London area with child
 

Greetings- we'll be spending a week in London and would like some input on what is suitable for a family with a 5 year old daughter. We are planning to visit the Tower of London, do a double decker bus tour of the city, possibly visit the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, and what else? I'd love to see Stonehenge, Bath the Cotswolds region...but is that overplanning? Possibly a girly, fancy tea would be fun for her...she loves that kind of thing. Any recommendations on accommodations in London, kid friendly restaurants or theater experiences? If we do tour outside London, should we keep a home base in the city and take transport out? Thanks so much-- we'll be there late this summer, spending a couple days also visiting family in the area. In total, I imagine we'll have 5 days to explore on our own. I'd prefer not to rent a car. Thanks!

<<< I'd love to see Stonehenge, Bath the Cotswolds region...but is that overplanning? >>>

You have one week, a 5 year old child and you are planning 3 one day trips - I would say that it' slightly overplanned

Duck tours - google it - a short London tour in a bright yellow ex-military amphibious vehicle that spends half the time on land then launches on the Thames. Always packed with kids - not just boys.

Natural History Museum and Science Museum. They are next door to each other and though they might sound a bit dusty, they are fantastic for kids. Especially the basement in the science museum, which is set up especially for young children and lets them play around with loads of 'experiments'. Lots of special events in the summer. The Science museum also has an IMAX screen which you would all enjoy - do a 3D film if you can.

Covent Garden - interesting shops and excellent buskers doing all sorts of things to entertain the crowd.

Thanks for posting about the Duck Tour, nona1. I'd never heard of it, and that may be a real highlight for my little one on our next trip to London.

Duck tours are great.

When I say ex-military I don't mean it looks like a tank or anything, it's a sort of land/water people mover!

OK, your daughter is about the same age is mine (5.5yrs). Here are some activities she may enjoy.

Definitely Princess Di playground, though the place gets quite crowded on weekends/school holidays. Don't miss Regent's Park--especially the Rose Garden. In addition to Science Museum (get there in the morning during school holiday times), British Museum has good children's programmes. She might enjoy London Transport Museum. Or canal boat rides from Camden to Maida Vale (via London Zoo).

As for out-of-town day trip, I'd recommend Hampton Court Palace--easily accessible by train, good guides in costumes, children's activities. Don't miss the working Tudor kitchen tour and the maze.

Tea: my first choice would be Fortnum & Mason. Alternatively Richoux (several chains throughout the city) which is less posh, but still quite good for accomodating kids. Not really a sit-down place for a tea, but I've spotted fairy cupcakes at Harrod's food hall. If the weather is good, I'd opt for a "strawberry-and-cream" (w/champagne for grown-ups) picnic in a park--somewhere high like Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill (of 101 Dalmatians) or Greenwich.

Theatre: I would stick to matinees. My daughter loved Mary Poppins though it's ending this month. Sound of Music could be another option. She may be a tad too young for Wicked. There usually are theatre productions in summer. Check Regent's Park open air theatre and Prom's family concerts. Try googling for Tricycle theatre, Polka Theatre, (slightly out of the way) Wimbledon Theatre.

Agree that I won't cram 3 day trips if you have 5days net. Accomodation-wise, you might want to make sure there would be A/C if you're accustomed to having one. Most flats do not have one, you can probably manage without it (esp if you're out during the day), but there are occasional hot days.

I went to London with my girl friends in 2006 (we're all 30), but I have a daughter so I was on the look out for things that she would enjoy.

The London Eye is a must! We had a couple of kids (pre-school age to 7-ish) on our flight and they just loved it!

I'd also narrow down your daytrips to maybe one. The Cotswolds could be fun for a little girl on a nice day. We went on a tour with London Walks on a perfect sunny June day. But with only 5 days only I'd lean towards not taking a day trip at all. There is so much to do in London!

If she's into pirates and boats she might enjoy taking a look at the Cutty Sark.

Also, what surprised me is how many children were at the art museums and having a great time. There seemed to be all kinds of activities for children. I saw kids making little copies of artwork at the Tate Modern and doing treasure hunts at the British Museum. Also, there is the Museum of Childhood that looks like a lot of fun for a little girl and for you adults.

I'd also second the recommendation for Hampton Court Palace -- would be a lot of fun for a little one.

Have fun!

<<< If she's into pirates and boats she might enjoy taking a look at the Cutty Sark. >>>

It burnt down

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6675381.stm

For the Op - www.timeout.com/london/kids/

Natural History Museum and Science Museum. The 5 year old grandson just went there with his Mum and loved it. It was the best part of his day trip to London they could have spend another day in there as there was so much to entertain him.
I have to admit IMO why waste time and money taking a child for a stuffy fancy tea when there are a lot more intresting things to do with a child.

Here are some additional thoughts:
1)Don't forget the London Zoo - it's expansive and well worth a visit even for adults! www.zsl.org
2) For the best castle experience, head for Warwick, just north of Stratford-upon-Avon. It has all the battlements,armor and grand halls, but what really brings the castle to life is the 1898 Royal Weekend House Party recreated by Trussauds. Makes you feel like you've stepped through the looking glass. www.warwick-castle.co.uk
3) Dickens World is an indoor theme park that just opened about an hour southeast of London. You can walk cobblestoned streets and view Victorian England and meet characters from Charles Dickens' books. www.dickensworld.co.uk
4) Or check out the website storybookengland.com. You can select some of your daughter's favorite authors and find spots to visit from the books.
5) And be sure to make a mid-afternoon stop at a tearoom somewhere and have a proper cuppa with some delicious tiny tea sandwiches and scones.

>>It burnt down

Oh bummer :( But now that you mention it I think I remember reading about that.

>>>>
I have to admit IMO why waste time and money taking a child for a stuffy fancy tea when there are a lot more intresting things to do with a child.
>>>>>

it does depend on the child. we were recently visiting friends in another country and their little girls (knowing we are from england) were constantly asking questions about:
-the queen
-TEA
-castles

i'm no big fan of any of these things but listen to the children and follow their dreams when planning activities for them.

as excellent as london's museums are, to a five year old, the museums may not be any more interesting then what they can see at home.

We visited London a couple of years ago with a 3 year old. We were off-season (for what that's worth) and didn't do any day trips (although I sometimes wish we had gone to Greenwich). Here are my thoughts--

Definitely visit Princess Di playground-- for us (with a slightly younger child) it was a highlight. We were pleasantly suprised that there were other play areas scattered in London's parks, and we stopped to use those as we found them as well.

Nearby to the Princess Di playground is Kensington Palace, which was surprisingly interesting (and has an exhibit of some of Di's dresses, if you/she like that sort of thing).

He liked seeing the crown jewels at the Tower of London (although he was too young to put up with the Yeoman Warder guided tour). I think if you are going to go to Kensington, the Tower and Hampton Palace you might save some money with the annual pass for Royal Palaces. We also went to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard (and were pleasantly surprised when the guard played a mini pops concert as part of the ceremony).

We didn't do a Duck Tour but did like the Science Museum and Natural History Museum. Also the Tate Modern often has installations that are so unusual that they appeal to kids.

I would recommend the London Eye-- it's not a "ferris wheel"-- more a moving room. If you do that, you can probably skip the Tower Bridge if you want (the views are good, but not as good).

A small thing your daughter might enjoy is doing a brass rubbing in the basement of the church facing Trafalgar Square. Another small thing we enjoyed was walking through Harrods and spending some time investigating their toy selection. We also purchased some food to go from the food hall, and had tea (and hot chocolate) in their tea room.

For tea, I would recommend L'Orangerie, which is the building between Kensington palace and the Princess Di playground. As I recall it was fancy enough without being crazy expensive (for over-the-top fancy, make a reservation at the Ritz).

Wagamama is a good, informal noodle restaurant not too far from the London Eye. There was also a restaurant in one of the parks that was very pleasant (I think it might even have been called "Inn the Park" or something-- it was over towards the Horse Guard Parade).

P.S. if you take the train from LHR into Paddington Station, which is an easy way to get into the city, you can look for the statue of Paddington (although when we were there a bunch of German cyclists apparently thought it was a bench of sorts).

PPS Get an oyster card for the Tube, and sorry for the long response!

Wow- what great responses, thanks so much! I'm still torn- do a day trip or not? I'll do some more investigating and report back. I appreciate all of your responses and of course, would love any more ideas! One more question- any family friendly recommendations for accommodations? There seem to a lot of choices, some quite expensive. Thanks again!

A few more comments on the suggestions made here:

London Eye, brass rubbing--excellent idea! For London Eye, make sure your girl can stand on the bench inside the pod so that she can see the view.

Warwick Castle--also nice, but I still prefer Hampton Court Palace because of more child-friendly and educational activities, as well as ease of access.

Museum of Childhood--I personally have a mixed feeling about this. It has excellent exhibitions (lots of victorian and early 20c toys), and some areas for younger toddlers to play, though my kids get frustrated just to have a look at toys (they really want to play with) behind the glass case.

London Zoo--recommend if you don't live near a big city without a large zoo, but otherwise I'd skip. Some animals you expect to see may be missing.

Queens & princesses--with a young child, don't bother with changing of the guards. Though do see the front entrance to the Buckingham Palace and explain to her that this is where the Queen lives.

BTW, check major bookstores (WH Smith, Waterstones) or newsagents to see if you can find a London sticker book. It's A4 sized thin softcover, and has lots of London-themed stickers like double-decker buses, police box, etc.

Accomodation--hard to recommend as I don't stay in London hotels. Popular recommendation esp for family with children is to rent a flat for one week, though it may become quite expensive during the peak summer season. With one child, you can also consider hotels(make sure the room can accomodate 3 people). Any budget range?

One last thought is to find some books that tie in (Paddington Bear, Katie in London, etc.).

So glad doh brought up books. Books are a great way to prep a child for a trip and also a great way to reminisce about the trip afterwards. I bought 'Katie in London' at the Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill (fun bookstore by the way with a neat kid's section). I brought it back for my little one and she just loves it.

Also if you take that day trip out to Oxford/Cotswolds I believe you'd leave from Paddington station where you can see a cute little Paddington statue.

I'm jealous that you are getting to experience London with your little girl! I'm going back for my second trip, but just with my dad. I'm hoping to take my little girl when she's 6 or 7 (she just turned 4).

I love this conversation thread - thank you all for your great suggestions. We are visiting London this March - six of us - my mom, my husband, our three children (son, 10; daughter, 6; son, 3). After much research (and angst due to US dollar rates) we rented an apartment for one week in the Southwark section of London - across the Thames, but on the water. Renting an apartment seemed to be most economical (to the extent there is such a thing in London) because I can take care of some meals at home and give the kids some space for downtime. I was debating between Hampton Court and Warwick ... can anyone who has been to both recommend one over the other?
I looked into going to Stonehenge, but could not get into see the "inner circle" as hours are limited in the spring. Someone told me that there is so much to do in London proper and nearby outside the city, that Stonehenge is a longish trek that younger children may not get much out of.
I am trying to see at this time if my budget is going to run to take my two older children to a show, if not, then I may just catch one with my husband. Do you recommend buying tickets beforehand, or are there discounted tickets there (as in NYC Broadway) for same day tickets?
Thank you for your tips!

Use the TKTS booth in Leicester Square (NOT any of the places in the buildings round about the square, they're commercial re-sellers and agencies):

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts