ChatterBank1 min ago
London - Where To Stay/park And Go?
Hi. The kids want to go to London to "see the sights". It's my idea of hell, but they really want to go.
SO... Can I please have some ideas of things to do, people to see, places to go.
We don't *have* to stay there, but I figured two days would be better than one, or is one enough?
I was thinking the National History museum but last time I went past there the queues were MASSIVE. Any thoughts/ideas on that one would be great too.
Thanks.
SO... Can I please have some ideas of things to do, people to see, places to go.
We don't *have* to stay there, but I figured two days would be better than one, or is one enough?
I was thinking the National History museum but last time I went past there the queues were MASSIVE. Any thoughts/ideas on that one would be great too.
Thanks.
Answers
Park out and tube in and since the kids are all reaosnably old if you want to save on accomodation stay in a hostel ( they're not as grotty as they sound they're just like budget hotels if you have a private room for you all) and will work out at about £20 per night per person and lots of central ones too. I was brought up in London for my very early life and we were very...
13:36 Tue 30th Jul 2013
Take them on a ride on the top deck of a tour bus - you will get in most of the sights and then decide which ones you want to see more of. There are so many it depends on you and your children's particular interests.
The parks are great too: Hyde Park, Regents Park.
The queues outside the Natural History Museum (I think that is the one you mean) are usually the worst first thing in the morning when people are waiting for it to open.
The parks are great too: Hyde Park, Regents Park.
The queues outside the Natural History Museum (I think that is the one you mean) are usually the worst first thing in the morning when people are waiting for it to open.
Depends where you are driving from, but we stayed at a lovely hotel in St Alabns, left our car there all week and 10mins walk to station, got travecards where you can go on any bus or train with quite a big zone area for the day, so you dont have to worry about keep getting your purse out and paying every 5 mins. Would def do it again !! I think you will wear yourselves out if you try to do everything in 1 day !!
suppose you stayed somewhere like this
http://
Free parking, go in by tube every day.
There may well be similar places elsewhere in outer London if you're not coming from that direction
http://
Free parking, go in by tube every day.
There may well be similar places elsewhere in outer London if you're not coming from that direction
Park out and tube in and since the kids are all reaosnably old if you want to save on accomodation stay in a hostel ( they're not as grotty as they sound they're just like budget hotels if you have a private room for you all) and will work out at about £20 per night per person and lots of central ones too.
I was brought up in London for my very early life and we were very near the British Museum which is great, Oxford Street for shopping. Make sure you go on a 'duck tour' ( amphibious bus) and then whatever you fancy. Madame Toussauds is expensive, likewise most of the ' sights' but there are plenty of free things going on- check out the street performers in Covent Garden, cheap rickshaw rides around Soho, endless parks with stuff going on all the time, and of course all the usual things, like the Tower, Buckingham Palace etc. I'd scrimp on accomodation and stay for a long weekend as you'll never fit it all into one or two days without dying of exhaustion otherwise.
I was brought up in London for my very early life and we were very near the British Museum which is great, Oxford Street for shopping. Make sure you go on a 'duck tour' ( amphibious bus) and then whatever you fancy. Madame Toussauds is expensive, likewise most of the ' sights' but there are plenty of free things going on- check out the street performers in Covent Garden, cheap rickshaw rides around Soho, endless parks with stuff going on all the time, and of course all the usual things, like the Tower, Buckingham Palace etc. I'd scrimp on accomodation and stay for a long weekend as you'll never fit it all into one or two days without dying of exhaustion otherwise.
If you are taking four kids, the open top tour bus wll cost a fortune. (Last year for 2 adults and 2 children 5&3, we were quoted £75)
You might be better off, buying travelcards and trundling around on a standard double decker seeing the sites and jumping on and off when you see something of interest - with a tourist map and a bus route guide this is fairly easy.
You might be better off, buying travelcards and trundling around on a standard double decker seeing the sites and jumping on and off when you see something of interest - with a tourist map and a bus route guide this is fairly easy.
That's all great - thank you.
I think we will do just that. Stay somewhere cheap but stay for a couple of nights. I didn't really want to do the whole Madam Tussaud's thing, and I don't think the kids would appreciate it much either, so parks are a good idea to fill the time between the more obvious attractions. Good idea about the duck tour too, I've never been on one, and the kids will love it! :)
Many thanks to all, it's given me some ideas to play with.
I think we will do just that. Stay somewhere cheap but stay for a couple of nights. I didn't really want to do the whole Madam Tussaud's thing, and I don't think the kids would appreciate it much either, so parks are a good idea to fill the time between the more obvious attractions. Good idea about the duck tour too, I've never been on one, and the kids will love it! :)
Many thanks to all, it's given me some ideas to play with.
The number one attraction for kids is the Science Museum:
http://
(NB: Once you get kids inside the Science Museum, you can't get them out! Allow at least three hours if you're only going for the free stuff or at least four hours if you're including things like the IMAX cinema presentations)
If you saw big queues at the Natural History Museum they were almost certainly for a special exhibition. You should be able to walk straight in to see the permanent displays:
http://
(Some of the stuff would bore kids rigid but the moving dinosaurs are not to be missed!)
A trip on the river is fun but the guided tours are expensive (and too long for many kids). Instead take a regular river bus service for the short journey between, say, Tower Pier and Embankment (which takes in lots of sights). The crew usual provide a commentary anyway:
http://
A trip on the Emiraate Air Line cable car across the Thames can be fun.
If the sun's shining, the street entertainers at Covent Garden Piazza provide some great free entertainment. Further summer fun is to be had at the Southbank Centre (by the Royal Festival Hall), where kids and adults alike can try to guess which 'rooms' of water will appear next:
http://
(Although that link doesn't mention it, that feature HAS returned this year after missing last year through drought. Take some towels!).
http://
(NB: Once you get kids inside the Science Museum, you can't get them out! Allow at least three hours if you're only going for the free stuff or at least four hours if you're including things like the IMAX cinema presentations)
If you saw big queues at the Natural History Museum they were almost certainly for a special exhibition. You should be able to walk straight in to see the permanent displays:
http://
(Some of the stuff would bore kids rigid but the moving dinosaurs are not to be missed!)
A trip on the river is fun but the guided tours are expensive (and too long for many kids). Instead take a regular river bus service for the short journey between, say, Tower Pier and Embankment (which takes in lots of sights). The crew usual provide a commentary anyway:
http://
A trip on the Emiraate Air Line cable car across the Thames can be fun.
If the sun's shining, the street entertainers at Covent Garden Piazza provide some great free entertainment. Further summer fun is to be had at the Southbank Centre (by the Royal Festival Hall), where kids and adults alike can try to guess which 'rooms' of water will appear next:
http://
(Although that link doesn't mention it, that feature HAS returned this year after missing last year through drought. Take some towels!).
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