London - any ideas?

[LouBeeLou]

DP & I are taking DD (6 yo) to London for a few days next week. We will be doing the obvious tourist bits, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc, but wondered if anyone could recommend anywhere that's worth a visit? Or anywhere that isn't worth the entrance fee!

TIA

x

London Eye?

Boat trip on the Thames?

Science museum (have to pay I think...) Natural History museum (used to be free?!)

London Aquarium .. adult tickets expensive but its good

Take her on London Eye .. its fun

Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs (free)

Street Entertainers in Covent Garden .. really good normally

Bethanl Green museum of childhood - my niece and nephew love it and there is usually something goingon...

top deck of double decker bus always a good un

Thanks ladies, think I will google a few of these and get some info.

x

Would second the recommendation for London Eye, then walk across to Covent Garden, have lunch there (Maxwell's does quite a good menu) and maybe London Transport Museum (in Covent Garden), charge for adults but free for kids and they get a goody bag at the end. The museum is quite hands-on, they get a big ticket and have to stamp it in various machines, they can get on some trams and buses, there is a small theatre and an upstairs craft area where they will probably have some kind of activities next week - enjoy!

Natural History Museum is free
Museum of London is Free
The London Eye is really good. there is a good peter pan play park in Kensington Gardens that has a big pirate ship, swings etc, my dd loves going there.
I think the British Museum is free too.

Hanleys, the Aquarium, the Planetarium. We've just come back from 2 weeks in London and the bit my dd1, she's 7, enjoyed the most was the playpark, lol And the Natural History Museum, she loved the Dinosaurs.
London Zoo is good although we didn't do that this year went there a few years ago.

Although we haven't done it the Duck Tour looks fun - Duck Tour . Takes in some key touristy sights plus a dip in the Thames! Plus, it starts close to London Eye & London Aquarium if you chose to go there.

LouBeeLou - that National Gallery is fab - my boys loved it last summer (when they were 4 and 6). If you head for the new wing (LH side as you look at it), there's an interactive gallery where you can pick out half a dozen or so pictures from your/her favourite artists, then it will print you a map with them on, and you can go and look for them.

Mine were singularly unimpressed with general sightseeing - Buck House etc., but liked things where they could go in. Boat trip went down well, as did the London Eye. Sci Museum and NHM (both free) definite must - get there early if you can before it gets too busy.

Definately agree the Science Museum, (its free) but make sure you go downstairs to the basement - there's loads of hands-on stuff for kids. Do go early, there's space to eat your own picnic if you want, or buy hot dogs etc there. We were there in August, also agree the Transport Musseum in Cov Garden is good, mine loved it cos you can get in and out of the buses and trains...

Took ds1 and ds2 (6 & 3) to the Natural History Museum a couple of weekends ago and they loved it. You can rent the kids backpacks (refundable deposit) and hats and they look like mini Dr Livingstones. They get a question sheet they can fill in, binoculars etc. My ds2 cried when we had to give it back

Madame Tussauds? Haven't been for years but might be worth looking at their web-site.

Another vote for the Museum of Childhood - Fairly interactive, free, good in terms of rainy days, and nice to combine with lots of markets if you go on a Sunday (nearby Columbia flower Market, Brick Lane market). Markets are morning ones, so might be better to go to museum in afternoon. The museum is shut on a Friday I think.
If you go to the British museum, don't forget the downstairs bit there, which are the Africa galleries - quite colorful and interesting.

As it's half term, alot of the museums are doing special events next week. DD will be going to the V&A where there's a special t-shirt decorating event. Not sure if it's on all week, but would be worth checking out as their kids activities are usually good.

Might also be fun to go the IMAX 3-d cinema on the South Bank near Waterloo. There's a film on now called "Into the Deep" about underwater creatures/fish. Could be a great thing to combine with an Aquarium Visit.

Wow, these are great, we will be having a very busy time.

I'm really surprised that so many places are free entry - definitely a bonus!

Portobello Road is great on a Saturday, my ds loves it there

We've just come back from 3 days in London and the Duck tour was FAB!!! My DS's loved it. Most impressed that it was a 'bus' that went on the river! The guide was a scream too. Thought Madame Tussaud's and the Planeteriam were a dire rip-off, London Eye was gorgeous at dusk, Natural History and Science Museums were fab as ever. Great food in the Deep Blue Cafe in the Science Museum - the tables light up. They also loved the Rain Forest Cafe - food OK, surroundings interesting. Book or get there early - we got there at 11.30 for lunch and it was packed by 12pm. Have a lovely time!

Well we're back! Had a lovely time - thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Broke, tired and feet hurting but DD loved it all, esp the London Eye and the Museum of Childhood.

Can't believe the Tower of London would have cost us £36 to get in for just me, DP and DD. So we gave that one a miss.

Lara2 - we saw the duck tour doing its rounds but didn't manage to get on one!

x

Where did you stay?

We found a nice hotel in Victoria, just around the corner from the train station, so it was a good central base to see all the sights.