London in August

[flumposie]

I've booked a few days in London at the end of August for myself and 10 year old daughter. I used to live there but it's my daughter's first trip. Would you still go under current circumstances or would it be better to wait and see how things are. I'm looking to start booking things .Thanks.

It depends what sort of things you want to do, and whether you are comfortable using public transport. Personally I would, although theatres etc aren't open and the shops are a lot different, a lot of places are quiet (and you can get the £10 voucher thing for food if you go on the right days). I don't think much will have changed from how it is today by then, so just see if you think it's worth it.

Personally I'd go. It's unlikely to be overly busy, well for London anyway, and it is a beautiful city with lots to see and do.

Where do you plan to go?

We are staying near Tower Bridge so definitely thinking of the bridge tour and tower of London. Possibly the zoo. She loves shopping also. I think I'd rather book things and if we don't go lose the money instead of getting there and not having things to do. Thanks.

I absolutely would. I think London will be a lot quieter with the collapse of the international tourist trade, so it's a good time to see all the icons without the crowds. Just make sure you book ASAP to get the times and dates you want. I've written a blog post on 50 things to do with kids in London this summer which includes what's reopening and how to book. Hope it helps! museummum.com/2020/07/16/summer-2020/

Hell yes I’d go!!

In fact - you’re given me the idea!

* not having things to do*

Impossible in London. Impossible

Thanks @museummumblogger. I've started to book things now.

@flumposie fantastic news, I'm sure you'll have a great time. We did Tower Bridge on Friday and it was our best visit there yet. We had the glass walkway to ourselves and all the staff were really welcoming. You only need an hour or so, so easy to combine with the Tower of London or other attractions. Here's my mini review of it www.instagram.com/p/CDGbzF4n3hZ/?igshid=l996vcoq1kms

@museummumblogger thanks. Sounds like you had a great time. We are staying near it so it's the first thing I've booked us in to visit

@flumposie we really did! The zoo was great when we visited post lockdown too, and more of the indoor enclosures have opened since then. Anyone over 3 needs to wear a face covering to go inside them though. www.instagram.com/p/CBpq6DcHto_/?igshid=1gudylyowzbpc

Book your restaurants in advance OP. There are lots doing deals to entice people back to them, even some of the higher end ones. Hawksmoor for example are doing a steak deal for £20 which makes it only £10 with the government eating out scheme which is amazing value.

It’ll be lovely to wander around while it’s relatively quiet

@museummumblogger I've booked the zoo, shard, tower bridge , tower of London and Natural history museum so far.Thanks for your suggestions. @Turnedouttoes thanks for the tip, next job is to book restaurants then .

Nice thing to do us get the clipper bus from just by tower of London down to westminster using oyster card or visa etc. And then walk down to big ben, trafalgar square, down the mall to buckingham palace. All easy walking distance. Then if you like hire the boris bikes to cycle back on the cycling super highway. Really easy cycle path to follow. You'll see loads of people cycling on it and it is all marked out. It's about 30 mins cycling back to tower of london if that is where you are staying. Good day out!!

Sorry not bus but the boat! Leaves every 10 mins or so from tower of London. It id public transport so no need to book.
It goes towards westminster or another day go opposite way to greenwich. Really cheap cheerful and fun way to get around. Boris bikes fun too.

I'd agree that lots will be good at the moment. We live in London and decided on a whim to go to the Tower of London last weekend. It was great. We got tickets easily, booking them on our phone once we arrived. Not everything was open but it was well managed with a one way system and really quiet. We spent ages chatting to various of the Yeomen, who also seemed to be enjoying how calm it was. We could walk straight into the crown jewels, when usually there would be a massive queue at this time of year, then were able to go round again a few times to have another look.

I live in London, its lovely and quiet, my son and I have been to places we would normally avoid due to it usually being so crowded.

The NHM is opening on 5th August, you can book your slot (free) online for your travel dates.

I went to the Tower of London last week and it was fantastic! Now is a perfect time to visit London and soak up the peace and quiet, free of the usual hordes of tourists. You are going to have a fantastic time and so is your daughter! If you have time, go to Covent Garden or Camden market as they’re much quieter now. I agree about the boat trips, you see London in a different way. I know you have to be discerning and not try to cram too much in. You’re going to have so much fun, you lucky things

I was wondering if now would be a good time to visit London too so this thread has come at a good time!

To the London locals on this post, are you finding that it's getting busier now that school summer holidays are here?
@museummumblogger @SimonJT @Brugmansia

@loveaspiring I honestly haven't noticed it being busy on my days out. We are only heading to places you can pre book and have limited visitor numbers. Yesterday we went to Natural History Museum and it was so quiet there it was amazing. I have more info up on my IG www.instagram.com/p/CDizJ_VHWto/?igshid=1pnjsyynmf2i1.

The streets around it are noticeably quieter, although cafes are busier due to Eat Out to Help Out scheme, but less tables out on the pavements and still not as busy as usual.

About 1/3 of seats taken on the tube but no one standing so feels quieter. And much better take up of masks and they're being almost entirely worn properly, unlike a couple of weeks ago. I didn't see any other families on the tube, it was all adults.

Lots of Londoners are still staying away from the centre, and there's no international tourists so it's honestly an amazing time to visit London if you feel safe doing so.

It’s busy but not bonkers summer busy. Oxford st is the same as usual.

We’ve been on holiday since Tuesday morning, but until then London was still fairly quiet, lots of places like NHM enable you to prebook so no queuing etc.

Thank you for the update, much appreciated :)

Try the SkyGarden at the top of the Walkie Talkie - it's free. You can book online in advance I think.