London with family
 

We will be with family in London for 5 days. There will be 5 adults and grandkids are 17,15,14,11,9, ten in total. We have been to London several times but the others have never been. We will do the typical tourist activities: Tower of London, changing of the guards, British Museum, London Eye, St Pauls, Westminster, Windsor Castle...
I would like to hire a guide for some of the sites such as the Tower of London and the British Museum. Any suggestions for guides?
I'm sure that I am not aware of sites for the kids that we should visit so I welcome any suggestions.

What areas in London do you recommend to stay, and particular hotels or a VRBO location??

I think when we go to Windsor Castle we might take the train. I think that it is close to Heathrow which is where we arrive and depart from. What are your thoughts of possibly going there our last day and then taking the train to Heathrow and staying nearby for our 12:25 flight
(we would need to be at the airport around 9:30)?

If we have time we may try a day trip to Bath, Stonehenge, Cambridge or Oxford. Any thoughts on any of these ideas?

In my opinion you don't have time to go to far afield to Bath, Stonehenge, Cambridge or Oxford. The last time we were in London was two years ago and we did a day trip to Windsor, taking the train from Waterloo. Visting Windsor takes a half a day to tour the castle, which is quite large as well as St George's Chapel. The town is very sweet and it is an easy walk from the train station to the Castle. St George's Chapel is not open every day, so you do need to check the schedule.

What about theatre? I would recommend visiting Hampton Court Palace which is interesting to visit and offers the hedge maze. Although you didn't indicate time of year that this trip is planned for, but a boat ride down the Thames to Greenwich is very pleasant and Greenwich itself is lovely and there is much to see and do there, including the origination point for the Prime Meridian. We once took a boat to Greenwich when we exited the Tower of London. Great to see the residential architecture built along the banks of the Thames.

I would also suggest the Churchill War Rooms, as it will make history come alive and is so very interesting, plus it is practically across the street from Westminster Abbey.

The British Museum is huge and you can check the website for visitor tours. The same with the Tower of London.

OK -- you will have an army with you -- eight of whom have never been to London. Five days is not much -when possibly herding cats including teenagers who might not be thrilled getting up early every morning. Even fitting in Windsor may be tough let alone Oxford/Bath/Cambridge/Stonehenge/whatever. And you 100% would not e able to visit Windsor before a 12:25PM flight out of LHR. You'd need to be at the airport and checked in about the same time the castle opens.

You certainly do not need a guide for the Tower. I'd slim down my expectation a bit -- what a couple can manage a a pretty brisk pace is different than what 10 various people running on different body clocks. The resident Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) do free group tours throughout the day.

I'd seriously consider not doing the Changing of the Guard. It is a real time commitment -- basically the entire morning will be eaten up standing in one place waiting.

I also recommend Hampton Court Palace -- maybe instead of Windsor-- but either one will basically take half a day or a bit more.

There are MANY good/convenient neighborhoods. What is you budget for a double room (suites/family rooms will cost more of course bur with an idea of your budget we have more to work with)

Oh and reading between the lines a bit . . . are you including the arrival and departure days in your 'five days in London'?? If so you'd really only have 3 full days plus maybe a few hours on your arrival day.

It's unclesr to me how long OP truly has but might be moving after London with just spouse according to this thread: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...devon-1733547/

But maybe the other 8 family members have only 3 full days???

That's a lot. IMO that's "too much" for a few days with just 1 to 3 people. Getting to all of those places with 10 people is...well, a trip I'd probably skip. Are all 10 interested in all of those sites?

I would hand guide books to each person or each family and ask them to share what they really want to see. Maybe your list too as a starting point. Let them have some ownership in planning the stops.

For kids of those ages, I would sub in The Royal Mews and the Churchill Rooms.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-royal-m...kingham-palace

But then again, when the kids were small we had better luck at smaller parks (like Busch Gardens) than WDW. Too much can be overwhelming and London can be overwhelming.

10 people trying to fit all that in is just...a lot. I'd check first to see if they all want to see/do those things.

I'd also consider breaking up in smaller groups. Maybe a "big" stop in the morning and then let different groups go to different places of interest. Does everyone really want to do the London Eye? Do the kids want to see Windsor Castle? What is the group doing before and after London?

It would be great if some were interested in theatre to add in a show in the West End. Maybe some in the party go to a show and some do the London Eye then.

I definitely wouldn't try to squeeze in places that you have to travel to in your plan for only a few days in London. Just getting around London with a group will be challenge enough.

On my last trip I hired a private driver for a trip out of town and that was great. I also hired a local guide and we went to places that were of interest to me (not big sights) and she customized the trip.

I don't think trying to keep 10 people all together for all 3 or 5 days is a great idea, but that's just me. Everyone travels differently. If you want to do that, I'd hire a small bus with driver and guide.

Consider going to a pub for lunch and get a traditional pub experience.

But #1 - ask them what THEY want to see and do.

Adding in - Platform 9 3/4.
Maybe a Harry Potter tour (if they like HP) for a couple of adults and the kids while the others do something that really interests them.

A couple of issues that I think make planning a challenge: Most of the major sights require or highly recommend reservations which means you'll need to create a fairly rigid schedule of timed entries along with somewhat generous calculations of travel times between sights and realistic estimates of time wanted everywhere. You may want to book only one big sight in the morning and one in the afternoon. Meals will likely require reservations and will take longer.

I agree with the suggestion of including everyone in the sightseeing choices. Or be willing to split up at times to accommodate the variety of interests.

Download the TfL app on your phone to help with public transportation. You can search routes from point to point by bus, tube, train and on foot.

We will arrive the morning of March 14th. Depending on how everyone is feeling maybe just do the hop on/off bus. Then we will have the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th ( they depart at 12:25 on the 20th). My thinking on Windsor was to visit there on the 19th and then stay at a hotel near the the airport so they could catch the train on the 20th. Certainly I will check to see what everyone wants to do, I am just trying to gather the information for them. And of course we can choose to divide and do different activities.
As for budget for a hotel, I never know what to say to that. We will be gone most of the days so we don't need luxury. Location and of course a safe place is always important. Until I am able to look at a couple of hotels or B & B's I couldn't say a price but we will pay what is needed, I know that London will be expensive.

I'd suggest having each child/teenager know how the tube works and which underground station is closest to your accommodation. If anyone gets separated or lost, they've got more chance of finding their way if necessary.

I might do Windsor on the day of the arrival, leave the baggage at the airport, catch the bus there. It keeps people out in the sun/air as long as possible. I might even book into a hotel at the airport for the first night.

Herding cats is going to be hardest part. With everything new for a lot of people you will near a tail-end-Charlie gathering in the confused/distracted certainly for the first two days. If anyone gets sick or just tired the whole thing will slow down and with 10 people over 5 days the odds of that happening just went up.

Price of accom, help us here, tell us a number then we can advise. I always recommend these guys https://www.yha.org.uk/ because they have nice places and is what is left of the original UK national organisation and gives you a good safe bottom price range.

March can be warm and wet or cold and dry, you need the team to come prepared for every day being a change day, this may mean even changing a day.

Visits out of town, Harry Potter World, Oxford or Brighton might make sense and is realtively easy to do. Otherwise you have enough to do. Seat61.com explains trains and how to get reductions on prices (family deals and groups etc) see also Nationalrail.co.uk .

As part of asking everybody in advance for their favourites, get them all - especially the youngsters - familiar with public transport before you leave.

The fount of knowledge is the TfL website, but there are also plenty of how-to videos on YouTube (some may be out of date on some of the details, but enough give the general idea to build up confidence).

I would not do the hop on hop off bus. In London you end up sitting in traffic and the regular buses are double decker, probably the kids will get a kick out of that. There are routes that take in the same views that the hop on ones do.

The area around Gloucester Road/South Kensington has a lot of hotels in many price ranges and that is a convenient area for getting around, plus to and from Heathrow. The V & A and the Natural History museum are both there, too, both good for kids, depending on their interests.

I have got great deals on booking.com for Black Friday. I think they start the sale around November 20 this year. I fly into London every year in mid February and always wait for Black Friday to book the hotel. Often I stay at the Radisson there, but there are tons of options.

Other stuff that could be cool for kids: Mercato Mayfair (a food hall in a church, everyone can eat what they want)…a visit to the Skygardem with amazing views of London (you need to book three weeks in advance, but it is free.) https://skygarden.london

London Walks dies private tours for families. https://www.walks.com/other-tours/private-walks/

I agree with skipping the Hop on Hop off bus. Most will fall asleep. Plan a walk down to the Thames, walk along and across one of the bridges, then walk along the other side of the river. Lots to see, fresh air and moving will keep everyone awake if tired and jet-lagged. Get a normal bus or tube back once you've all reached your limit.

Or the Thames Clipper! That will wake anyone up!

This is a wonderful suggestion ~ teens can become irritated with parents and having a phone, Oyster or credit card, and hotel room key can ensure a safe solo journey. Ask me how I know.

ALSO, don’t underestimate the time it takes to get tables for 5x2 in pubs or restaurants, let alone the time it takes to agree on cuisine.

Edit: And also on the food front, consider choosing hotel with a good included breakfast… your family can come down at their own speed: your sleepy-eyed nine-yr old won’t impede Grandma who needs her coffee.

I'm convinced, we will not do the hop on hop off tour. Thanks for the information about the private tours. I think someone said earlier that we do not need a tour of the tower of London, what are your thoughts on that? I think that a tour of the tower of London and probably Westminster Abbey could be helpful instead of us trying to read everything.
I must say that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed now with all that has been said. I do want this to be a good trip and it is already booked so I need to do what is necessary to make it a great trip. I appreciate all of your help.

There are kids' books for visiting the Abbey, buy one on line and get a kid to show you around.

Good to know about the kids book at the Abby, so it sounds like you think we would not need a guide.
rialtogrl, I am leaning towards your thinking about having a place with breakfast. Someone on another site had recommended the park Plaza Westminster Bridge, 200 Westminster Bridge Rd. It is close to Westminster Abbey. What are your thoughts on that area?
Some of you have asked how much I would like to spend on a hotel or apartment. Of course I'd like to get something for 200 but I understand that probably 300 is more realistic.

Back in 2018 my family did a multigenerational trip that was mainly a Baltic cruise but we had about 4 days in London at the end of the trip together. Our group consisted of 14 and as I had the most trips to London under my belt I became the defacto "tour guide". It was absolutely like herding cats.

The Tower of London was actually pretty easy as we all did a Yeoman Warder tour together first and then split up and agreed to meet at a certain time. I found that this strategy worked well for most places (splitting up and agreeing to meet at a certain time within a site), plus it helped to keep the irritation level between members of the group that inevitably arise when they're constantly together on a simmer level lol.

Dinner reservations were a must for our group size and lunch on the fly was somewhat difficult, but we were willing to split up seating. After a day or so after starting out in the morning together individual family groups felt confident enough on their navigation skills to go off on their own or return to the hotel themselves in the afternoon.

It sounds like a great trip. Budget for some frustrations, of course.

I would go with Skygarden instead of the Eye. Uber/Thames Clipper to Greenwich from the closest pier, with a river's eye view. The excellent Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Docklands Museum in Canary Wharf are interesting and fun for all ages.

We always stay in Bloomsbury, at the budget and clean Celtic Hotel. No AC, no elevator, so too barebones for many. Great neighborhood with good public transportation.

There are kids' books for visiting the Abbey, you can buy them in the book shop but I'd look at Amazon before. At the Abbey you can hire audio guides for adults and kids (different with different stories)

Suggest taking the DLR to Greenwich and the Clipper on the way back, or the other way round. The youngsters will definitely enjoy the ride, also the actual observatory.

When we have done multi generation trips, the younger ones always planned a walk for the rest of us. Something they do even now, when they’re well in their twenties.

We usually had one daily group activity or tour, then split up to do other stuff. We generally had dinner together, with separate after-dinner plans.

I suggest getting to the Tower early and doing a tour with one of the Yeomen Warders. They give excellent tours and are good with kids of all ages. My kids also enjoyed the private Verger tour we did in Westminster Abbey as you get to go "behind the ropes" to various spots.

The Mousetrap play is family friendly and enjoyable.

I think this is a great approach!

We went to London with teenagers (it was awhile ago) but I found that setting up one touristy event a day worked well and then more hang time or something casual. Dragging them from place to place just becomes difficult and puts everyone in a bad mood. Also go on booking.com and see about renting a place with a kitchenette and maybe a living room. Teenagers would probably like a place to hang out and put their feet up in the afternoon. We also had a heat wave and it was hot at our hotel so maybe check on AC. A play one night might be fun and British museum especially the mummies are interesting for kids. Borough Market might be a good place for the group for lunch or dinner one day and making dinner reservations sounds like a must. Don’t know how adventurous they are but I think you can make reservations for large groups at Dishoom which is a great Indian chain.

And yeah, everyone but me immediately fell asleep on the hop on hop off bus after the 11 hour flight from Calif. Don’t bother.

The previous suggestion for an Indian dinner reminded me of a Sunday roast. I wanted to do a traditional Sunday roast in London. Hawksmoor was recommended by Fodorites. It was very good.
https://thehawksmoor.com/food/sunday-roasts/

I agree with having breakfast at hotel. the teenage boys eat loads. I think I prefer that to an apartment because I /we don't want to cook

Keep it coming, this is the kind of information that I am interested in.
1.Someone mentioned using booking.com for Black Friday specials. I usually do not book reservations on booking.com but try to go directly to the hotel, just old-fashioned and I like to give them the best business. I am curious if there will be any black Friday specials.
2.I am in total agreement about the sky Garden versus London eye. Good to know that we will need to make reservations three weeks in advance, thanks for that info.
3. I love the tip about the book at the Abby for kids and also the fact that they can have their own headsets tailored to kids, I might actually get those instead of the adult ones. So it sounds to me as though we do not need a guide at the Abby.
4. I am going to need to read about the London warden at the tower of London, I may have done that before, but it has been many years ago. Do I need to make a reservation advance for that. Also sounds as well we do not need a guide at the tower of London.
5. I am really on the fence about visiting either Hampton Court or Windsor Castle. I read somewhere that someone recommended Windsor if in fact, you can visit the apartments and yes, we would be able to visit them at this time of year. They also mentioned the fact that it is so much easier to see the changing of the guard. I must say that many people did like Hampton Court better.
6. I also need to read more on Greenwich. My husband and I went there. I think two years ago and I need to review what we did. I do like the idea, though of a boat on the Thames.
7. Stokebilly, I really appreciate your encouragement by saying it sounds like a great trip. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and deflated.
As I said earlier, please continue to send tips, and places not to be missed. Thank you.

When I mentioned the cost of a room in the earlier quote, I said that $300 was probably more realistic. That is with the understanding that it is for three rooms with each costing $300 with that said I wouldn't mind each costing less.

Bloomsbury is a favourite area of mine too. There are lots of hotels and it's close to a few different tube lines. I haven't stayed in the area you mentioned, near the Plaza Westminster Bridge, but most things you want to do will be over the river, by foot or bus/tube. Its not an area I'd choose. Being able to easily walk to some of the things on your list, is a plus. Saves time and you see more by walking.

A play or musical is a great idea. We really enjoyed The Play that went Wrong.

I think planning any trip can feel overwhelming but it will gradually come together. If you include a day out of London, I'd choose Windsor. The castle is wonderful and the town is worth a browse, or lunch. You can walk along the river or to Eton which is close by.

Is your $300 per room American dollars? Not sure of the exchange rate to the pound but that sounds low. You don't get much for your money in London. Be flexible in your online searches, maybe 5 twin rooms might be a better idea if that's what is commonly available. I'd book directly with the hotel too, much better idea than using a third party.

Just a couple of quick comments:

"4. I am going to need to read about the London warden at the tower of London, I may have done that before, but it has been many years ago. Do I need to make a reservation advance for that. Also sounds as well we do not need a guide at the tower of London."

Not 'warden' - the Yeoman Warders. Also known at Beefeaters. They are retired service men (and a couple of women) who live with their families inside the Tower. Their tours are free and no booking is necessary/possible. One will be stationed just inside the entrance and after a group of new visitors forms they start the tour. The tours donot go everywhere -- they do not go inside the White Tower or Jewel House etc. The best strategy is to ignore the Beefeater when you first enter the Tower - head directly to the Jewel house to see the Crown Jewels without massive crowds. The after the Jewels -- go back to the entrance and hook up with the next Beefeater tour. Then finally visit the White Tower and other areas. (The YW's will do private 'VIP' tours but they cost £150 pp)

Hampton Court and Windsor are both great -- but me personally feel Hampton Court is a slightly better experience for families. I wouldn't be too focused on seeing a guard change - but that's just me (and I've seen them at Buckingham Palace, Windsor and Horse Guards several times so I could be a biy blasé about the whole thing ;) )

Was posting the same time as KayF. Re the budget -- $300 is approx £225 so not a generous amount in London. If £175 to £225-ish is the budget -- maybe look at Premier Inns (most but not all will be within that budget)

oh - and re Premier Inns -- all the kids except the 17yo will be considered children for family rooms so you could do a combo of doubles/triple/quad-family room so that might stretch the budget a bit.

Love the tip about Tower of London and Yeoman Warders. I can go more that $300 (US) per night if needed. i am tryin to read now about using eht tub. It seems similar to NYC but so far I have not found the info about the 9, 11, 14 and 15 yer old being less $$. we live in Colorado so are not as familiar with mass transportation.

You definitely can make this work and have a great time. It can be overwhelming but you can do it. I agree with the advice about seeing the Crown Jewels at the Tower first and then going back to join a Beefeater's tour will work well. The tube is really quite easy to use once you get the hang of it and the kids likely will enjoy the experience of descending the very long escalators and learning how to use the system.

You might pick up a Rick Steves London book as he has lots of good advice. You can't possibly do everything on this trip so focus on a few "must do's" and then enjoy what you can.

I think involving the kids in selecting some of the itinerary will be helpful and they will then have a "buy in" to "own" part of the trip. You can put together a list of choices (perhaps from the Rick Steves book) with a description of each and let each kid choose an option. I went to London with my family as a kid and one brother chose the London Zoo. Now, this was not something my parents would have ever planned, but we had fun and met London families out enjoying a lovely day. That brother grew up to become a Biologist so definitely followed his interests!

Ah sorry, just a general audio
https://www.westminster-abbey.org/vi...ltimedia-guide but you can download a shortened version before you go and give it to a kid to plan the trip

Definitely look for the Black Friday sales on booking.com and if you see something and want to book direct, write the hotel and ask if they can match the price. Black Friday is not just the US anymore, so you can probably find other deals.

Another thing to check is the breakfast time is that is important to you. Sometimes it is only served until 9:00. I would have a hard time making it even without jet lag. If you book a place with a little fridge there is all manner of ready to eat breakfast foods at places like Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. If the teenagers are late risers and big eaters, have them download the Too Good to Go app. They might get a big bag of buffet food from your hotel or another one close by.

Re the kids on the Tube and buses -

• The 9 yo is free but needs a photo to get a zip oyster.

• The 11 through 15 yo's need to bring a passport type photo and get 11-15 zip oyster cards. This gets them free rides on buses and reduced fares on the Tube. and some river transport.

• The 17 yo will need a photo and get a 16+ zip oyster. This will get reduced fares

Janisj, I had just read last night about the zip oyster for the kids. It sounds as though I do that when I am in London, is that correct? Where do I do it then?