London Eye. You get a great view, it doesn't take long and it's a great location.

A must see is the Pelicans in St James park , when we went to the Buckingham palace tour one year the pelicans in the park on the way there was the best bit according to my daughter.

Have the Pelicans been let out of the "Bird Flu, so stay confined" cage? I seem to remember they get fed at 3pm, but check.

I prefer 120 Fenchurch St to Sky Garden, or head up to the viewing gallery at Tate Modern.

DD used to love Science Museum; we'd spend hours in the kids zones. Don't rule out a trip to the V&A across the road.

I didn’t realise the pelicans were locked in for bird flu .

The Wonderlab in the Science Museum is fun, very much worth paying entry for. My 8yo DD loved it.

And Hamleys.

The tour buses are highly touristy but they save little (and big!) legs and get you around London and to the main sights easily.

I'm sure I've seen treasure hunt style walks, where you have to walk round and spot things to answer clues. That's a fun way to see the city and keep kids engaged.