janisj

>>I will probably do Covent Garden with Tower of London. Does that make sense?<<

Not really. Covent garden is actually quite close to where you are staying (easy walk if the weather is nice or 2 stops on the tube). It is also near Trafalgar Sq - you'll have lots of opportunity to see/walk through Covent Garden.

But it doesn't 'fit' w/ the Tower all that well. Though, if that is the only time you have - you'd take the tube from Tower Hill to Embankment and walk up to Covent Garden.

griz_fan

London Dungeon is cheesy, but the older kids will really like it (probably because it is cheesy). Save that as 'incentive' to keep the kids from acting up while at other places.

Also, find a way to keep the amount of time on your feet to a minimum. I would only do 1 museum per day, so you can allow time for a nice sit and snack at the museum food shop and let the young ones rest up and recharge their batteries on cookies

Natural History Museum is a great choice, and I bet younger kids would also really enjoy a hop-on/hop-off bus tour.

PalenQ

3 Dec, Wed - Hampton Court OR Greenwich (gonna let the kids choose one>

Hampton Court has the famous maze that may flummox and delight the younguns.

Greenwich has the Cutty Sark boat to tour - take a boat to either Hampton or Greenwich - kids may love that as well. Actually it's a long long boat ride to Hampton from central London but you can do a nice short one to the Palace from Kingston-upon-Thames (reachable by Tube).

The London Transport Museum is a fun family attraction - lots of old buses, trams, trolley buses, etc and hands on things.

http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

It's smack in Covent Garden - covent Garden is always a fun place - ubiquitous street buskers are good free entertainment.

maxima

Russell Square is also close to the British Library, which is free and you can see the original Magna Carta, objects and writings related to famous Brits, and some very good exhibits. Certainly worth an hour.

as you will have a long flight and jet lag will undoubtedly set in, its ok to keep a light schedule on your first day.

Pret A Manger has branches all over London. They make up fresh sandwiches each day and pre-wrap them. They also have salads and soups.. the prices are pretty reasonable for London, and the food is reliable. Eating in costs a bit more, but at that time of year you will want to eat in.

there are some grocery stores on Tottenham Court Road not far from where you will be staying.

The British Museum has activity trails for kids, and family programs, and on weekends has activity backpacks for kids...the family programs for late nov/early dec are not listed yet, so check the website closer to your trip.

the National Gallery is also free and has audio tours for kids for one pound or you can do a free download in advance and they have weekend programs for children in your kids age range. the national portrait gallery (free) also has a kids audio guide

some good information can be found at http://mylittlenomads.com/london-for-kids

europeannovice

Hampton Court--We loved it. It was one of our favorite places to visit and my son absolutely loved the kitchens because they did live kitchen demonstrations that day. It has the maze and they dress up in costume to perform skits throughout the day. We have yet to get to Greenwich--been to London twice now and didn't get to Greenwich.

In December you may not have the crowds that August brings but we waited over an hour to get into Natural History and then we went right to the dinosaurs. When we came out of that exhibit, there was another hour long wait just for the dinosaurs. The science museum was much better.

dreamon

If you walk from Russell Square station towards Cartright Gardens, there is a large supermarket in the middle of some shops, on the way.

bilboburgler

Another vote for Liberty's, far better than Oxford Street and its usual tat.

BigRuss

<<Russell Square is also close to the British Library, which is free>>

There's a lot of "free" in London.

Both Tates.
V&A
Imperial War Museum
National Maritime Museum (Greenwich)
Both Nat'l Galleries

And that's just the short list.

annhig

to add to the "free" list: the Temple, Covent garden, the aforementioned Liberty's, walking across Waterloo Bridge, Regent's Park, Richmond Park, [in fact any of the parks] Camden Lock, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, ....

janisj

. . . British Museum, Geffrye Museum, Museum of London . . .

BigRuss

Yeah, I was going on with sites not on her itinerary. The Brit Museum is.

Toralina

I just checked out Dennis Sever's house and while it sounds really intriguing, unfortunately it says it's not suitable for children!

Thanks for all the other tips. Will be certain to check them out!

Cheers.

janisj

I was going to mention that when I saw the suggestion -- they don't allow children. The 13 yo <i>might</i> get in if s/he looks older -- but the 6 yo definitely wouldn't be welcome.

But you'll find tons of other great sites/activities kids love.

Toralina

Thank you.

BigRuss, about the 2-4-1 deals I intend to buy 2-4-1 Travelcards for myself, my husband, my 13 yr old and my 11 yr old.

Am I right to say that for adult tickets, I can buy one and my husband goes free, and my 13 yr old buys 1 and my 11 yr old goes free? My 6 year old will not need one as she mostly travels free, and her being the odd figure, will not benefit an additional person for 2-4-1 ?

I have really spent hours on this travelcard thing and this is my best interpretation. I hope I am right!

Near Russell Square, would I be better off getting it at Euston or St Pancras International station?

thank you.

PalenQ

Do you kids skate - last time I were in London in winter there were public skating rinks in Hyde Park and at Somerset House (if I recall correctly) or other venues - there is also a famous outdoor heated swimming pool in London that could be a novelty.

PalenQ

The Serpentine in Hyde Park is a favorite place for folks of all ages to rent a row boat and float around this snake-like body of water. the older kids will love to have their own boats.

historytraveler

I'm not sure that rowing a boat on the Serpentine in mid-December would be an enjoyable activity.

janisj

some paint issues here I think

Recommending rowing on the Serpentine at the same time as ice skating in Hyde Park (?)

annhig

paint-stripper, I think, jj.

PalenQ

Wow - yes too much dulux already - was talking in a general way but perhaps they can skate on the Serpentine?