what to do in london...

pipjes

my friend and i are thinking of taking our 11 yr old and 9 yr old boys to london the hols b4 christmas. we will be coming from petersfield in hants, is there any cheap way of getting there?? as last time it cost me and my son £23 for a day return which i thought was expensive. also can anyone recoom any thing to do thats cheap or free, we did think of taking them to hamleys, but any one else got any good tips?? thanks :xmassign: :xmastree:

pipjes

forgot to mention, i wont go on the tube,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!so buses all the way for us.

monkeyspanner

Extracted this from another post maybe it might help.

"Megabus.com is offering 100,000 free seats on its services to and from London, excluding internal and cross-border services to and from locations in Scotland. The seats are available on Monday to Thursday journeys from 12 September until 12 December. Customers taking up the free seats offer pay only the standard 50p booking fee.

N.B. Would customers please note that there is a limit of four free reservations per order, to allow all customers the best chance of being able to take advantage of our free seats offer. "

elisebutt65

OMG - you're brave - i took my eldest to hamleys a few weeks ago and it was helll!!!!!! In fact the whole of the Oxford St/Circus area was !!! Just too many people.

The next day we did Camden area and it was so much nicer and more fun for both of us!!

If you do go by train - have you got a family railcard - £23 does sound like a lot of money - you don't have to be family members to get one as long as there's at least 1 child travelling with you.

pipjes

monkeyspanner wrote:

Extracted this from another post maybe it might help.

"Megabus.com is offering 100,000 free seats on its services to and from London, excluding internal and cross-border services to and from locations in Scotland. The seats are available on Monday to Thursday journeys from 12 September until 12 December. Customers taking up the free seats offer pay only the standard 50p booking fee.

N.B. Would customers please note that there is a limit of four free reservations per order, to allow all customers the best chance of being able to take advantage of our free seats offer. "

ive tried that, but it only runs until the 12th, and even then i couldnt get free seats!!
i didnt think of a family rail card, that might be worth looking into, and as for camden, isnt there a boat you can catch at the lock that takes you around and thru the zoo??

lily_the_pink

Harrods toy department is more fun than Hamleys - Hamleys is overcrowded and just as expensive as Harrods. There are loads of other departments to look at in Harrods - I love wondering through the food hall especially at this time of year.

From Harrods it is a short bus ride to the science museum and the Natural History museum - both free and both are really brilliant days out for kids (and adults). There are cafes that are child friendly in both (but a bit pricey) - there is a picnic area in at least one of the museums (Science I think in the basement). There are kids areas in the science museum - but the main exhibits are really user friendly anyway and not at all stuffy.

There is a family travel card that will cut down on costs - check out the transport for london site.

innovate

There is currently an ice rink and an Xmas market outside the Natural History Museum - have not been there myself but sounds like great fun for kids, and it's in walking distance from Harrods

Other places kids (young and old :snow_laug) would probably enjoy could be Leicester Square (fun fare etc) and Covent Garden

£25-ish for a cheap day return for 2 by train is probably the best deal you can get now if you haven't pre-booked any transport. Going by train is also the least stressful way to travel (though avoid rush hour trains on your way back, they are totally overcrowded, and possibly with too many 'merry' people this time of year!)

By the time you add your London travel card, something to eat and drink, and your purchases, this will not be a cheap day out! Also (no offence!) your kiddies will probably develop into a total pain because there will be just soooo many temptations for them. You are two very brave ladies if you go ahead with your outing!

pipjes

im kind of having second thoughts now, maybe if i take a bottle of wine with me and keep swigging at intervals, i might not notice the busyness,anoyying kids etc!!!!!!!!
:snow_laug :snow_laug

lily_the_pink

pipjes wrote:

im kind of having second thoughts now, maybe if i take a bottle of wine with me and keep swigging at intervals, i might not notice the busyness,anoyying kids etc!!!!!!!!
:snow_laug :snow_laug

Small bottle of brandy is more discrete.

pipjes

hahahaha :snow_laug :snow_laug :snow_laug :snow_laug
or 4!!!!!!

matty_c608

Check this post out:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=119007