northerners guide to london (beginner level)

googler

bibliboo wrote: »

Definitely will be sightseeing especially the London eye, the zoo, maybe Tussauds and some museums.

Maybe look at booking Tussauds in advance; I was going past there a few weeks back, and the queues outside were round the block.....

The open-top buses run close to Euston (starting and stopping at Baker Street tube), and do a wide-ranging round trip North and South of the Thames; get a 24-hour ticket with the option of a river cruise as well, and that will almost fill a day, depending on how much traffic the bus encounters. You can hop on and off as many times as you want, if you need to take a comfort break for the kids.

Money_Bunny

Kings Cross isn't anywhere near as rough an area as it used to be (I kinda miss the old seedy days). But it is pretty frentic and crowded - it might be a bit stressful dragging two small children through the area after every busy day out (though don't forget to get photographs of platform 9 and three quarters - it really exists, sort of). South of the river locations are quieter (Travelodge Waterloo, Travelodge Southwark, HI Express Southwark and, pricier but good Premier Inn County Hall (fab location opposite houses of Parliament) and Novotel Kennington Road).

My top tips are use the buses. With the tube you'll end up hefting pushchairs up and down steps and walking miles underground. The 11 bus, in particular, is great fun - it goes through posh Chelsea, past the House of Parliament, up Whitehall, round Trafalgar Square, up the Strand, through to St Pauls and into the City.

Also look into open spaces for picnic lunches and to get away from the crowds. St James Park has excellent ducks and is convenient after you've watched changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace (check times as is not every day). Somerset House (if its not set up for an event) has a great enclosed courtyard (difficult for children to escape from) with fountains to play in and tables for picnics.

Money_Bunny

Oops, its Days Inn Kennington Road, not Novotel.

p00hsticks

googler wrote: »

I'm not looking for them to be 'interesting', merely to have a decent hotel close to the rail station.... the attractions lies elsewhere, and it's easier to get just me to the attractions, then get me+luggage there....

I guess a lot depends on how long you are going to be staying (I don't think the OP says). When we go down we usually go for five-six days at a time. It's personal preference, but for us we've come to the conclusion that the (very slight) inconvenience and cost of getting a taxi with luggage to/from Euston station to more Central London at the start and end of the trip is more than outweighed by the fact that a more central hotel within walking distance of many of the attractions then means no need to use bus/tube every day Also it's easier to just nip back to the hotel for an afternoon cup of tea and a bit of a break, and then go out again in the evening.

greenface

Go to trafalger square theres lots of pidgeons but sadly no whippets . Be careful in the chippy coz th' dont do owt moist ! It not too far . no need to change money and passports can be left in the loft. Im from Liverpool go on the rob there often . Mostly points from white hart lane ..

discplayer

p00hsticks wrote: »

It's personal preference, but for us we've come to the conclusion that the (very slight) inconvenience and cost of getting a taxi with luggage to/from Euston station to more Central London at the start and end of the trip is more than outweighed by the fact that a more central hotel within walking distance of many of the attractions then means no need to use bus/tube every day Also it's easier to just nip back to the hotel for an afternoon cup of tea and a bit of a break, and then go out again in the evening.

I'd agree but Bloomsbury may be a compromise without feeling like you've given anything up.

It starts only just southwest of Kings Cross station, has many hotels for different budgets and you can very easily walk to the British Museum and Covent Garden. Unless you're quite unfit you can then easily walk to Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square. Bloomsbury's a generally quiet leafy area but with facilities. If searching for hotels in this area try using the WC1 postcode which broadly covers Bloomsbury.

Ofcourse, some things you might want to visit will be a bit further, like the South Ken museums or Tower Bridge, but the tube or a bus will easily deal with these.

Everynamestaken

I am also from Yorkshire. I have visited London a few times lately. I have only just recently visited, and stayed in Days inn kennington road. I was abit sceptical, because it was the cheapest hotel I stayed at in London but I had no problems whatsoever. It was next to Lambeth tube, and Waterloo, and you could walk to many places.

I would book the trains in advice. Keep checking from 12 weeks before your journey. There are plenty of attractions that you can visit for 2-4-1 if you print the vouchers off beforehand and show your return tickets.

The tube is great. For example, from Kings cross, you can get a tube to oxford circus, jump off, wait for a tube to lambeth north and then there you are, pretty much at your hotel. It's not like the buses up north where if you miss one, you have to wait for another half hour. The tube is literally every 2 minutes
I'd have a look at the tube plan beforehand, and tbh, it really is simple after a couple of journeys. if you have a fancy phone, you can download a couple of apps, and I would much prefer that than carrying a huge map around.

Look for cheap theatre tickets beforehand, and just generally have a slight plan on what you definitely want to do, and what you may do time permitting etc

Have fun

megela

Get a family & friends railcard here http://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/, you'll save money on fares the first time you use it - it can also be used to get a discount on tube fares. (Make sure you take it with you though, I ended up having to renew mine a month early because I forgot to take it!)

Keep your train tickets and use them with http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london. Print the vouchers before you go.

Although not sure I'd want to visit London with a 4year old & a baby!

catkins

It might be worth looking at an apartment to stay in. It gives more flexibility in that you can eat there if you don't want to eat out all the time. You also get more space for the children to play in. They don't necessarily have to be dearer than a hotel. I stayed in an apartment in Belsize Park (close to Hampstead Heath) last month and paid less than probably 95% of hotels I looked at.

I was born in London and lived there most of my life. I now live in Essex and miss London like mad. Me and OH go there regularly (probably at least once every 2 months) whether just for a day or for a weekend. I don't have children so not too knowledgeable about attractions for children but the National History Museum and the Science Museum are good for children as is London Zoo. I went to the War Museum recently and there were lots of children there who seemed to be enjoying themselves. There is a museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green which I have been to and enjoyed and Pollocks Toy Museum in Camden (never been but meant to be good).

Some of mine and OH's favourite places to visit are The London Eye, Shakespeares' Globe, walking along the South Bank, Covent Garden, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park. Greenwich is lovely and has a large park. You can do a boat trip to Greenwich from Embankment or you can go further to Hampton Court.

Do you and your wife like markets? There are some good ones in London - Spitalfields is good, Petticoat Lane is a bit touristy but quite interesting, the flower and plant market at Columbia Road is really good even if you don't want to buy anything. Also Borough Market (food) is interesting and you can try some foods for free.

I see you are veggie - do you like indian food? If so there is an absolutely gorgeous indian veggie restaurant in Covent Garden which is pretty cheap (they do a really cheap lunch deal). If you are interested I will give you the details.

I am sure you will enjoy your time in London - it's a fantastic city.

dacouch

Everynamestaken wrote: »

I am also from Yorkshire. I have visited London a few times lately. I have only just recently visited, and stayed in Days inn kennington road. I was abit sceptical, because it was the cheapest hotel I stayed at in London but I had no problems whatsoever. It was next to Lambeth tube, and Waterloo, and you could walk to many places.

I would book the trains in advice. Keep checking from 12 weeks before your journey. There are plenty of attractions that you can visit for 2-4-1 if you print the vouchers off beforehand and show your return tickets.

The tube is great. For example, from Kings cross, you can get a tube to oxford circus, jump off, wait for a tube to lambeth north and then there you are, pretty much at your hotel. It's not like the buses up north where if you miss one, you have to wait for another half hour. The tube is literally every 2 minutes
I'd have a look at the tube plan beforehand, and tbh, it really is simple after a couple of journeys. if you have a fancy phone, you can download a couple of apps, and I would much prefer that than carrying a huge map around.

Look for cheap theatre tickets beforehand, and just generally have a slight plan on what you definitely want to do, and what you may do time permitting etc

Have fun

Shame the Imperial War Mueseum was closed while you were there.