Trip to London with Kids

[JBDuke]

I could use some travel advice.

I'm taking the family to London in about a month. I've been before, but as a solo traveler. This will be the first time out of country for my wife and stepkids - a 10 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. We've got a few things planned, but my previous trips here have generally involved activities that would likely bore the kids. I'm looking for good ideas for activities that we can all enjoy in London, or within an easy day's trip.

Some things already on the itinerary:
Tower of London / Tower Bridge
British Museum - if only for the mummies
Windsor Castle
Legoland Windsor
Westminter Abbey / Big Ben
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (maybe the Horse, too)
"Wicked" and perhaps "Stomp" in the West End

Any other suggestions?

[Jarhead]

Just off the top of my head, I'd add a ride on the London Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/ExploreTheLondonEye/). Also, if your family likes Italian food, when visiting the London Tower, take a short walk across Tower Bridge. As you get to the opposite bank look to the left just off the road bed, and you will see my favorite Italian restaurant. I don't recall the name, but we dine there on every visit to London. It's been three years since our last visit, though. It may be an Indian restaurant now. Buy the Underground pass. Easy way to get around. The Mrs. might like a visit to Harrod's in Knightsbridge. Very easy to get to by the tubes or by bus.

[roywhite]

Plenty to see and do in London, but consider a day trip to Dover and Canterbury. Easy to reach by train or car. Canterbury is historic and scenic with the town centered around the old Cathedral. Dover has the cliffs, Dover Castle, views of the Channel, and plenty of history including WW II fortifications and operational headquarters.

[Bluedog]

Some things already on the itinerary:
Tower of London / Tower Bridge
British Museum - if only for the mummies
Windsor Castle
Legoland Windsor
Westminter Abbey / Big Ben
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (maybe the Horse, too)
"Wicked" and perhaps "Stomp" in the West End

Any other suggestions?

That's a pretty good list. I recommend the Jack the Ripper walking tour as a fun event for kids. Its not the scenic/touristy areas of London (starts every nigh at Tower Hill tube stop at 7:30 PM), but I found it incredibly entertaining and interesting as a more atypical walking tour of the city. It also shouldn't be too scary for a 6- and 10-year old. The original walking tour is found here:

http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Jack_the_Ripper/default.aspx
http://www.jacktheripperwalk.com/index2.html

Tower of London, British Museum, Westminster Abbey / Big Ben are the definite must sees. As for plays in London I have seen Stomp, Woman in Black, Les Mis, Shaolin Monks, and a couple others that escape me. Stomp is great for kids, but I wouldn't say it's an earth-shattering performance - just high quality entertainment. Nothing wrong with that of course. Les Mis is one of my all-time favs, and I loved it in London. Woman in Black would be boring for children and too intricate, I suspect, although it's the longest running non-musical in London, I believe. Wicked is supposed to be really great (I haven't seen it) so that seems like a good choice. I also highly recommend Lion King and Mamma Mia as well, but you only have so many nights.

Camden Market is fun for a quick stroll. I'd also walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (and at least look at Kensington Palace). Or St. James park is nice too for a picnic - pick up some pret a manger or something. A short trip to Harrod's is also vital on a trip to London, although with kids maybe not...A key site missing from your list is Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral. If you can walk up to the golden level (I think that's the highest), there's a great view of London. Walking along the Thames is nice, Globe Theater there is okay, and Tate Modern is good if you like modern art, but it isn't my favorite. The Natural History museum is also pretty good.

I'd also definitely check out the National Gallery. It's free, so if the kids get bored quickly, you don't have to feel obligated to stay long. And it's right in Trafalgar Square, which is nice to walk around. I'd also walk by Picadilly Circus and if I had a lot of time, see Canary Wharf just cause it's such a contrast to the rest of London (modern skyscrapers, etc.). Although Canary Wharf certainly isn't high on the list. I personally don't think the London Eye is worth the money; but it has a good view. I'd also try to visit Brick Lane and go to an Indian Restaurant - or at least, try Indian somewhere in London as there are some great places. Although the kids may not like Indian, but it's fun to be adventurous and it's also pretty cheap. I know some who enjoyed Madame Toussad's, but I didn't go there as it's really expensive and seemed more touristy as it is a "chain" essentially and not authentically London.

I know, that's probably far too long of a list! But I don't know how long you're there...there's just too much to do in London! To consolidate, here are in my opinion the must do's in London in general order of preference:

1.) Tower of London
2.) British Museum
3.) Westminster Abbey / Big Ben
4.) St. Paul's Cathedral
5.) National Gallery

Edit: If you're also looking for another day trip, I highly recommend visiting Bath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_(UK_City)). Take a walking tour of the city and check out the Roman Baths. They're really cool.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Do you remember Peter Rabbit and the other characters of Beatrix Potter's books? These stories have been enjoyed and loved by generations of children. Perhaps you can plan an outing to the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Here's a link for more information. http://www.peterrabbit.com/parent-teachers.asp#lakedistrict

[FreezingDevil]

I grew up as an American ex-pat in London so I know the area well. Westminster abbey, Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace are all must sees for first time visitors. The other posters' suggestions are also good ones. Here are my recommendations for a kid-friendly trip:


London Zoo: They just recently renovated the Zoo and its fantastic. My one warning here is that its pretty expensive (while most London museums are free these days). After you see the animals, make sure to cross the street and walk up Primrose Hill for a terrific view of the entire city.

London Eye and Aquarium. These go together since they are right next to one another. The Eye is a thrilling experience for any kid. I'd recommend you buy a ticket in advance since the line can be crazy in peak season

London Natural History and Science museums. The two (arguably) best museums in the city are right next to each other. Even better, the city has made them all free in recent years. The Science museum has an awesome kids section.

If I had to choose the one thing I love most about London, I'd go with its beautiful parks. Kensington Park is certainly worth seeing, especially since it has the Princess Di playground. After that, I'd recommend you see St. James park. Its a beautiful place thats known for its waterfowl and is probably the easiest to get to (between Buckingham palace and Westminster Abbey). If you're looking for a quieter, less touristy park, then I'd recommend Holland Park. Holland Park is a real locals spot that is known for its outdoor summer opera house and gorgeous rose garden.

If you're thinking of a day trip out of the city, Windsor Castle is certainly a good idea. However, I would recommend going to Hampton Court Palace instead. This was the summer palace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and is a fantastic place to visit with kids. While the palace itself is interesting, the real fun is in the massive gardens. I'd particularly recommend the world famous Garden Maze and kid friendly ghost tour. The Palace is about a 30 minute train ride from Waterloo station, which makes things incredibly easy

Hope you find this to be helpful. Have fun!

[rthomas]

Watch out for the Werewolves! Ahhwoooo!

[Cavlaw]

Are you married to staying in London on the trip? I lived in England for awhile and think the best parts of the country are outside of the city.

[Exiled_Devil]

I found the Prime Meridian at Greenwich fascinating, but that may be because I am a geek.

You have to go to a chippy - I suggest Rock Sole Plaice - 3 blocks from the Covent Garden Tube stop. (47 Endell ST, WC2H). Eat downstairs and st among the undersea mural.

[Reddevil]

I've only been once 20 years ago, and your list looks solid. If you go to Bath, you may as well include Stonehenge. I recommend both. Wimbledon has a pretty cool museum if you're into that. I snuck onto center court and dropped to my knees like Borg before being escorted back to the museum - worth it! The kids might like the Medieval Banquet (www.midievalbanquet.com). Touristy - sure. Cheesy - yes. So what, I thought it was fun, and would have loved it at elementary school age. I wish I had thought of the Prime Meridian. Oh well, I didn't even realize Stonehenge was in England until I got there. You're creating memories, so do it all! Have fun!!:)

[BluDevilGal]

I know the chaning of the guard is one of those things you "have" to do, but just be aware that the whole production last about 45 minutes with only maybe 5 minutes worth of anything to see during that time. Plus you have to get there early to get a good spot to watch. So if you choose to do it, just be aware that you'll be standing around for at least an hour and a half but only have a few minutes of something to watch. Don't know if kids that young will get antsy or not!

[Deslok]

Just a couple of thoughts to add in addition to the above. Depending on their awareness of history and all, an underrated stop is the Cabinet War rooms and Churchill museum, but will only appeal to kids who have a bit of a sense of what that whole WWII thing was all about. As a quick stop for them to let loose, there is Hamley's just south of Oxford Circus(IIRC), which is London biggest toy store(think along the lines of stopping by FAO Schwartz or some such). Hampton Court was mentioned by someone else, but I thought I'd point out(if it is the one I'm thinking of) that you can get there by train, and then come back via boat along the Thames(or vice versa) which might be a nice change of pace for the kids. Finally, a stroll through Covent Garden/Leicester Square area can give your kids a good view of a variety of street performers for their amusement.

[tecumseh]

This is a trip I never got to take though I bought a book called "take the kids to london" I will give you a few tips from the book you can email me for more.
1) Madame Tussaunds wax museum
2)London Planetarium
3)BBC Experience
4) London Transport Museum
5) Cabaret Mechanical Theater
6)Theater Museum
7)Britain at War Experience
8) Science Museum
9) Natural History Museum
10) London Eye as someone mentioned is something that seems to be way cooler to 6 yr olds than it is to adults.

My two cents is you consider divide and conquer if you are going with your spouse. 6 and 10 are such very different ages. 6 is a bad age for most museums and things like the Britain at War Experience your 10 year old might find fascinating while your 6 year old is whining and hungry. So for a at least a day or a few mornings or afternoons I would divide and conquer. An unhappy 6 year old can ruin the experience for everyone

[DukeFencer]

That's a pretty good list. I recommend the Jack the Ripper walking tour as a fun event for kids. Its not the scenic/touristy areas of London (starts every nigh at Tower Hill tube stop at 7:30 PM), but I found it incredibly entertaining and interesting as a more atypical walking tour of the city. It also shouldn't be too scary for a 6- and 10-year old. The original walking tour is found here:

I went to London when I was 10 or 11... one of the things I remember vividly is the Jack the Ripper tour (but if the kids scare easy it is not a good idea.) I also liked doing the brass rubbings at the Abbey, and the London Dungeon (??).

My favorite thing in London (then and now!) were the street performers in... that big square... that's very busy... I can't remember the name (Covington?), but I went back recently and that was still my favorite part!

What I remember as being very boring as an 11 year old was the British Museum and endless walking, but it took me a long time to get into museums so that could have been just me.

[DukeFencer]

Tower of London, British Museum, Westminster Abbey / Big Ben are the definite must sees. As for plays in London I have seen Stomp, Woman in Black, Les Mis, Shaolin Monks, and a couple others that escape me. Stomp is great for kids, but I wouldn't say it's an earth-shattering performance - just high quality entertainment. Nothing wrong with that of course. Les Mis is one of my all-time favs, and I loved it in London. Woman in Black would be boring for children and too intricate, I suspect, although it's the longest running non-musical in London, I believe. Wicked is supposed to be really great (I haven't seen it) so that seems like a good choice. I also highly recommend Lion King and Mamma Mia as well, but you only have so many nights.

I saw Stomp in London, and have also seen it here with kids and the kids loved it. When I was younger I also saw "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged." I've seen it in the states too, and both times it was hilarious even though I was too young to have started reading any of his plays. The entire thing is done by 3 guys at warp speed.

[JBDuke]

First, thanks to all that have contributed so far. Here's an updated list:

Sat - Wed:

1. Tower of London/Tower Bridge
2. Buckingham Palace Tour (it's open in Aug) plus changing of the guard
3. Westminster Palace/Parliament Tour (also open in Aug)
4. Westminster Abbey
5. British Museum - not a comprehensive visit, but at least the mummies and the Easter Island statue and the Rosetta Stone
6. "Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria
7. "Stomp" at the Ambassador
8. Science Museum and maybe the Natural History Museum - at least for the interactive stuff
9. the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park. (There's actual a production of "Peter Pan" being staged this summer in a pavilion in Kensington Gardens, but that may be a little too much theater for the kids.)
10. the Diana Playground in Kensington Gardens
11. a visit to Hamley's
12. tours via boat on the Thames and double-decker bus around The City
13. a Harry Potter tour (the 10 year old will love this)
14. at least a little people watching and browsing in Covent Garden

Thu - Fri:

11. Windsor Castle
12. Legoland


That's looking pretty good to me. A couple of museums, a couple of palaces, a couple of theater shows, and some uniquely British attractions. If we have more time, I'll add:

The National Gallery - for the childrens' activity area
St. Pauls
The London Transport Museum
The London Eye (wife and one child are afraid of heights, so this might be a "Divide and Conquer" activity)
a visit to Harrods
Madame Tussaud's


I'm ruling out the following:

Day trips out of town - Dover/Canterbury and Bath/Stonehenge are great for adults, just so-so for kids, IMO
World of Beatrix Potter - is way up in the Lake District - not for this trip (between Pan and Potter, we'll have a little classic and modern kids' lit stuff)
London Zoo - may be a great one, but we've got a pretty good one here in DC
The Medievel Banquet - I'd love to do this, but they don't START until 8 p.m. - way too late for our kids, even on vacation. If they had an earlier seating, I'd be all over it.
Cabinet War Rooms - I loved it when I did it several years ago, but the kids won't appreciate it yet, I think
The BBC Experience is apparently closed.
The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is a travelling exhibit that has moved on to Glasgow (among other places)
Jack the Ripper Walking Tour - a little too much, IMO, especially for the 6-year old. I was underwhelmed when I did it a few years ago.
The London Dungeon - most of the reviews I've read have been pretty scathing


Of course, all of this is subject to change - well, we've bought the theater tickets, but everything else is subject to change. If you think I'm missing anything critical, please let me know.

[merry]

I'm late replying but I'll add the following comments based on 4 trips to London including one last year with a 13 year old.

Someone mentioned Camden market - you can take a canal boat to Camden lock from Little Venice - have done this twice and I think it would be especially fun with young kids. The market is a little crazy but fun. Last summer we rode the boats from Jason's (http://www.jasons.co.uk/) mainly because they had a good enough web presence that we knew we could find them. Little Venice is walkable from Paddington.

I second the comment to spend some time wandering in the parks. In addition to Hyde park which you mentioned we enjoyed having lunch one day at Inn The Park in St. James park. My son can be a fairly picky eater but even he found something suitable to eat.

I LOVE St. Paul's but one of my favorite parts is walking to the top of the dome which might be a bit much for the younger child.

I also love the British Museum especially the Egyptian exhibits.

I am not a big fan of waiting in line forever for stuff - we waited in line forever at the Tower when I was a teen because my aunt had to see the crown jewels. Since that first trip I have pretty much skipped the Tower.

My son had never been out of the country so even just regular stores and people-watching in parks and markets were fun (and IMO educational) for him.

[DukeUsul]

Just flew back from London and boy are my arms tired!

Be prepared for crowds. My first trip over wasn't so bad, but the number of people there last weekend was distressing. It was a real pain to get around on the Tube on Saturday.

Windsor Castle was a lot of fun, and the kids might enjoy it. I understand you can take a cruise up the Thames to the castle, which I wish we had done.

Be prepared for very long queues for everything. If something is very important for you to see, make it the first thing you see that day and get there early.

I heartily recommend the Eye for those of you who can take the heights. Reserve tix in advance.

This is how cool the Eye was.
http://www.dukeusul.net/images/londoneye.jpg
You are higher than Big Ben just half way up the wheel.

This is how bad the crowd was at Buckingham 45 minutes before the changing of the guard.
http://www.dukeusul.net/images/buckingham.jpg