Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - London Itinerary

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London Itinerary - Please Critique

My brother and I are taking our children to London for spring break. We have family in S.W. London who we will be staying with. The kids are 9 and 11. Sat - Portobello Market. Fish n Chips at Geals Sun - Church. Lion King Mon - Sightseeing. Buckingham Palace, Crossing of Horse Guard, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, 10 Downing St. Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral. Tues - Warwick Castle Wed - Tower of London. Fish n Chips at North Sea Restaurant Thurs - Hampton Cout Palace. Mama Mia Fri - Science Museum/Natural History Museum. Sat - Bother taking kids to Trocadero. I'm taking my Aunt for Tea at the Dorchester. Sun - Back to Houston

Beverley, Sounds like a great trip! Here are some random comments: Sat-- Assume you are arriving later in the day since you only have one item on the itenerary. Portobello Market probably won't take you very long (especially with kids in tow). They may be anxious to see a "big ticket" London attraction, rather than a market though. Sun-- Good theater selection for kids. You could add dinner before the show in nearby Chinatown. Mon-- Buckingham Palace does not offer much in the way of sightseeing, except during the summer when it is open to visitors. You can visit the attached Royal Mews and see the Royal carriages and horses though. Trafalagar Square is a quick stop--just to see it. If you are looking for a kid-friendly activity in this area, there is a brass rubbing center in the basement of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church. Downing Street is usually closed to visitors so you'll only get a glance from Whitehall (street). If you are looking for an attraction that kids will enjoy in this area, consider the nearby Cabinet War Rooms--Churchill's underground war rooms at the corner of King Charles Street and Horse Gudards road. Westminster Abbey is a fantastic historic site (burial place of kings and queens) but don't be surprised if you kids want to rush through it (too many "old dead guys"). St. Paul's--You may want to move this to another day. It is not close to Westminster and your children may have seen enough cathedrals for one day. Tues--Warwick Castle is a great day trip. Kids will probably enjoy it. Wed--Tower of London. Another favorite of kids. Get there when it first opens, get in line for Crown Jewels to avoid lines later. Plan 2-3 hours or more here. Kids love the Yeoman Warders tours. Fri--both museums are wonderful for children Sat--Trocaderro--SegaWorld, one of the big attractions, recently closed. You may want to check on this. Other places you may want to consider: Covent Garden--(entertainment, shopping, London Transport Museum) Boat tours--(the new amphibious "Frog Tour" is good for kids. London Eye (ferris wheel)--get your tickets in advance. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You may be interested in my new book: LET'S TAKE THE KIDS TO LONDON--A FAMILY TRAVEL GUIDE. It can be ordered through booksellers or from the publisher at: http://www.iUniverse.com/marketplace/bookstore Enjoy your trip! David White http://www.KidsToLondon.com

Looks good. I'd just move St. Paul's from Monday to Wednesday (it's not far from the Tower), and, also add a tour of the Tower Bridge (it's right out front of the Tower & you can walk across the top covered sections as part of the tour). A Thames boat ride from Big Ben to the Tower could also be fun for the kids.

David's suggestion of the Royal Mews is a good one, but unfortunately their hours are *very* limited in winter. I believe they're only open noon-4 pm on Wednesdays--no other days during the week--which means it wouldn't work to add them to your Monday itinerary. But I agree that you have a great itinerary planned; would also agree with John about moving St. Paul's to your Tower day. If you have time on Monday, it's also worth visiting the Cabinet War Rooms, quite near 10 Downing Street, Churchill's underground HQ during WWII. The whole place is quite fascinating and I think kids would be interested in the "underground" nature of the site.

I just loved Starlight Express as did the two teen agers I had in tow. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. The national gallery is free and fabulous and you can get great cd head sets that allow you to punch in the numbers of anything you want to know about also the Museum of Natural History is so fabulous-- gorgeous pottery baby bottles that were more than 4000 years old.

Re Thurs Personally, I might not be in the mood for going to the theater after spending a day out at Hampton Court. Perhaps do the Tower and St Paul's on Thurs. My nephews (8 and 11 at the time) loved the Imperial War Museum (tanks, a submarine, etc) while only the older one had some interest in the Cabinet War Rooms.

Good point, Elaine, about the War Museum--more hands-on "cool stuff" for kids Beverley's children's age. Although I don't know which day's itinerary that location would mesh best with--I suggested the War Rooms since they're right at Downing Street and convenient on their Monday plans. The War Museum might be a great option for Saturday, though, Beverley, if you don't stay that long at Portobello--which can get crazy crowded after 9 or 10 am, even in the off-season months.

To Beverly: I see you are going to Portobello market and then to Geales. How close is Geales to the market area and is it within walking distance? Just wondering about location as that sounds like a fun day.

Hi Beverley, I took my kids to London when they were quite young, they loved the British Museum because they could see the Rossetta Stone which they had learned about at school, also loved the mummies and all the Egyption stuff. The Museum of Mankind was also a favourite for the shrunken heads. Good luck, have a great trip.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I'll definately combine our trip to Tower of London with the trip to St. Pauls Cathedral. Our flight does not get in to London until about 10:00 am on saturday Morning. It will probably be around noon when we get to my aunts house. Shortly after we arrive we'll take off again and head to Notting Hill (Portabello Road and Geals for fish n chips). I've decided to take Northern line from Balham to Elephant and Castle. Then take #12 double decker bus to Notting Hill. This way we can do some sightseeing on the way. #12 bus goes accross Thames, past Westminster, Trafalgar Sq, Picadilli, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. My kids will enjoy seing the sights from the top of a double decker. From what I'm told, Portabello market and Geales restaurant are located very close together in Notting Hill. After that, we'll take the tube back to Balham. BOY, AM I READY TO GO!!!!

here are 2 museums for children Pollock 's toy museum,London toy and model museum.British Museum with the newly opened great court is superb.For boys HMS Belfast,Museum of Transport could be interesting,Tower Bridge audio gude tour is good,too.The Science Museum is very big you can spend hours there.I've seen a lot of children in adame Tussaud's,it is easy to skip the chamber of horrors.If they like pop music,Rock Circus could be good for them

Hi Beverly, Good for you for introducing your children to international travel at a young age. Might I suggest a visit to the Imperial War Museum..fantastic!! I was in London last year with my 70 year old Mother, we stopped by the museum just to buy a souvenir for my nephew and the two of us were so impressed that we ended up staying three hours and loving every minute. Bon Voyage.