London with a 10 year old, we've already done....

[VioletLips]

Madame Tussaud's
Natural History Museum
British Museum
Imperial War Museum
Tower of London
Greenwich via the Thames
Westminster via the Thames

Ideally want to stay near the West End, train booked, accommodation pending.

Any recommendations welcome for places to go.

There's a huge Lego exhibition on the South Bank at the moment with a super heroes theme. I nearly went today but balked at £16.50 entrance fee. The models look amazing though.

Alice in wonderland interactive stuff on at south bank I think.

In fact Tate modern good on whole can pick and choose what to see, coin street is nice nearby and then the bridge (modern) over to city.

Oh an idea for food My Old Dutch (one in Holborn sure there are others) is great for kids, huge pancakes sweet and savoury fillings. My half siblings loved them when I took them there as kids.

Portobello Road and markets or Camden Lock and market can be fun, etc.

If going to Greenwich, take the DLR and make sure you sit right at the very front. It's driverless, so you can pretend to drive and get a great view as you woosh over the houses and into tunnels

We brought dd when she was 10 and we did the following:
tower of London
Walking tour
Covent Garden at night - it was December and all the decorations were up - gorgeous
Moomin shop in Covent Garden
One of Jamie Olivers restautrants in Covent Garden (not great tbh)
Natural History Museum
Ice Skating outside Natural History Museum
Trafalger Square
Brunch in the crypt of St Martin in the Fields (I think! Near Portrait Gallery)
St Pauls
Regent St
Hamelys
Harrods
National Portrait Gallery
Routemaster Double decker bus from Trafalger to Tower of London - passing lots of historic areas - fleet st, pudding lane etc

We had a fantastic time. Only issue we had was being refused entry to some nice bars off regent st - we had walked MILES and could have really used a nice glass of bubbles or wine at it was early - around 6.30pm and we were refused because we had dd with us.

Writing, we had exactly the same issue last year with ds. Walked miles and just wanted a rest, somewhere to eat and drink which was pun based, nothing fancy. Nope. Dogs are accepted in some of these pubs but it seems children aren't.

Great suggestions everyone. Keep them coming. There's lots of ideas here. I have looked at Sky Garden today, can't book yet as to early but it's a definite must I think. Checked the map and it's near to St Paul's so might do the two. Not sure whether to eat at Sky Garden though, mixed reviews on TripAdvisor.

Covent Garden at night sounds interesting.

Loads of great ideas, thanks one and all.

A pp mentioned that there is a London thread and suggested getting this moved to there? Should I do this? I do like chat as there seems more people around on here but it might be worth side stepping over to there?

Pub based NOT pun based

Is Tate Modern good for kids?

Not for a ten year old

There's lots of chain stuff like cafe rouge near St. Paul's which will be cheaper than SG!

Thanks Helen. Might just treat ourselves to cocktails then & the view and eat elsewhere.

Tate? Depends on the 10 year old.
Mine loved it.
Turbine Hall currently www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/hyundai-commission/philippe-parreno-anywhen
And lots of interesting stuff throughout the galleries.
Great building - good views over the Thames from café balconies.
Walk over the 'wobbly bridge' to St Paul's.

Walk: Borough Market - Golden Hinde - The Globe - Tate Modern - over the bridge to St Paul's.

If you go to Covent Garden don't just stay by the covered market - go up Neal St, through Neal's Tard, along to Seven Dials and back down Monmouth st - and to Leicester Sq tube.

Unless you are on the Picadilly Line, it is generally easier to get the Northern Line to Leicester Sq for covent Garden - it takes you past Jack Wills etc along Long Acre to Covent Garden.

Our favourites have been:

the old operating theatre
The golden hinde
Bank of England museum
Museum of transport

Monument is good too if you don't mind small spaces.

Ask to have it moved when the number of posts ebbs. Perhaps now, as it's gone quieter.

Then you've had lots of suggestions, but they're there in permanent form for those who browse for ideas.

Putting it in the topic might even give it a new lease of life!

if you are planning on the London eye, tussauds, aquarium, dungeons. then look at buying a merlin pass as entry to all of these included, plus shreks adventure. it will work out cheaper buying a pass than paying individually.

you also get discount on the thames clipper and at rainforest café. I wasn't overly impressed by the rainforest café but my daughter and her friend loved it.

food wise mine love shake shack which there is one in covent garden and also one in Leicester square now.

if they have pocket money to spend, my now just turned 11 (last week) loves to spend her cash in hamleys, harrods, h&m, gap, Disney store etc. hamleys gets packed though so be warned you may just want to stick to the pocket money toys on the ground floor. Everything else is overpriced in there, eg lego is much more expensive.

we've tried a few restaurants in china town now and not been overly impressed, most are catered to tourists and the food is basic.

if the weather is nice walking along by the London eye and aquarium you have fab views of the houses of parliament and big ben

Thanks Edith, I'll ask for this thread to be moved. Despite recent events we still plan on going, everything us booked and paid for.

Unicorn, thanks for for some great suggestions and good tip about the Merlin pass.

I'm going to ask for this thread to be moved to the London topic now.

Thanks all.

If you go to St Paul's, the Museum of London is only 5 minutes walk away, and the Bank of England museum is about 10 - 15 minutes walk away.

Harrods does have a dress code (haven't been for years so I double checked their website to see if it had changed), nothing major though, no visible tattoo, no offensive slogans on clothes and if you are wearing a rucksack you must be carry it in your hands or in front of you.

Personally I don't like the Museum of Childhood, it would bore my almost 10 year old, but all of mine went to the Museum when they were 5 on school trips (so it could be my experience as a parent helper trying to keep track of 4 Y1s around the Museum and on the train which could have clouded my opinion)

Kensington palace is good and you can get a joint ticket with The Tower of London.

Something I want to do is Hampton Court palace, one day I will get there.

Enjoy your visit and try not to worry about what is happening. I worked in London through the IRA bombings, they even blew up my office in one of the bombs, and never really though about it.

It did feel a lot different being up in London in July 2005 (about a week after 7/7) with a 3 month old DC1 when there was a second bomb scare. I managed to walk him across town to get to mainline station after the tubes were suspended with the help of my trusty A - Z.

How about St Pancras and then the area by the canal at the back of King's X? Granary Square and Lewis Cubitt Square?
I agree about the Museum of Childhood. It's a nice building but the stuff inside is not that interesting apart from a bit of nostalgia for parents.
There is a branch of the Museum of London at Canary Wharf which I haven't been to but looks interesting. The main Museum of London is great and very near the Barbican where you can eat outside by the lake and visit the conservatory if it's open

Greenwich is fascinating. They have just renovated the famous painted ceiling and for a bit you can go up on the renovators scaffolding and see it up close.

Have you thought about a guided walk, there are historical ones,literary ones, ghost ones, ripper ones.........

Ps if you go to the the museum of London make sure you go to Postmans Park nearby, a small churchyard with a display of plaques celebrating the lives of Londoners who have died saving other people, is more interesting than that sounds!!!!

Jurassic Kingdom attraction at Osterley Park? LittleBird have got a deal currently x

www.littlebird.co.uk/idea/jurassic-kingdom-at-osterley-park-walk-with-dinosaurs

I would do the South Bank. This can include the Duck Tour, which starts from just behind the London Eye, the London Eye itself, the Aquarium, wander down to tate Modern, and lots of street perofrmers etc and cafes as you wander along. Also good views back to Big Ben etc from that side of the river.

If you fancy the theatre, we went to School of Rock recently and got tickets at relatively short notice (not cheap though!)

Talking of guided walks, there is a graffiti one in Camden Town a friend says is good

Reading this thread with interest..I have a whole glorious week in London with two teenagers... Planning our itinerary seems quite daunting...this is our second visit because we didn't get to do all they wanted to do the first time around...any and all advice very gratefully received