London with a Three Year old

[Justine2912]

Hi

We would like to take our Three year old son to London for a short break we are looking at 2 nights, he will love going on the train and underground but we cant thing of where to stay.

A friend recommended renting an apartment for the stay but again dont know the good areas from the bad.

Can anyone give me any advice for travelling to london with my DS. Where to stay and go etc.

We Live in Yorkshire so will be travelling down by train to Kings Cross.

Regards

If you're just looking for somewhere to crash I'd book a travelodge, there's one nr Kings Cross Station, or a Premier Inn.

Yep, Travelodge at Kings Cross is probably not a bad idea. The immediate area is not the greatest (nor the worst) but possibly a bit better now there is the high speed train link there. There is a nice little shopping mall within walking distance called the Brunswick Centre which has a couple of restaurants which welcome children (Carluccios and Giraffe) if you fancy a bite to eat in the evening and then a stroll back to your hotel. Also very close to the mall a lovely little park called Coram Fields which is geared to kids. No adults allowed unless they have a child with them and no dogs either. Has quite a good sandpit and play area.

Science Museum and Natural History Museum also very good. Science Museum has a fun area for small kids called The Garden (indoors).

No advice about accommodation I'm afraid.

But I would agree with SweetApril about both the Science Museum and Coram's Fields.
Also, if you go to South Kensington for the museums, the Princess Diana Memorial Playground is really good.

We stayed in the 'Covent Garden' Travelodge when we went with the kids. Was fine as we were out and about all day so just a place to sleep.

Natural History Museum is worth a visit as there are the dinosaurs but other exhibitions, mine liked the one with butterflies. We took ours to the Rainforest Cafe, they really liked it. It was expensive for what it was but my daughter absolutely loved the whole 'experience' so it was worth it.

There is the Princess Diana Playgound that is supposed to be good, we found we didn't do as much as we had thought because of just getting around and taking in the general sights.

Walk along the South Bank, lots of street theatre cafes etc, gawp at the London Eye, watch the river. Often events going on in the various halls. Aquarium there too. Also Tate Modern worth a visit (they have kid themed stuff for certain exhibits), just don't spend too long there or boredom sets in. Plan on looking at 2 or 3 pieces in detail then get out. The Tate to Tate river bus can be fun too (or any of the river taxis)

Do thorough researches online before heading south.

How much are you looking to pay per night?.

I would suggest staying somewhere like the Marriott on the South Bank, it'll be more expensive but better than the dump of the Travelodge at Kings Cross (read the recent reviews on Tripadvisor).

Ooh, sorry, didn't know that Travelodge was not very nice. It's relatively new and looks fine from the outside Don't know about Covent Garden Travelodge either but certainly much more atmosphere in CG plus lots of places to eat, shops, street entertainment.

Also it looks like the Marriott at County Hall (South Bank) has an indoor pool which might be fun/handy. Bit longer journey from Kings X but great for your DS if he likes the Underground!

Oh, and although I said Coram Fields is nice it's not worth making a special trip for if you're not staying/sightseeing nearby. Plenty of other lovely parks in London.

hi there, accommodation wise i would definitely avoid the Kings Cross area as it is a pretty depressing part to be in for a treat trip to London. i agree with others that the Science Museum is a must! my DS (almost three) absolutely loves the place and you will too. the parts you need to know about are The Garden (not a garden at all, but an indoor children's play area with a mini construction site + builders hats, plus a grand water feature in which they can float little plastic boats etc.) It's in the basement and takes a bit of finding. the other bit is on the 3rd floor from memory and is called the Launch Pad i think- it's fantastic. you can leave the pushchair and any amount of coats in the cloakroom for £3.
we have taken a boat along the Thames which my DS loved - a lot more relaxing for you if you can persuade your DS he doesn't want to go out onto deck!
the boats leave from WEstminster pier and cost about £8 for adults, free for children.
might be worth checking out the City Inn at Westminster (on John Islip St) in case they have a cheap deal - location is lovely and quiet and it's a smart, contemporary place.i reckon they mostly cater to business people so may have good weekend prices.
you're going to have a wonderful time!

Hi

Thanks for the useful tips. I have managed to source an apartment on the river Thames for 3 nights at a cost of £125 per night so didnt think that was bad for London. Its near the Millennium Bridge so quite happy with the area for a short break.

Once again thanks

From there, Somerset House is an easy walk along the river. Have a look at what they have on. In the hotter months, they often do weekend events in the courtyard for families - and our kids LOVED playing in the fountains if it was a hot day. Just remember the dry clothes. (Not so fond memories of transporting damp kids on the Tube)

If you are heading slightly out of central London at all, Kew Gardens is lovely for children, with a great discovery area (District Line, Richmond branch) and Polka Theatre for Children in Wimbledon is brilliant (District Line, Wimbledon branch)

without question: the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens!!

btw - careful on the tube. dd (then about 3) darted underneath the barrier while I was fumbling with the ticket...cue me shrieking as she vanished into the throng (not for long, was returned pretty swiftly to me!)

We did a houseswap last year to London with 3 yr old DS, it was excellent, but there is a lot of walking so we ended up carging the buggy around which was a bit of a palaver.

Things we enjoyed were :

• Transport museum which has added bonus of being in Covent garden so you can catch some street artists as well and obviously lots of outdoor cafes so good for a fairly relaxed day in London

• Kew Gardens, DS and DH loved the tree walk, I was too cowardly, great indoor play bit for young children and I think if I'm not confusing it with somewhere else, the cafe was nice

• Princess Diana Memorial Playground is AMAZING, plus there is a cafe selling nice pizzas if you want to make a day of it and sit outside to have your lunch

• Rainforest cafe, great experience but food is £££, childrens menu was £14.50 and face painting £5.00, food distinctly average, but it is enjoyable for the children

• Natural History museum good but queued around the block and dinosaur exhibit tightly packed and very warm so DS didn't really enjoy it as much as we had hoped.

• London zoo - not the best in the world, pricey to get into and cafe utterly foul

He doesnt use his pram much now but do you think we should take it as not sure if he could cope with Walking round london all day??

There's a Premier Inn at County Hall on the South Bank right next to the London Eye, Aquarium, within sight of Big Ben etc. - I think that would be a handy place to stay. It's just along from the Marriott. There's also the new Park Plaza Westminster round the corner there on Westminster Bridge, it looks more expensive though.

I think the pram is going to be more hassle than it's worth because of folding it on the train and unfolding and so on. He might get a bit tired walking but hopefully in a good way.

We took our three year old to London this weekend with her older siblings. Saturday was taken up with a wedding and then we went to the Natural History Museum on Sunday.
I would strongly recommend you take the pram or do what we did and take a backpack - borrow from friends if you don't have one. There is simply too much walking to do and trailing a tired child behind you is no fun at all. Carrying a hot, sticky hot child isn't to be recommended either. The backpack made the tube totally stress free - we weren't worrying about hanging on to her at barriers or platforms or on the train when we were standing and we could walk at our normal pace. It also enabled her to have a nap at the museum after some intensive running about

Definitely the Transport Museum. When my two were that age they wanted to go there all the time to drive the bus upstairs. You could also take him on the DLR off peak and sit right at the front. It has no driver so he can 'drive' the train. It stops at Greenwich which is nice - pedalos and big playpark as well as Maritime Museum which has a hands on kids section and you can get the Clipper speedboat back to the West End and point out the sights - Tower Bridge, the Tower, Big Ben etc - all easy to see from the river, as well as the floating police station which my boys loved to look out for.

The Garden in the basement of the Science Museum is great too - lots of water play, music, dressing up, places to climb.

We tried to take the kids to the Princess Diana Park at half term but there were horrendous queues, so, if you can, go when most kids are at school.

Smollenskys restaurant on the Strand is good. Has in house conjurors who are really sweet with kids, make them balloon models and let them help with the tricks, also big tv screens playing cartoons and lots of food kids like. Think it's cheaper than Rainforest, though they do love it when it starts to rain in there and the gorillas come round for a cuddle.

If you come before the end of June try and see the elephants www.elephantparadelondon.org/. This site will give details of where they are located. Regents Park has 3 nice play grounds (1 near the Mosque, 1 in the inner circle and 1 near the zoo). I haven't been but people have recommended the National Army Museum in Chelsea. www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/kids/ There is meant to be lots of things for kids to run around and jump on. Have fun!

I live in London so don't know much about accommodation but I would definitely steer clear of Travelodge in Kings X. Just a really depressing location! I would check out some of the hotels near to the British Museum, just off Russell Sq or the ones on Gower St. There are loads of lovely old, individual townhouse hotels that look really nice good central locations. An alternative would be to go a bit further out and just get the tube in. There are lots of decent B&Bs in Tufnell Park. Residential area, zone 2, easy to get on the tube or bus into town. Cheaper than town.

Corams Fields is great.
Science Museum (basement area for kids and the bubble show is brilliant) is not to be missed for kids.
Natural History Museum.
London Transport Museum.
Little Angel Theatre in Islington.
Regents Park is lovely for kids and has about four brilliant playgrounds.
London Zoo.

You'll have a great time. London's a fantastic city (not that I'm biased!)