London 3 days Itinerary
 

Ok, so I was planning to come up with an itinerary. But then I thought of looking around for suggested itinerary. I came across a nice 3 days itinerary from Frommers. Here is the link:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...055020791.html

I thought of posting it here on two purposes. One, others who are looking for similar itinerary might benefit from this. Second, I can validate it here whether it is possible.

Waiting for your feedback.

Thanks,
RP

Guys I am back... my account was suspended apparently for confusion... I was not sure how to write back to all you wonderful people... anyway finally it is resolved. I thought I have to plan everything without your help :) Moving this thread up for your feedback.

PLEASE - totally 100% ignore that plan from Frommers website. You just linked day 3 -- but days 1, 2 and 3 are borderline crazy. To give you an idea . . . Read this current thread from another poor Fodorite who was considering days 1 & 2 from the Frommers plan.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ng-to-help.cfm

Read it and weep :)

At least we are saving you a lot of trouble . . .

I know there are a couple of long threads right now which may have already answered the following question, so my apologies..... but how old are the kids and are they male/female. With three days you will really need to narrow down what you are going to be able to see. So, the above info would help us.

That Frommers itinerary is not doable even on speed.

Frommers Day Plan: It isn't really an itinerary as much as it is a checklist of 'to do's' and 'to sees'. I've yet to read one Frommers plan that's actually do-able.

OK, so looks like that is not doable. Is there a realistic itinerary that fodor forums has for London? Of course I will read many TRs here and come up with one later. But if there is a good itinerary people follow I would like to know.

Oh I forgot to add @poutine: my kids 11 (boy), 7 9girl & 7 (boy). Does that matter in terms of choosing what to see?

OK, we were in London for three full days not too long ago, and here is what we did:

Day 1: Tower of London when it opened, thus avoiding major crowds. Had Crown Jewels to ourselves and took first "Beefeater Tour" of the day. Then lunch, and walked to St. Paul's; climbed up to Whispering Gallery. Then a rest, before going out to see "Wicked" that evening.

Day 2: Photos from Westminster Bridge and then into the Abbey as it opened. Took verger's tour (highly recommended).
Then a short walk to Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. Evening: dinner with friends.

Day 3: British Museum and British Library, then Covent Garden for dinner/drinks at historic Lamb and Flag pub.

The next day we left early by train for York. You'll notice that we only had time for the bare minimum of major sights...and never even got to set foot on the South Bank. With three kids along, you'll be lucky to do even that much; but good luck to you anyway!

One thing you really should fit in is the London Transport Museum -- it is in Covent Garden and is a fabulous site for families.

Most children enjoy the Natural History and Science Museums.

Instead of copying some itinerary/checklist -- make a list of what each member of the family really wants to see/do and then we can help you work them into a workable plan. Get a guidebook for your kids and let them have some input.

@azzure: Thanks a lot for the suggested itinerary. When you say evening, is that half of the day you spent not doing any sight seeing? We do not have friends in London to spend evening with. So that will probably leave us a few more hours to spend on other things.

janisj: Is London's Natural History and Science Museum much better than that of DC? Being close to DC area, we are not easily convinced to see Museum elsewhere unless it offers completely new things. The London Transport Museum however, would be interesting. Thanks for helping me.

I think you should make a list of your interests too. However, the best thing about real travel itineraries is that you get an idea of how much one can really fit in a day.

azzure: I like your travel style! Looks like you were able to enjoy nice variety and a good overview of the city.

I would pick 6 major sites - 1 site for the morning, 1 for the afternoon for each day. Then group them in a way that makes sense and include some walking around the areas of each to 'see' some of the other sites.

Especially with children, I think anything more would not work. You could also plan something light for after dinner.

So for example:

Day 1 - AM - Start at Buckingham Palace, walk through St James Park to Westminster Abbey - do tour.

Lunch

PM - walk around Parliament/Big Ben - up to Trafalgar Sq/Picadilly Circus to Covent Garden - see transport museum

Dinner

See a show or a London Walk www.walks.com

Day 2 - start at the Tower at 9am, see crown jewels, do a beefeater tour (expect to spend 4 hours here). You can have lunch here, and walk to the river to see Tower Bridge.

PM - Either St Pauls tour or a museum?

You get the idea.

The sites are really spread out and it will be much more enjoyable if you arent running around trying to check off a list. Get a few ideas and enjoy them!

I might schedule a London Walks in for one of the days. Kind of nice to have a local take you around and tell you stories. They have morning and afternoon (and evening...but more for adults).

Jamikins has given you a VERY good rule of thumb. Only plan 2 major sites a day. You could squeeze in 3 IF they are very near each other. But one in the morning and one in the afternoon is about what is practical.

Most of the London Walks would be tough w/ your young children. They'd have to keep up w/ some pretty fast walkers and be quiet while the guide gives lots of historical info and anecdotes.

If you don't want to 'over-museum' the kids, you can skip the Natural History and Science. But I'd still go to the Transport and British museums

You probably already have to much on your list but an excellent museum for both adults and kids (unlike anything in DC) is the London Museum. As janisj and others have said, limit your major sites to two a day and have a couple of small things that you can add on if time allows.

@jamikins: Thanks a lot for providing a good guideline. I will work towards it. Yes, finally kids need to enjoy the city. I am planning to rent a videos from Local library to get an idea about things and to make kids excited about the trip. This will also help us decide on the major sites we want to see.

@Michel_Paris: I will check the walking tours. My kids are fine with walks - of course, they might behave differently when they are tired/sleepy. I will check to see if it would be interesting and appropriate with the kids.

@janisj: Yes, Transport, British and V&A museums are in my radar. Will see how our itinirary shapes up as we get closer to the trip dates.

I actually have another half of a day. But I am keeping it a little free for jet lag etc. Thank you all for your feedback. Keep it coming as long as it is not taking too much time out of your lives. I appreaciate your suggestions.

Don't take kids to the V&A. It's deathly dull for adults. I think children would probably start self-harming if dragged there.

Science Museum's what you want.

Agree with the advice, esp. these items:
1.Plan 2 things each day that are high priority must sees and then consider a couple minor other things to maybe get to that are near by (get very familiar with a map of London now, plan out routes, look at distances)
2.I wouldn't drag kids to the V&A, either; it's marvelous but not for kids your ages who will, I think, LOVE the British Museum and the Museum of London--as will the adults, too. I don't know the other 2 museums suggested but it sounds like they'd definitely be better for kids than the V&A.

We (DH and I) enjoyed the Tower Bridge Exhibition which had great views and lots of hands-on stuff for kids. It's not free like many of the other museums, but it is near the Tower, is cool to walk across and through, and might fit into your schedule. Also remember that the Tower Bridge is a working bridge that lifts to allow ships to pass; your kids might enjoy seeing that (which can be seen from inside the Tower but is great to see from actually on the Bridge itself). Search on the internet for Tower Bridge Lift schedules closer to your trip and you can find the scheduled opening times--and the whole process doesn't take long, so you don't have to take loads of time out of your day. Just an extra minor idea to throw into the mix!

The Old Palaces tour is timed such that you get to see the end of the changing of the guard...along the Mall.

I asked the ages of your kids as a reference to my own. Three years ago we went with my then 9 yo old son and 7 yo daughter - 9 nights in London and 5 in Paris. We were there at the end of June early July when it was still dusk at 10 pm, which helps a lot in terms of maximizing activities with kids.

London was such a hit with the kids that I am trying to arrange a return trip this summer - only 5 nights in London and then two weeks with a car driving around the southern half of England and Wales. If only I could find a reasonable airfare....

The activities they most enjoyed were:

Tower of London (an absolute must), including the Ceremony of the Keys. I don't know if it is too late for you to get a spot, but it was really enjoyed by all of us. As another poster mentioned, be there as it opens before it gets overcrowded. Sometimes you can get "2 for 1" prices or family prices in the UK that reduce the cost a lot.

The British Museum. My son knew about the Rosetta Stone, and the Egyptian displays. The library was very impressive too. We were all happy we went.

The London Eye. We did this on the last day and bought walk up tickets. I hesitated for the first week over the cost for about 20 minutes in the air, but gave in and am glad I did. Waiting until the end meant that we could identify many buildings from the pod.

Brass Rubbing at St. Martins in the Field. They had a great time here, and it allowed my husband to sit for awhile and the kids to take a breather.

Natural History Museum and Science Museum. They really enjoyed the Natural History Museum, but given your short time in London and the fact that they have been in DC, perhaps put it on your maybe list. We chose not to go to the V & A so I can't comment it.

Do go and hang out by the horseguards to see the changing of the guard. You will get much better photos as it was not crowded when we went. One thing that kids really enjoy about London is the pomp and ceremony that still exists. The costumes are impressive, the formality etc.

London Walks - we went on two, mostly because I wanted to. The Greenwich walk and the walk which includes around Westminster (forget exactly what that one is called). I was the only one that enjoyed it. Maybe now that mine are older, but I would get them to read up and choose one themselves. Otherwise I would give it a miss and choose the HoHo instead.

If the weather is good, take a quick boat ride on the Thames. It gives the tourist a whole different perspective of the city, and how important the rivers were to a cities growth.

My daughter loved Covent Garden and the buskers. She was pulled into one show and wound up receiving several tips for her efforts!

We went for tea (not high tea) at a place in St James Park (forget the name). It was not expensive, yet the kids could eat scones and jam and sip tea. Made them think they were English....

Other notes:

We did not go to the London Transport Museum as it was closed for renovations when we were there. It is on the list for this time.

The Imperial War Museum - we went but they were really too young to appreciate it. Will definitely return next time as they have some great exhibits.

We did not go to any of the art museums in London, instead seeing many of the art museums in Paris.

On a general note - almost all museums are free and will have an activities booklet for the kids. If you want to get your 9 & 11 year old to have a look online at the British Museum, they had info you could download and read at home to better appreciate your time there.

I would encourage you to get your kids to pick a novel or two to read on each city they are visiting. At the time my son read The Baker Street Irregulars, and a few others I am forgetting. I will ask him when he gets back from school and repost.

Re poutine's "<i>a place in St James Park</i>" It is called 'Inn the Park' and is a great place to stop for tea or snacks. It gets very busy at Lunch time and there is often a queue. But during the 'in between' hours you should be able to walk right in. If the weather is nice, there are tables outside.

Poutine has given you some excellent advice.

@poutine: Thank you , thank you a lot! I am very humbled by the effort you have taken to help me. My kids are 11, 7 & 7 (twins). My 11 year old is reading a lot of world history in 6th grade and is doing high school French. So, he would appreacite a lot more things in this trip, than my 7 years old. They would love to be in parks and such! OK, so, popular vote is to have V&A out. I love DC Natural History Museum, and my kids love it too. In fact, anytime, any friends stop by for DC trip we take them to that museum first. But, if London one is not something extraordinarily different, I would keep it to the last (in the interest of time).

The change of guard will definitely interest them. Please suggest some books if you can for 11 and 7 year old kids to help in London and Paris.

Poutine,

We are going to be doing almost the exact same trip as you did a few years back. We will be going with my 10 year old son and 80 year old mother in law. Thanks for the advice.

How much time did you spend at the Imperial War Museum?

You suggest going to Greenwich on your own then rather than with the London walks. Was it too dry for kids? Did the kids enjoy Greenwich outside of the walk?

I wouldn't spend too much time (if any) in the transport museum. It's very british-centric. You and your kids will enjoy just wandering around Covent Garden more IMHO.

There's loads going on there in terms of street entertainers and the like and the shops are great (if you are a foreign). Plus lots of places to eat and drink....

Junk4rp: You are welcome. I received a lot of help from posters on this board myself before that trip to London and Paris, including janisj. I will get back to you on book recommendations, and will also post on your Paris thread.

europeannovice: We spent about an hour at The Imperial War Museum, and I would have liked to stay longer. However, we arrived at about 2 pm, my husband was tired/cranky, and so we just looked around and then left. There seemed to be some excellent parts for kids, on subjects such as spying. As a 9 year old Cdn kid (3 years ago), he really didn't have much knowledge of what spying was or why it was done(outside of his sister spying on him:)). Now, at 12 he really enjoys the UK teen spy novels by writers such as Robert Muchamore, so I think he would get a lot more out of the experience. The spying exhibit is just one example, but there seemed to be quite a lot there for kids to see/do.

If you are in London for longer than 3 days, I would also suggest going to Hampton Court Palace, for the gardens, the maze (all kids love a maze) and the palace itself. So many chimneys!

As for Greenwich, and London Walks in general, I think that not only are they too information heavy, they are not interactive enough for most kids. The same tour one on one would probably be a very different experience. However, when you are with 30 adults, you get lost in the drone of information and can't really ask very many questions, and it is easy to tune out.

The best part of the Greenwich tour was the boat ride down the Thames and visiting the Cutty Sark, which is no longer there (I think). Hampton Court would be a much better choice over Greenwich if you are looking for a short trip out of London with kids. I think you can take a boat trip to Hampton Court as well, à la King Henry. We took the train back and forth from Waterloo which was easy to do.

I want to add, do be sure to use London's superb public transit system. Kids will love the busses, Tube etc. It is very clean, efficient and affordable.

I too agree with the 2 major sites a day rule. In fact, that's exactly the advice I gave yayeurope on her 'brave london experts' thread.

By the way: You know there's a Harry Potter tour, don't you? (maybe not what you're assuming, but still fun). http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Harry_Potter/default.aspx

If you don't do the tour, your kids might still enjoy seeing 'Diagon Alley'. (aka Leadenhall Market)

Here's a different sort of tour; it's self-guided:
http://www.the-magician.co.uk/harry-...-locations.htm

Following up with other books my son recommended for London for the 11 yo. I don't remember my daughter reading anything specific for that trip other than art books. She had just turned 7. I am sure there are more, but these were the London ones he mentioned.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
London Calling by Edward Bloor
The Baker Street Irregular by Robert Newman (read this one when he was 9)

Something I thought about tonight was the fact that almost every souvenir we bought was from London. We have been back to France twice since that trip and I always find souvenirs very expensive there. London had cool, funky hats and magnets and Big Ben pencil sharpeners, etc. etc. for fairly reasonable prices. So don't wait until the end of your trip to do some souvenir shopping!

c_w: "<i>I wouldn't spend too much time (if any) in the transport museum. It's very british-centric. You and your kids will enjoy just wandering around Covent Garden more IMHO.</i>"

I've taken several colonial kids (and parents) to the Transport museum and, as weird as it seems, they've all really enjoyed it. Now, these were all prior to the refurbishment so I can only guess it is even better now.

It may be the British-ness, or maybe that it is pretty exotic to some kids who seldom if ever ride on buses/subways/metros. They absolutely love climbing on the double decker buses and pretending to be drivers/conductors, and seeing the mechanical bits.

Of course they also enjoy wandering around Covent Garden and seeing the buskers. Plenty of time to do both.

You can send away in advance to get tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. It's free but you do have to have tickets. It's very cool and my kids, although a little older than yours, really enjoyed it. It's only about 45 minutes long but shows how they've locked up the tower every night for hundreds of years. Impressive.

@Bowsprit: I will show the Harry Potter links to my eldest son and I am sure he would like to do that.

@poutine: Thanks again about all the information you have provided. I will get the books you have suggested for the kids to read. Also, I will buy the souvenirs early.

Your kids might really enjoy the gift shop at the Tower of London. I bought several rulers with Rulers listed on them as tokens, but you can even buy a model of the rack or a catapult there. This is a great site to browse:

http://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/...ifts-Shop.html

Considering the ages of your kids, I think that they would have a lot of fun on the London Duck Tours.
Just google the name, it is a land/river tour in an amphibious vehicle used in WWII. The tour is about 75 minutes. When you go to their website click on "About Us" for the history of the vehicles. They leave from close to the London Eye.

Do your kids like theater? If so, there are always plays being performed as well. I know my kids have always loved going to plays since they were very young and if yours do, this might be something to investigate as well (if they have any titles suitable for your kids).

Poutine,

I thank you too for the book recommendations. I will also get them from the library so my son can start reading to get him excited.

I think most kids especially boys like trains, trams, etc. so they would find the London Transport Museum fun. My son has ridden on many trains, subways etc. and when we went to the Albany State Museum and to one of the Chicago museums (I forgot which one) they both had old subway cars that are no longer in use and he still had fun exploring them even though he had seen and rode on more modern ones already.

you've gotten some great advice.

I am presently in London alone (a quick solo bonus trip) and heading here with kids this spring. After walking around the last few days and figuring out what they would like, here are my plans:

day 1: arrival late afternoon. plan on some quick orientation, and dinner, and Ceremony of the Keys that evening (I already have tickets). I wanted to get to the Tower before we did the Ceremony, but I don't want to push it.

day 2: Tower of London when opens. Beefeater Tour, Crown Jewels. lunch maybe in the Tower cafe. Walk to Tower Bridge and see it. Walk to St. Paul's, climb to the top (breathtaking views). dinner, bed

day 3: Westminster Abbey, Changing of the Horse Guards, Cabinet War Rooms (I know many don't recommend for kids, but mine are interested and we'll explain it to their level), maybe a walk through St. James Park ? or to Covent Garden. dinner, bed.

I'll share more thoughts, but I'm getting kicked off.

@Bowsprit: I saw the site. Those souvenirs look really nice. I like the catapault. I think my kids will like the coloring postcards. They may want to get the pencils too. I will see what is available when we go there.

@Lynnaustin: I saw the duck tours. Looks very unique. Is there any place I can get discount for the ticket? They have family ticket, but I still would have to one extra child ticket. I will explore it a little more to understand what all they show.

@HImom: My kids will like theater. But I hear theater tickets are expensive. So, may consider it if we have time. But would not put it first in the list.

Thanks a lot again everyone. I am really enjoying this thread since it gives me so many information, to plan a great trip for the family.

<B>Surfmom:</B> If I can suggest a minor adjustment to your plan w/ the kids. Since the kids may be bushed day 2 because of the late night and early morning at the Tower -- instead of walking to St Paul's, you can jump on a #15 bus right outside the Tower and get off in front of St Paul's.

oooh, janisj, that's why you're the expert! I was in St. Katharine's Docks area Monday and thought of you... remembering that you had an apartment there last trip. It really is a wonderful little peaceful spot, isn't it ? I had fun in my brain thinking of what the Dickens Inn looks like in spring!

I'm off to a lecture by Quentin Blake... the illustrator of Roald Dahl books. I know it is a random thing, but I think it will be interesting...