London again..(sorry)

jodie7784

I am aware that there are several threads on London already, but I am feeling quite overwhelmed with all the info.

I am hoping to take my 2 boys at the start of the easter holidays next year monday 30th march for 3 nights they will be 9 & 5. I'm dragging my mum along also :-)

I am thinking of going by train but have no idea where to stay. I would like to take them to all the touristy places (I havent done a list but have a few in mind). I dont mind spending money if it is worth it but I hate wasting money. im looking at a budget of around £800 for everything, travel, food, tickets & hotel. Does this sound reasonable?
If we could stretch to a show this would be nice but not essential.

London is soo huge I havent a clue as to what area would be most convenient for travel or sight seeing so any info would be greatly appreciated

thank you

catkins

Almost anywhere in central London would be convenient for getting to the sort of places you are likely to want to visit using tubes and/or buses.


Personally I would look at Travelodge. If you book early enough you should be able to get a room pretty cheap. Somewhere like Covent Garden would be ideal as it is a nice area, lots of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes close by

tower

For your info, 3 nights at Travelodge at Covent garden on your dates is £225, or the one at Euston station is £195 if you are coming in that way.

jodie7784

Thank you, so if we get a train to kings cross is it pretty simple to get anywhere where we need to?

Armorica

Ditto - Travelodge; they are often central and not bad value if you book in advance. You may be able to find cheaper in a B&B but with Travelodge you ought to be able to get a Family room that will fit you all

£800 is definitely more than enough

which travelodge really depends on preference - some are a little better than others though; you might want to pick one of those near Kings Cross if your train goes in there. Or somewhere within easy reach of the West End (covent garden, southwark, waterloo). Wouldn't really recommend royscot or farringdon tho.

Bollotom

Also have a read of the TfL leaflet at the link below. Bear in mind that "Tourist London" isn't very large at all, unless you go from Hampton Court Palace to Greenwich observatory. Your boys will travel free on TfL transport and there is no cash on any bus now so an Oyster Card for yourself will be more valuable than paper tickets. It'll cost £5 deposit and you'll have to load some credit onto it, but when you leave you can get a refund of any outstanding amount plus the deposit. Lots of free stuff to do, but here's a goody. "Tastecard" do a promotion whereby you can get 50% of your bill at lots of restaurants the 1 month trial is free so if you time it right you can get the card for your trip. Also a "Bite" card gets you 10% off at a lot of outlets on railway stations. I don't mention accommodation as the lead time is quite away to Easter, but keep an eye on Premier Inns, Travelodges and have a look at Youth Hostels. :cool:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-visitor-guide.pdf

http://www.bitecard.co.uk/

http://www.tastecard.co.uk/

tower

Armorica wrote: »

Ditto - Travelodge; they are often central and not bad value if you book in advance. You may be able to find cheaper in a B&B but with Travelodge you ought to be able to get a Family room that will fit you all

£800 is definitely more than enough

which travelodge really depends on preference - some are a little better than others though; you might want to pick one of those near Kings Cross if your train goes in there. Or somewhere within easy reach of the West End (covent garden, southwark, waterloo). Wouldn't really recommend royscot or farringdon tho.

Agree with the above, the Kings cross travelodges and farringdon one are a bit of a walk from the Station and a bit run down. But they are normally cheaper. The Euston one is one stop on the tube (Euston sq) or a 10 min walk.

Armorica

Depending on your train company, you may also get 2 for 1 offers for the adults for various attractions

gamston

make a list of what you want to see, most of the tourist sites are close to each other/reasonable walking distance, things like changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace are on certain days & times so you need to factor that in to what you want to see
take bird peanuts and feed the squirrels in the various parks as you walk from one place to another my kids loved doing that (they climb all over the kids)
we only do day trips, so no idea where to stay
museam's were a bit of a bored for my kids (except the dinosaur show), London zoo was always a full day, Greenwich was a bore for kids
walking was good as they would see things that they had never seen before,

jodie7784

Thank you for all your advice and the links are very useful

Am I right in thinking that 1 only need to buy 2 oyster cards, 1 for me and 1 for my mum if we only use tube and bus?

Bollotom

jodie7784 wrote: »

Thank you for all your advice and the links are very useful

Am I right in thinking that 1 only need to buy 2 oyster cards, 1 for me and 1 for my mum if we only use tube and bus?

Yes, that's true, and as the children are at that age they won't need ID as long as they are travelling with you. The Oysters have a daily cap so you pay up to that cap and then it's free so good for hopping on and off. Have a look at the TfL website for journey planning and zone maps. :cool:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/