Cheap travel for a day trip to London.

tigerfeet2006

We would like to take the DC's to the Natural History Museum, either sometime this week or on a Saturday later on. We will be travelling from Chippenham. I keep looking for deals but it all seems so expensive still.

Do any of you lovely folk know when we can go cheaply?

1) By train.

2) By coach

3) By car (to a outer tube station, looking for cheap, safeish car parking)

There will be 5 of us travelling 2 adults, 3 DC (7,3,18mths)

dzug1

Don't forget the two youngest are under 5 so will normally travel free - don't know if you have been bumping up the cost by including them

Voyager2002

Train tickets are often very affordable if booked well in advance. Go the First Great Western site, register, and look at dates about six weeks in the future. Be sure to look for single tickets rather than "flexible" returns, which are always more expensive.

susancs

If you go on a Sunday very early in the morning (aim to get there about 8.30am) there is parking on some roads opposite the NH as permit holder restrictions are lfted-just be careful to look at signs on poles. No congestion charge on a Sunday. Museum opens at 10am.

If you want a Saturday, you probably come via the m4 Hounslow West tube is not far away for parking and is free on a saturday or £2.50 weekdays. Osterley,Hounslow East not far either but small car parks, so may be full (£2 on a Saturday). You get the piccadilly line from there to South Kensington direct, takes about 30 mins. The Science musuem is next door to the NH so you may want to do that to.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/tubestationcarparks/default.aspx

I think you may about 30 mins from Bristol and Megabus do fares from Bristol to London from £2 return. However you need to book in advance when the next lot of fares are put on as fares currently only run until the end of March and are about £60 return at the moment. I went from London to Cardiff last August for £2 return per person, but booked 3 months in advance (it had one stop at Bristol).

National Express are also doing £1 funfares, but need to be booked in advance to get the cheap rate (and often best rates are weekdays).
http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/offers/funfares.cfm

You might also want to consider booking a travelodge family room (sleeps 4, but baby shouldn't count) if coming in by coach as it may be a long day for little ones, again the more in advance you book the better. Fulham travel lodge is about 1and half miles from the museum (opening 8th May) and has a family saver room for Sat 9 May for £29 and nights during the May school half term. It is by Fulham Broadway train station, so 4 stops on tube to South kensington for museums . Also if you went in May the weather hopefully would be nicer and you could go to the kensington gardens Diana Memorial Peter pan Park as it is no far from the museums. You could also visit places like Hamleys Toy shop and see the free London things like the changing of the Guards.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_book/saver_search.php?action=search&tab=list&source=XX&search_for=PROM3&checkInDate=08%2F05%2F2009&locpostText=sw72dd