With royalty, history and fun, a trip to London is an absolute must for the entire family. Although your days may be filled with activities, you still will not see all that London has to offer in just one trip. The people are friendly and helpful which makes for a pleasant trip all around. The peak tourist season is July and August, where crowds are in abundance and rates are at its highest. We traveled to London in September and had no problems with overcrowding and the weather was great.

What to Do:

Tours: Upon arrival you may consider a city tour of London to help get better acquainted with this large city. We highly recommend one of the following tours:

• Bus: We rode a double-decker (open top) bus tour on our first day to get our barrings and see the city at a glance. We knew we would not make it to various parts of the city on this trip so the bus tour was a perfect way to at least get a quick peak into those areas we would not have time for. Many bus tour companies also include the hop on hop off feature which is very convenient if you decide to have lunch or see an attraction. Some of the tours also offer a boat ride on the Thames. All must be done within a 24 hour period from time of ticket purchase. We enjoyed most of our guides, however, we recommend changing buses if you are not thrilled about your guide. Check out the following bus tours to see which one suits your family best. Some offer guides specifically geared towards children. Buy tickets at most stops.  The Original Tour London Sightseeing, The Big Bus Company
• Boat: If time allows, try a relaxing ride on the Thames River either for the ride or to actually reach a particular destination within London. Tickets for the river rides are sold throughout the city and range from large tour boats to smaller fast pace speed rafts.
• Walking: Walking tours are abundant within London. Some bus tours even include a few with the purchase of your bus tour. Walking tours can be found from everything as historic sites to Harry Potter tours. We used a walking tour company to do the Royal London portion and found it extremely valuable (www.walks.com). 

Once you are familiar with the city you may want to consider your top choices on attractions to see and do on your visit. With all there is to see and do, London can not be expereienced all in one trip. So we highly recommend picking your top must sees. Here is a list of family favorites we found:

Buckingham Palace: For 2 months out of the year, Buckingham Palace opens its staterooms for public viewing. While the Queen is off on holiday during the months of August and September you can tour the staterooms, gardens and Royal Mews (coach house). The rooms are spectacular with the decor and elegance of mostly white and gold throughout. The most spectacular room of all is the Ballroom. Dressed up and ready to receive guests for a State Banquet, it is a peek inside this most elegant affair. An audio guide is given to all who enter. Strollers must be checked in but are readily available at the end of the tour. No photographs are allowed inside the palace. The Royal Mews showcase the royal vehicals along with a stage coach, sold as a seperate ticket (open year round). Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended for the stateroom tours. Time of tour must be chosen upon purchase of tickets.  Children under 5 are FREE.

Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guards: Every other day you can expereience the time honored tradition of the changing of the guards. The ceremony takes approximately one hour but crowds start lining up along the palace gates for hours before. If you do not have the time to wait for hours in saving the perfect spot, you can get a great view by standing along the street or in the center across from the palace gates. The view from these locations is great to get an up close view of the guards as they march past. Once inside the gate its more marching and not much else but with a further view. The viewing is free and takes place at 11:30am.

Houses of Parliament: If you have an interest in British Government you must take a peak into the Parliamental houses, House of Commons and the House of Lords. There are tours available while in session to get a glimpse of the debates in this ex-royal palace. Tours held in August and September offer a behind the scenes tour of the royal chambers.

London Eye: Take a ride on the worlds largest Ferris Wheel? The London Eye provides a spectacular view of London, especially the Parliament (Big Ben) area. The ride last 30 mins. which is how long it takes to make one trip around. You may speand more time in line getting a ticket then the actual ride itself, so we recommend purchasing tickets online if you know the exact time and date you want to ride. Tickets are discounted online. Once on, sit back and enjoy a relaxing break and take a few pictures of the beautiful scenery. We went on a rainy day and still had incredible visability.

London Tower: The only real castle experience in London is the London Tower. The location itself is as amazing as the London Tower, as it sits on the Thames River. Within the walls of this castle you can get a free guided tour from the famous Beefeaters, usually every hour. There is also a chance to see guards and learn loads of history. However, the top two features that interested us the most were the Crown Jewels and the Tower with Mediveal artifacts. The Crown Jewels are absolutely amazing and jaw dropping when you take them in up close. The Tower actually houses a large amount of medival armory and weaponry. Even the horses are memorialized and given armory which was very exciting to our child. Older children will enjoy the interactive area where they can try their hand at archory via an electronic simulator. You can spend half a day here with all there is to do. However, if you are on a time crunch we did it all within just under 2 hours. The grounds and Crown Jewels are stroller friendly. To see the tower, strollers need to be left outside. Children under 5 are FREE?

Madame Tussauds Waxworks: View everything from royals to rock stars, in wax form of course, at the Madame Tussauds Waxworks. Children under 5 are FREE. Tube stop: Baker Street.

Shakespear's Globe Theater: Experience the arts as it was in the __00's when Shakespear put on his infamous plays. The theater is a replica and tours are available. However, we purchased the peasant seats (open air tickets with standing room only at the foot of the stage) and stayed to watch only a small portion of the show. Seated tickets are slightly more expensive and are under covered sections of the theater. Our theatrical experience was worth it even though we knew boredom would soon set in for our 2 year old.

St. Paul's Cathedral:

Trafalgar Square: Just in front of the National Gallery is a large square perfect to let off some steam with the little ones. There is a fountain and large lions that you can climb. The street is extremely busy in this area and the square can get crowded.

Westminster Abbey: Known throughout the world as the corination site of most of the Kings and Queens throughout English history, Westminster Abbey is not to be missed. We used our visit to Westminster Abbey as part of our walking tour experience. Our guide was able to give us an indepth exploration into the history of the Abbey, a working church. Tombs of famous people throughout history can be found here along with important royal history. Most of the tour is stroller accessable but watch out for crowds. Entry to the Abbey includes a free audioguide.

Museums: Almost every museum in London is FREE. So take advantage of many of them even if it means a quick tour. Below is a short list of many popular museums throughout the city. Upon arrival inquire about children's activities or special kids fun packets.

• The British Museum: One of our favorite museums with much to do. The museum has a great deal of Egyptian history including the
• The British Library:
• Museum of London:
• Natural History Museum:
• National Gallery:
• National Portrait Gallery:
• Science Museum:
• Tate British:
• Tate Modern:
• Victoria and Albert Museum:

Parks:

• Battersea Park: This park is made for kids with a small children's zoo and adventure playground.
• Hyde Park: The location for the famous Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Hyde park also is home to the Diana Princess Children's playground.
• Queen Mary's Rose Gardens
• St. Martin in the Fields: Free lunch concerts 1pm on Mon, Tues, and Fridays. 

Off the Beaten Path:

Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood: Branch of Victoria and Albert Museum specializing in toys. FREE daily 10-17:30. Tube stop: Bethnal Green 

Farms

Kensington Palace

Kew Gardens

Legoland Windsor

Little Angel Theatre: Puppet shows for all ages by expert puppeters and excellent array of puppets. Check website for local shows and times. Tube stop: Angel (Northern Line) or Highbury and Islington (Victoria Line)

London Aquarium

London Zoo: Check out the world renowned London Zoo for a fine collection of thousands of animals and a petting zoo.  

Windsor Castle

Dining:

Some of the most family friendly places to dine are actually pubs. Simply walk in and choose your own table and order at the bar using the number on your table. Tipping is not expected since you do most of the work. We did also dine in more expensive restaurants and were treated well by staff however, with a sometimes very loud and active toddler it was hard to enjoy it. Here are a few of our favorite places to eat:

Wagamama: Asian style restaurant chain with large variety of food. They have a family friendly atmosphere and children's menu. Wagamama's are found throughout the city.

Shopping:

London is a metropolitan city with every store you can image. The range of stores include famous brands from all over the world. However a few stores do stick out as shops unique to London:

Harrods: The place to see and be seen. Harrods is a large department store with everything you could ever want from clothing to furniture to wild animals (yes, that is right). Visit the 4th floor for children's clothing and toys. There is even a theater with shows for children on some days. Be sure to grab a map on the way in since getting lost is very easy at Harrods. If you are into Princess Diana visit the basement near the Egyptian escalators for the Princess Diana memorial. Tube stop: Knightsbridge.

Hamleys: The biggest and best toy store in the world is Hamleys. Definitely worth a stop in but beware you may end up leaving with something. Tube stop: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus.

Burlington Arcade: For most this may be the place where window shopping is the only option. The Burlington Arcade is where the royals do their shopping. Located in Mayfair Plaza.

Hotels:

Hotels are everywhere you turn throughout the city.  Many hotels in our opinion can have very small rooms so beware if traveling with several children. We were not impressed by our hotel room size although the staff and cleanliness were excellent. Consult a travel agent on choosing the best room for the size of your family.

Yearly Calendar Events:

• January: New Year's Day Parade. Biggest family friendly parade of the year, begins at Parliament Square on New Year's Day.
• February: Chinese New Year Celebrations. Visit Chinatown for lion dances, spectacular fireworks and fun.
• March: St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival
• June: Wimbledon Championships
• September: The Mayor's Thames Festival with live performances, artist kiosks and fun activities for kids. Along the Thames River on the south side.
• September: Open House London. Famous city buildings throughout London are open to the public and admission is free.
• November: Lord Mayor's Show & Fireworks Display. A historic procession of the Mayor's pledge of allegiance to the crown.
• December: Bankside Winter Festival (Frost Fair).

Tips:

Last update : 29-11-2008 14:05

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