Whistlestop tour of London - advice please!

[Timetheworldsaysicantafford]

I'm taking my daughter to London later this week - we are seeing a matinee show at 2.30pm but will have a few hours either side to try and see as much as we can (and go to the Lego shop!). It's her first time in London, and I don't want to waste it by faffing! Does anyone have any advice for the most efficient whistle stop tour we could do!? Starting at King's cross around 11am - where would you head first? And if you can give me extra advice like what tube line/stop then I'd be so appreciative 🙂. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

How old is your daughter and what sort of thing interests her? And where do you need to be for 2.30?

Trafalgar Square, the Mall and BP are all conveniently close to each other... a walk along Embankment and possibly head over the river to the Eye and Southbank.

City mapper is good for journey planning :)

Hop on, hop off bus.
I always find these are good for getting around and seeing the sights within a short time frame.

She is 10, loves and is interested in most things (natural history museum would be ideal but not sure we have long enough this time) - we need to be at the Cambridge theatre at 2pm

Some general advice: download the Citymapper app, it’s the best for covering all transport options when you want to know how to get from A to B. In central London, walking is often your best bet (Citymapper also includes walking routes, and shows timings for all options). Problem with the tube is that you don’t see much of your surroundings obviously
However the tube might be an adventure in and of itself if your daughter has never seen it before!
Hop-on-hop-off bus tours might give you a quick overview of the tourist highlights. Or depending on where the show is get down to the river, walk along the Southbank and sample the food markets. Views eg from Waterloo bridge (or any of the central ones) are spectacular. Make sure you give yourself some time though to arrive in good time for the show, you don’t want to be stressed or rushed and everything is big in London, might take a while to find your way around the venue if you’re not familiar with it!
Have a fabulous day, I still remember my first London trip aged 13!

Cross posted with lots of others

Can you not get there earlier? You won't have time to do much except lego shop and lunch before the show. Lego shop will be busy as its half term, you'll probably have to queue. Might be easier to plan to do stuff after the show if you're planning on staying late ish - you could do a museum after the show if their opening hours fit?

Tube down to Green Park, walk down through the park to Buckingham Palace, through Green park to Horseguards, through to Whitehall past 10 Downing St, through Parliament Square over Westminster Bridge, past the London Eye along the South bank, back over Hungerford Footbridge to Trafalgar Square, up Charing Cross road to Leicester Square (lego shop).

Afterwards mooch around Covent Garden.

I would stick to the Covent Garden area pre matinee, close to the theatre so you don’t have to panic about getting there, lots to see and enjoy,places to eat , street entertainers etc .Afterwards I would walk down to Trafalgar Square then EITHER go to the Embankment and cross over the river to Southbank. If you felt rich and had time you could go on the Eye. OR you could walk down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, then cut back along Birdcage to Westminster to see Big Ben ,the River and Houses of Parliament.

I don’t think you will have time for much more. Enjoy the show, first time in a West End Theatre is magical even if you have been to other theatres before.

How much time do you have after the show? You could go to the Lego shop first, and then depending on how much time you have left look around the Covent Garden / Seven Dials area. Should be able to find some lunch there too. Then the show, and afterwards go down to the Thames, maybe take a Thames clipper ride if there is time, and see the sunset over the river and all the city lights coming on.

The Lego shop is open til 10.00 so I would save it til last.

These are brilliant - thank you ever so much all!

Go up the wallow talkie aka the sky gardens. You have to Pre book your slot but it’s free and you get some amazing views

@viques

I would stick to the Covent Garden area pre matinee, close to the theatre so you don’t have to panic about getting there, lots to see and enjoy,places to eat , street entertainers etc .Afterwards I would walk down to Trafalgar Square then EITHER go to the Embankment and cross over the river to Southbank. If you felt rich and had time you could go on the Eye. OR you could walk down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, then cut back along Birdcage to Westminster to see Big Ben ,the River and Houses of Parliament.

I don’t think you will have time for much more. Enjoy the show, first time in a West End Theatre is magical even if you have been to other theatres before.

I would stick to the Covent Garden area pre matinee, close to the theatre so you don’t have to panic about getting there, lots to see and enjoy,places to eat , street entertainers etc

I was suggesting the opposite way round on the basis that it will be lighter and warmer pre-theatre, and easier to see the sights.

You know yourselves and how much stamina you think you'll have!

I love this! We are doing a similar thing tomorrow, albeit a different theatre. I have been looking at what to do and this thread has really helped. Enjoy you day OP!

Hi OP my suggestion is food related as I basically plan ever6 day it around my belly

If your in the Covent Garden area Seven Dials Food Market is ace ...we were in London last week (agree with some pp that the day goes much quicker than you think when you are possibly hopping on and off tubes and walking lots. Christ we were knackered but had a ball) and ended up here for tea. It's basically a fancy trendy food court where you can order different foods according to what you all like. There's a bar an the red wine isn't half bad. We had Yum Buns but Cafe Mexicana upstairs smelt amazing.

I love a London day out. I come home every time so jealous of people who live there.

Museum of London (Barbican) can be done pretty quickly & she'll learn about the history of the city

I’m living vicariously through your London day I think, so here are some more ideas/tips. I don’t know how familiar you are with London so please ignore if these are obvious to you already.
You don’t need to buy an Oyster card anymore, can just pay for all transport with your debit/credit card, and it won’t charge more than a day ticket once you reach that limit.
Buses are fun for sight seeing and sitting on the top of a double decker bus might be exciting for your daughter if she’s not familiar with them. The No. 11 bus passes many sights, including St Paul’s and Whitehall.
I also like the Thames Clipper- great river views of Houses of Parliament/Tower/Tower Bridge etc. Also great to relax if you’ve had quite a full-on and tiring day.
If you’re around Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is free so you could pop in even just to look at a few paintings. (It’s also useful if you just want to sit down somewhere peaceful or need the loo…). Worth bearing the museums in mind for this in general. If you’re on the Southbank, you can pop into Tate Modern and go up to the viewing platform on the tower for free. Another great view over central London. If you want to take the lift it’s easier to walk down into the basement first as they’re less crowded there!
Caveat: I haven’t been to a central London museum since Covid so might be worth double-checking any restrictions, but I think generally it’s a lot more relaxed than it has been.

I once did the natural history museum in 40m to be fair...Did walk briskly