So talk me through a London weekend trip with dc...

[DutyFruity]

I've just got back from London (was away with work). I've only ever travelled through London, or been to one specific venue/hotel for a night with work...I've never 'done' the touristy London thing so am a novice and know there are a lot of Londoners on here

I definitely now want to 'do' London with dh and the dc, aged 7 and nearly 5. The really typical touristy things...NHM, boat ride on the Thames, Tower of London, Hyde Park...that sort of thing.

Ideally I'd like to spend two nights/3 days. It's a 3 hour train ride from us...so I'm thinking the dc will have an illness from school one Friday ( ), we'll go up Friday morning and come back Sunday night.

What's worth doing and what's a waste of time? What's free/well worth the money and what's ridiculously expensive and avoidable?

Also, where could we stay as cheap as possible for two nights, reasonably accessible to tubes so we can get around...without spending £300 a night?

I know we won't do it on a shoestring but nor do I want to spend the equivalent of a week abroad on a two night stay

Oh and for the sticklers...AIBU to ask for advice on here?

Serviced apartments can be quite handy.

We've just done this - our kids are 9 and 7.

We like Premier Inn nr Kings Cross for easy transfers. Family rooms, breakfast deal (kids eat free).
Enjoyed the Natural History museum but be there when doors open or go late - v. v. busy. Kids enjoyed Trafalgar Square, Kensington Gardens and performers at Covent Garden. Oldest liked Mummies exhibition at British Museum, youngest not so much. Both bored by Tower of London. Enjoyed a visit to Hamleys too (me not so much).
Had a great time but my advice is to pace yourself.

if you book far enough in advance then premier inns are good, there are plenty near Heathrow or Watford that are an easy tube/train ride in.

nhm is amazing as is the science museum. at the age your kids are i wouldn't bother with the tower, it's expensive and whilst your 7 year old will understand I think 5 is too young.

avoid the duck tours as the boats are dangerous!

try and use buses or walk as you miss too much on the tube and generally the walk down to the tunnel and back up is longer than walking to your destination in the first place.

hamleys is a must for kids big and small as is Covent Garden and the trocadero.

if you want somewhere fun and unique to eat with them then look at the rainforest cafe and definitely spend time in St James' Park - it's beautiful and the play areas are excellent

Really good suggestions so far, thanks

We've been to the rainforest cafe in DLP and it was fabulous...didn't realise there was one in London!

There's a premier inn near London bridge too. Boat trip up to Thames barrier, see Greenwich on the way. London aquarium is good, and walk all the Southbank is entertaining

For accommodation, premier inn or air bnb are the best bets. if you don't want to spend a lot of time traveling in (from say the outskirts of London) I would recommend the premier inns around SE1 and tower hill. Average Friday and Saturday night price is anywhere from 100/160 a night (and that's per room, not per person)

The kids might like Greenwich - has the greenwich observatory and a v old clipper ship that you can go on. Also HMS belfast just by London bridge - warship that you can on. This is also right near London Dungeon which is v popular (never been, the kids might like it tho...) You're also right by the Shard building there which is the newest tallest in London so good views across the city if they're in to that.

If you want free, the walk from London Bridge to the House of Parliament is good as it takes in all the local landmarks (might be a bit long for the younger one tho - takes about 45/50 minutes adult pace) like the tate modern, st pauls, the wobbly footbridge, go past the london eye and end up at the houses of parliament. Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace is always good if you want to see the horses etc

With the demise of the high street toy shop (in many towns anyway) your DC will love Hamleys in Oxford Street, museums are well geared up for kids and free but soooo busy in school hols. Kids travel free on London buses, and Oyster cards very good value.

I have no idea where to stay as I live near London.
Places to visit (bearing in mind your DC are 5 and 7).

Natural History Museum (free)
Science Museum (free)
V&A??? (free)

London Eye
London Aquarium

Ripley's Believe It or Not - a weird/silly fact sort of museum aimed at children (Piccadilly)

Madam Tussauds

Harrods (not as overpriced as you'd think!)
Hamleys (don't buy anything - it's way overpriced)

Golden Hinde
Cutty Sark

Speed boat ride up the Thames

Royal Air Force Museum (free)

Open top bus tour (think £25/per adult - kids under 8 are free - ticket lasts 24 hours and I think includes a boat ride on Thames)

A show somewhere?

Covent Garden is lovely for atmosphere, shops, entertainment, market etc.

Try and use buses or walk as much as possible. Don't book too much up for a day. We go regularly, and usually try and do one thing in the morning, have lunch then another thing in the afternoon - but little people get worn out and bored quite easily!

I have booked two rooms for £120 for one night - with Dylan apartments, they have a few dotted around the place and rooms look decent!

Easy hotels? Travel inn/ travel lodge?

Hyde Park is great especially the Princess Diana playground (not to be confused with the fountain!)

Coram's Fields is a good playground with animals near the British Museum & good food options nearby (Brunswick centre has a Giraffe).

Lots to see along the south bank & there are often events for kids at the Royal Festival Hall (and a merrygoround near the London Eye), loads of food choices there too like Wagamama and pizza express.

Outside the centre, the Horniman in Forest Hill is a great free museum which is very family friendly. Also the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. (Museum of London, Transport and the Docklands museum are all meant to be good but not taken any kids to those ones yet).

Not an expert on hotels as I live in london but my parents often stay in a travelodge near Waterloo which is pretty convenient I think. Walking distance to Imperial War Museum which has large grounds all around it if you need a park to let off steam before the kids go to bed!

We are on the way back from London. We stayed at the Kings cross royal scot travelodge. Me and dh for 5 nights with early check in a wifi was £300 so would be a lot cheaper for 2 nights. Lots of places to eat on way from kings cross St Pancras. We went to the clink prison museum at London bridge. It was really good and it is suitable for kids. Gory enough to appeal to kids without being scary. I would avoid the London bridge experience and tombs - far too scary.

NHM good, was packed with school groups so we went in the exhibition road entrance, much quicker. The science museum next door down too which was good.

Go to your local rail station or look on line for 2 for 1 vouchers. If you are travelling by train you just need to show your tickets to get the deal. Saved us loads. You also get family tickets on that too. We used them for the clink, tombs and Hampton court palace and it saved us over £50.

The museums all ask for a £5 donation too. The science museum to pay your donation before they let you through. You can't just walk in.

Sorry I've realised your DCs are a bit older - perhaps playgrounds not quite so thrilling as for a toddler!

National Gallery is great, I took my nieces there & the older one aged 8 loved it. National portrait Gallery too if they are into history & want to see lots of kings & queens.

Avoid tower of london- so expensive and boring

There's a nice Travelodge next to the East India Dock station. We paid £65 a night there with breakfast included.

watch for the 2 for one deals with train tickets...lots of places do them, a real money saver.

walk along the south bank, lots of entertainers and malarkey to watch.

ditto covent garden....we used to grab a coffee, get them some sweeties, and stand watch the street entertainers....if you hang about for two or three it kills half an hour and you'll get to the front and maybe get picked from the crowd!

mine used to prefer the British Museum...but to be fair we tended to look at the Eygptian rooms (ds2's obsession) and then move on. DD loved the V&A gift shop particularly and the gardens in the centre of the building can be great on a sunny day. DS1 used to like the NHM geology bit and the Science Museum.

DLR....no drivers so you can jostle for position and sit right at the front of the train....heading out to Greenwich is fab for this.

Museums make good toilet stops. National Gallery is nice and central!

Parks can be good to run through, daunder through St james', nosey at the Palace, across Green Park to Piccadilly/HydePark Corner and Hyde Park

Get an A-Z ...if it's really busy you can often detour "a block" either side of somewhere like Regent Street and have a really much nicer walk away from the thronging crowds. (warwick/kingly street run parallel)

Also watch tube stations, they are underground warrens and you can walk miles and miles changing platforms and tube lines when you'd have been much better staying overground and on foot.

I Love London zoo, I feel like I'm in lady and the tramp going there and the park after!

how about the Olympic park and the Orbit. Three great playgrounds and a really interesting part of London's recent history.

Try the Meininger hotel - hostel style but do family rooms for four. Big plus is it is right opposite the Natural History museum so easy walk from Hyde Park and Science museum too. Five minutes from South Ken and Gloucester Road so easy access to tubes as well. No frills but perfectly comfortable, good breakfast and a private en-suite bathroom (very small).

Battersea Children's Zoo is great but only in warmer months.

Some of kellogs cereals have got 2 for 1 vouchers for some of the touristic places

The hop on/hop off bus tours are good. You can get tickets with Tesco clubcard vouchers.

We stayed in a Travelodge near London City Airport- got the DLR into the city. This is close to Greenwich for the maritime museum and park. Book in for observatory shows well in advance as the children's ones get filled up quickly.

Mud chute City Farm is nearby and worth a visit with children that age.

A gallery would be interesting- I like the Tate personally or Tate Modern. They have lots of ideas for children. Just hop on a water taxi rather than a tour bus, the one we caught as nearly empty.

Have fun!

We've recently done this with similar aged kids and they loved it. Great things to do are:

• Kensington Gardens (Princess Diana memorial playground)
• National History Museum (although is REALLY busy)
• The London Eye
• London Zoo

We've been to the Rainforest Cafe too, which they loved. From my point of view though, it's extortionately priced and the food is very nice, but nothing special!

IMO opinion the best things in London are free, or cheap.

Travel by train and you get a discount on the Thames Clipper which is a commuter service, but the best boat trip on the Thames.

Climbing the Monument costs about £2 and is far more exciting and just a good a view as the London Eye which is £££. The Cable Car at the O2 is worth a trip too.

How old are DC? When mine were little they loved to stand on Tower Bridge with one foot either side of the opening.

Then there's all the free museums and parks, just looking at the outside of Buckingham Palace, Horseguards' Parade and the Houses of Parliament. And the inside of Hamleys.

Most of the paid attractions, like the Aquarium, Madame Tussauds etc are over priced and disappointing IMO.

My top tip for food on a budget is Wetherspoons! Really good breakfast for £5, overlooking the Tower of London, or just off Trafalgar Square, or at Baker St on the edge of Hyde Park. They're all over the place and really quite decent food for the price.

I have come here to say only this. Hamleys is Hell. On. Earth. Do not even ENTERTAIN the idea of going there.