I will be in London with my husband and 2 children (ds-5, dd-9) for 3 full days. Could you review my itinerary and let me know your thoughts. The children are the focus of this trip. We are staying at the Travel Inn County Hall this November. Thanks!

Day 1:
- Trafalgar Square, St. Martins brass rubbings
- Double-decker bus tour (does it matter which one?)
- Harrods
- London Eye (if we have time)

Day 2:
- Tower of London
- Greenich by boat
- London Eye (if we didn't get to it on Day 1)

Day 3:
- British Museum (Anglo Saxon & Egyptian rooms, Rosetta Stone, Elgin marbles)
- Hamleys and surrounding area shops

My concerns: How great is Kensington Palace? I would love to take my daughter to see the royal dress collection but what would I cut out to afford time? We are also missing a West End show - I would love to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but again, I'm not sure we have the time. HELP!

Just in case you haven't seen these websites yet, they might give you some additional ideas for things your children would enjoy:

http://www.londonvisions.com/main_children.htm
http://www.londontreasures.com/children.htm

If you click at the top of this screen on Destinations and go to the London section, you will find lots of suggestions, including for children,and for short visits

good luck

You might also try http://www.kidstolondon.com/

David posts to this forum.

Keith

Everything you list is certainly doable. If the weather is wintry you might want to drop the river trip to Greenwich. Greenwich is great but the boat ride is no fun in bad weather (you don't want to sit outside and inside the windows get really fogged up).

On Day 1 the bus tour - it doesn't really matter which company you use - does go past Kens Palace and I think you'd have time for Traf Sq, Kens Palace and Harrods. Then you could go on the Eye after Harrods closes.

You don't say which days of the week these are - but you would be able to go to a play any evening except maybe Sunday when only a couple of theatres are open. But an evening performance might be too late especially for the 5 year old. There are matinees almost every day of the week somewhere - think of going to a play on day two if it is too cold for the trip to Greenwich.

I have a couple of suggestions pertaining to the kids.

Hamley's is a must but I think the surroundng Regent St. shopping is going to be tedious for the kids. You all might enjoy Covent Garden more. There are many of the specialty stores you'll find on Regent and Oxford Sts but also all manner of mimes and street entertainment, market stalls (mostly touristy but some not) and the London Transport Museum (very bright and colorful with lots of interactive kids stuff). Pollack's Toy Museum has shop in Covent Garden.

I'd probably opt for the Science or Natural History museums over the British M as they have more kid oriented stuff. All of the big London museums have Kid Trails to engage the children during your visit so check in at the information desk when you arrived. My daughter loved the ones they had at V&A.

If your family like sushi, there is a Yo Sushi *(the one with the conveyer belt) just down the street from County Hall. Also there is a nice aquarium next to the Travel Inn (but still in the County Hall building).

Have a great trip!

obxgirl, have you been to Yo! Sushi? I was going to visit it based on the recomendation in Frommer's, but after reading a few online reviews, it looks like the only ones that recomend it aren't particularly sushi fans.

(That doesn't mean it will not be fun for kids - just trying to decide if I want to go there)

Keith

Thanks for all your suggestions. Betty, Elaine and Keith, thanks to this forum, I had visited those sites, which is why it has been so difficult to choose what to do! We really need about 2 months in London! So much to see, so little time!

Janis - We will be in London during the week (Tues-Thurs). The London Eye closes at 8pm so I hope we will have time after Harrod's but I know it is easy to get lost in there for hours!

Obxgirl - Great suggestion about Covent Garden. I had really wanted to go there but I didn't think we would have the time. Upon reinspecting the Tube map, Covent Garden seems doable after Hamleys - if it isn't too late. I have also added Yo Sushi to our list - sounds really different for the kids. Do they have non-sushi kid-oriented food for children? My 5 y/o won't even eat cooked fish! Thanks!

CathyF,

Lots of the shops in Covent Garden are open until 7:00 pm but the real trick will be getting your two children OUT of Hamleys!

Yo Sushi has a whole menu of non sushi food (tempura, noodles, teriyaki, yakitori and dumplings, ets) in chicken, beef and veg options. And, of course, rice. There's a menu at the website (yosushi.com).

Also, there's a small playground next to the TI County Hall on the London Eye side.

Keith, My husband is a sushi fanatic (I'm not) and he thought it was very good, not to die for. My take on the hot food was the same. We ate there twice in two weeks. The conveyer belt gimmick was fun and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual. It was an easy choice for us after a long day of touring. The kid was entertained and we could eat well and chill out with a couple of Kirins.

re: bus tour....we did the original bus tour...it was a little cheaper and came with a free boat trip (between parliment and tower bridge)

re:kensington palace. we didn't go on the tour....but we overheard several people saying it wasn't worth it....

I've been several times with my kids (now 10 and 11) to London since they were 6 and 7.
They love Covent Garden for all the shops, the market, the performers, and the London Transport Museum. Hamleys also has a small shop there.
We also love the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, which has a fabulous kids gallery with lots of hands on activities, and the Royal Observatory with the Prime Meridien marked in the courtyard. If you are ending your day here, a laser shines in the direction of the Prime Meridian in the evening, which my kids thought was cool.
Overall, I think the London museums do a fabulous job of catering to kids -- be sure and ask at the front desk if they have a children's trail (usually it is some sort of sheet with items to find in various galleries, puzzles to work out, etc. Often you get a little prize (sticker, pencil, etc) for completing the activities.
I'd agree that Kensington Palace probably isn't worth bumping any of your other destinations.
If you're not absolutely committed to the British Museum, you might consider the British Gallery in the V&A, which traces everyday life from the 1500 onward, including clothing, household items, furniture, etc -- they also have very good children's hands-on activities, including trying on various items of clothing, designing your own family crest, etc.
If the weather is agreeable, and your kids need some time to just run around, the Princess Diana playground in Kensington Gardens is great. There is also a kids' playscape in St. James' park with kids-only bathrooms.
If it were me, I would do:
Day 1: Covent Garden, St. Martin's brass rubbings, matinee
Day 2: Tower, Greenwich
Day 3: V&A, run around in Kensington Gardens or Hyde Park, Harrods
Enjoy!
Annette

Thank you for all the great advice!

Annette - I wasn't aware of the Prime Meridien laser - my kids will love that!

I am rethinking Kensington Palace - perhaps we would all enjoy a West End performance instead.... I wanted my daughter to see the royal dress collection but we will visit the Princess Diana room at Harrods (not the same, I know, but compromises must be made!

I still don't know if I can drop the Brit Museum in lieu of a more child-friendly place. I'm going to have to explore the websites of the V&A and others mentioned here.

One more thought - what are your opinions of the Queens Gallery in Buckingham Palace? I know my kids would love to go inside BP - is it worth it (we have so few precious hours)?

CathyF, The Queen's Gallery in Buck Palace is essentially that, a gallery space with changing exhibitions. I suspect your kids would think they were in just another museum rather than having a good look at the Queen's house.

Don't give up on the British Museum if it has a particular interest for you. THe V&A is great (and my favorite) but not necessarily a better destination for you all. My point was the Science and Natural History museums have lots of kid focused activites (they plow school groups through by the boatloads) while the other big museums have kid themed activities which engage the children while allowing adults the chance to enjoy a look around.

If I had only three days to tour London, Kensington Palace would not be on short list. The dress collection is fun to see but the rest will probably not be interesting for your daughter or son at this age.

I like annettetx's itineray.

a few notes: the Queens' gallery is not really "inside" B'ham Palace. You would have absolutely no sensation of having visited the Palace. Not necessarily trying to talk you out of it - just don't think it is inside the Palace. Of all the things on your list this probably the one I would drop for a children's trip (if you are running out of time).

The memorial to Diana/Dodi at Harrods is not much more than two large photographs and some candles. Kensington Palace would be a MUCH more satisfying visit IMHO.

if you are going to harrods anyway..i strongly suggest that you take their sight-seeing tour...its a bit more $$ than the others but we have always felt it to be better...you can call them up and reserve in advance....request the front row on the top level...best all around view...it starts and ends at the store...

You may want to consider the city of London Museum versus one of the larger ones. It has lots of great interactive exhibits, would help give the kids a picutre of where they are and is smaller and more manageable than the others.

Kensington Palace is a must-see IMHO! (Even though it was covered with scaffolding as of April 2003 for window repair.) Highlights include the royal dress collection with the Queen's wedding gown and some of the late Princess Diana's gowns (though not her wedding gown, that's at Althorp). The grounds & gardens around Ken. Palace are awesome - be sure to peek through the hedges to see the sunken garden. If your budge allows, splurge for a meal or tea at the Orangery next door - former greenhouse, now an elegant restaurant.

The exhibit of royal wedding gowns was just temporary (although some of the Queen's other dresses and some of Diana's are there permanently).
Unfortunately, I know this from personal experience, as our trip last summer was just a few weeks too late.
Annette

I found this thread while researching basically the same question but for early June time frame. If CathyF is still around, how did you spend your time? We will be arriving Sunday midday - what would be open Sunday afternoon/evening? Then 3 more days - my 9 year old boys are very into Lord of the Rings & Harry Potter. Decided to stay near Hyde Park. Any more suggestions, in addition to above, would be appreciated!