Mary Ann

Help. I'm traveling with my two young adult children for our first trip to London in mid March. We'd like to see all the must sees, as well as get a taste of local life. Any suggestions? We'e only got 5 days. Thanks for your ideas.

julie

The first day I would get on the "hop on/hop off" bus and get an overview of the sights, maybe spend some time in Covent Garden, and eat at an ethnic restaurant near there. Second day, take them to see "Cats", and maybe take a taxi early in the a.m. (avoid crowds) to go on the "London Eye". Third day, walk to Westminster, take a "tube tour," called "Walking tour of Westminster"...we did last fall, and I learned stuff I never knew about London. Then maybe take a mini cruise up the THames to Greenich. If your kids are in to Museums, spend at least 1/2 day at the British museum, unequaled in the world. I would also not miss St. Martin's in the Field, one of their superb concerts, but if the kids would rather, you can go to the wax museum. The evening walks (Jack the Ripper) from the tube stops are really good, and not too expensive.

lisa

hiya mary ann.. <BR>these would be my suggestions for a first time trip..and some are dependent on the age of your kids. <BR>-tower of london (must see) <BR>-windsor castle(easy to get to by train) <BR>-hampton court(another easy train trip) <BR>-portabello market(saturdays) <BR>-covent garden (another market) <BR>-national portratit gallery(trafalgar square close by) <BR>-st martin in the fields (lovely church and classical concerts plus brass rubbing center) <BR>-hard rock cafe <BR>-victoria and albert museum <BR>-london transit musuem <BR>this should give you some ideas...also invest in a london travel guide... <BR>have a lovely trip to london!!!

lisa

The previous post gave good advice. I always like to do the hop-on-hop-off trips by tour bus in the beginning to get a good overview and to see what I would like to come back to. We had about 6 days 2 years ago March/April. Rather than Cats or in addition to I would definitely try to get tickets for "Mamma Mia" before you go or to try get them through your hotel concierge. My kids (although younger than yours) enjoyed Mme Tussauds and posing with the various "people". They also enjoyed Harrods. We bought food in the food halls and picnicked. If your kids are Sherlock Holmes fans, they will enjoy the restaurant at Sherlock's address in Baker Street run by his "landlady". Food quite upscale and good. Waitresses dressed in period clothing. Sherlock and Watson saltshakers etc. Upstairs, the house has been turned into a museum of what his quarters would have looked like. Even though my kids had not read "his" books, they thoroughly enjoyed the meal.Your kids may enjoy Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square at night as well as Covent Garden. <BR> <BR>A highlight of our trip was going to Bath and Stonehenge. We also went to the Cheshire Gorge. There is a staircase up the mountain. Each stair represents a million years. (Maybe it is 10 000, I could be having a memory lapse.) There are markers up the staircase to show at which point various milestones took place. <BR> <BR> We enjoyed the Cotswolds, Warwick and Blenheim. <BR> <BR>And of course the Tower of London is great. Tower Bridge has a good museum. A trip up the Thames to Greenwich is a different way to view the city and my kids liked seeing where GMT is. <BR> <BR>We did not get to any of the markets but that may be something your kids are interested in. Portobello Rd etc. <BR> <BR>I know I'm not a London expert but that is my humble opinion.

elaine

Hi <BR>I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me. <BR>Without knowing your interests it's really hard to make recommendations. <BR>Any good basic guidebook to London can outline the most popular sights/sites. Once you narrow down your interests more suggestions could be made. <BR>If you go to the Destinations area of this Fodor's website you can also find <BR>sightseeing ideas for London.

Tammy

I suggest going to the Cabinet War Rooms. It might be especially interesting if your kids have recently studied WW2 in school.

Mary Ann

Thank you everyone for your ideas. Any other restaurant ideas? Thanks again. <BR>Mary Ann