I have been left to look after my daughter this weekend, Fri, Sat, Sun, so thought a trip to London would fill the time.

Anyone have any recommendations of places to go that may interest a 10yr old?

Science / Natural history museums…Hyde park play areas and fountains all good if you’re on a budget. Theatre’s and Attractions if you’re not!

Ripleys believe it or not kept me amused for longer than anticipated.
Expensive but look for vouchers.

I took my kids to the Tower of London a few weeks ago and they loved it. Plenty of history and the guides/talks are very entertaining.

We also did the Aquarium using Tesco vouchers – good but a complete con if you’d paid usual prices. London Eye much the same. Plenty of nice places to eat along the South Bank and always busy at the weekends.

Natural History/Science museums are great and free.

W’ve just been for the weekend with our daughter who’s a few year younger (she’s 6). We ‘did’ the Harry Potter experience, took an open topped tour bus which basically covers all the main sights we went into the tower of London because she wanted to see the crown jewels (no sniggering at the back)and the natural history museum which she really enjoyed.

P.S. avoid Hamleys or it will cost you!

My friend took a train to the Harry Potter Studio Tour thing out by Borehamwood with his daughter when they were in London. He said she loved it.

A colleague who is 28 years old went. He loved it.

Might be worth going.

If she is a girlie girl she might like the Victoria and Albert museme as it has alot of colthes and liftstyle’ things.

My friends little girl (age 7) wanted to see the church that ‘princess Kate’ got married when she visited in the summer.
Open top bus which covers the sights is always a good bet.
My boy (Age 6) really enjoyed going on the cable car across the thames and going on the DLR through various buildings.
He wants to go on the London Eye, next time we go up.

Go to Free london :http://www.visitlondon.com/tag/free-attractions
for other things to do which are (as it says) ….. free.

oh I’ve found its best to choose 2 or 3 things to and take your time, instead of charging around trying to do everything and getting stressed and hassled.
Make the travelling for one attraction to the next part of the day not just a journey (river cruise from docklands / tower of london up to Houses of Parliment / embankment instead of tube for example.)

Doing 4 days down here at the moment. Currently in Greenwich whith the Cutty Sark, observatory, tunnel under Thames to walk through.

Wellcome Institute.

Museum of childhood in Bethnal Green or the Science Museum, but this will be really really busy so expect to queue a LOT.

Same with the Natural History Museum. That was 40minutes to get in over the winter break, 90mins for the dinosaurs (although you can book for free and bypass the queue).

Oh, just realised this will still be on – Imagine. This is excellent with loads of free things to do. We went last Saturday.

Riverboat would be a memorable treat – cruising past all the major sights. A wander around the tower would go down well, so much history they only hear about… and then of course theres the museums. A trip to see Buck Palace would be good, especially if you can catch a changing of the guard .

feeding the ducks and geese in Hyde parks Serpetine lake?

Kew Gardens has the orchid exhibition on, and there’s an Italian restaurant on the green by the main gate. Not free though, but if you fancy a walk and something a bit less city-centre, and the hot-houses are of course excellent.

Went to the Tower last year with my then 11yr old + 7yr old, wasn’t bad but not a huge hit. The boat back along the river was far more popular. The Science Museum and the V&A were better. The Museum of London is less well known but was surprisingly popular, it’s also free.

Your daughter’s about the right age for Camden Market, too, my eldest loved it.

If money’s not tight I’d take in a show, there’s also a backstage tour of the Opera which would probably be a hit: http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/tours

Duck Tours!

Tea and Cake

Depending on how 10 vs how grown up she is she’d probably like Topshop in Oxford street, you might not though!

Just come back after 3 days with ours – 10 year old boy and 6 year old girl.

Agree re museums and using Tesco vouchers – or others – for the other attractions – just google to see what discounts are available.

Tower of London surprisingly good for our little one, small craft making bit which she is into. Get there early if you want to see the Jewels.

The river boat back from the Tower to Westminster was great for all of us.

If she has any money saved up, or deserves an early birthday present, take her round Hamleys – bloody excellent, all the demos to watch.

Avoid the Rainforest Cafe – MrsMC was desperate to go and even witha 15% voucher the experience wasn’t worth it.

Giraffe is usually a good place to eat with the kids. Few of them dotted around.

If in Covent Garden – Sophies for lunch. Family friendly, and awesomely tasty! 🙂

Oh yeah, 10 year old girl will love Camden market, just try and beat the manic weekend crush.

If she isn’t a fussy eater you can pretty much eat all day there with the free trials at all the stalls!

As above, natural history museum and the tower of London would get my vote.

HMS Belfast is well worth a visit, when I went last year kids got on free. The recreation of a gun turret in action is so impressive I had to catch one of my boys trying to jump out of the hatch and there’s some great gore and lots of quite physical exploring to do down below deck.

Great replies everyone 🙂

I have just read through the options with Ruby, she loved the idea of the Victoria and Albert until I said she couldn’t buy the clothes. Her favourites at the moment are .. Camden Market, Feeding the Ducks, a River Tour, Tower of London(crown jewels) , Kew Gardens and the museums.

I ve booked a river tour and tickets for the tower but one may have to make way for the market as shopping seems to be hardwired !!

Whatever we do thanks again for the suggestions we have gone from no idea, to too many ideas.

Ta x

If they enjoy all things ghoulish, then this may entertain, and is a bit more unusual than the standard museum fare

My daughter, then 12, was fascinated.

she loved the idea of the Victoria and Albert until I said she couldn’t buy the clothes

Has got quite an interesting (particularly to 10yr old girls!) clothes section, amongst other things, and of course you can easily walk from the V&A to Harrods if you feel like it – the downstairs departments are worth a look, the chocolate on sale in the Food Court… Some nice cafes along the way, too, great for lunch.

Enjoy the Tower, but the queue for the jewels yesterday suddenly went manic after lunchtime – be warned, it will be damned cold queueing outdoors this weekend (says the guy with tickets to Magna in Rotherham, which may, possibly, ahem, be next door to Planet X/On One…..)

edit.