London visit

[Liz79]

Hi everyone. I have a 9.30 slot booked to visit Westminster Abbey, and a 15.00 slot for a tour of Parliament. Me, dh, and 2 dc (9 & 11). We thought that in between the 2 we would go on the eye and also have lunch. Southbank? Wagamama? Any lunch recommendations please? My main question though is what time should I book for the London eye(fast track)??? 1200 and get there at 1130 straight from the Abbey? Then lunch. Or the other way around? Maybe a 1330 slot on the eye????

Any other London tips gratefully received 😘

Allow about. an hour for the Abbey if you have dc with you. I spent longer but I can’t see kids wanting much more. Then wander over the bridge and mooch. The aquarium is along that stretch which is lovely, if pricey but probably more up their street than either national institution!

So I’d book the Eye for about 12 and do more hanging out on the Southbank, people watching and eat where you fancy, don’t book.

I adored my tour of Parliament but it wasn’t very child friendly but maybe you are doing a different tour.

If you still have energy after all that, consider getting on a river bus and seeing the sights from the water.

When they are a bit older they will love the London Dungeon. You will probably not.

I love London 😊

There is a Yo Sushi near the London Eye so if Wagamama is acceptable, that may be too? There are so many places on the South Bank that you will definitely find somewhere suitable. Your itinerary sounds great. Hope you all have a great time.

The big Wahaca is quite good for lunch on southbank

Thanks folks. We live in a small city up North so never been to Wagamama or yo sushi etc. Nandos is as exotic as it gets! Will be nice to try different things! Not necessarily chain restaurants. We are going for a week and doing all the major sights!

London Eye is about 20 min walk from the Abbey and 15 from Parliament.

Fair bit to walk from London Eye to South Bank places to eat.

Would do Eye before lunch personally.

Personally I would skip another attraction that day. Get over to Southbank and walk along past Festival Hall and the Globe until you get to a Borough High Street. Get in the markets and eat at one of the stalls there. So much choice and real London.

Fair bit to walk from London Eye to South Bank places to eat.

But the London Eye is really near the Royal Festival Hall and that bit of the South Bank so it is a good choice for somewhere to go between the Abbey and HoP.

My best London Tourist tip is to take the 11 bus from Victoria to St Paul’s (or anywhere en route, eg Whitehall . You will go through Trafalgar Square and up Fleet Street. It’s often slow but nice for sightseeing. You can use contactless or Oyster but no cash. Children under 11 travel free if they are with an adult. You can also bus hop - an adult bus fare of £1.50 is valid for as many journeys as you can make in an hour.

Which is the best way to pay for transport? A travel card or oyster? 1 adult 1student, 1 over 10, 1 under 10?😖 Greenwich is as far out as we're going. Except Watford for HP studios, which I believe is normal train tickets.

If we use a contactless bank card now does that work for multiple people? One of whom is half fare.

Can I piggy back on this London thread please? Where's the best place to start (and finish) a boat trip so my 4 year old and I can get to Paddington for 1pm? I don't want to end up miles away and I have no real idea about bus and underground routes and how long it takes. Any advice would be much appreciated and sorry for the hijack!!

The under 10 year old will travel free. You can only use one contactless or Oyster card per person so you will need a card for the adult and the student (assuming they don't study in London). I THINK you could apply for a discount Oyster photocard for the child over 10 (check with Transport for London) but it may not be worth it/possible if you are going tomorrow. Oystercards can be bought almost anywhere but you have to pay a deposit which is why contactless is handier. There is a thing called fare capping which means that if you spend more than the price of a one day travelcard on single journeys, you will still have to swipe your contactless/oyster but it won't charge you any more that day. You are right that Watford is outside the tfl zones 1-6 but I think you can still use oyster to get there - but better to check first!

supermumtum Even if this is a thread hijack, you have made my day! I never usually have any useful info!

Assuming you are arriving into Paddington as well as going back there, I'd get the Bakerloo Line to Baker Street. At Baker Street, I'd take the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf. At Canary Wharf I'd get a clipper boat to Westminster Pier. Then at Westminster Pier I go to Westminster Station and take the Circle Line to Paddington or the District Line (Edware Road branch to Paddington. I'd give myself 3 hours allowing for waiting for the boat and not panicking. In reality, it would take about 1 1/2 hours. There are special Thames boat trips but this is much cheaper. Alternatively, go on a canal trip from Camden to Little Venice (near Paddington) but that is more complicated. With a 4 year old I would go for a trip down the Thames. You will get great views. Hoping you have a lovely time!

Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament are both near St James Park which is lovely and has wild pelicans. You can walk through the park and end up at Buckingham Palace.

Tate modern art gallery is free

Thanks nettie434. We will be staying with friends so will actually be starting in Peckham. But that sounds like useful advice, so ending up at Westminster Bridge sounds like a good plan for getting back to Paddington.

I honestly wouldn't schedule too much in. I'd just do the walk and lunch between the Abbey and Parliament. Just walking around, especially in the heat, can be exhausting. It can be very crowded so progress is slow and also it is wonderful just to stop and look at things as you go.

I love London but the distances are sometimes bigger than you think. Enjoy!!

In that case, a train from Peckham Rye to London Bridge would work. Take the Tooley Street exit and go through Hays Galeria to the river bus stop for London Bridge to Westminster Pier. That makes the river trip shorter but you will still have some good views.

When I was in London last a couple tried to used the same contactless card but it wouldn't work for the second person. They have to use separate cards.

You can get an 18+ student Oyster card that gives up to 30% off travel and children under 10 are free.

If you go to the front (?) of Royal Festival Hall ( Waterloo side not river side) you will often find good street food stalls....sometimes themed like Indian but often a variety of types of food.... and they’re good too. There’s usually a bar at the back too and seating. This is very near the London Eye. I would personally go early to the Eye and then relax and mooch about. There’s a skateboard section in an underpass that’s pretty famous, a carousel, the Snog frozen yoghurt bus is often around, Wahaca has a street food truck if you want to sit outside and there’s always street entertainment and other events going on around and about. I personally don’t rate Wahaca that much but Wagamamas is fun if you’ve not been (although I’d still opt for the streetfood stalls unless you’re desperate for aircon. ) The Tate Modern is a walk along the river but I think you don’t need to go too far to find entertainment. Sorry I forgot how old your kids are but the Shrek Experience is really fun but find a deal online and don’t pay on the door..... in fact that might be my child friendly concession if they’re between 5 and 11 ish. ( I hope it’s still there... I went 3 years ago)

If you look at the Time Out website there is information about events and activities designed for children. We’ve had fantastic days out in London - all depends on the children, but we tend to mix museums and galleries with things like river trips and visits to the Lego store and M&M store...both in Leicester Square, a quick walk from Covent Garden or Trafalgar Square. Always popular!
www.lego.com/en-gb/stores/events/mosaic-maker-c777f14a43e04919848dae94d2bc6941

Student Oyster card- the student has to live in London.

Oh, and if you plan ahead and book online, admission to some places can be much cheaper. Agree that Wagamama is fun...Chinatown would also be a good place to eat, and can be a cheaper option. Have a wonderful time!

Child over 10 on transport- you could just pass them another adult's debit card for when they're tapping in and out?

Get the O-10 yo an Oyster Card. Take it to the ticket office and ask them to put the Young Visitor Discount on it for half price / child travel. See TfL website Young Visitor Oyster Card.

Adults use a contactless card each.

The train to Watford for HP Studios is within the Oyster region so you can use your contactless and young visitor oyster.