Help me plan a short break in London

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Can someone help me plan an itinerary a 3 day trip to London with my 2 boys ages 8 and 5. I just think having a rough itinerary will help use use the time purposefully rather than floundering trying to decide what to do and where to go.

Late Feb so am assuming it will be cold.

Arrive at kings X day one (weds) at approx 11. Staying at Earl’s Court YHA so will go here first to leave luggage there.

Day 2 (thurs)
Tickets for the Tower of London booked. Will this take the whole day? Where is good to eat with kids nearby?

Day 3 (Fri)
Tickets for the Mail Rail train ride at the postal Museum at 11am

Day 4 (sat) leave Kings X at 5 ish but will need to collect bag from Earl’s Court

What else should we do? We are staying close to south ken museums so could do Nat Hist/ Science or both?? Last time we did the royal mews and museum of London.

Wondering also whether to get the clipper to Greenwich and go to the maritime museum which Boys would like?

Also I would like to go to uniqlo!

I don’t think the Tower will take the whole day. From there you could head down to Greenwich on the boat for afternoon and evening , lots of places to eat down there. You could then go home on the Jubilee line to Westminster then district/circle to Earls Court

Ok good idea re Greenwich after the tower

Wondering if DCs would also like the British Museum mummies but it will be
Half term v busy? But same goes for everywhere I suppose

Would they enjoy a visit to Chelsea football club, its near Earl's Court, if you do the south Ken museums you can walk up to Kensington Gardens or Hyde Park, they have the Diana Memorial wnd a kids play area. I don't know if there is a uniqlo in Kensingston but it would be online. From the Tower you could visit St Paul's. If you do a river trip to Greenwich maybe go a bit further up to the 02, see if theres anything on for children. If it's cold, wet a d windy you might prefer to be I doors, what sort of things do they like to do.

If you want to go to the British museum it's not far from the postal museum so you could do that afterwards. Behind kings cross is granary square with fountains, a canal boat museum, I don't know if the boats will be running, plenty of places to eat and the British museum which might have something on.

Oh yes I have been to granary sq before but without them. They would like the fountains etc

Yes there's a very good Uniqlo in High St Ken. Don't for god's sake go anywhere near Oxford Street as A) it's hell on earth and B) most residents Londoners avoid it like the plague as it's hellish.

I would get a river boat as it's fun. Take it up to or back from Greenwich.

My boys absolutely love Chicken Shop where they roast chickens in front of you - there's one near the British Museum/Covent Garden (the Holborn branch) and it's a really fun place for children. You basically get roast chicken and chips and that's about it. Ace . www.chickenshop.com/

Also the boring old Lego shop in Leicester Square might be worth a visit if your boys are into that? It's the biggest one in the world allegedly but the others must be tiny if that is so. My boys love it though. And there's an M&M shop opposite which is also hell on earth but nirvana for midgets.

Ok so could we go to British museum after the postal museum and eat at chicken shop then maybe go to Covent Garden to look at entertainers etc?

And yes they'd love Lego store!!

it would be easy to do postal museum, half an hours walk to british museum and you pass the charles dickens museum, about five minute walk from b.m. to chicken shop in high holborn then 15 mins walk to covent garden, its easy to do, buses are really frequent if you don't fancy walking. if you get time there might be the skating rink open at somerset house which is walkable from covent garden.

If the British museum is crowded, the Petrie Museum has amazing Egyptian stuff not far from there - part of UCL so south of Euston (also not far from kings x) British Museum always crowded but there are quieter parts, unfortunately mummiy section tend to be the most congested!

The website suggests 3 hours to see everything and we found that was all our DC could manage.
It’s well worth popping to the information desk BEFORE you head into the Tower of London to pick up a free children’s activity pack. Alternatively there’s a Time Explorers App which you can download before you go. Your children can then join in digital missions where they meet historical characters and help them solve problems whilst exploring. There are regular organized guided tours led by the Yeoman Warders. They take place every 30 minutes and last 1 hour. Our timing didn’t work out for joining one – mostly because we wanted to beat the crowds for the Crown Jewels and didn’t fancy visiting ‘en masse’ with a large group. However, every now and again we would happen upon a guide and would listen intently to their animated, entertaining talks.
If time allows leave the Tower of London (your ticket allows re-entry) to walk across Tower Bridge. Check the lift times on their website to see if the bridge is opening during your visit. A sight worth seeing.

Great tips on the tower thanks @Ricekrispie22

The bank of England has a great free museum which easily fills an hour or 2, nearby to the TOL.

You could also get the tube (docklands light railway) from Tower Gateway to Royal Victoria and take the cable car over the Thames. Return on a train to Bank and sit in the front carriage!

I'd get bagels from Brick Lane to eat that day but appreciate you might want something inside.