Going to London in August just for a few days, can i ask those with experience of London the following:

[donbean]

1. when is the best time to book train tickets? Is it 6 weeks prior to going or sooner? (This is for cheapness btw.) 2)how much is it to go on the London eye and is it worth it?
2. where is good to go with a 5 year old? Got any top tips for me to enjoy and not get stressed!!!??

London eye is great as long as you pre-book. Not sure about train tickets though sorry.

Places to go:
London Aquarium, London Zoo, Battersea Park Zoo, science museum, Tower of London.

Eating out places good for children:
Blue Kangaroo in Fulham, Rainforest Cafe, Smollersky on the Strand.

Top tips plenty of cups of coffee and plan everything out before hand!

Good luck

Natural History Museum - still free and good dinosaurs if your DC likes that kind of thing.

You can get some good deals on train tickets if you book well in advance. I think it's 'trainline' that we use.

i'd book trains asap as I think they release all the seats at once and then all the cheap ones get booked first (not surprisingly).

London Eye is great. Not cheap though - just under £13.95 for an adult and £6.95 for a child. Worth every penny though I reckon - unless of course it's raining and you can't see anything.

Parks are all free and most of the museums. Science Museum is good. Maybe a ride on a London bus might be good - they've still got the old routemasters on a special route between Picadilly and somewhere I think as a tourist attraction.

but if you go to any of the big museums in school holidays, go as they open, if you can! We took dd to the NHM, as she has a "thing" about dinosaurs, and we queued for at least 2 hours. Get the dinosaurs over early, then the rest will be a doddle!

1. ask at your local station, i think they have just changed pre-booking
2. have not been, i think it might be a bit pricey so put it lower on priority list.
3. british museum and coram fields is nearby (playground, goats, paddling pool). whereabouts are you staying? bethnal green museum of childhood is good too.

Yes, The London Eye is worth every penny. The Kensington museums are fab, although they will be very crowded and you'll almost certainly have to queue to get into the Natural History museum.

I totally agree with Flynnie - plan plenty of coffee/rest breaks - also wear comfortable shoes!!!

Covent Garden is good, also Trafalgar Square for the pigeons and the fountains. We used to like Saint James' Park when the girls were little too. The zoo is good, if you take your own food or you could maybe have a day at Kew Gardens?

in august there are loads of free events for kids outside the national theatre. its called 'watch this space' look on the website near the time, www.nationaltheatre.org.uk , its just near the london eye on the south bank and there are loads of baby friendly cafes along there - giraffe for example, the South Bsnk is the place to be in the summer.

) when is the best time to book train tickets? Is it 6 weeks prior to going or sooner?
(This is for cheapness btw.)

asap

2)how much is it to go on the London eye and is it worth it?

about £8?? definitely worth it if dcs old enough to enjoy / you are w/out dcs

3. where is good to go with a 5 year old? Got any top tips for me to enjoy and not get stressed!!!??

tate modern (it just is!)
any central london park
science museum
natural history museum
imax cinema
south bank
london zoo
london aquaruium

eat in good chain if you eat out

pizza express
wagamama
eat

have fun!

If you're going in August, check out the courtyard fountains in Somerset House - I think your 5 yr old will enjoy them!

Ditto the science museum, the Diana memorial playground in Kensington Park is fabbo (Peter Pan themed, big pirate ship climbing frame, artificial beach, wigwams, wooden cabin slides etc, cafe is expensive but go 2 mins up Queensway and find all manner of excellent Chinese restaurants, also McD's and the usual chain stuff in Whiteleys shopping mall)

If it rains the Namco place next to the Aquarium on the South Bank is good but can be expensive (indoor dodgems, rides etc).

Depending on how easily your child can be dragged away without demanding purchases, Hamleys on Regent Street is always good for a look around, they have various demos of toys going on at all times and lots of interactive stuff that you don't actually have to pay for, iykwim...

This may be for an older child, but if they like the Harry Potter films and you're anywhere near the City, take them to Leadenhall Market (aka Diagon Alley), lots of interesting shops and places to eat there too! Then scoot down to the Monument/Tower of London or up to the Museum of London, which is deffo worth a visit. Spitalfields Market, just behind Bishopsgate, has child-friendly restaurants and is good for a mooch around.

Definitely wear comfy shoes!

hi - I live in Greenwich and would recommend it as a good place to go...Get here via a river trip using the commuter high speed catamarans run by Thames Clippers ( about every 30 mins from central london - charing cross/waterloo etc) - avoiding peak times obviously, great views of the city and canary wharf and you can sit outside at the back, cheaper tickets than the tourist trap boats. Then do the maritime museum and new observatory all within 15 mins walk of the pier (free entrance). Also - Greenwich park has fabulous views, excellent playground and boating lake if the weather's dry... Restaurants and market in central Greenwich too
Have fun!

www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ lots of london attractions will give you 2 for 1 on tickets when you show your train ticket

would go for tate britain rather than tate modern as often less crowded. - south bank excellent for free things to look at/do and there is a great playground near the eye

carluccios is also great for children

Agree re. Kensington Museums, zoo, Eye, parks and Tower - all fab. Trip on the river between say Eye and Tower also great fun.

In terms of eating I'd say Giraffe at the Festival Hall is best. Decent food and v. kid friendly (DS and I go here a lot).

try www.megabus.com, they do cheap rail travel, sometimes £1.
pre book london zoo, aquarium etc as queues are really long.
go to giraffe, and wgamamas websites as they do 2 4 1 offers mon to fri.

Can't really advise on trains as I'm already in London but there are usually all sorts of deals when you buy tickets - Oyster seem to do a lot of 2 for 1. You might find that there are some deals available by redeeming Nectar points or Tesco points if you have either of those.

Group your activities by area and try and stay in that area for the day or at least most of it as you'll waste ages getting from one place to another - for example:

SOUTH BANK

• London Eye - prebook tickets and go in the morning, queues are absolutely horrendous in the afternoon, even with tickets
• playground by the Eye is ok but much better one 5 minutes walk away at Archbishops Park opposite St Thomas's Hospital
• Giraffe, Strada or Wagamama outside Royal Festival Hal for food - Eat for cheaper options, sandwiches and good soft ice creams
• possibly Aquarium if it's raining but very expensive and not that great
• walk along to Tate Modern, lots of things to look at on the way
• Borough Market for more food - lots of free samples to taste and gourmet food to grab on the go - some stalls open Thursday, more open Friday, everything open on Saturday and absolute mayhem. Best on Thurs/Fri as it's less packed

If you're not too tired after that, keep walking down towards Tower Bridge. Fountains at More London (office development between London and Tower Bridge). If the weather is really, really bad and you're desperate, you could go to the London Dungeon but it's very overpriced with massive queues and might be a bit scary for a 5 year old.

At Tower Bridge, there are lots more restaurants and the Design Museum is good and sometimes has special things on for children.

Alternatively, right along this stretch you can jump on a boat to Tate Britain, Canary Wharf, Greenwich or various spots inbetween.

Other combinations could include:

• Covent Garden/Somerset House fountains/Trafalgar Square
• Natural History Museum/Science Museum/Princess Diana Memorial Playground
• Buckingham Palace/Changing of the Guard/St James's Park (Inn the Park is a great cafe and restaurant)

Think about your transport - the open top tour buses are good fun (if the weather's good!) and you can get on and off and key points but they're very expensive. If you get an Oyster card you can get buses and tubes with discounts on the river boats and with the saving you could probably throw in a couple of black cab trips. www.tfl.gov.uk has all the travel info.

All children under 16 travel for free in London on the buses. And sitting on the top deck of the no.24 takes you past loads of sights- all for a piddly amount of money for the whole day.
If you are not getting travel cards, then def get an Oyster, because individual fares will be cheaper!

I agree with sunshine about Giraffe at Festival Hall - especially if you want to use the aquarium, or London Eye. But, make sure you turn up on time / early for lunch, because big queues can form outside- moves relatively swiftly though.

You will love the Eye, your 5 year old won't see the point of it once she's on it. They can't appreciate the views at that age!!

What about booking one of those opentopped tour buses (weather permitting). Not particularly cheap but a great way of seeing London - saving your feet - and kids usually love to peer down at whatever's passing.here

I feel opentopped buses are a bit of a wate of money, when some of the routes take you past so much anyway. As mentioned the no.24 goes all the way from Camden to (possibly) Victoria station, via the end of oxford st, down past trafalgar square, along whitehall, through parliament square. I used to love sitting on there.

But, if you are not very familiar with London, perhaps the opentopped bus is a safer bet. And I guess they must give info on a loud speaker or something? Which is a bonus.
And, who knows, the no.24 might now be a bendy bus, and so rubbish... not nearly as fun as a double decker for seeing the sights!

Good to go:
london eye
duck tours!
Tower of London

and if you do go to tower of london then book tickets in advance on their website -avoids queing

"You will love the Eye, your 5 year old won't see the point of it once she's on it. They can't appreciate the views at that age!!"

guess it depends on the child - my DS loved it