Hello All,

We are stopping over for a week in London on our way to Asia. We will arrive in London, Heathrow on August 24th. The "we" includes a 7-month old infant.

Could you please suggest places to visit around London and also 2-3 hours away from London? We are ok with renting a car or taking the train but I am not sure how easy it is to carry around an infant. Could you please give some travel tips for going around with a baby? Which would be easier - car or train/etc?

Here is a rough idea of what we'd like to see in 5 days(assuming rest for the baby for 2 days):
- London City top places
- Castles
- Churches/cathedrals
- Bath
- Any other quiet yet interesting villages/places

Also, what bus/train pass do I need to buy before hand?

Any information you share will be really helpful.

Thanks,
sr_starlight

I would always find a car easier for carrying a baby plus all the luggage that goes with one, but you would probably find a car in London both difficult and expensive (there is a tax on cars entering the city). The Tube is the way to travel there but I have no idea how people with strollers cope on the Tube. I would think that a Baby-Bjorn style carrier would probably help you out because you would have hands free.

Lavandula

"<i>The Tube is the way to travel there.</i>"

Actually - buses are generally much easier w/ strollers. No steps at all. Also - London cabs are terrific - lots of space.

You definitely don't want a car in or around London. Where are you staying? If you haven't booked ahotel, I'd rent an apartment for the week.

I'd take one day trip to Bath by train. Other than Bath, everything you list is found IN London.

A Bjorn type carrier is bad for the Tube -- it gets crowded and it's easier to gauge how far someone is from you and the baby if you have to actively hold the child in your arms.

Only a small stroller will work on the Tube (we had a Combi). Anything like a jogging stroller or full pram would be a catastrophe.

I personally would definitely avoid the tube with infant this age whether in a buggy or a sling as can be corwded and hot with loads of steps and escalators. Buses outside rush hour would be fine as would overground trains to places such as Bath but in London taxis would be the easiest option and as previous post indicates they have loads of space for baby and buggy so not always having to dismantle everything when you gwet in,

Secondng the idea of renting an apartment rather than a hotel and sticking to taxis. London Tubes can be VERY crowded. The buses are marginally better, but still a hassle.

A good stroller was our best friend when we took our little one (a bit older than yours, but still in diapers, needing to be fed etc.)

We found counting on only ONE destination per day and taking taxis and walking was our best strategy.

We had an apt. in Mayfair with a nice kitchen to prep baby and adult meals. We had a service provide a sitter one night, but mostly ate dinner in and lunches in family style restaurants.

Our best side trip was to Oxford: baby LOVED the train and we avoided business commuter trains.

It really isn't sensible to make sweeping generalisations like "stick to taxis".

London's taxis are probably the best organised, trained and equipped of any capital city in the world. They're also just about the most expensive to use, the cheaper minicabs are a great deal less suitable for prams and distances in London can be a lot greater than you expect.

It IS sensible to make just one generalisation: taking prams on the tube is ALWAYS a bad idea, since practically no tube journey in central London is entirely step-free. Even if you find one, escalators can break down and it's quite common to find yourself having to walk down a temporarily broken moving staircase: no real problem with a bit of luggage, but I'd have thought a real pain with a pram. As a result, no baby I know has ever been on the tube till they can walk comfortably. Londoners are relaxed about letting quite young children use the tube by themselves, and many happily take babes in arms on the tube with them: they're horrified at the idea of taking them on the tube while in prams.

Overground inter-city trains are fine: buses are fine and level, though often crowded, and walking's often fine. But if you're planning to rely on taxis, make sure your budget can comfortably deal with it.

I've seen parents with strollers and prams on the tube but the main problem is the stairs, they are everywhere so you need two adults to carry the pram up the stairs. Also you have to be very careful getting on and of the train as there is often a gap between the train and platform - sometimes quite wide - and I once saw a woman get the pram wheels stuck in the gap with potential disaster. Luckily two people rushed to help her.

You can take a pram or stroller on the buses but they have rules about how many they can take on one bus so they may not let you on and you'll have to wait until the next bus. Buses run so often you won't have to wait long.

Unless you stay in outer London, a car is a bad idea. If you do stay in outer London, you will still have to travel in to central London to see the tourist sights, either on tube or bus.

You will need an Oyster Card for each person in your group though I guess the baby is free - not sure about that but all information you need is on Transport for London www.tfl.gov.uk

Kay

I see babies in strolers all the time on the tube.SOmeone will always lift one end for you to get it up the stairs. That is one of the things that has always imressed me about the London tube