To consider London with the DC's?

[hippoherostandinghere]

DH and I are thinking about taking the DCs to London for a night or two. They are 4 and 1.10. We would be flying in from Belfast and aren't quite sure if its manageable getting around London with a buggy and a small child. We really want to do some sight seeing and DS four would absolutely love it. But would it be mad?

Also which airport has the best transport links into the city centre? Is there a good train from gatwick?

Oh yes - dd quaked and shook. And 6 or 7 year old DS refused to come back and kept going whilst I dealt with DD. Fortuntely he stayed at the exit just by the v expensive counter until DD and I found him via the long route and a guide.

We used to go when it was wet instead of the park - one of the fab things about livig in London

You can also get a direct train from Gatwick to London Bridge station rather than Victoria if its better for your hotel.

If you're here in the week it's helpful to remember that London has a longer and later rush hour than many other cities - ie don't assume all office workers will be arriving at work at 9am; 9.30 is more likely or 10. Same again in the evening when rush hour is from 5.30 to 7.30 or so. These would be good times to avoid the tube.

London's a great city for kids - just try to concentrate on different areas for each day. It cn take a while to criss cross it.

Have fun.

Science museum has lockers & a picnic room in the basement with an interactiveroom in the basement for toddllers.

Fir the natural history museum, use the entrance next to the science museum to avoid the queues at main entrance.

british museum has a lunch / locker room in the basement of the great hall. Cheaper using the lockers for a £1 than £5 service charge in the cloakroom.

The Brunswick centre which is a 10 min walk from Brit museum across russell sq park has restaurants & waitrose. It is across road from russell sq tube station on the right.

Budget meals avoid museum cafes as they are ridiculously expensive. Buy lunch/ drinks h from the tesco/ sainsbury express shops and eat in the picnic rooms provided. Even cake is £2/£3 per slice for that you can buy a whole cake and slice it yourself. I just,buy tea from the cafe as I bring everything else.

For evening meals, head to covent garden early (6pm) and take advantage of restaurants offering pretheatre 2 course dinners between £7/£10 per head. If you go eat somewhere like giraffe try & pre book as there is often a half hour waiting time.

Jump on any bus heading to oxford st/ trafalgar sq (no 24 from victoria station is good as it goes past parliament, trafalgar sq) to see all the tourist spots cheaply from the top deck of the bus without spending a fortune on tourist bus tours.

On the escalators in the underground, walk down on the left and stand on the right.

For accommodation, try the youth hostel association as they have refurbished their London hostels and provide good value, family friendly accommodation. For south kensington & museums try the hostel in Holland park as its 2 stops away on the district line.

For the river & tower of London side try the hostels in St. Pauls which is right by the cathedral.

For cheap London weekends I usually stay in a Premier inn somewhere groovy like Hanger Lane (it's cheap, right across the tube station and on the central line).

Any Premier Inn/Travelodge/holiday Inn Express is a good idea, they are normally in good locations near tube stops. As long as you are near a tube you will be fine. Premier Inns are a bit nicer in my experience. But they are usually cheaper at weekends and you can get a room from arou d 30 quid a night if you book well in advance.

Best thing about the museums is that they are free, which was great when dd was young as we could spend a sort time in there and then go somewhere else. London Transport museum is brilliant as well (in Covent Garden).

I am so glad I was not the only one scared of that dinosaur!