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

Catch a kid friendly movie at the prince Charles cinema - lovely little place and they screen films like the goonies etc. gutted we missed the muppets Christmas carol there this year due to lockdown.
The south bank centre usually has lots on if it's school holidays.
The oxo tower does afternoon tea - can't say it's the most special I've had but the views are amazing.

@uniqlo

This thread has made me miss being able to go into London with the kids even more!

So many great suggestions already, but just wanted to add the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. We spent many an afternoon there when my children were younger.

Enjoy! It's lovely having something fun to plan and look forward to.

This is making miss living in London. I remember when climbers and creepers opened in Kew, we would stay for hours. Not anymore I guess.

I love London and can't wait to visit again.

I'd second the Sky Garden, near to the Tower of London and overlooking the river. It's totally free and the views are spectacular, well worth a visit. But it gets booked up quick, I think they release the dates a month in advance, so keep an eye out.

Have fun!!

I think cutter & squidge do a Harry Potter afternoon tea, and some of the big hotels do child friendly ones too

Harry Potter afternoon tea
cutterandsquidge.com/pages/afternoon-tea-london

Good article here with lots of afternoon teas - it’s from last year but hopefully most will have started again when you come here
www.tinytable.co.uk/2020/01/child-friendly-afternoon-tea-in-london.html

i hated being dragged around the british museum as a child, and i was 13. so boring. ditto any museum. far too improving, educational. avoid.
let them be out and about, views etc.
anything along the river.

neither do kids, nor men, care about afternoon tea.
that's one for the grannies/ aunties.

Loads to see around Tower of London. I would do London Bridge first thing, does not take loads of time and great glass walkway. Then the Tower, then take a wander around St Katherine’s Dock. Loads of places to eat, the barge Gloriana in the dock. Then over London Bridge to lovely dockside buildings and the design museum

@nancy75 Thank you, Nancy - a HP one would be pretty cool (though I’m the fan, not so much DS!). I had read that article, was going to follow up on a few when things re-opened again to check. So many lovely choices!

@alexdgr8 I’ll let DS know he’s wrong, then.

I’m going to go against the grain here & say if you’re only here for 3 nights stay fairly central (Greenwich is great but unless you’re set on the Cutty Sark you can do park/food market/river walk more centrally)

As your son has never been so I would stick to the ‘big sights’ Buckingham Palace for changing of the Guard, Tower of London, London eye & Big Ben

Hamley’s is hell on Earth but also a 7 year olds dream - the best plan is send your DH & DS to Hamley’s while you go to Liberty round the corner!
Definitely do the NH & science museum.

well you obviously have an unusual boy, OP, with adult tastes.
what about tea at the shard ?

And Wonderlab at the science museum is a must go early doors!

where are you staying.
i hear the holiday inn, oxford circus, behind debenhams, i think on welbeck street, near corner with wigmore street is well located and reasonable.

I've done the HP afternoon tea - if he's not a massive fan then I'd say it's style over substance and quite pricey for what it is. Claridge's is quite feminine, I like Fortnums' (in the tea rooms on the top floor) as it has good savoury options. There are themed ones around as well; I'm considering the Alice in Wonderland one at the Sanderson for DD1's 9th birthday.

The big museums really depend on the weather - if it’s wet get there at the crack of dawn & expect a queue!

One to avoid is Madame Tussaud’s - the queue is ridiculous & kids don’t know who most of the people are! I would vote that most disappointing tourist attraction ( along with rainforest cafe - avoid at all costs!)

agree to avoid madame tussards, that's a real tourist trap. avoid.

Ace ideas here!

Don't spend all your time in the main tourist areas in the westend - London is huge and I love wandering the City, Marylebone, Camden, London Bridge area etc etc. There are lots of treasure hunt type activities you can get online which take you around lots of interesting bits of London.

The best afternoon tea is the Charlie and the Choc factory at One Aldwych!

Skygarden at the top of the walkie talkie building offers spectacular views of London and is free if you book in advance. Much better than the Shard in my opinion.

Cafe Elan do lovely hot chocolates and are worth the splurge.

Hamleys is a must with kids, skip Harrods.

Bus route 15 is a good one as it covers many landmarks, do have a look.

Cable car is also fun.

I'm so excited for you, have a great time!

@cyclingtowardsbethlehem

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

Also Pizza Pilgrims

There is also The Shrek adventure by the London eye - again my idea of hell but probably right up a 7 year old’s street! It’s owned by the same people that run the London eye so you can probably get a combo ticket if you want to do both

@Fivemoreminutes1

Mudlarks at the Museum of London Docklands is an amazing interactive play area is for under 12s. Coram's Fields is a free 7-acre playground and park. Pet's Corner is popular, and the sandpit is good if it's dry. There's a cafe onsite too. Climbers and Creepers is a really popular play area at Kew Gardens. It’s so popular that you need to book a time slot, and that was pre Covid! Children get in to Kew for free, and at one point you could get 2for1 adult entry with your railcard. The pelicans in St. James's Park are fed fish at 2:30 p.m. each day. The park is quite big so you need to head for the opposite end to Buckingham Palace and they are fed from behind Duck Island Cottage, near Horse Guard's Parade. The pelicans know when it's time as they wait there and keep watch for the man with the fish. Throwing the fish out takes just 10 minutes or so, but it's fun to watch.

I'd recommend getting Big Bus Tour classic ticket. On the bus, do a complete lap of the Red Route without getting off. It takes just over 2 hours and includes Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, Mayfair, London Bridge, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. There's live commentary in English but Italian is an option for the pre-recorded headsets.
The ticket also includes a one-way river cruise along the Thames from Westminster Pier to the Tower of London, or vice versa. I'd start and finish the bus tour at Westminster Pier so afterwards you can catch the boat straight up to the Tower of London. If you're up early, you could be done with the bus tour by mid morning and be at the Tower for lunch. The are about 3 different cafes and a kiosk where you can buy food. Then allow 3-4 hours for the Tower. After you're done, head over Tower Bridge and walk along the river to Southbank in time for dinner. You could then go on the London Eye in the evening if you have time . At weekends it's open until 8:30.
There are loads of street performers at Southbank, such as magicians and singers, as well as restaurants and cafes with good views across the river. Just behind the Southbank is the Jubilee Gardens where there is a great adventure playground and lots of grass for a picnic and play.
If you fancy a trip on a bus without paying for an open top bus tour, the RV1 bus from Tower Gateway to Covent Garden goes past many of the big sites taking about 30 minutes. It’s a great alternative if you think your DS would like a trip on a bus but you don’t think they will sit still through a long tour.
The Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens has a huge wooden pirate ship, sensory trail, tepee and a beach.
The Lego store in Leicester Square is an experience in itself - it’s the biggest Lego shop in the world and has some massive models of London landmarks and movie characters. It’s also right next to M and M world which is great fun.
Changing of the Guard usually attracts large crowds. An alternative is to head for Horse Guards Parade where the Queen’s Life Guard change at 11am Monday – Sat and 10am on a Sunday. There are smaller crowds and no railings between visitors and the guards taking place, and the whole event takes about 30 minutes.

Wow! Thanks for this list.

Does the pelican feeding happen everyday/ whilst in lockdown?