London question with toddlers
 

We are a family of 4. DH, DS4, DS2 and myself. We are from India currently living in Chicago. We will be making our once in 2 years India trip in October. We are planning on a stopover in London for 4-5 days enroute to India.
Btw I am currently getting a deal on BA for 5200$ for the 4 of us. Chicago-Mumbai-Chicago with the stopover in London..Good deal or should I wait ?? We are planning a daytrip to Paris(Eiffel tower, Arc de triomphe) as our DS4 now knows all these places so it will be a good time to make some memories for him. We as a couple have been to Paris twice now and know the place very well..Now my question is which would be a better place to stay while in London location wise etc. We are planning on taking the Eurostar to Paris and back. The sights we will be visiting in London are Big Ben, London bridge and anything that will interest the boys. We have seen most of London as we were stationed in Ipswich for 3 years in 1995. So having stayed in Ipswich we are not very familiar with hotels in London. I will be going to the library over the weekend to get some info too.

TIA for all the advice I can get !
Ash

Do you have a budget in mind for your hotel stay?

Not much help on London hotels but if going round trip to Paris grab the $90 round trip adult fares on the London-Paris-London Eurostar trains and kids fare - free if under 4 and 4-11 $76 round trip - the $90 fares are hard to book the closer the train comes - you could pay $150 or more. These are thru RailEurope in US - i always recommend BETS (800-441-2387) for Eurostar espertise - a RailEurope agent and don't charge some of RailEurope's handling fees i think. check UK prices at www.eurostar.co.uk - fares in pounds. But if you just show up and buy in London you could pay lots lots more so book early - can book up to nine months in advance.

Hmmm Budget for hotels around 150$ a night - is that realistic ?!?! Wow thanks for the tip with the Eurostar..I think we will finalise the dates by the end of this month and make the booking.
Ash

Keep in mind the cheapest days for Eurostar are generally Mon thur Thu - cheapest tickets on Fri, Sat, Sun could be $150 round trip, still a bargain compared to what you may pay on the spot in London. Kids fare is for all trains all days but all discounted fares exist in limited numbers if they can sell tickets at a higher price such as on busier Friday and weekend travel days.

The Travel Inn County Hall (budget option) and the Marriott County Hall are 2 family friendly hotels that are just south of the Thames facing the Houses of Parliament, not far from Waterloo station and right near the London Eye.

On the off chance that DS4 and DS2 numbers are ages, you should read this entertaining trip report

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Bottom line, your kids are young and may not travel as easily as you think.

As to the airfare, I think if you post your question on the Asia board, those folks are more familiar with prices b/w US and India. Good luck!

County Hall Travel Inn is perfect for your situaltion. It is not fancy, but the rooms are modern and they will allow two children to stay in the same room for no extra charge. it is right on the river (no views - but just step outside and the river it right there). Next to the Eye, walking distance to Waterloo Station, and directly across the river from Big ben. Also docks for river cruises on both sides of the river.

A great place to take your kids on a nice day is the Princess Diana Playground in Kensington Gardens. Little kids LOVE it.

Also be sure to take them to the Natural History Museum. This is paradise for kids (and fun for adults). The Dinosaurs alone are worth the trip.

Anothe fun place for both kids and adults is the London Transport museum in Covent Garden. They get to climb all over double decker buses, tube cars etc. And being in Covent Garden means there are lots of other things to see/do in the immediate area..

The Travel Inn mentioned is a great option for families. If you're interested in this place, it bears mentioning that it's now known as the Premier Travel Inn. It books up quickly.

We had a family room there and it was palatial by London standards, a corner spot with views of the river. There is a small playground adjacent to County Hall (Jubilee Gardens) next to the London Eye. The walk to Waterloo to catch the Eurostar is an easy one.

The Natural History Museum is great but unless you need a kid-centric option, I'd skip it for something more unique to London. The Field Museum is as good if not better. The London Transport Museum is a nice suggestion for kids, and (maybe?) not one you visited when you were ther ein 1995?

I know my kids would go nuts over all the armor in the Tower of London. I hope to take them there someday!

I think that you mean Tower Bridge.
London Bridge is a modern construction and there's not much to it.

You might all enjoy a trip to Kew.
There is a newish thing for young children aged 3-6 called "Climbers and creepers".

The website is good fun at http://www.kew.org/climbersandcreepers/home.html

Thanks all for all your advice. I was looking at the Travel Inn county hall and it seems that it will suit us. However now we have a change of plans. We found out late yesterday night that he will be going to London on a business trip in June so we will be accompanying him then..However we will now be stopping over in Paris instead of London in Oct(why waste the free stopover!!!) enroute to India. I will open up a seperate thread for that. We have stayed at the Hotel Champ de mars the last couple times but would like to know if we have any other options !!
Meanwhile in June we will be in London for 6 days.. I will post a tentative iternary this weekend after going thru some books and would really appreciate your comments !!!
Thanks so much..I am really excited ..get to plan 2 trips inplace of 1..Isnt planning more fun than the actual trip itself ?!?!

Ash

Sorry when I say HE I mean my husband ;-)

Ash