Places to visit in London

[Lambchops]

We are visiting London in a couple of weeks to do all the touristy things with DD(8years) and DS(6 years). I was wondering if some of the Londoner mumsnetters could give me some tips about good places to go and the easiest way to travel about. We will be staying in Denham and although we will have the car with us, I don't really want to take the car into London. We want to do all the big major tourist attractions but I am woefully ignorant about the capital having no reason to go there!
Any tips and advice will be gratefully received by the Lamchops country bumpkins.

Oh dear. Can someone answer my plea.....please. Anything at all. We need advice about travelling around London and advice about the best educational stuff to do as this probably will be our only holiday in London ever. We are not very streetwise you see.

Museums such as the science museum and the natural history museum have great kids' facilities and exhibitions. Don't drive - travel by bus and tube (avoiding rush hour) and the children will love it.

Lambchops - heartily recommend Cadogan's 'Take the kids:London' book -loads of hints and tips of things to do, especially loads of free stuff (not sure what your budget is).

We had a London trip this summer with dss 4 and 6, and particularly enjoyed London Eye, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Cruise on the river, walking through the parks, Going to Kings Cross to see Platform 9 3/4, the British Library, the British Museum, London Transport Museum ... Open Top bus tour was good way to "see the sights". Disappointments were: Waterloo - you couldn't actually see the Eurostar trains! and Buckingham Palace - the boys just weren't particularly impressed. (We didn't go in or anything).

Depends what you're into really. We wanted a bit of 'culture'. In the National Gallery if you go in the left hand side (Sainsburys wing), and ask for the micro gallery, you can browse the piccies on computer, choose half a dozen or so, and it will print out a map for you locating the chosen pictures - fantastic way to visit a gallery, especially with children.

Science Museum has great website, and my kids coule happily spend a week there. If you're going in half term try and get there for 10 am when the doors open as it will be quieter. Head straight for the new wing or the basement, then do a special interest gallery later. On your way in go to the bookshop and buy a children's trail for a couple of galleries - £1 each, they are great.

I'm happy to give you more details of stuff you're interested in Lambchops, but the choice is pretty limitless, so give us some good ideas/areas.

When my kids are a bit older (like yours) I would definitely book tickets for a big West End show.

How long have you got there?

also if you do a search on here there are previous threads on London - loads of people rave about the aquarium - we didn't go - I'm not particularly into fish, and there are aquariums all over now, we wanted to concentrate on the things you can only do in London.

If the kids had been older we'd have definitely done the Globe theatre too. And if time had permitted we'd have done the Tower, and also the Tower Bridge Experience.

The kids enjoyed swimming in the fountains in Trafalgar square - but it was the hottest day of the year ... may not be applicable in October!

kmg, thank you so much. This is exactly the info I need. Like you, we want to do a bit of culture, not too expensive, and only things available in London. Can I buy the book you recommend in any bookshop?
Mimm, can you give me a bit of info re travel within London. Are there weekly travel cards? Where do you get them? How much? Valid for tube and bus? What about safety? Anywhere/times we should avoid the tube?
We are staying in the Caravan Club site at Denham for a week. If anyone can give me any info re Denham I'd be very grateful

Yes, you can get weekly travelcards from tube stations and some newsagents. They are valid for tubes and buses.

From Denham, you can drive to Uxbridge and take the tube from there. Buses are a good way to see a lot. You can get a tourist bus from Marble Arch that will give you a tour of all the sights.

Madame Tussauds and the Planetarium are good places for all the family, and you can get combined tickets for them. The Science Museum is excellent. Then there is London Zoo. Camden market is full of unusual items for sale. Covent Garden is great for Shopping, eating and watching buskers. You will not have time to do all the things there are to do!

Glad to be of help. The book I recommended is pretty mainstream, and should be in most bookshops. We stayed centrally and walked most places, so didn't use travelcards, but I understand the family travelcards are good value.

Loads of info about tube prices and travelcards here

If you want to go to both Tates, take the Tate to Tate riverboat between the two, it also stops at Waterloo if you want to go on the London Eye. Only costs about £4 for an adult ticket (return)

Ya, definitely ask for a family travel card, they are cheaper. If you don't want to do the travel card thing, you can get a carnet of bus tickets from many newsagents that works out to about 1 ride for 60p. Not bad when you consider that you can go right across London for that. Having said that, though the travel cards are more expensive, they give lots of flexibility, which is good.
Travelling by 'water bus' is a great idea too - the price is comprable to the tube tickets and it is a very pleasant way to get into town. It is great to be on the Thames which is such a great and important part of London, and kids like it. One thing I would definitely recommend is an A-Z map, indispensible! If you look at the tube map on the back there are little boat signs along the stops on the Thames where you can get the boat from.
There is also the IMAX theatre, and for a little plug for my end of town, there are interesting markets on Sundays in the East End - flower market on Colombia Road, Spitalfields Market near Liverpool St. station, Brick Lane all are quite buzzy and fun. Enjoy yourselves!

Lambchops, you MUST take them on the Frog tour - it starts by road and then the vehicle you are in drives in to the Thames - it's an amphibious craft. Everyone I know who's been on it loved it. I think it runs from Westminster Pier - certainly a very central location.
Agree with lots of the other suggestions here - especially the Science Museum. Greenwich by riverbus is a nice trip and the Maritime Museum and Observatory are free and good. Would also recommend a trip on the DLR (you can use your travelcards on it) sit at the front and the children can "drive" the train.
Dd and you might enjoy the fantastic array of Pre-Raphaelite art on show at the Royal Academy (sorry to be sexist but most men I know find the paintings a bit girly..). A lot of the items are famous from reproductions but not always on show as they now belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has loaned them for this special exhibition.
Mummies in the British Museum, costume galleries and lots of other stuff at the V & A...dim sum in Chinatown...Knightsbridge for Harrods and window displays...Daisy and Tom on the Kings Road for children-centred retail therapy...
Warning - if you are coming during half-term...the Science Museum will be terribly crowded in the children's galleries, which are wonderful nonetheless.

Frog tour - yes yes yes, but you have to book. Being a lazy London person (and a teacher, so I have to go in the hols) I've never managed to get on. I've heard it's fab.

If you start around there (it actually goes from behind county hall, where the aqaurium is) there is loads to do on the South Bank - Tate, Globe, Belfast, Tower Bridge etc. - you can spend a whole day just wandering along going into places.

I used to love Covent Garden as a child cos of all the stalls and bustle. Greenwich is good if you fancy a boat trip, and lots of opportunities to let of steam.

Thank you everyone for your help. It is great getting advice from people who have actually done these things.
I will print this thread off and take it with us.
When is the English half-term?
We are in London from 18th to 26th Oct.

I just spent the summer in London, and I thought it was the best for kids. First of all by all means buy Time Out for Kids, that is my bible in London, I even use it with out my kids as there is a handy map section in the back, and a tube map and all sorts of great info. and it is just organized really well. I can't wait to buy the new one when I move there in November. There are all sorts of great playgrounds(the princess diana one was great though more for younger children),Near the British Musuem there was Coram(spelling?!) fields which was really great, with a park, cafe and animals). And I loved that most museums where free(they aren't in the states), and when I pay to go to a musuem, I feel like I have to stay, when they are free there is not so much pressure to get my "moneys worth" Also I would try to balance Adult things with kids stuff, so for instance we would spend some time at the Britsh Musuem, and then head to Coram Fields, the london eye then we went to Summerset House(again the name maybe wrong and it was hot summer so we used the sprinklers may not be great in October) The Natural History Museum was the family favorite. I would skip the aquarium, I felt it was overrated and expensive. Also we found the cafes to be really expensive in the Musuems, so we would always pick up packaged food at the local store near our flat(it was waitrose) and would always have a picnic lunch.

Lambchops, I think you have hit the jackpot on the holidays front - you are here before the half-term as far as London is concerned. That should make popular attractions a lot less crowded.
Forgot to also recommend Tower of London (a bit expensive though), the Tower Bridge Experience and HMS Belfast, a WWII battleship moored opposite the Tower of London. In fact, there is also plenty to see on the south side of the Thames near London Bridge - on Friday, go to Borough Market and see English and European produce at its very best. I defy you to walk past some of the stalls selling really good quality fast food (free-range hot roast pork sandwiches for example) without trying some. Then you can sit in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral, tuck in - and then pop inside and see the memorial to John Harvard (I am guessing you might be American?).
Enjoy your stay in London!

If you look down the travel message board a bit, I posted something on "where to eat in London.." just a few days ago. Can't work out how to do the link. Anyway its about St Pauls, Tate modern etc.
Have a good time!

If you go Tate Modern - try to go on a Sunday- they have art for kids there - fun projects for them to do with guidance from helpers - and it's all free (don't know if they do it other days but definitely on a Sunday)After that you could walk across the 'wobbly' bridge - brilliant views of the river etc

Marina, I'm Scottish! But I'm really curious. Why did you think I was American? Ha! Ha! Do I have an American accent?!
Thanks once again everyone for the info.

sorry, Lambchops! Just that 1) You were not visiting for two weeks or more (=possibly not NZ or Aussie); 2) You mentioned half-terms in England and yours were clearly different (but there was a clue there which I missed...) So I guessed USA and totally forgot the different school year in Scotland. Have a good trip.

Well, Thank you everyone.
We had a fabulous holiday. We did lots of the things you recommended, and the kids did paddle in the fountains at Trafalgar square despite it being October. We went to Borough Market, thank you for that suggestion, and all the museums. There is much more we wanted to do so we have more or less decided to go back next year as we simply ran out of time.
We also saw the three Concordes flying over for the last time.
Unfortunately we had a bit of a disaster on the journey down to London. The caravan got hit by a juggernaut in a service station on the M6. Although we managed the holiday in it, it looks like it may now be written off. This is hard on the heels of our car blowing its cylinder head and we had to buy a new car less than a month ago. Ho hum, such is life.
But we had a great holiday and everyone we met were lovely.

Well, Thank you everyone.
We had a fabulous holiday. We did lots of the things you recommended, and the kids did paddle in the fountains at Trafalgar square despite it being October. We went to Borough Market, thank you for that suggestion, and all the museums. There is much more we wanted to do so we have more or less decided to go back next year as we simply ran out of time.
We also saw the three Concordes flying over for the last time.
Unfortunately we had a bit of a disaster on the journey down to London. The caravan got hit by a juggernaut in a service station on the M6. Although we managed the holiday in it, it looks like it may now be written off. This is hard on the heels of our car blowing its cylinder head and we had to buy a new car less than a month ago. Ho hum, such is life.
But we had a great holiday and everyone we met were lovely.

Well, Thank you everyone.
We had a fabulous holiday. We did lots of the things you recommended, and the kids did paddle in the fountains at Trafalgar square despite it being October. We went to Borough Market, thank you for that suggestion, and all the museums. There is much more we wanted to do so we have more or less decided to go back next year as we simply ran out of time.
We also saw the three Concordes flying over for the last time.
Unfortunately we had a bit of a disaster on the journey down to London. The caravan got hit by a juggernaut in a service station on the M6. Although we managed the holiday in it, it looks like it may now be written off. This is hard on the heels of our car blowing its cylinder head and we had to buy a new car less than a month ago. Ho hum, such is life.
But we had a great holiday and everyone we met were lovely.

Ooops! First time I have done that, sorry.