If you’re a Londoner, how would you spend one day in the city with 3 yr old?

[AmberHollow]

I’d love to bring my 3 year old down to London for the day with me for something a bit different to our normal routine. I don’t know the city particularly well but I’m fine with tube travel and getting around generally.

What are your “must do/see” tips with a 3 year old who is a reasonable walker (not planning on bringing a stroller), but can’t go miles and miles?

We would probably be aiming to get into Euston around 10am and would want to be back there and heading home by around 2pm. So less than a full day! I don’t really know quite where to start so any tips gratefully received.

I agree with one main activity. We took DD1 to London Zoo for her third birthday and all she wanted to do was play on the swings and in the play park.

given you are coming into Euston I think postal museum is a great suggestion. It’s only 24 mins walk away (you could use a bus to save legs but it won’t be quicker) and corams field which is a great park is on the way. You could bring a buggy for that trip as not using the tube anyway but if it’s a pain to take on the train I think you’d manage without it. Given you have less than a day in the city I wouldn’t bother with the south ken museums (eg science, natural history) as while they are great they get v busy and you will spend around 45 mins on the tube getting there and another 45 back.

Agree with this. I took my kids to Kings Cross the other day and they loved it. There's some playgrounds, water fountains/features, and it's mostly pedestrianised. We also went to the British Library Fairy Tales exhibition, they enjoyed that but I think a 3 year old wouldn't get much out of it.

If you want to do a museum, the Postal Museum or Transport Museum is good for little ones and both would be doable from Euston (but Postal Museum would be easiest as you could walk).

Horniman is great but it will take too long / be too much hassle to get there from Euston within the time you have.

I’d use the tube to get to and from the station for speed but otherwise use the bus. It’s fun to sit on top a double decker.

St James’s Park is lovely and you can see Big Ben and/or Buckingham Palace depending on how far you can walk. There’s ice cream. There’s birds. There’s a little bridge. The playground was good but closed last time I was there.

If you want to be inside, almost all the museums and galleries have children’s activities.

Another fun day out would be DLR to Island Gardens, walk through the Greenwich foot tunnel, and then river bus back.