Help me visit London in a day, then Legoland

galthop

My wife, son and I want to visit London on Saturday the 16th of August and then go to Legoland on the 17th. In London we want to see the tourist things like Buckingham Palace, we know there wont be time for museums, etc. Unfortunately we know nothing about London.

We plan to drive down on Saturday morning, is there any free/cheap parking for the day we can use and then take public transport/walk?

Regarding public transport, what is the best way for two adults and a nine year old to get around for the day. We will probably arrive around 10 and leave in the evening.

We live up north so need somewhere to stay on the night, preferably with free parking and not too far from Legoland.

Thanks for reading.

nearlyrich

Have a look at the Legoland site they have some deals with hotels, get a hotel and leave the car there and take the train to London, it will be cheaper and easier than driving and parking, in fact taking the train to London and then to Legoland and then home might work out better for you.

There are vouchers available for Legoland, I just helped a friend of mine sort out a trip for next week.

galthop

I live in a small village and buses and trains will mean too much time wasted waiting around for the right one to come along. I need to take the car but I don't mind leaving it somewhere near London for the day as long as I can get in and out fairly quickly.

McAzrael

As nearlyrich suggests, you could get a hotel somewhere around Windsor and get the train in to london. Buy travelcards and they include the return train into London and all the central zone tube you can stand. Alternatively, here is a list of tube stations with car parks: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/tubestationcarparks/default.aspx and a Google map with where the tube lines really go: http://tubejp.co.uk/

You can get around all the tourist stuff on the tube. Use Green Park for Buckingham Palace and walk through the park. St James's Park might be a little closer, but with greater scope for getting lost. Westminster tube for Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, old City Hall, London Eye (or Embankment if you want to ride the London Eye rather than just look at it). Whitehall runs between Big Ben and Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross Tube), but they probably wont let you drop in and see Gordon. St Paul's for St Paul's Cathedral, and the wobbly bridge (that sadly doesn't wobble any more) is just the other side of it. I don't really know what else tourists look at in London if it's not the museums. There are tourist guides in the main tube stations.

I know you said no museums, but you do have a nine-year-old with you. Could you spare just an hour in the Science Museum (South Kensington tube)?

Edit: Oh yes, Knightsbridge for Harrods. Tourists love Harrods.

galthop

Thanks for the advice.

We've already booked the legoland tickets and hotel for Sunday night, I'll call them to see if I can add Saturday night.

If I park at Stanmore on Saturday morning, am I right in thinking that a one day travel card (like http://www.londontravelpass.com/prices.asp) will cover our travel needs for the day? Is it better to buy these at the station or online?

McAzrael: Your post is very helpful, thank you. I really do want to go to the museums, but in one day I think we would have to rush and end up disappointed with what we didn't see. Hopefully we will have a longer visit another time for the museums and the zoo. We want to look at most of the things you listed and additionally the tower of London and London Dungeon.

McAzrael

Tower Hill for Tower of London (and Tower Bridge). I have no idea where the dungeons are.

I don't know anything about the London Pass, but if you just want tube tickets you can buy them at the station.

Generali

London Dungeons is next to London Bridge station on Tooley Street. If you're feeling fit and wanted to walk you could go to Green Park Tube, then walk to Buckingham Palace through Green Park, down The Mall to Trafalgar Square and then down Whitehall to the Palace of Westminster. Over Westminster Bridge and turn left for the London Eye. Keep going along the river and you'll come to the Tate Modern and The Globe.

Then along to Borough Market for lunch (the burgers in at the butcher's stall are excellent). London Dungeon is just the other side of London Bridge station then continue along Tooley Street to the end, go over Tower Bridge and you're at the Tower of London and ready to get the tube back from Tower Hill.

It's a lovely walk and the ground is pretty flat. It's a fair old trek so wear good shoes!

tinkerbell84

Generali wrote: »

London Dungeons is next to London Bridge station on Tooley Street. If you're feeling fit and wanted to walk you could go to Green Park Tube, then walk to Buckingham Palace through Green Park, down The Mall to Trafalgar Square and then down Whitehall to the Palace of Westminster. Over Westminster Bridge and turn left for the London Eye. Keep going along the river and you'll come to the Tate Modern and The Globe.

Then along to Borough Market for lunch (the burgers in at the butcher's stall are excellent). London Dungeon is just the other side of London Bridge station then continue along Tooley Street to the end, go over Tower Bridge and you're at the Tower of London and ready to get the tube back from Tower Hill.

It's a lovely walk and the ground is pretty flat. It's a fair old trek so wear good shoes!

Fantastic advice :T :T

A lot of tourists 'overuse' the tube, ie getting the tube from Covent Garden to Leicester Square. It takes longer to get down to the tube platform than it would to walk!!!!

Your 9 year old would sleep very well if you did Generali's plan London Bridge is just a couple of tube stops from Waterloo, which is where trains to Windsor would start

melc29

Just to add... My boys (5 &7) love catching a boat from right next to the millenium wheel (waterloo) up to tower bridge - which will take you to the tower of london etc... as the others have suggested ...Oh and its really cheap!...

However a bit pricier ( fab for a 9 yr old) is the duck tours which leaves from the same spot (millenium wheel) gives a really humourous tour of london in a safari style bus and then splashes into the thames...I can't do it justice press the link!www.londonducktours.co.uk

Lemmy_Caution

galthop wrote: »

If I park at Stanmore on Saturday morning, am I right in thinking that a one day travel card (like http://www.londontravelpass.com/prices.asp) will cover our travel needs for the day? Is it better to buy these at the station or online?

We want to look at most of the things you listed and additionally the tower of London and London Dungeon.

Just buy the tickets at the station. If by chance the booking office is closed a nearby newsagents is likely to sell them.

If you do follow one of the tips above and get the Thames Clipper make sure you show your Travelcard, and you will get a third off the fare. By the way, if you do go to the Dungeons be prepared for a queue. The London Dungeons queue is fast becoming one of the must see sights of London.

galthop

Thanks again to everyone, lots for me to think about there.

I have booked a hotel near Windsor and they will let me park there from the morning so I don't have to worry about parking at a tube station.