London mumsnetters, I need help!

[Madwife123]

We are visiting London this December (first time) and finding it hard to work out via Google what is close to each other to work out activities.

If I list what we plan to do can a kind mumsnetter tell me the best way to plan them to make the most of being close by?

Friday - Arrive. Hotel in central London. Going shopping, is London eye near shopping area?

Saturday - Hyde Park. Is Buckingham Palace near? If not how about London eye?

Sunday - Harry Potter studios. Free afternoon so anything child friendly worth visiting?

Monday - Either London dungeons if kids will brave it or wax works if not. Head home

That’s the rough plan but I don’t know if that means lots of back and forth and it’s better being re-jigged?

islington is not central london, but guess it's been sold to you as such.
however it's near enough and well connected.
cert don't bring a car. where would you leave it ?
the cost would be prohibitive and no use while you're there.
ditch waxworks, expensive rubbish, only for tourists who don't know any better.
i also would not bother with dungeons which are not near other attractions you've mentioned.
i would get open topped hop on/off bus tour that has river trip included. well worth it.

@Camdenish really? DD is now 14 and until last year she would walk in with me. Never ever were we stopped. I don't know any child who has. Only once on a bus when she forgot her oyster. I never said 11 year olds are free. Under 11s are.

Op if you're nervous about the 12 year old, just order the visitor oyster. You can also buy an oyster at a tube station and ask one of the tube staff to change it into a 2 week visitor kids one. They apply the discount it it. It has to be a major station though.

Don't put anything valuable/important in a backpack. Far too easy for someone to dip into it if you're in a crowd. A cross body bag, with the bag in front of you, is probably safest.

(And if you don't want to be immediately identified as a tourist, stand on the right on escalators 😁)

Islington is very close to all the places you want to visit via tube or bus.
London Eye - walk back over the Thames and go to Covent Garden.

Walk through Covent Garden to Leicester Square - the Lego shop is fab - avoid M&M world or look don't buy.

Then you can walk through to Picadilly Circus and up to Regents Street and Hamleys Toy shop.

What about the Science and Natural History museums? Close together and great.

Harry Potter world is amazing. I really thought it was incredibly well done. .
You're going to have a fab time.
There are also things like the Changing of the guard - which I've seen so many times but never ceases to amaze me.

There are quite a few Co-ops and Sainsbury's or Tescos in central London so you can grab cheaper snacks.

The car will be useful for getting to Harry Potter world.

Depending on where you are in Islington...visit Camden passage (def Islington despite the misleading name!) It has the best hot chocolate in the world. Basicalky a bubbling saucepan of melted chocolate. Portobello road is fun to visit...Great street food market at the weekends, good markete and an easy walk from Hyde Park. And if you visit winter wonderland be prepared for the financial rape...it is mind bogglingly expensive.

Don't put your phone in your back pocket.
Use contactless debit cards (one each adult) to get around. Your ten year old is free on the Tube. At the tube station buy one Oyster card and ask staff to put a "young visitor" discount on it. Your 12 year old then travels at half price.
Allow at least two hours to get to Harry Potter by public transport. It's a hell of a journey.
Did I read you have the car? Please check the ULEZ and congestion charge pages at tfl.gov.uk. You might find it cheaper to park your car in a long stay car park next to an outlying tube station and travel in.
Parking in London city centre is expensive and very limited.
If you are lost, ask someone. I work on the Tube and we are all happy to take questions. There are help points on the Tube too.
If you want a bus ride I like the 9 or 11. The 6 is also good. Bus drivers tend to be grumpy! Don't take it personally!
Don't go to Oxford Street it's really poor. Regent Street, Covent Garden and the shops around Liverpool Street are far better. Oxo is now full of crappy American candy shops and petty thieves.

You might enjoy Coal Drops Yard for shopping. It's a short walk from King's Cross and easy to get to by Tube from Islington. The Samsung concept store is fun and free. I also like the cafe in King's Place with kids.

Islington isn't central London but it's close in and with good transport links and lots of nice restaurants for eating out in the evening. You don't need an oyster card, you can just use a card and your youngest is free. Your 12 yr old will need to pay on the tube so would be worth you ordering a kids oyster card. If you go on the London eye there will be Xmas stalls at South Bank to look around and it's close to covent garden for shopping. The Lego store is also close by and great but get there early to save queuing. Yes, be careful with valuables - keep valuables in zipped pockets etc but try not to worry too much

This. And whatever cards you end up using, have them ready before you get to the gates! Lanyards and / or cross body bags are a great idea.

If you can avoid the tubes during rush hour, do. At that point they’re full of moody commuters on fast autopilot.

I’ve never questioned it Meadow, I just assumed everyone had the same experience as me. I wonder what I’ve done wrong? Had really tall children maybe!

Oh yes to Coal Drops Yard. That’s a great place to stop off before or after Harry Potter. You can walk down the canal to Camden or to Regents Park and the zoo.

@Camdenish That's so strange, maybe you've just come across overzealous staff. I've never ever experienced it on the tube.

Well, if any London Underground staff are reading this I’d guess they might start paying closer attention to kids going through the gates with their parents.

If you’re going in December you have time to buy a Zip Oyster card for your 12 yo, OP.

Zip Oyster Card

NB it costs £5 upfront, plus whatever credit you choose to load onto it. You have to pay a fee at the outset for any Oyster card you buy. But then as pps have said, the 2 adults can just use contactless debit cards and your 10 yo will go free.

I agree that taking the car might sound like the easy option but it really isn’t - it might turn into a big, expensive headache re parking (and even just driving in London). If you travel by train you can also use your train tickets to get discounts on 2 for 1 London

I live on the route to the HP studios and I’m a bit surprised by the comment upthread that it takes 2 hours to get there. You get the train from London Euston to Watford Junction, which run approx every 25 mins (but don’t get the stopping one to Watford, which takes forever, get a Tring/Milton Keynes/Northampton/
Birmingham train), get off and take the special bus that goes from outside the station to Leavesden and the HP studios. London to Watford is approx 20 mins and the bus is approx 15 mins. The bus fare is included in your ticket assuming you’ve booked ahead.

It’s easy to spend ages at the HP studios. There’s nothing else round there, though, so you will be dedicating a separate chunk of time to it away from London.

When I got Zip Oyster cards for my children, they cost £10 each. Using the link above, it now says £15 😯

I didn’t realise that, Meredusoleil - that’s very sneaky of them. @Madwife123 looks as though a Visitor Oyster would be cheaper in that case, that still says it’s a £5 initial fee. Then get the Young Visitor discount added to it at a tube station.

Or just get your 12 yo a child 1-day Travelcard, which is £7.20 for zones 1-4?

It’s unnecessarily complicated to weigh up between the different options, imho.

EmpressaurusOfWitchesBackFromTheDead

I’d like to think so. It is complicated and I can understand visitors finding travelling in London confusing and having the wrong tickets perhaps. . I don’t think there is any excuse for Londoners abusing the system. And I certainly don’t think it’s helpful to tell visitors they don’t need tickets. They could quite easily get a fine and that’s not very welcoming. When I’ve been stopped I’ve been asked the child’s DOB, as has the child, and even though it was all okay I’ve been told they must have a Zip card. This has happened on the Tube and the Overground. It’s horrible even when you know you’re not cheating the system.

@imaginaytion Thank you so much! That’s very helpful!

12 year old is actually smaller than 10 year old so that’s helpful to know.

Air BNB has parking. Plan is drive there, park and only use car for Harry Potter day trip.

@alexdgr8 I am now worrying accommodation isn’t as close as we thought. We’ve got a week to cancel without penalty so having a look around. Any where you would recommended that’s not extortionate prices?

Fab thanks. That 1 day travel card sounds perfect! Will get that

As long as your accommodation is within walking distance from a bus stop or tube station, you'll be fine.

I always heard it was an average 2 mins between each stop on the tube, so being a couple of stops further out could be negligible in travel time, iykwim.

I wouldn’t write off staying in Islington especially the place is near a tube. There’s lots of restaurant/cafe options there, and a couple of tube lines to choose from. Quieter and presumably cheaper than staying in the true centre. Easy to get to Euston for the train to Watford (I think HP studios run a shuttle bus from watford station?). And in central proper you won’t get parking whereas you clearly do in Islington. Check if your car is ULEZ compliant however.

As others have said: HP will take pretty much the whole day.

London Eye isn’t all that IMO. Gets boring after 5 min but takes 25. For views, try to book the Sky Garden which is free but bookings open 2 weeks ahead (I think!) and fill up quickly.

Buckingham Palace also isn’t worth a huge detour but it’s round the corner from Hyde Park anyway.

Agree about getting Citymapper app! It’s fab.

For shopping I would aim for Regent Street for big shops and make sure you look down Carnaby Street just next door too - quirkier shops and good Christmas lights. Oxford Circus tube is at the top of Regent St and is easy from Highbury & Islington station.