We are seeing friends in London over the next week. We have this Saturday during the day free, I have two kids (11 & 13) would welcome any suggestions of how to occupy the day for them – they have never been to London before?
Low cost is good too.
Regards
Richard

Museums are mostly free.

Museums..

Enjoyed meat liquor in Covent Garden for some food when i was in London last time.

As above, really.

Science and Natural History would be my pick at that age.

And then, to Harrods for a doughnut challenge. (Eat a Harrods jam doughnut without once licking your lips)

Other ideas;
Number 11 bus – Get upstairs and see the sights. Cheaper than a tourist bus, but takes in Westminster, Trafalgar Square and the City.
The Eye – If the weather is anything like today, it really is rather good.

the monument – great views no queues and way cheaper than the shard or the eye.

wander under the thames at greenwich – the tunnel is cool and you can go via the naval museum and go and see the greenwich meridian line and observatory.

The Science Museum and specifically Launchpad is good. The natural history museum is next door if they like that sort of this. Good for bugs and dinosaurs. Both can involve a bit of queuing on a Saturday.

Travel by bus rather than tube as you get to see so much more. Pick a route that goes past some of the sights (Buck Palace, Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar square).

Hamleys toy store used to be good. Not been for ages but I’m sure it still is.

Get yourself to Greenwich. Check out the maritime museum and/or the observatory. Then take a boat up the river to the Houses of Parliament with the option of jumping off at the Tower for an hour or so, then the London Eye and a wander around the Houses of Parliament, then tube or cab via Trafalgar square and up the Mall past Buck Palace and on to the Natural History museum.

The commentary on the boat can be excellent, and it’s a really great way of taking in the layout of the city. Some amazing history along those banks, too.

You didn’t mention if they’re boys or girls… if girls, the V&A (just over the road from the Science Museum) has a reasonable dress collection which might be more interesting than planes etc. It’s also free.

A boat trip up/down the Thames is good, take the Tube down to the Tower and take the boat back to Westminster. I took my girls to the Tower a couple of years ago, was pretty successful. Not as successful as Camden, though 🙄

The cable car between Greenwich and Royal Docks is worth a trip too. Can use Oyster Cards which makes it as lot cheaper, otherwise it’s about £4.30 for an adult single trip.

the natural history muesum and all the markets at camden.

you could walk over the O2 if you fancied it. Also worth doing is a Rib ride…down the Thames to the thames barrier on a high speed Rib. It is great fun, and a brilliant way to see he sites.

Rib Experience

As much as the mumseums are great … and they really are… you will not get to see much of Lonodon stuck inside them.

So try … Big Ben/HoP down Whitehall, past Downing St and Horse Guards to Traf Square, under Admiralty Arc along the Mall or through Green Park to Buck Palace. Although BP isn’t brilliant, if you think I’m right, get that number 11 bus from traf square to the City, give The Monument a try and checkout Tower of London (not sure I’d go inside) and Tower Bridge. Head back west along the southbank taking in Borough market… see if you can find the street from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels… and on past Golden Hinde to the Glode Theatre and TATE modern … if you’ve got the legs carry on along Southbank proper to the Eye… and your tour is complete

Sight seeing is knackering and takes longer than you think, even when you know exactly where you wanna go.

Have fun

Brilliant thanks to all. Great suggestions.
Boy and Girl, they would prefer to be out and about I think so the tours are favourite I think.
Richard

Boy and Girl, they would prefer to be out and about I think so the tours are favourite I think.

I wouldn’t go overboard on the tour front, though – in my experience the kids are interested for about 5 seconds in seeing Big Ben, and that’s it. I’d seriously consider doing at least one museum – the cafes aren’t too bad for eating either.

Just checked how much entry to the Tower costs – nearly 60gbp for a family ticket!

Yes, pricey, but even if you don’t go in it’s great to just have a wander around outside and over Tower Bridge. It’s an amazing spot!

Yes, pricey, but even if you don’t go in it’s great to just have a wander around outside and over Tower Bridge. It’s an amazing spot!

Not arguing about that – we went in a couple of years ago. Would be ideal for a boy and a girl, playing to stereotypes a bit but there are guns and jewels, perfect 🙂

Kids are impressed by Leadenhall market (close to Monument and the tower) as they recognise it from the Harry Potter films.

You didn’t mention if they’re boys or girls… if girls, the V&A (just over the road from the Science Museum) has a reasonable dress collection which might be more interesting than planes etc.

#everydaysexism

Was going to suggest Natural History Museum and Camden markets but someone beat me to it…
Covent Garden is alright aswell..

Thames clipper down the river to greenwich, wander round a bit, then go get the cable car thing and then back into town.

Did that recently, was a good wander about the place.

I wouldn’t go overboard on the tour front, though – in my experience the kids are interested for about 5 seconds in seeing Big Ben, and that’s it.

There’s a hell of a lot more than Big Ben to see on a tour. The whole city’s a pile of history stacked on top of itself. I find it fun to look for evidence of really old stuff – roman walls, old riverside buildings, palaces, churches, that kind of thing. None of what you see as a tourist has much meaning unless you know a bit of the history imo.

Depends on your kids if you think they will like it though. But I’d be wary of buzzing from spot to spot on the tube all day, it’s wearisome and very disorientating to travel underground all the time.

Oh and a walk over Tower Bridge is cool. I’d never been there until recently and not realised what an impressive structure it is.

Pedant mode.

It’s highly unlikely that you will be able to see Big Ben unless you plan on going up the Elizabeth Tower.

My American relatives are well up to speed on the meaning of the name ‘Big Ben’.. and also ‘Tower Bridge’

I’ve often been asked directions for London Bridge, and I’m happy to direct them whilst wondering if they’ll be rather disappointed 🙂

tube to Westminster and then walk back along Whitehall – one of the most impressive roads in town

Equally, when someone asks for directions to Westminster Cathedral, I give them directions to the Cathedral. Not to the Abbey.

Ah hah.. I didn’t know that one.. although I do always refer to Westminster Abbey as I know that St Pauls is the Anglican cathedral.. in the City at least 🙂

The City of London, yes, but not The City of Westminster!

Flashy ever thought of running your own special Pedants London Tour Bus?

We had a few days down there last summer, when our two were 7 and 9.

They really liked the science museum, even though they’re girls, and there’s a trail round Tate Britain that’s interesting.

For seeing the sights, we walked. You can walk along the river from Tate Britain to parliament, have a look at the Eye and then walk past Downing Street and up to Buckingham Palace.

The Science Museum is ace- I went to one of those late night openings where they basically threw open all the kids’ stuff to adults, and gave us wine in case we weren’t juvenile enough. Fab.

They really liked the science museum, even though they’re girls

Honestly, that kind of blatant sexism really does piss me off 🙁

Unless you were being ironic in which case carry on.

As above, the museums are brilliant, I’ve been in the Museum of London, V&A, Science, Natural History, National Maritime, Imperial War, along with the Cutty Sark, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Portrait…
I was in the Nat.His on Sunday for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, and went round the dinosaur and bugs exhibitions as well, loads of kids there, really enjoying it, but it’s a whole afternoon, really, and you won’t see much of the city at all, so I would stick with outdoor sight-seeing. That’s the great thing about London Village, there’s so bloody much of it to see!
While The Shard is fairly pricey, if the weather’s clear, you can see a fantastic amount of London and beyond, and it’s one attraction I can recommend as a ‘once-in-lifetime’ visit.
Oh, and while I always use the Tube, I even have an Oyster card despite living a hundred miles away, I would suggest that you use the buses, the Tube can be very busy, and crowded, and the little ones might well find it cramped and a bit claustrophobic if it’s really crowded.
Having said that, one quick trip on the Tube can be fun, if they’ve never been on it before. 😀

one quick trip on the Tube can be fun

it’s all about “driving” the DLR 😉

it’s all about “driving” the DLR

Very true! I love the DLR, winding it’s way around all the new buildings, right up in the air where you can look down on stuff, and no driver! Great fun! Actually, that would be a good bit of the day out, a run out to North Greenwich to the O2 on the Jubilee Line and do the walk over the top, then get the DLR from Canary Wharf back into the city, or else get the DLR out, then get the waterbus back into the city.
Lots of things to see and do, to be sure. Needs a week-end, really. 😀

Honestly, that kind of blatant sexism really does piss me off

It was a response to the post earlier, that I quoted with an #everydaysexism, suggesting that girls might prefer somewhere with dresses to the science museum 🙂

Download the Huntzz app and do one of the treasure hunts.

If I was only going to do one museum then it would be the British museum, the Egypt section and the stuff from Sutton Hoo can fill a whole day for me alone. And it’s free entry.

It was a response to the post earlier, that I quoted with an #everydaysexism, suggesting that girls might prefer somewhere with dresses to the science museum

Which was my post, and the operative word is “might”. Funnily enough some girls are actually more interested in dresses than rockets, if you think taking their preferences into account while on a rare day out in London is sexism, so be it.

Vote here too for Sutton hoo.

My office overlooks leadenhall market. I can’t recommend my office in the slightest though.