11 and 13 - what to do for an afternoon in London? Help please!!

[FuckingHateRats]

My mum and I are taking my two daughters (11 and 13) to London as a surprise next weekend. We're going to see Frozen the Musical on Friday night, and &Juliet on the Saturday night. Can't wait!

We are hoping someone can tell us how to use our Saturday daytime most effectively. We're booked in for breakfast but should be out by 10.30am. We've booked an early dinner at 5.30pm.

Where would you take two girls of that age? We were thinking Winter Wonderland but don't think we can spend all day there. Ideally something Christmassy, and not just shopping as my 11yr old will not be very keen.

Thanks!

Sit on the front of the top deck of the 94 bus and see the Oxford street and regents street lights. With travel time winter wonderland will fill a good chunk of the day.

We went a few weeks ago with our DDs, same ages. We walked loads - Piccadilly Circus eldest wanted to see that, Pall Mall, Buck House, National Gallery, lunch in Leicester Square, walk up Regents Street to see the lights, stopped in Hamleys (it was BUSY), up to Liberty's which was great, tube to St Paul's, over the Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern.

Then back home with dinner on the train. We were exhausted 😁, but were happy to mooch.

There were Christmas markets in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square when we went.

Really sorry but my suggestion is not christmassy…. the British Museum. We (kid age 11) found the museum amazing (esp Egyptian artefacts and Rosetta Stone). On the christmassy side, in previous years, we liked The Southbank - it had an old fashioned carousel, street entertainment and a few Christmas market stall huts.

Winter wonderland is awful. British museum is an excellent idea and you can walk from there to Covent Garden which is lovely at Christmas and near all the theatres. Nice walk too. BM - Egyptian rooms / Pete big man / the Korean rooms/ the wellcome covid and modern medicine exhibit/

Peat Bog man!

London Eye then Aquarium? Gets expensive though. Or you could do London Eye, then walk over Westminster bridge, see Big Ben etc, then go up to Trafalgar Square and visit the national gallery for free.

The V&A. Still genuinely gobsmacking and filled with fabulous things. Fashion and jewellery, sculpture, theatre, tapestries, prints. (If they still need to buy Christmas gifts the shop is perfect, even if they’re not interested in shopping.) Scope out two specific exhibitions that appeal to them.

Glorious relief from heaving streets, too.

And the Parthenon marbles while they're still there.

The British Museum is interesting, and not as busy as other places, but the Science Museum is excellent (expect to queue there though).

If you can travel, though, Bluewater is lovely at Christmas and has its own winter wonderland too.

Tower of London and tower bridge are both great. And right next door to each other