London with children in summer

[PrincessWatermelon]

We've got 2 nights booked in central London at the end of July and we're taking 2 DDs 9 and almost 7. It'll be their first experience of London.

Where would you suggest as top places to visit? I don't mind spending some money, although obviously not going overboard!!

I also don't want to walk loads as I'll be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon on the last day we're there, so I need to preserve my legs and feet!!

Thanks

Rather than the hop on hop off bus which I imagine will be pricey, route 15 takes in a lot of the main attractions from Tower of London through to the west end and only £1.50 per adult!

My nephew really enjoyed the Mail museum.
Also if the weather is good a lot of time can be spent dodging the pavement fountains behind Kings Cross or near London Bridge stations!

It's a bit random but there are often some free things going on at the O2 and so can combine that with the Thames clipper or the cable car.

I like taking my kids to the Tate Modern then wandering along the South Bank. Always loads of street entertainers that really get their attention. The Turbine Hall installations are often very engaging for children.

Covent Garden is pretty dreary at the moment; I was there the other day and nothing much happening.
If you're staying in Trafalgar Square, you could pop down Cecil Court and Goodwin's Court and show them 'Diagon Alley" - only a five minute walk.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but I would recommend a visit to the sky garden, great views of london and it's free! We like it better than the gherkin. https://skygarden.london

Like PP's I would also suggest the London Eye and maybe taking advantage of a multi attraction ticket https://www.londoneye.com we did london dungeons and sea life aquarium too. (

Tower bridge is great too, the glass viewing platform was really fun. https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0oB1evE8AIVTZ7tCh0pGwXGEAAYASAAEgJFKfDD_BwE

So much to do, you may need to schedule another trip!

Thank you again for these suggestions. I really appreciate people taking the time to write and link to things. 😊

Tower of London, Monument and HMS Belfast all close together and all fascinating. St Katherines .dock also close by.

Museum of London , Lord Mayors coach, history of London , and not usually crowded.

The Elizabeth Park ( Olympic Site) always has interesting things going on, you can swim in the Olympic pool though not sure about seven year old,, slide down the Mittal , take a canal boat ride, hire bikes.

I would personally avoid the big museums ie science and natural history, if you are in London on a summers weekend, they will be packed! And the great thing is they will be there next time.

If you are staying in TrafalgarSquare then walk down to Embankment Pier and take a riverboat trip down river . How far you go depends on your time, but Greenwich is doable. Lots to look out for on the way down. You are also just across the river from Southbank, London Eye etc, quite a nice place for an evenings stroll if you are up for it, and the river looks stunning at night.

Also from Trafalgar Square you can walk down the mall towards Buckingham Palace, look out for Nelsons ships on the tops of the lamp posts ( reputed to be based on his fleet, but probably not) .

If you are looking for somewhere to eat, and if it is open, the Crypt at St Martin’s , the big church in Trafalgar Square ,has a very reasonably priced cafe with proper freshly cooked food , the profits from the cafe supports the outreach work the church does with homeless people, so win win.

Do be careful when watching the street entertainers in Trafalgar Square, it is a popular place for pickpockets to prey on crowds.

I would get the hop on/hop off bus. It’s expensive but really saves your feet. I have a feeling they are normally valid for 2 days. I live in London but did it with some family and it was fun.

As for attractions, I think Tower of London is good to visit and it is fun to walk over the glass roof at tower bridge. Maybe London eye as well? If you have time natural history and science museum are good fun, but they will easily take a full day to do both. Museum of London is quite cool though.

My son loved the shard when he was about 8, but it is pricy. Sky gardens is another option but you need to book quite far in advance.

I def wouldn’t bother with Madame Tussaud’s!

If you or your kids are into Harry Potter you could easily visit the snicket that inspired Diagon Alley, Goodwin’s Court - it's a short walk from Trafalgar Square on the way to Covent Garden.

(snicket = alleyway. Sorry. My Yorkshire roots were peeping through then.)

If Saturday is your main day and you don’t want too much walking you could do something like this.

Get tube from embankment a few stops west to South Kensington and do a museum. Come back on tube to Victoria. Then get the no 11 bus east. It goes the same route as the tourist buses but will take you past sights such as Big Ben. It’s also not stuck in traffic on the weekend. You could get off at St. Paul’s then walk across the millennium bridge. From there you could pop into Tate modern and then have a short walk up to borough market. You could even continue to tower bridge and the Tower of London if you want. You could then get a clipper boat, ie the river bus back to embankment from there.

Have fun and good luck for the run.

@PrincessWatermelon I haven't seen anyone to mention it yet but you will need to pre-book your visit to most places this summer. Or maybe by end of July it's free for all again but we've just been to London and had to pre-book our visit to Natural History Museum and Tower of London.

It all actually worked very well as we just walked in to both places and apart from an odd pocket of lots of people, we had both places largely to ourselves. And this was during half term. I've avoided going in to NHM for years as the queue to the dinosaurs were always horrendous and I can't bear large crowds. Not this time, just walk in and enjoy the displays without trying to fight through a wall of people.

I also second the Princes Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens. It's perfect for your DD's age still. Make sure to meander through the entire playground, lots of quirky and fun things there to discover. It's a wonderful place for children.

Hiring a pedalo on the Serpentine lake is fun too and a great way to have a little rest if you get your children to do the pedalling