Please show off your London hacks and tips!

[evtheria]

Giddy with the thought of restrictions easing, we booked 3 (refundable) nights in London for autumn. We are not familiar with the city, and it will be the first time for our DS (who will be 7 by then).

What are your best tips and tricks for London visits? What should we splurge on? What should we miss? What did your young kids love? Do we go to Harrods or Hamleys for a gawk?
I’ve read a great MSE article with helpful info, but know Mn is full of founts of knowledge! Thank you in advance

Ooh yes I like Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood - but I am sure I read it's having a refit so I would check it's actually open before travelling.

These are really useful details, thank you so much to everyone. I do want to go to Liberty's, but that may be something I beg the others to leave me alone for!

We are staying at the Pullman on Euston Road, on a map it doesn’t look great for our hit list but I’m from a compact Mcr so I assume everything in London needs a tube ride! Will def use the apps to prep what’s walkable and what needs a bit of planning.

@Ilovemaisie Great tip on toy shops - DS is Pokemon mad, and I love fantasy things so it may work out better for us to go to Forbidden Planet.

You will love Forbidden Planet (and spend far too much £££)

Hastily crosses off Forbidden Planet

Oooh specialist subject. My eldest is 7 and we live in London.

Museums- dinosaurs are actually a bit disappointing I think, especially as it is so packed. But if you must, I think you can usually book a slot. The best bits of the NHM are the earthquake room in the mineral section and the basement area where they have loads of specimens and it's brilliantly set up for kids to weigh and measure them, draw them etc.

The wonderlab in the Science museum is well worth it- not expensive and the shows are fantastic. They have some awesome interactives. Plus the space bit as well. It's usually much les stressful than the NHM. Afterwards you're only 5 minutes walk from Hyde Park for a run about- in the summer we often go for a wade in the Diana Fountain after.

The maritime museum in Greenwich is very popular with mine- good play area and you can get there on the Clipper and also head to the meridian to see where time starts. The market is good for lunch and there are some fab pubs and eel and pie shops for real Lahndan.

We also like the Tate modern. In normal times they have a family thing on most weeks and they can romp round the turbine Hall. The new annex has a good viewing platform on the 10th floor. It's free so if they get bored of the art after 30 minutes it doesn't matter. You can then wander up the south bank and look at the buskers and bubble makers and if the tide is out get down on the foreshore.

I am not sure what the southbank centre is saying about reopening but they also usually have things on in the holidays, some of it free, and children love the Singing Lift.

I wouldn't bother with Kew if you're visiting from somewhere less urban- it's lovely but a full day and not 'in London' - also very expensive. Likewise stay away from the shops. They're just shops and Hamleys is an overpriced hellhole. The Tower of London is a bit lost on mine but I want to try again now they've done the Tudors at school, likewise if they have done the Great Fire going up monument could be interesting?

Check out the Unicorn Theatre if that is possible- it's a children's and young people's theatre near London Bridge and the production quality is very high.

If I was you I'd do one day museums, one day Greenwich and one day South Bank. Don't underestimate how long it can take to get around and how knackering small kids can find it.

@cyclingtowardsbethlehem Yes, staying in one general area per day sounds sensible! We’re trying not to get our hopes up going with a child, but we agreed we each get one “must do/see” and everything else is up to the fates.

On the shops, I would make an exception for Liberty's but I wouldn't take a 7yo, very stressful. Shops in London are usually open quite late so might give you more wiggle room.

Take the river hot from London Bridge all the way to battersea power station (then taxi it back to Victoria or you can get the 137 to Sloane Square and get the D&C line from there)

Hamleys is shit

Din tai fung in Covent Garden is a brilliant dim sum restaurant- can book in advance. But great for kids.

Try to book theatre if they are reopened. They are so amazing - Matilda is 👌

Oh and the V&A is actually really cool. My kids loved the gold ans silver and all the jewellery and it’s less rammed with other badly behaved kids.

If you can book the NHM then get the first earliest slot and do the dinosaurs first then straight over to the geology/ space section and then outta there!

There is a five guys near South Kensington station which does quick and dirty burgers.

Franco Manca is a good child friendly option for pizza too, there are quite a few branches.

Go to HMS Belfast (an old battleship which has been made into a museum, all kids love it) which is docked at London Bridge. This is also near Borough Market, Guys Hospital, Shakespeare's Globe, Tower Bridge and all sorts of interesting sights on that stretch of the river. So you could do all those in one day.

Also take a river trip to Greenwich and explore Greenwich Park. Another day.

I would recommend walking through Regents Park and up to Primrose Hill for the best panoramic view of London.

Book tickets in advance and go up to The Sky garden which is in the Walkie Talkie building across the river from the Shard and has much better views and is completely free! or was the last time I went. You get a great birds eye view of the Tower of London from there.

You could walk from there to St Paul's which really is stunning and worth seeing even if only from the outside.

If you are coming to London, don't go shopping! Do something different with your time. Avoid Oxford Street if you can. It is nothing! Just a polluted, crowded street of high street shops.

Avoid the aquarium - there are much better (and cheaper ones) and again not unique to London.

As said by others, definitely use the Citymapper app. DSD loved Fire and Stone in Covent Garden (unusual pizza toppings) and My Old Dutch in Holborn (giant pancakes!). Try to sit at the front of the DLR so you can pretend to drive/just enjoy watching the journey - and cable car and water taxi are also great

I'd allow yourself one day in the London Bridge area - the Globe and the Golden Hinde to tick off the educational bits - borough market for lunch and then walk along to Tower Bridge - there are some fountains in the pavement outside City Hall and HMS Belfast is good especially for boys.

Get the kids to get Blue Peter Badges if they haven't already - hopefully that will all be working again by then (it isn't now). They get in loads of stuff free including the Tower of London and Zoo!

Queuing for the Crown Jewels is worth it for the travelators alone in mine and my kids' opinion.

If you go on the London Eye do a bit of prep on the landmarks with your 7 year old first - it makes it so much better value if they know what they're looking for!

@Bear2014

Hello, London parent here.

Definitely get the regular bus rather than spending out on the open top one. You can just use your bank card to pay your fare on every bus (and the tube).

If you're going to the Natural History or Science Museums, head there for opening time to do the popular bits (dinosaurs etc) before the crowds build up. You could tie this in with Harrods/Kings Road too.

For a view, the Skygarden is free, tickets are released for booking every week, for up to 3 weeks in advance. Spitalfields/Brick Lane area are interesting to walk around.

The view from the top of the Tate Modern, also free entry, are also good. My DD (7) enjoys the Tate itself too.

The Southbank is well worth a visit even though it is very touristy and gets busy. We come into Blackfriars and the walk from there to Waterloo is fun, with street performers etc. The Wahaca by the South Bank Centre is a favourite lunch spot of our kids.

The walk the other way to London Bridge is good too, past the Globe Theatre etc., and Borough Market is a great lunch destination.

Greenwich is lovely for a day out, get the Thames Clipper and visit the Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum etc. Greenwich Market for lunch on the go or there are also some gorgeous pubs such as the Trafalgar Tavern.

We really like London Zoo, and Regents Park/Primrose Hill are lovely for a walk.

Chinatown is a fun experience for lunch if your kids are more adventurous eaters. Very close to Oxford St if you're doing that.

Enjoy! It's a very child friendly city to mooch around.

London parent here and I second all of these ideas!

Definitely top of Primrose Hill or Parliament Hill to spot the whole of the skyline.

Also Magic Goes Wrong is great for kids that age!

'Especially for boys' 🙄

Euston is a great place to stay. Go and eat with the kids on Marylebone high street, just a short walk away, lovely for an evening stroll and look in the shops. Mainly chains to eat but also some nice independent places which are worth trying.

My daughter loved HMS Belfast as much as my son. Goodness me gender stereotyping begins at a young age.

We have had many great holidays in London, like a PP, makes me want to plan another one.

Whatever you try to do, try to 'group' the places together in visiting, so that you are not schleping from one side to another the whole time, that can really take hours out of your day, as exciting as it is travelling on the bus or tube.

Some other things we liked (apologies if already mentioned)-
The bank of England museum- free and you can lift a gold bullion. This is close by to the Tower of London.

The Houses of Parliament- but book on a special family tour if they are running. You (at least used to) just pay for adults- children are free, so it was about £9/adult.

Oh and the trip on the Emirates cable car if you are over that way.

I live in London and loads of good suggestions already.

I live in Greenwich so just some suggestions off the basis of Greenwich being mentioned a few times.

You can combine lots of the suggestions easily into one day. You can get a river boat to Greenwich from several stops in central, so can tick that one off.

The Observatory is within the Royal Park so you can wander through the park on the way to the Observatory. The views of London from there, or the top of Crooms or Maze Hill (both in the park) are just as good as Hampstead/Primeose Hill, so not worth going to Hampstead just for the view if you’re already going to Greenwich. From the Observatory you get the juxtaposition of old (the maritime buildings) and new (Canary Wharf, the City).

Next to the Observatory is the meridian line (as in Greenwich Mean Time, 0 degrees longitude). Always lots of tourists taking snaps there.

The Market is a couple of minutes from the main Park exit and good for wandering/lunch. Then another minute away is Cutty Sark. And all the maritime buildings.

You can then walk along the river - or get a bus - to North Greenwich, where you can get the cable cars to Royal Victoria Docks - great views of the docklands on the cable cars and just lots of fun. Some bars and cafes on the other side. From North Greenwich you’re then on the Jubilee line so can easily get home.

Hamleys - why? Unless you’re planning a huge toy splurge, children really don’t enjoy window shopping!

Speed river boat along the Thames - brilliant
Give the eye a miss - slow and dull
Walk along Southbank, lovely
So much - love love love London

There's some amazing ideas on here, great post op. X

Save money on a tour bus and catch the number 11 bus. Look up the route and see what suits you. Last time I did it with my kids we stared at Victoria and got off at St. Paul’s. Lots of sights to see from the top deck. Do it on a weekend when traffic is lighter. If you finish at St. Paul’s you can walk over the millennium bridge for the tate, borough market and on to tower bridge/tower of London.

Boat ride also a good idea. I like Westminster to Greenwich. Greenwich is a lovely place to potter around including the park with great views and the observatory.

Have a great trip.

Thank you to all the new commenters, I’m so excited now reading your suggestions... And some sound like they’ll save us tourists a few pennies that we can use on other treats!

PS: If anyone can vouch for the best afternoon tea (that’s child-friendly) please do. I don’t mind going all out for this (DS’s #1 request) but would expect amazing food and would like it to be in a unique/stunning location, as we also do alright up in Manchester for cream teas Is Claridges actually amazing? Or am I best off just going for a decent one that happens to be located in a nice and scenic area?