We will be in London for a week in March with our two kids age 10 and 13. In doing my research I have heard great things about all these palaces/castles (Windsor, Warwick, Buckingham, Hampton and Kensington). Being there a week, I suspect we will have time to see a few of these, but should we try to see them all? I do realize some are close in the city, others further out.

Are there any that are particularly different from the others or have unique events? (Re: Buckingham Palace, we will see the Changing of the Guards, so asking if we should also go inside). We will also be in Paris for a week after London and tentatively plan on going to Versailles, if that plays into anyone's advice.

In March , you will not be able to go inside except for the Mews and the gallery, at Buckingham. I love Windsor and Hampton court..both are easily doable with public transport. Kensington is convenient if you don't want to leave the city and some things might interest children the age of yours. But I think Hampton Court or windsor would be more to their liking.

Warwick to me is hokey...but some people love it!I suppose kids would.But I'd rather spend my time in London than spend a whole day going to Warwick waxworks!

OK - you can scratch Buckingham Palace off your list since it isn't open in March. The kids might enjoy the Royal Mews - but it would not be a "must" if you walked past Horseguards and the kids saw the mounted guards there.

Kensiongton Palace is fine - but there isn't much of that much interest to kids. There are exhibits of some of the Queen's dresses, hats etc and some of Princess Diana's gowns. And the kids are too old for the Princess Diana playground - so since your time is limited you can probably scratch Kens Palace off the list too.

Windsor and Hampton Court Palace are both TERRIFIC, and easily accessible from London. If you had to pick ONE it should probably be HCP. There is a vast kitchen wing that just delights most kids. Plus there are docents all around the palace in period costume, the maze, etc.

But w/ a week you could easily fit in both Windsor and HCP.

IF you decide to drop Windsor - then you can add Warwick. I respectfully disagree - it is a fabulous place. (there are some semi-touristy exhibits - but most of it is top notch). Kids LOVE Warwick - but it will take a full day by train. I wouldn't plan on going before hand but IF things fall into place - then take a day trip up there.

I think you need to put these into groups. Windor and Warwick Castles are ancient fortified Castles (think Robin Hood) and lots of fun for kids.

Buckingham Palace (and you can get to tour the inside only in Aug/Sept anyway) and Kensington Palace are really just very large fairly modern (only a couple of hundred years old) residences in central London.

Hampton Court is in-between - being Tudor - older, quite interesting and with a great maze - but not built as a military fortress as were Windsor and Warwick.

(And don;t forget the Tower of London - although not exactly a Castle - by far the most worthwhile IMHO - as well as the oldest - I believe the first fortress the Conquorer built).

Forget Kensington, it is not very interesting, especially for the kids. As already mentioned, Buckingham will be closed. Changing of the Guard is actually quite boring and can be quite time consuming. Last January our kids (teenagers) went to see them. We warned the kids beforehand they would be bored but they still voted to go, feeling it was a must see. Afterwards all three agreed it was boring.

Windsor, Hampton and Warwick Castles are all extememly good. Don't think you can go wrong with any of them. I think Warwick might be the favourite for the kids.

I would suggest you don't try and do all of them though as the kids will get a bit "castled out", especialy if you intend to do Versailles as well and a week really isn't that long time for all that London has to offer. I'm assuming you have never taken the kids there before.

I know some people do both Hampton and Windsor in the one day, but personally I think that it is too much racing around getting just a quick overview of each. I would prefer to make them separate trips and take the time to see them properly.

We took the kids to Versailles but I can't say that any of them were very excited about it, but that was partly because we chose to do one of the extended tours to the extra areas so I think they got a bit bored eventually. They couldn't care less who painted what or which architect created what. Unfortunately these extra rooms can't be seen except on a tour. Versailles would make a good contrast to the English type castles though.

Your kids may like the London Dungeon mine really did!

Well I think Warwick is the one that would be most interesting. It's the one you would think of when you think of a "castle". There are dungeons you can go down in, towers and ramparts you can climb, etc. There are some wax figure exhibits that some people find kind of touristy but they are actually done quite well and the buildings themselves are wonderful. The setting is also wonderful, on a beautiful river in a quaint little town. It only takes about a hour or so to get to by train from central London.

Windsor is the other one that "looks" like you would think a castle should look but since it's a royal residence you can't go everywhere, and you are in lines of tourists in the places they do let you go. And as other's have said, please don't forget the Tower of London.

I always decide where I want to go by looking at photos and there are tons on the web of all those castles if you just google them. I have shots of them posted if you want to start there. They are at: www.pbase.com/annforcier

I can't add much to what the other posters have told you--that Buckingham Palace (a highlight of our trip earlier this month) will not be open in March, which is a pity, as you would surely love it.
I second all those who said that Kensington would probably be boring for the children. I liked it, but I was interested in seeing gowns worn by the Queen and Princess Diana. I doubt children would be.
I finally saw Windsor Castle on this trip, and I loved it, as well as the town of Windsor itself. And on a previous trip, I enjoyed a visit to Hampton Court. I was particularly interested because I love reading about in the Tudor period of history, and Henry VIII and his wives. I do think the children would like it, though.
I haven't been to Warwick Castle, but I have been told it's a great place to take kids.
I think it would be smart to see a castle or two in England, in contrast to their visit to the palace of Versailles.

Thanks everyone for your help. The Tower of London was already a definite so I did not include it in my question. Too bad about Buckingham Palace not being open in March, but I guess it makes the decisions easier.

We will probably leave out Kensington Palace unless the girls (my parents are coming with us as well), so if my Mom, daughter and I want to see Diana's gowns we may try to head over there.

A few years back we took our then 10 year old son to Paris & London. In the UK he really liked Windsor Castle. We also did a little boat trip, on the Thames, which leaves from the docks in the city of Windosr, but that might not be an option for you because of the weather in March. Those are the types of castles he really liked. We had a bit more time so took him to see castles in Wales & Scotland as well. Definitley more interest in castles than palaces. In Paris, we thought he would like Versailles, but he was abit indifferent to it. Liked the extra tour which was then named the Marie Atoinette(SP) tour. But what he liked most about it was walking the grounds & seeing the gardens. Again not sure what the weather would be for you in March. Besides the usual things in Paris, what he really liked was the Rodin Museum & Gardens, & the Musee d'larmee with all the various armor displays. One of the things, besides the castles, that seemed to stick out in his mind from London was the Rock Circus. Don't even know if it is still there. It is a somewhat wax museum on the lines of Madame Toussaud's but about the history of rock & roll.

room for one more opinion? Warwick would be a top choice for taking kids, except that it involves a fairly long daytrip/trainride from London. Windsor and Hampton Court are very different, and you can reach either of them in about 30-40 minutes by rail from central London. My kids enjoyed both.

In Paris , the children might enjoy Musee Grevin..they have a special children's progam that shows how the figures are made and stories about the figures.

http://www.grevin.com

I wish Fodor's had an edit function!

This website might be even better

http://www.group-trotter.net/france/...in/grevin.html

Wow, Isabel, amazing photos! Thanks for sharing them.
I have been reading this post with interest as I will be traveling to London with my husband and 2 sons, 11 and 14, Dec. 25 - Jan 1. Originally, I was thinking Windsor, but now I am going to check out Warwick.
Thanks.

Hampton Court, Windsor, Warwick and Kensington are all unique and wonderful places - i'd hate to chose between them. That said, Kensington, in Hyde Park need only occupy a few hours - others are day trips. Warwick has often been called Britain's 'best' castle; Hampton Court is far underpublicized - i feel it rivals any palace in Europe - the 'British Versailles' has multi-faceted offerings, from the most complete medieval kitchen extant in Europe supposedly to a maze, captivating Thames-side location, world-class art from the Queen's collections and marvelous parks and gardens - and not to be forgotten 'The Vine' a grapevine that still yields a bountiful supply of grapes after centuries after it was planted here by Capability Brown i think, who also, i think, planned some of the formal gardens. And there are neat guided tours - several different themes included with the admission fee. One thing for sure if you are going to these places, the Great British Heritage Pass will be a great deal for you - a few of these pricey castles (Windsor about $22 by itself) pays for the pass (4 straight days=$50, 7 d=$75 15d=$95 month=$130. gives half off Tower of London and free entry to hundreds of sights throughout Britain - Kensington and Hampton Court cost about $20 each, Warwick probably about $15 - also good for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Exhibit and Tour in London (about $15) - half off tower (about $10), St Paul's Cathedral ($13) and many other sights - for example all Shakespeare Properties in Stratford, Edinburgh Castle, Stonehenge, etc. (RailEurope sells in US - for details call BETS (800-441-9413), a RailEurope agent who don't charge some of RailEurope's handling fees. Note if just in London and not going to Hampton, Kensington or Windsor the pass would be of dubious value as most London museums are free (British museum, V&A, Tate galleries, Nt'l Gallery, etc.).

KidstoLondon- One more opinion is always welcome! Thank you.

Isabel - I finally got a minute to look at your pictures and they are stunning!! I also looked through your Italy pictures, which really brought me back to our time in Italy this past March. Grazie!

PalQ-Thank you for the comments about the Heritage Pass. I already have printed out your details from another thread comparing the Heritage Pass with the London Pass. They will be very helpful.

Well, as you know know now Buckingham Palace is only open during the summer, Warwick while it might be interesting is too far out of the city for such a short trip, save it for next time.

Since you're only in London for a week - I'd do Windsor Castle but also the town, don't forget to walk over the bridge to Eton.

Hampton Court is well worth a visit - if you have time you can then shop in Kingston before returning to London.

Have a wonderful time.

My kids (ages 13 and 15) loved Warwick. The waxworks referred to above is just a small part of the exhibit and the figures are presented in historical contexts not as mere models. As mentioned above, the place is much more hands-on and interactive than the others -- it feels less like amuseum and more like an adventure. Harry Potter fans wll find plenty of fuel for their fantasies. Even though it would eat up a full day, it would probably be good to get out of the city and see the countryside for one day. I believe you'd also have a chance to spend some time in the town of Warwick if you take the train (we drove).

OTOH, my 15-year-old daughter, who has worked extensively in theater costuming and is now a college history major, thought Kensington was boring.

Kids of all ages love Warwick Castle! It's more fun for children than Windsor.

Worth noting is that Warwick is only a few miles from Stratford-on-Avon, so you might be able to visit there for an hour or so (and afternoon tea maybe?) after seeing the Castle.

Chiltern Railways (www.chilternrailways.co.uk) run trains from London to Warwick and Stratford daily.