london itinerary for ages 3,8,10
 

how are the ducktours? any wuggestion for 6 day itinerary june 13-19. should we take a night in bath with kids or too boring - what about warwick castle? is it crowded and difficult to get to from chelsea? should we simply stay in london at rented flat?

Warwick Castle is a great destination wtih kids; it was the highlight of the trip for mine. Certainl a better choice than Bath for this age gruop. Check their schedule on their web site -- usually in summer they have an ongoing festival with real knights, craftsmen, jousting, etc. It's a hands-on, experiential place, just the right castle for kids. The train ride out there is fun, too.

thanks anonymous - how long is train ride - can we do round trip in a day? any clue on the "duck tours"?

Funny you should mention the duck tour - it's an amphibious vehicle that goes around London - and perhaps the Thames - I'm not sure about that though, but I'd imagine they do!

I saw one outside The Ritz at the week-end, that's why I say it's funny you should mention it! It was colourful and lots of younger children onboard, I can't imagine you'd go wrong with it.

The Tower
Hamleys (great toy store)
Princess Diana Memorial Playground
Kensington Gardens (bring a frisbee or ball)
The Orangery for Tea (very casual)
The Natural History Museum
The Science Museum
The Museum of London

to add to 4totravel's' list:

The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden (a "must" for kids but good for adults too)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or The Lion King

a boat ride on the Serpentine in Hyde Park (good after eating at the Orangery at Kens Palace)

A ride in a London taxi - kids really like the jump seats

As for Warwick - it would be a full day's trip from London but you wouldn't have to stay overnight. It is a GREAT place for kids and adults enjot it too.

I have on disc notes taken from this forum since 2000 to show what parents say their children liked in London, often simple things. If you would like a copy please e-mail me. And welcome to London.

[email protected]

thanks to all with great suggestions! are there better times to be at the Tower, Science Museum, cab. war rooms (older boys are war/history fans) etc. (dates are june 13-19) is the london eye worth doing?

The Eye is definitely worth it. And except for some weekend hours you really don't need to book ahead so you can wait til you know what the weather is doing.

As for the Tower - get there right at opening time for the easiest, least crowded visit. And try to avoid weekends - a weekday early morning is the best time.

The Cabinet War Rooms are usually not overly crowded - and everyone goes at their own pace so you don't feel as jammed as you might on a group tour. Again - weekends would be more crowded but really it doesn't make too much difference.

The Science museum is often more crowded on weekdays because of all the school groups -- and London schools are still in session in mid June so there will be a lot of groups. So I'd go on a weekend a.m. or a weekday late afternoon.

Now thru April 2005, there is a fabulous D-Day 60th Anniversary exhibit at the Imperial War Museum. There are full scale planes, tanks, artillery and other large pieces as well as documents, videos, etc. We saw large numbers of school groups there. They also have a Cafe onsite for lunch or refreshments. And it's FREE! (There is a GBP 3 charge for the audio tour, but there are also plenty of signs explaining the exhibits.)

I know I'm odd (I REALLY can't stand to hear about torture) but I'm still haunted periodically by what I heard and saw in the dungeon of Warwick Castle in 1991! If you or any of your kids are very sensitive, keep them away from the dungeon/torture room.

You'll be relieved to hear that those exhibits are now in London at the London Dungeon, which indeed is to be avoided. Madame Tussaud's operates all 3 sites.

Some handy websites for you:

www.shakespeares-globe.org
www.thephantomoftheopera.com
www.londontown.com
www.regentstreetonline.com (Shopping)
www.chittythemusical.co.uk
www.thelionking.co.uk
www.citycruises.com
www.visitorsightseeing.co.uk
www.stpauls.co.uk (St Pauls Cathedral)
www.ba-londoneye.com (Marvellous views on a clear day)
www.royal.gov.uk (Buckingham Palace)
www.iwm.org.uk (Imperial War Museum and HMS Belfast))