We're going to London

[Kurby]

Hi everyone. It's been a few years in the planning but we booked our flights to London (the day before William announced his wedding plans so I hope we don't have to change ours)

We'll be there from July 3 to July 8.

I've got a few questions.

I was a kid the last time we were in the UK and don't remember much but i do want to do some tours and hit the highlights.


Is there a better time of day to go on the London Eye? Early morning, sunset, 2pm?

I found this company called Premium Tours. Have you guys heard of them? are they a good company?

Our dd will be 5 1/2 in the summer. Other then the Zoo what can we do with her to make her feel part of this trip and it isn't all us picking museums to see

Is the double decker tour worth it? Anyone know what the audio is like or is it just a bus trip with no guide to tell you what your passing?

Our must see/do's are

Tower of London
London Eye
Stonehenge (i know it's not in London but the tours start there)
Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards
River tour
(was thinking of the Harry Potter but 70pounds per person is insane)

we're also thinking of taking a day tour of Paris

is there anything else we should make sure we see?


last question - we're thinkin gor the Premier Inn - We don't have them here - are they a nice place?

 

[Tinks1984]

Hi & welcome to the UK boards

I do believe your plans could miss the William/Kate celebrations, there's talk of a Spring wedding for them both. But I'm sure they'll announce it soon enough, they'll want to sort out their merchandise for it all.

I'll try to answer what I can for you from your post and I'm sure others will be along also. Firstly, how long are you staying for?

With regards to the London Eye, it all depends on what you'd like to see and how far. You get amazing views from up there and hopefully in July, it'll be a clear day for you, then you can see for miles. We did the tour about 2pm and it was great, you can see all the main sights during that time of day.

I've never heard of Premium Tours, what do they offer? When we went to London, we booked our own tours whilst there, that way, depending on the weather that day, we could work around it.

As for the open-top bus tours, we used Big Bus Tours and got a ticket which gave us 3 days touring. That way, we could hop on and off the bus whenever we wanted to move to a different land mark. They do have people speaking on them also.

For your DD, alongside London Zoo, we have Legoland, Winsor and be sure to hit Hamleys Toy Shop whilst out for the day. There's floors of amazing toys Simple things too, like spending a couple of hours in one of the London parks, you'll be able to find a soccer ball and possibly an outdoor game to play whilst having something to eat there.

You'll also need to consider how you plan on getting to different things/sightseeing areas, as London is bigger than it seems. Some of the places you mentioned on your 'to see' list are further out of the centre of London and will need extra transport to get to them easily.

But, honestly, I do hope you'll have a wonderful trip to London, it's an amazing city and one that I love to visit. Please ask if you have anymore questions and I'll see if I can help.

 

[MazdaUK]

Hi there! I hope you find these answers helpful

Is there a better time of day to go on the London Eye? Early morning, sunset, 2pm? I'd always go for an early flight as its less crowded - even with your pre-booked slot there are queues and your DD might get a bit fed up! I think they start around 9am (Sunset in July is around 9pm so would probably be a bit late)
I found this company called Premium Tours. Have you guys heard of them? are they a good company?I haven't heard of them, but because we live close to London we don't use tour companies so that doesn't really mean anything. I'd pm Arizona Rita as she was in London this summer and found a very good tour which included the Tour of London

Our dd will be 5 1/2 in the summer. Other then the Zoo what can we do with her to make her feel part of this trip and it isn't all us picking museums to see
I recommend Duck Tours - they're an amphibious tour, part on the river and part round the streets - you can often get a combined tour with the London Eye (try London 2for1) My kids all loved museums -she would probably enjoy the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, its free (free is good, right) and there's lots of great interactive stuff, not just stuffed animals. The Science Museum next-door is also good fun (and free). You might also want to take her to Hamleys - the big toyshop in Regent Street. Not far from there is a Nandos or a Rainforest cafe which she would enjoy. And she'll porbably enjoy the Tower of London- they have actos and actrsses dressed up as Tudor monarchs, which is cool.
Is the double decker tour worth it? Anyone know what the audio is like or is it just a bus trip with no guide to tell you what your passing? There are two bus companies doing double decker bus tours, both have commentary available in several languages, and seem very popular. they are hop on hop off generallyOur must see/do's are

Tower of Londonreally good day out, quite expensive. Can be combined with a tour
London Eye see above - can be combiend with a river/sightseeing trip
Stonehenge (i know it's not in London but the tours start there) Do tours REALLY start there? It is waaaaay out of London, I'm guessing at least 150 miles (and remember English road miles take longer to cover as the roads are narrower and twistier, even the motorways [freeways]) Its on the A3 - the worst connection from London - and I think it would take most of the day just getting there and back. And there is really nothing much there except for the stones themselves.Unless your DD is a really good traveller I wouldn't recommend it (my DS(11) still gets on coaches, even though he's not so bad in cars now) Legoland Windsor would be easier to get to, your DD would enjoy it can you can see the Lego stonehenge
Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards Buckingham Palace is only open to the public for the summer, not sure if its open the weeks you're there. There is stuff on the website about changing the guards - its free. You just stand outside. Alternatively, there is a smaller "changing of Guards" at Horseguards in Whitehall (near the Cenotaph), and you can also do a tour of the stables (good if your DD likes horses). Behind Horseguards is St James Park, which is nice for a picnic, has pelicans on the lake and a good children's playground
River tourcombine with London Eye
(was thinking of the Harry Potter but 70pounds per person is insane)Its also a little way outside London
we're also thinking of taking a day tour of ParisI've been thinking of that for years Long day for DD, but she could sleep on the train I suppose

is there anything else we should make sure we see?If the weather is fine the PRincess Diana memorial playground is great fun - sort of pirate ship/desert island theme. I also recommend posting questions on TripAdvisor - I've always had very good advice from them


last question - we're thinkin gor the Premier Inn - We don't have them here - are they a nice place?Nothing wrong with them, definitely a budget option though (probably similar to Best Western) City Inn Westminster might suit you better - its just up formthe Houses of Parliament, but because its not right next to a tube its a bit quieter. Or the Mariott County Hall is very central (if a bit expensive), and there's a Park Plaza just behind the Mariott which has only been open a year or so and I understand has nice rooms

 

[pad406]

I know you mentioed museums, but just to let you know, our 2, 6&8, adore the national history museum. It's a full day for us and free

 

[Chilly]

I know you mentioed museums, but just to let you know, our 2, 6&8, adore the national history museum. It's a full day for us and free

The science museum which is next door is also free and has lots of hands on stuff.

 

[Kurby]

hi guys. thanks for all the info.

the reason i am sort of not wanting zoos and museums is because we have them here and though they many have some different stuff it's still sort of the same and we're in londo for only 5 days taking a day to do what we can do here didn't seem like a good idea


i can't believe i totally forgot about Diana's Park. i'll have to get info on that now.

tours of stonehenge - ya i meant to say ends there. it's combined with 2 or 3 different tours of London

 

[MazdaUK]

I still can't see how they're combining Stonehenge with London Its like combining San Fancisco with Yosemite 5 days is not much so I can see why you want something other than mueums, but if the weather turns cold and wet (and it can in July!) Nat Hist is still a good bet. And eating in the sit-down restaurant can be surprisingly economical (I took my boys outside last year and wished I'd gone for the restuarant! Table service is good when you have young kids ;-) )

But as others have said Hamleys is great for kids - and its just had its 250th birthday so can count as historical

 

[Dimplenose]

There's a Premier Inn at the same location as the Mariott, County Hall. Very close to Waterloo Station (mainline trains and tube) and a short walk to London Eye and Houses of Parliament. Lots of restaurants in this area too.

http://www.southbanklondon.com/index.php?pid=2

There are lots of guide books aimed at children. I'm sure most London bookshops will have them.

There's a Rainforest Cafe in Shaftsbury Avenue (just off Picadilly Circus), but my two preferrred TGIFridays.

Buckingham Palace usually opens for August and some of September.

Covent Garden has a lot of shops (including a Disney Store), market stalls and usually has pavement entertainers.

Hamley's is a wonderful toyshop but their prices are much higher than elsewhere.

I agree that the Tower of London is good. Tours are given by the Beefeaters - I'm pretty sure they are included with the admission ticket.

If you go to Kensington Gardens for the playground be sure to also look out for the Peter Pan statue and the Elfin Oak.

Are you going to Paris after your trip to London or during it? Remember that France is one hour ahead of UK which might eat into your touring time.

Have fun!

 

[Ware Bears]

I recommend Duck Tours

So would I ~ far more fun than a bus tour.