UKC

Visiting London soon, will be there for a week - family of four (2 children, under 10) - what delights do you recommend?

Museum - which ones - Natural History museum?

Shard or London Eye - will only do one but which one?

Places to go - Buck Palace, House of P, Tower of London

Anything else "locals" recommend?

Reasonable priced central places to eat/grab a drink as well.

London Zoo - worth it?

In reply to subtle:

Science museum? Close to Natural History so could do both.

In reply to subtle:

Hi

Instead of either the London Eye or the Shard, what about SkyGarden? It is free and the views are great. Just need to book in advance.

The Princess Diana childrens park in Hyde Park might be nice after a trip to the museums. Natural History and Science Museums are worth a look.

London Zoo is worth it if you are going to spend the good part of a day there (and you haven't been to a larger non-city zoo recently). I thought you could still get 2 for 1 tickets with National Rail. Book online for a slight discount.

In reply to subtle:

Jump on a Thames clipper and stop off at Greenwich. Cutty Sark, Greenwich Park (Observatory and the GMT meridian line and a good kid's playground), and the national Maritime museum. Loads of food options from the Market to riverside pubs.

While you are down, you have to get tickets to a matinee show as well.

In reply to subtle:

Zoo, London eye etc all v expensive. London eye is a great experience, Id go for that. Combine with Tate Modern.

Borough Market on Fri/Sat is great for lunch
Walk green park to Cov Garden is great for sight seeing (Soho, Carnaby St, Hamleys, Picc Circ)

In reply to subtle:

The Tower of London is good, but the "0old soldier"commentary by your Yeoman guide might be funny for adults but would probably be over the heads of the little ones.

The River Bus to Greenwich is a good recommendation - discount with an Oyster card

Cutty Sark

All the museums in South Kensington are good and close together, but can get very crowded

My grand daugters aged 8 and 6 love the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden. Loads of eating places at Covent Garden too and street buskers.

In reply to Max factor:

Second the Thames Clipper trip to Greenwich - I take it from Canary Wharf into central London sometimes and I always enjoy it.

The Emirates Cable Car is quite fun as well, but short lived, and not really "classic" London

In reply to subtle:


If you're there for a week, you might want to think about getting out of the centre for some evening meals. It's obviously a bit of extra logistical faff, but heading out to Green Lanes for Turkish, Shoreditch for Vietnamese or Tooting for curry is likely to get you cheaper and more interesting food and a bit more of an experience than you'll find in the centre.

In reply to Max factor:

Any idea of approximate prices for last minute show tickets or where best to look?

In reply to subtle:

HMS Belfast was something I enjoyed as a kid

In reply to subtle: where are you staying - lots of good above, I always enjoyed Kew Gardens.

National Gallery is very good, and free. What exhibitions are on . If you like art, and are lucky with timing Sotheby's, Christies pre auction viewings can be exceptional

In reply to subtle:

The aquarium is brilliant.

British Museum fabulous, pick one or two bits - Egyptions? - cos you'll never see all of it.

King of Falafel on Leather Lane puts on a good show at lunchtime and the name is very accurate.

I like the area around Seven Dials, it's nice even if you're not shopping.

Walk down Whitehall and see Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

St Paul's is an amazing building.

Check out the range of cinemas, might be something suitable for the kids that's not showing elsewhere.

Walking along the South Bank is great, cross over at Embankment and head east.

What Dave said about heading a bit out of the centre to eat is spot on. Probably another thread in its own right.

You can get combined ticket with a discount for Eye, Aquarium, Dungeon and Madame Tussauds. You can buy it on the day minutes before going for a ride. I would strongly recommend not to book in advance. Eye is best enjoyed on a sunny day just before down. Eye is more exiting than Shard on it's own. Where are yoga classes in Shard however. It could be a cool option if you are into stretching.

Aquarium is amazing really. Very cool fishes and lightning.

Madame Tussauds is super busy any time. It's quite small for the number of people they let in at same time.

Zoo is not the most exiting. Compared to Berlin or LA it's plain dull.

Natural History museum is very good. Science is meh compared to Munich or Moscow, but can be interesting if you are not spoiled. We have Imperial War Museum as well. It's not as cool as tanks in Dorset, but still worth a visit.

I would suggest a walk in London as well. We have some stunning architecture. Barbican's brutalist for example. Or have a look at those street art tours: http://www.alternativeldn.co.uk/top_things_to_do_in_london/london_street_to...

If family is comfortable on bikes consider taking Boris bikes for a ride around. It's way more fun and faster to get around compared to anything else.

In reply to subtle:

I think a week in London is going to be intense and exhausting. Think about a day trip.

I don't know where you normally live, so forgive me if you live in the south, but you can get the train to Eastbourne for beachy head in an hour and a half. Or a train out to westhumble for a walk up Box Hill. Brighton rock.

I'm sure there's some amazing day trips an hour away from London and you will be glad of the fresh air and the escape.

In reply to nutme:



Two under tens on bikes in central London?!

As for getting out of town, it's a fair point but the countryside is probably nicer wherever you're coming from. If you need a break go to Kew which is fantastic, or hit the parks, Hampstead Heath etc.

Oh and please don't linger over maps in tube entrances and doorways...!

In reply to subtle:

There is some fantastic and cheap cuisine if you go out from central. Arbil restaurant on edgeware road serves incredible Iraqi food at cheap prices. Big portions too. Basically, it's nice kebab. Tasty.

In reply to nutme:

I think the natural history museum is a little over rated now. Big queues, with all the emphasis on a few items. Lots of exhibit space now taken up with tat shops and eateries.

It really depends what folk enjoy. Covent garden street entertainers, trip down to Greenwich, the cable car, palace tour, even hamleys.. are all good, but suit different folk.

In reply to subtle:

I'd echo what all the others have said. Borough market is great (thought pricey) for ingredients etc, but the food stalls have really gone downhill in terms of quality over the last few years IMO.

Noone's mentioned Camden Lock market which is well worth a visit and not so crowded at this time of year (although you will want to keep the young one's close). Kerb have created a big food area there right next to the canal which has loads of decent and unusual food options.

For an evening meal, Brasserie Zedel near Piccadilly circus has a very posh and decadent feel but at very reasonable prices, and the food is generally good there as long as you like French food. The bar is very expensive there though.

I hope you enjoy your time here.

In reply to subtle:

Museum-wise I'd go to the British Museum and the V&A before the others but with kids it might be different. As a kid I always loved the Science Museum for the interactive exhibits and National History Museum for the dinosaurs. London Zoo I think is old-fashioned and average. In South Ken, Rocca is a fun and reasonable pizza place.

A wander round Kensington Gardens at the palace end is interesting and calmer than many other parts of central London. The road leading up from Kensington High St to Notting Hill has many foreign embassies on it in palatial buildings. Around there, The Churchill Arms is a good pub that does good (and cheap) Thai food. Also around there is the Leighton House Museum which I quite rate though not free.

Another interesting place to wander round is Temple and the Inns of Court off Fleet Street. A different world from the hustle and bustle and a vision back into an older London. Around there Sir John Soane's Museum is brilliant though tiny and I think would be fascinating to a child. Round there, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is an old fashioned pub worth a visit and does OK basic pub grub.

In my view one of the best views in London is walking across Waterloo Bridge. Great sights in both directions. Good in day and night.

Out of central London, Hampstead is picturesque and worth a visit on a longer trip, there are good views from Parliament Hill on top of the heath. Excellent for flying kites. Greenwich and the Admiralty Museum also a pleasant excursion out of central London.

Spitalfields market worth a visit for food if you want to trek a little way east. The Ethiopian vegan stall is great, as is the rotisserie chicken place.

In reply to subtle:

Interesting museums off the beaten trail...

Petrie museum, grant museum and wellcome collection, all in walking distance of each other. The first two are 'proper' with loads of stuff in glass cases. Check opening times though.

. iIn reply to subtle:

Without wishing to put a dampener on it - be prepared for how much these things cost. For example, a family ticket to the Tower of London is over £50. By the time you've added travel and food the bill racks up very fast. Just check before you promise!

I'd suggest picking some good free ones - Nat Hist or Science museums, depending on kids' interests and then some high ticket price ones depending on overall plans. If the kids are under 10, I'd suggest stuff to get stuck into rather than just observe - the Tower is good because there's colourful and shiny stuff there you won't see anywhere else (Beefeaters and the Armoury for a start). Forget about the ceremony of the keys - that's fully booked about a year in advance.

Other memorable, big impression stuff is worth doing - the river as recommended above, and the nat hist and science.
The Rainforest Cafe on Shaftesbury Ave is good for lunch - our kids used to love it. Westminster Abbey - lots to explore, Trafalgar Square etc. Some cheap ones - down the Strand to Westminster on the uppper deck of a double decker for example

In reply to Chrisk1:

agree re Skygarden, excellent & free - but you have to book (google it).

In reply to all:

Cheers - like the idea of the Sky Garden and the Thames clipper, lots of other ideas on how to spend a week in London