Tower of London, River Cruise and London Eye can be done in one day. Get to the Tower of London early in the morning. 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 free 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. I’d allow 3 hours at the Tower.
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.
The Tower of London is one of the stops on the Thames River Cruise. You could catch the boat from there to the London Eye pier and you’ll see lots of sights such as Shakespeare’s Globe. You could then go on the London Eye (get a combi boat cruise and London Eye ticket).
Chinatown borders Leicester Square which is worth a visit, but be warned - there’s the biggest Lego shop in Europe and M and M world!
For dinner, I’d recommend Inamo (oriental fusion restaurant with space age decor and interactive table tops) and then head to Chin Chin dessert labs nearby for afters!
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
If you’re going to Harry Potter world, you will probably enjoy going to Kings Cross to see the trolley in the wall and visit the shop at Platform 9 3/4. It's open from 8am so could be done early one day.
Lots of visitors to London go to see the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace, but there can be large crowds making it difficult to see. An alternative, particularly for kids who love horses, 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.
The Transport Museum is great for children that age and there’s a new gallery called Future Engineers www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/year-of-engineering/future-engineers
Coram’s Fields is a huge adventure playground and park with petting zoo, sandpits, zip wire and one of the largest slides in central London! www.coramsfields.org/park-playground/