London a beginners guide!

[Iwasjustasking]

I have never been to London and neither has my dh, we are finally taking the children (12 and 6) in half term, for one night two days. I don’t know where to start! We want to see

Houses of Parliament and 10 downing street
big ben
covent garden
Buckingham palace
Covent Garden
London bridge and the Thames (perhaps some kind of boat trip)
Hamleys and Harrods

i have no clue where these things are and what tube lines I need to get on and what order to do things? Can anyone help and anyone have any more must haves? Hotel is @ London Euston and that’s where the train will drop us too.

Just get the tube - it's so easy, and the kids will love it. Use TfL journey planner to help you.

I’d definitely recommend the Thames clipper down to Greenwich really good to see sights, I used it for the first time a couple of years ago after many trips to London and I couldn’t believe I’d never even heard of it. Have fun!

Good list op.
First timer with not much time I would keep it tight there is so Much to see central. As pp said throw in museum, nhm or science wonder lab) or beautiful v and a.

Also don't miss Soho and China town, cheek by jowel and next to regents street/picadilly circus/on router to covent garden....7 dial's areas... little lanes. Operah house shop is nice.

Just walk and walk!

Mix up tubes and buses, mine much prefer the bus!

6 year old travels free, just go through the accessible gates on the tube with her, it’s no problem.

The 6 year old is free on both the bus and tube.

Another vote for the hop on hop off bus, the commentary was both amusing and interesting when we did it.

We we’re a bit underwhelmed by the Tower of London. I’d probably do the Tower Bridge for the view instead.

Ive always enjoyed a little wander around Covent Garden, despite it being touristy.

Walk through some of the parks between attractions, they’re lovely.

We loved the Natural History Museum when my stepson was younger. Such a lovely building as well as being full of things to enjoy.

Avoid rush hours on the tube if at all possible, they’re full of commuters on autopilot. And if you’re on a tube escalator remember to all line up on the right - the left is for people to walk down/up.

All the mainline stations have free toilets now, which can be useful.

When you get on a bus, you each only need to tap your cards once. It’s a flat fare so the driver doesn’t need to know where you’re going, and the stop names get both announced and shown on a screen near the front so you don’t need to worry about missing your stop.

DO NOT pay for a hop on hop off bus tour. Use contactless on the routes mentioned in this thread. You will be able to see how spoilt we are in London for transport. Take the tube to Charing Cross. The 15 bus will take you east along the Strand. You can walk to Covent Garden (5 minutes from the Strand, 10 minutes from Charing X). The London Transport museum is at Covent Garden. Back on the Strand heading east you go past the Aldwych and St Paul's Cathedral to the Tower of London. Across Tower Bridge you can walk to London Bridge Station and the Shard. Great views over London.

At Charing X you are 2 minute from Trafalgar Square and its art galleries.

At Charing X you can walk along the Mall to Buckingham Palace, through St James Park. You might see soldiers parading/practising marching and playing music. 5 minutes.

At Charing X you can walk along Whitehall to Downing Street 5 minutes then Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the river, the Wheel, the Aquarium. From Westminster Abbey you can get a bus to Westminster Cathedral (Catholic Cathedral) and then to Victoria Station.

You can walk 'behind' Charing X station to the Embankment, Embankment Gardens and the river.

There are supermarkets or M and S at every rail station and on the main roads. There are supermarkets and Boots for lunch/drinks/water.

There are lots of chain restaurants so sit down meals are easy to come by. Bring vouchers, they will all be glad of the trade.

You can't get lost in the centre of London. You can always ask for directions from bus drivers. On the bus you can see people and buildings, not so much on the tube. Most places you wish to visit are within walking distance of each other but as the roads are crowded, it is easier to be on the bus.

Tower Bridge is well worth a visit. It is stunning, and a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, still doing its job as well now as it did in the 19th century. It is lit up beautifully in the evening, too.
The Tower of London is great, and the Yeoman Warders really bring the place alive with their gory stories.
Catching the Thames Clipper boat from the Tower to Westminster is an unmissable sightseeing trip.

Enjoy your trip. For visitors, London is the greatest city in the world, bar none.

Really don't worry about public transport - if there is one thing that London does well, IMO, it's public transport. The TfL app is great but TfL staff are, in my experience, superb and incredibly kind and helpful - if you ever get stuck, they're always happy to help.

I'm from Glasgow and have lived and worked in London on and off over the years, so I'm coming from two ends of the spectrum in terms of my experience! When Londoners complain about public transport I laugh bitterly on the inside...

Thankyou everyone, such an informative thread and for someone like me who has never been before the knowledge on here is helping me so much! Grateful for everyone who has replied and am going to get planning! Really appreciate it!

I would very much recommend the glass walkway at Tower Bridge and the Sky Garden. Personally I wouldn’t bother with a museum because they could be anywhere and you’ve come to see London. That said, if you’re in Trafalgar Square anyway, I do love the National Portrait Gallery. I love the South Bank and as people have said the Millennium Bridge over to St Paul’s. For two days I works stick to the big sights and don’t try to do too much. I think a bus tour is a great first step in any new city. It saves having to know normal bus routes and it’s less busy and hectic than trying to walk around the streets. Then you can decide which things are worth going back to see. I’d definitely also get the Uber Boat (used to be called the Clipper). It’s a great way to see London from the Thames and have a sit down at the same time!

My best toilet tip is Five Guys! No one ever seems to notice if you walk in and use the toilet. Also all National Rail stations have toilets that are free to use.

If the weather is nice you can walk along the river, on the Thames path from London bridge to Westminster bridge. That is a rather nice walk that will have London bridge, borough market, Tate modern, south bank, finishing at Westerminter bridges where you can cross over to big Ben and house of parliament. From the parliament, if you walk left there will be Buckingham palace, if you walk right there will be Trafalgar Square. Like other posters said, city mapper will be very helpful (It won't show you the Thames path, but you can see signpost to the Thames path at London bridge).

As a Londoner yes I know it has lifts. But there's a reason why most people resort to climbing the stairs. Because there is a very long wait for the packed lift in the hot station!

If you are down at the weekend the City of London is nice, lots of history and it will be quiet. However be prepared for a lot of shops and cafes to be closed round there.

The Southbank is good, lots going on and a nice walk. Don't get ripped off by the stalls and vendors at the Westminster Bridge End! The Southbank centre end is better, the cultural buildings all have decent cafes and free toilets. At the weekend there is also a good food market.

On a practical note - be prepared to walk a lot,wear comfortable shoes and decent coat.

Stations all now have free toilets and they are generally clean and safe.

If you arr walking work out where you are going first, London pedestrians can be intolerant of dawdlers.

London is a pretty safe city but still keep your valuables in a cross body bag that is closed properly, don't keep phones or wallets in pockets and do not wander around with your phone clutched in your hand.

Oh and do go to the Tate Modern, it's great.

@Iwasjustasking I see your youngest has been asking about London Bridge. They are probably thinking about the old medieval bridge you sometimes see in pictures that had houses and shops on it and was very quaint. That is sadly long gone. As people have said the current one is a very boring sixties road bridge full of cars and harrassed city workers - no fun!

Tower Bridge and the modern pedestrian Bridge between St Paul's Cathedral and the Tate Modern are better.

Getting around . children under 11 are free on tubes, buses,dlr, and no ID is needed. BUT since you have a 12 year old I suggest you look on the TFL website and decide what approach to take for them, maybe a child visitor Oyster card is the best bet. For adults use a contactless card ( I would use one each) and always tap in and out on the tube and dlr , and tap in on buses. This will cap your daily journey to the cheapest tariff, make sure you use the same card each time. On the underground look for the luggage gate at each station and use those so you get the littlest child through safely.

Tube lines are colour coded and stations have easy to use maps and are usually well signposted. Underground staff are invariably helpful, as are us natives, just stand on the right and don’t all cluster at the top and bottom of the escalators please :) Some lines are more straightforward than others ( side eye to the Northern line) but if you go wrong just get off , change platform and catch the next train in the right direction. Try to factor in at least one trip on the Elizabeth line to admire the engineering and the super fast trains. Those stations are DEEP!

Bus drivers are also helpful, but obviously are negotiating traffic etc so might not remember to give you a shout if you ask for a stop. Many buses have ticker tape signs to say where you are but not all.

For river trips the river bus is cheaper than the organised commentary boats. I would start somewhere like Embankment pier ( the Charing Cross side, ) and get a return ticket to Greenwich. This will take you on a great trip, past Tate Modern, the millennium bridge, Globe theatre, HMS Belfast, Tower of London, Tower Bridge and lots more places. If you wanted you could get off at Greenwich and walk up to the Observatory and the Maritime Museum . Then take another boat back. You will all have to pay, no free kids tickets.

One of my favourite walks is to start at Westminster tube station, you will see Big Ben looking wonderful, and the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, then walk up Whitehall, past Downing Street, past Horseguards ( check the times they change) up to Trafalgar Square. Then cut down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. On the way spot Nelsons ships on the lamp posts. Then if you have the energy walk through Hyde park to Kensington gardens.

If you decide to visit Greenwich, may I suggest taking DLR to Greenwich. The train goes over Canary Wharf, Thames etc. it's an interesting trip that kids would enjoy. From GW, take Clipper or Uber (not sure about U) back to Westminster. Going into London by river is more interesting than going downriver to Greenwich.

The boat trips are excellent. If you had more time I'd recommend booking a free tour of Parliament through your MP: www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/tours/ - but it takes six months to get a slot. Wouldn't bother with Buckingham palace

Bus Tours are mad expensive - normal bus routes 24, 11 and 9 are supposed to be good for the sites. Better to spend your money on the 'Clipper' boats along the Thames, they have bar/cafes on them as well and let you see everything from the river. With taking to from Tate Modern.

Buckingham Palace is pretty dull tbh, not very worth it. Horseguards nearby is nicer and you can see guards and horses up close.

Fortnum & Mason a much nicer shop to visit than Harrods; you can get nice if pricey tea there.

There's lots of really good, clear walking maps on the street - walk anywhere that's less than 2 or 3 tube stops apart, honestly.

Watch the changing of the Guard? www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-calendar

There are websites that try and charge you for walking tours to do with seeing the changing of the guards at Buck House and Horseguards parade, but there is no need to pay.

Paying on pubic transport: your youngest will be free. Use the big gate at the tube and go through with him. For paying contactless you need a card each, and use the same card all day. If you use the DLR where there are not gates remember to ‘tap out’ your card on the yellow card reader both in and out. If you have tapped in and don’t tap out, they charge you for the longest journey you could have made.

Everyone saying Buckingham Palace, Leicester Square etc are dull - well, that may be true but remember for kids who have never been to London they’re not interested in quirky, out-of-the-way things - they want to see the places they’ve seen mentioned in books or films! Even if they’re “boring” or have nothing much to offer, remember the thrill of being able to say “I’ve been there!” as a child. So I think a first visit to London absolutely should include a walk past Buckingham Palace, through Leicester Square and so on.

@AtomicBlondeRose I agree. I've lived in London 20 years and my kids were born here and we still like a nice jaunt round the tourist spots now and again (not the M&Ms store in Leicester Square though. Never there). The buses are good because it's easy and you know what you're getting - no need to reinvent the wheel.

There's no point being jaded by this stuff until you actually are in my view.