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 😘

You can’t use a debit card for multiple people it will not work

You should get travel cards for all zones for whoever doesn’t have a debit card! It’s cheaper to tap in and out with your debit. You can get an oyster which you then top up bit I THINK children need to apply and have a photo card. My Dc do have debit cards so we all tap in and out as we go

Sorry PP is right for visitor oyster you wouldn’t need a photo application

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!

I see a pp has answered this but yes. And just to add, in case it happens to be useful to anyone, it's the last (or first, if you're travelling the other way) stop on that line where Oyster cards are valid.

BTW if you are staying in Peckham you are on the right side of town to visit some great places without going anywhere near Central London - Greenwich is perfect for a day trip, and Dulwich Picture Gallery and Eltham Palace are also lovely.

Get a paper child's travelcard for your older child (as getting a child's Oyster is difficult) - although if I have a friend's 11yo visiting, I just slip them through the barrier with another adult. In terms of eating, I really like Wahaca which does Mexican street food - there's a branch just next to the South Bank Centre but you can't leave London without trying a Nando's . Wagamama and Yo Sushi! very much at the meh end of the scale. Enjoy your day out - another vote for St James Park.

This is aibu?

Buses are free under 18 but you pay for the tube - you need a contactless card or oyster per person. There's visitor travel cards too

www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/london/

I agree about the young visitor oyster card, I did that a couple of times with my kids before getting myself organised to get them their own zip cards (we live near enough that as they get older I can send them to London for a day trip). You can get the discount put onto a visitor oyster card, it lasts for a certain amount of time then expires, but you still have a useable oyster card.

My two at that age would have happily spent more than an hour in the Abbey - but they were choristers so a lot of familiar stuff would have been of interest to them!

Shrek World of Adventure is right beside the London Eye and is really good fun.

Wow thanks for all your tips. I looked at tfl website and the weekly fare capping is Monday to Sunday, and is the same price as a 7 day travel card. We go Saturday to Saturday so might just buy paper cards. On the Sunday we're going to see changing of the guard at horse guards then go to BP state rooms (me and daughter very keen!). After we will wander through st james, have a picnic, look at the pelicans and end up at Trafalgar Square. We'll go in one of the National galleries but not hang around too much.

Another day, we plan to go to the science museum for opening time, then the NH museum after lunch. 2-3hours in each. Does the NH museum have awful queues all day?

I think a lot of our holiday will be spent queuing 🙄

Anywhere good to eat in borough market?

Thanks so much everyone, and yes I know iwbu posting this in aibu !

Sounds a great plan Liz79. Borough Market is closed on Sunday and there are only a limited number of stalls on Monday and Tuesday. Gorgeous food but £££ prices. If you are there, it’s worth walking down Borough High Street to see The George Inn (old coaching inn). You are also by the Shard if you like views/heights.

@SuperMumTpersonally I would go to North Greenwich ( direct bus, train to Lewisham then DLR or Overground to Shawdwell and change to the DLR). It will take you half an hour then you can get the Thames Clipper back to Westminster Bridge. It's a longer ride and you'll get to go i

under Tower Bridge and see the Tower of London. Much more exciting. Also if you have time for a wander Greenwich is lovely and you could also visit the Cutty Sark which is great for kids.

squee123 Oh yes, that would be a more fun route than mine! You can also get to Shadwell on the overground from Peckham Rye.

If you’re going to any of the big museums go early......as early as possible ( and make a donation if you can)

@SuperMumTum I second squee! Greenwich to Westminster is by far the best route. It's a couple of stops from Peckham Rye on the overground to Canada Water then the jubilee line to North Greenwich. You also have the Emirates airline there, if you fancy doing that too. You can get combined tickets with the boat. Although the DLR is fun for kids, especially if you get to sit in the front set by the driver. If you have time, I would pick a longer route via the DLR just for fun.

Getting to Paddington from the river, the easiest routes would be from Waterloo/Embankment/Westminster but realistically, anywhere between Canary Wharf and Vauxhall is doable. If you look at the tube map, you can see which tube stations have an interchange with the river boat service - they have a boat icon next to them. Then you can pick the best route for your needs (eg no changes, lifts, fastest time). TFL journey planner will tell you how long the journey takes. You can also use it to filter routes by type of transport eg DLR and river boat, not the tube.

@Liz79 Sorry to hijack your thread! Borough market is busy, busy, busy but great. You can get street food from the stalls, anything from kangaroo burgers to tapas, for a picnic but there are plenty of restaurants around the area. have a look at Hardens guide. It has reviews and you can view restaurants by map. Gabriel's Wharf is also a good spot, next to Oxo Tower. You might want to look at the river boat yourself as a way to travel between Westminster and wherever you decide to go for lunch.

We are in London very frequently with our 9 and 11 year olds. We just use our contactless debit cards on the larger gates and take a child through with us. Usually these are staffed and not one of them had batted an eye at us doing this.

Be careful not to pack too much into one day. We found arranging one attraction in the afternoon and one in the morning was a bit much tbh. Slotting another into the middle would be exhausting.