London trip advice please!

[justchoose]

Looking for a bit of advice please!

I’ve booked 2 nights in London during half-term with DH and 2 primary age DC. It’s our first time taking DC to London so want to make sure everything goes smoothly!

Any advice on the following appreciated:

1. Travel: We've previously driven to Stanmore and taken the tube into London. Think this has been weekends in the past but we’re going mid-week this time. Is this still a feasible option? We plan to travel after peak time, so I'm worried parking will be full? Any suggestions or alternative transportation options? Travelling from midlands and train is eye-wateringly expensive!

1. Navigating the Tube with DC. Both DC are under 11 so I think the tube is free. Planning to use contactless debit cards. How do DC get through the gates? Sorry this is probably obvious once you’re there!

Central London hotel booked and DC are keen to do NHM, London Eye and hop-on hop-off bus tour. I’m doing lots of research online but tips very welcome! Thanks!

Have a look for 241 train offers at tourist sites it might be worth incorporating some train travel to benefit from these especially if you get a railcard.

NHM and Science museum are great, get there early and take breakfast to eat in the queue. After doing the museums go to the Diana Pirate Ship park at Kensington gardens for lunch it's amazing.

If it's due to be hot, I'd pack a small towel and swimwear and watershoes so DC can cool off in the fountains, always a highlight for my DD, or go to the Lido at the serpentine.

When at the London Eye it's worth doing Shreks adventure, Sea life centre wasn't great and I'd miss that.

If you want views go to the Monument and climb to the top, bonus is it ties in with any Fire of London topic work DC do.

Check out getting a family railcard. I’m amazed at the difference to the cost of train travel.

Agree re aquarium, I wasn’t struck. Open top bus is always good fun.

At all stations, there will be a row of narrow ticket barriers where you can enter in and out using your card. Alongside these narrow barriers, there will always be wide barriers (usually two) at the end of the rows designed for people travelling with suitcases, kids, dogs and larger items, so use those because they don’t close as fast.
For the bus, just take the kids on, pay your own fare and find a seat.

You might not want to do it on this trip but my DD really enjoyed going to Greenwich, up the big hill to the observatory and then the planetarium, back down and on to cutty sark and then through the tunnel under the Thames.

Tube is free - they can go through the family gate with you when you tap your card. Staff will await if you have any issues.
The Diana playground is good - you could combine it with the NHM and take a picnic for the park.
There’s a playground in St James Park right near Buckingham Palace. You could start at Big Ben, walk to Horseguards past Downing Street, see the changing of the guard at Horseguards (less crowded than Buckingham Palace) and then walk through St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace.
Skytower is fun and free - you have to book.
Tower of London is an option.
We love the Thames Clipper. You could go to Greenwich on it. Once it’s past central London and the pilot puts their foot down it’s a great ride.
Kids always love Hamleys although it’s my idea of a nightmare!!
The weather forecast is looking good so have fun.

When our DDs were younger and we'd do a day trip like this I'd park at Amersham and take the tube in. That might be an option instead of Stanmore.
We're in the Midlands and recently went for the day from Warwick Parkway. Could this be an option?

You can book slots for NHM still that allow you to skip queue, recommend for half term although you lose flexibility of when to arrive (you might need to q for while otherwise). Wonder lab (has a fee) is supposed to good at science museum but you will definitely need to book.

Houseplant has beat me to St James Park playground recommendation. It's a nice size as you can see it all. Diana playground in Kensington garden is fantastic but massive so harder to keep kids in line of site but gated with staff to stop kids leaving without adults. Small playground in park next to Westminster palace as well (at far end).

I am going in the summer just for the day. My dc are teenagers so might be able to walk further but probably will moan. A colleague gave me this walking map thing. https://secretldn.com/sightseeing-london-map-walking-route/

Our DC loved the Tower of London, do the tour with the beefeaters and they regale you with all the interesting, bloody history - mine were fascinated.

Also, cheaper option than the London eye if you want views, you can go up to the sky garden in the walkie talkie building, you have to prebook to go up, but it's free and there's a cafe up there. It's quite close to the tower, so we've done breakfast up there and then gone to the tower from there.

Thank you everyone for great suggestions so far. Hoping to make visits to London more regular now DC are a bit older so everything is going on the list for future visits if we don't fit it in this time!

Sorry I don't know how to tag anyone on the app, but thank you to the poster who talked through how the tube works with kids and the other poster who mentioned railcards - I very rarely use the train and hadn't thought to look at this! Thank you!

Greenwich maritime museum upstairs has a children’s section, and a huge play area next to the cafe. The pedalo boats and children’s playground in the park is good. You can also go to Isle of Dogs via foot tunnel and get Thames clipper boat eg to Westminster or Woolwich.

Somewhere where the kids might like to go is Hackney, Broadway Market, the canal is nearby. London fields lido is also nearby Broadway Market. Victoria Park is fun too. Battersea Park is huge and has a small children’s zoo plus Go Ape.

You can hop on, hop off an ordinary red double decker, much more cheaply than a commercial bus tour. The no.11 and no.15 routes are good for sightseeing. The 15 used sometimes to have old Routemasters running, don't know if they still do.

visit www.tfl.gov.uk for info on travel around London.

Download the Citymapper app - it tells you all the ways to get everywhere, tube, bus, Uber boat, walking directions etc - it’s really useful.

Original thread was in May.

Hope the original OP had a great time.

Book a parking space on your parking space, it's brilliant and loads cheaper than a lot of car parks. Many spaces near tube stations on the outskirts of London.

Or park at White City Westfield and jump on the tube at Shepherd's Bush.