to ask lovely Londoners to tell me about Nottinghill, The Southbank, Carnaby St etc with 11 yo ds

[GentleJones]

We’ve been to London quite a few times and have done the usual sites, museums etc

Never been to the thread title areas though. Are they worth visiting with a child? If so, any pointers? Love the look of The Churchill Pub (but that’s just for me) as a little stop off pint.

We’re heading off to a few more museums which we haven’t been to before but I really fancied going somewhere different too. Possibly Diana gardens too? Maybe.

So much to do, so little time.

Asked here as there’s lots of traffic

I agree that Carnaby Street and the surrounding alleys are cool and with very few exceptions not selling tourist tat at all - I think they’d be appealing to a fashion-conscious teen (though not an 11 year old). Their Christmas lights last year were amazing. The area around Seven Dials is also good for interesting shops - though more for adults.

Carnaby Street doesn’t have tourist shops... just normal ones.. down from Liberty into high st and designer and boutiques.. I love it but not sure an 11yo would unless he’s into shopping but the art and lights are cool and it’s nice to walk through.
Southbank is fab during the day, evening and night lots on in and around the centre, fun to wander, and walk up to the london eye and along to the bridge and houses of parliament but it gets verrrrry busy up there. Udderbelly must be on soon... Notting Hill I wouldn’t bother just houses.
Love the southbank and embankment for views too.
Can’t wait for the weather to get nicer so I can get out there. Love standing at blackfriars and looking out at the glorious view!

Carnaby street and the streets just off of it are full of trendy shops and Kingly Court is good for food and you have Liberty just around the corner (more for you than the 11 year old )

Have done the tower bridge experience and can highly recommend

Tower Bridge experience is good if you’re a bit nerdy about steam engines/Victorian architecture and reasonably priced.

Tower Bridge experience is a good call -there's a bit where you walk across a glass floor and can see down onto the bridge. It's quite small but fun for kids.

And you asked about the Diana playground which is good, but, 11 may be the upper age limit and it's more fun if you have friends to play with.

My DD loved the London dungeons when she was 10,check around for offers to reduce cost.Southbank is great and she loved Camden market lots to see and eat,get off the tube stop before and walk.Grenwich is good for a day you can go by boat and visit the observatory and planetarium.

How about Saatchi gallery? My kids love going to Saatchi, then walking to V&A and ending up in Harrods in electronics department followed by a lunch in one of Harrods cafes.

Thank you, loads of great suggestions

We’ve done quite a lot, been to most of the museums, haven’t been to the Transport or Science museum though. Have read lots of positive reviews about the Horniman Museum, so that’s another possibility.

We have walked across all of the bridges (I couldn’t look down when we walked across The Millenium Bridge) and briefly walked down The Southbank last year but we were pushed for time and I vowed we’d return. Looked like lots going on.

We’ve walked down The Mall which was great when we went last year as they’d closed it to traffic, down to BP, then to Leicester Square.

Took the clipper to Greenwich, think we came back and got off at Westminster.

St James’ Park, thought we were seeing things when we spotted a Pelican, mad!

Been to The Sky Garden, LOVED this.

Loads more to do and see though, it’s just finding those hidden gems. You’ve all given me lots to think about.

First day we’re heading to Greenwich for the Dinosaur experience, which is only 70 mins long. We don’t get there until about 4 ish though so might be having a bite to eat in Greenwich afterwards. Think I’ve read there’s a Wagamama’s in Greenwich, worth going?

Any other eateries you could recommend?

We’re going in s few weeks time just for the weekend. Goes so quickly though so I have to be organised with an itinerary otherwise we’d wonder around aimlessly.

Just off Kingly Street is a lovely complex that houses, amongst other venues, Le Bab. Food is amazing, very relaxed and the cocktails are top notch. Lovely place for a leisurely lunch in the West End.

Oh yes, we haven’t been to the V&A museum either. That’s another one to add to the list.

Olivia, oh yes, Ds hasn’t been to The West End yet.

Need longer than a weekend.

Have you been to Namco, next to the aquarium in County Hall? I loved it in my 20s and both my teen/preteen kids have really enjoyed it, loads of arcade games from shoot em up, to four player driving games (proper ones with mini cars to sit in, or motorbikes to sit on), plus dodgems, bowling, classic amusement arcade games and (my favourite) air hockey. I could spend all day there. Pop into the Wahaca in the shipping containers by the RFH for lunch (or McDonald's next door), or up to the Tate Modern for a bit of culture.

Never heard of it, Lady but sounds just up Ds street. Another to add to the list.

I too recommend Southbank with kids. The river for a start, Tate Modern, nice walking, buskers, great cheap or pricey places to eat, boat from Tate modern to Tate Britain, is there an aquarium? Plus connections are super. You can cross the millennial bridge, shaky! And walk up to St. Paul's, it's just a lovely kick about day. If you are doing two Tates with multiple exhibitions plus boat trip you could become a Tate member plus one, it's about a hundred quid, you get a boat discount, go in the pay exhibitions for free and go in the nice cafe looking over the water. Def get your money's worth even if you have only one more visit in the whole year.

www.inthehiddencity.com

I recommend the London treasure hunts run by this company - they text cryptic clues to your phone, and you have to solve them to get the next clue. In the process they lead you all around London, into semi-hidden places you would never have known were there, like Postman Park (which has a memorial to people who sacrificed their life to save another) and the remains of the London amphitheatre under the Guild Hall.

They do a Sherlock Holmes themed treasure hunt which my family loved. It involved going into certain shops, where you would be given a physical clue to smell.

The Harry Potter walking tour run by Strawberry tours is good. They are "pay what you want". I think they run a Jack the rupper tour as well.

Straeberry Tours

Even if you don't go to Notting Hill, but do go to Kensington/Hyde Park, you mentioned you want to go to The Churchill - it's worth a visit, especially for its Thai food!

If you buy a travel card then you should get two for one entry for certain attractions.

www.toptiplondon.com/places-to-visit/2-for-1-offers/

Have you visited the museum of London at canary wharf and St. Pauls?

www.timeout.com/london

Can you just turn up to Namco? I looked at the website once and thought it was just for corporate parties or birthday parties

Yes you can just walk in Namco. My Dc sometimes meet up with friends there.

If you're going to the Tate Modern and the Golden Hind you can do Borough Market and the Old Operating Theatre too, which is fab and cheap. Lots to interest gory young minds without being too explicit. And the top floor is like a magician's workshop, with loads of herbs and things in jars under a low beamed roof.