Ideas what to do with 3+5 yr olds in London?

glitter_2

Hi I'm taking my 3 and 5 yr old girls to London for a couple of days. I have a few ideas what to do with them , ie, visit Hamleys, Natural History Museum. But need some more.

Does anyone have any better ideas please!

Thanks

tanith

London Zoo they also have a great interactive place in the Science Museum its in the basement I think.....kids love it... a walk over the Millenium Bridge and the London Eye although thats not cheap...
An open top bus tour.......... I am sure there are lots of others ...

glitter_2

thanks for those great suggestions!

Generali

Kids seem to like the Tate Modern too. Perhaps they're the only ones that 'get' conceptual art.

lollyball

quite often you can get a deal for London eye and riverboat cruise. (Last minute.com)

blue_monkey_2

The London Aquarium would be good for kids of this age group. Also, my kids loved just running through the parks, feeding the ducks in St James Park - take some break and monkey nuts as there are squirrels as well that will take them right off you. The pigeons in the park - most of the birds are quite tame now - it is free as well. Have a scout around for the 2 for 1 vouchers for London for some more ideas. The only problem with Hamleys is the 'I want' you'll get all the way around. Oh, and the Childhood Museum of Toys in Bethnal Green is free and a great morning out. The Rainforest Cafe at Picadilly Circus is great for lunch but get there early (around 11.30am) else you'll have a 2 hour wait and this way you'll get in for around Midday and you can have a look in the shop or Trocadero while you wait. Look on the various websites for directions and print off a map of the tube/buses so you can plan your day before you travel and not waste time on getting lost. Also, nothing like getting a red bus, sitting on the top deck and just going around to see the sites. Get a travelcard (if you still can) and then you can get on and off as you please.

Syman

battersea park is always a winner with my two.

there is a small zoo, lakes where you can feed ducks, a large "adventure playgroung" a normal playground (swings and the like and of course plenty of space for running around.

plenty of (pay and display) parking space.

i think there may even be a boating lake too, not sure if it is still there though.

skintas_2

snakes and ladders at syon house, brentford. soft ball indoor adventure play area

lily_the_pink

Boat Trip on the Thames (see www.tfl.gov.uk for more info - see the river section) or city cruises .


You could go as far as greenwich then do the museums there:
National Maritime Museum
Royal Observatory

Other places that might be suitable depending on your kids:

British Museum - there is a kids section on the website too that is a good educational tool


Horniman Museum - has a new aquarium which looks fab



Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green (Miffy exhibition on - I think I saw the same one up in Manchester and it was quite good fun)

These are all absolutely free.

I dont like Hamleys and TBH wouldnt recommend a visit specially there (if you are walking past ok but dont go out of your way). Harrods Toy department is just as good and it is less crowded and there are quite a few toys left out for the kids to mess about in. Only thing with Harrods is actually finding the toy department and avoiding spending money on Krispy Cream donuts in the food hall. Harrods is one tube stop down on the picadilly line from Natural History and Science museum so can easily be worked in on the same day as these museums. (They have a giant display of teddy bears that play musical instruments as well as giraffes and tigers etc, also racing car beds and double decker bus beds all a snitch at £1000).

If you have the budget, I can thoroughly recommend the London Eye. REally is fantastic for all ages. There is a slight discount if you book ahead on line and it saves you some queuing but in Winter out of school holidays it should be ok to just turn up. I have done it on miserable day and on a sunny day. Great experience both times so dont worry about the weather. If you are going to spend some money on an attraction in London, I would recommend this.

gingerdad

We have just come back from a few days in London with a 4 and 6 year old. They really enjoyed the Tubes. We did visit Hamleys as in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way very disappointing. Loads of old play mobile sets (i.e. not current) at well over the odds prices. Any toy r us is better.

We did the London Eye with Airmiles tickets, under 5 are free. We went quite early and it was very quite even during half term.

We then walked to Buckingham Palace and the girls enjoyed being rushed away because of a suspect package. We did manage to see some of the changing of the guard.

We then went to the guide heritage centre (fantastic fun for 1 rainbow and 1 nearly rainbow) we spent two hours in there and as it is not wildly advertised we were the only ones in the place (my wife is a guide leader and have been before).

Then did the natural history museum.

We also went to see the lion king (that was the main reason for the trip) we spent ages in Covent Garden watching the various acts.

Food wise we went to the Rainforest Cafe, very nice but expensive - though if you buy one of the pocket maps you get 15% off and if you buy a drink of pop or squash it is free refills (but at the price they charge it would hope so).

We also had a great meal at Fire and Stone near Covent Garden, I found an offer so we had two courses and a glass of wine for 10.00 each and the girls shared a pizza.

Lunch wise we tended to use smaller cafes just of the beaten track, found a great one near the Lyceum theatre only about £12.00 for all four of us.

We bought all our underground tickets in one go this made for a simple few days.

Regards

GD