Dr Hu

Hi All - Advice time please

Having a weeks holiday in London next week, 2 days in Legoland and 3 days in that there London Town.... with wifey, 5yr old boy & 7 yr old Girl. (who are both v.v excited)

We are staying at the Woking Holiday Inn, carefully chosen from a list as its a 'Legoland' package hotel, but mainly as its right on the main rail line into Waterloo for our Day trips into London.

So a few questions for all you London experts out there....

Is it best to buy an Oyster Card for me & wife to use? Tube/Train etc
Can I use it from Woking to London?
How do I know how much to credit it with? (or does it auto top up?)
I understand kids are free, how does this work through barriers etc on the tube?

Secondly - any must see's, avoids, etc for us?

Was sort of thinking Natural History (Dino's for the boy!), Trafalgar square, river cruise, open top bus etc etc - but all advice gratefully recieved. Someone told us NOT the dungeon, too scary for kids....

London Eye worth a doing? - looking at £50 for tickets in advance, but the queue jumper tickets are £90, how much queue can we expect? (I know its main hols week!)
Changing of the guard?

Obviously we only have 3 days in London, so we can't see everything, but we want to do the whole 'touristy' thing while we are there, and give the kids a great time.

So over to the mighty power of Scoobynet, don't fail me now...... LOL

bigsinky

London Dungeon. Might be a bit scarey though.tower of london, st pauls, windsor castle, kensington palace, london zoo, london aquaruim, madame tussauds, IMAX theatre, transport museaum, greenwich (cutty sark), chessington, thorpe park.

loads to do in and around london

SJ_Skyline

The Natural History museum always been one of my favourites, awesome building and their collection is extensive.

Quick Brain Dump of other places to go:

Tower of London, Science Museum, Duck Tour, Hamleys, HMS Belfast, National Maritime Museum (maybe a bit old for the kids...), Greenwich Observatory, Kew Gardens, Buckingham Palace, London Planetarium, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Pollock's Toy Museum, Trocaderro, Gerrard Street (Chinatown), Whitehall - Downing Street - Parlianment Square.

Many of these can be done by walking (you spend as much time walking through the tube stations as you would between the places!) although Oyster will certainly be the cheaper choice.

Lydia72

My brother went on the Eye last week, queue was three hours!

hodgy0_2

don't forget the Science museum - next door -- and both free (still)

Glowplug

iTrader: (8)

3 days and 2 kids, your gonna need a holiday after that

Avoid madame tussauds imo.

No must see's really, there's plenty to do in the above posts and i'm sure there'll be more. But don't expect to much out of a day, because like you say, it's peak hols!

Mrs bat and me love goimg to London, slightly different itinerary to yourself but always enjoyable

tony de wonderful

Go to the Southbank too and you got the London eye and HMS Belfast. The latter is quite awsome.

Dark

iTrader: (1)

Get a day pass for the river taxi from Waterloo (next to the London Eye).

Take a trip all the way to Greenwich, past lots of great sights like Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Canary Whalf, etc. The speed the boat achieves on the lower section of the river is mighty impressive!

David Lock

Can't help on the tube stuff but I think you have the key places in posts above. I used to take USA visitors around by car on a Sunday as it was quieter and you could actually park!

I have always fancied an open top and certainly the museums with Dinos but don't rush those trips. Get into Trafalgar Square (did Ken shoot all the pigeons?) and you can walk down to Parliament Square with Big Ben and House of Commons and then to Buck House. A river boat down the Thames perhaps.May be they will close Tower Bridge for you if you ask nicely!!. Harrods - bit boring for kids so only if it is raining.

I guess taxis won't be too expensive if 4 of you get in. Happy hols. dl

Leslie

You have a good number of suggestions. I would certainly recommend the museums for both your childrens' and your interest. The historical parts such as the Tower of London etc. are well worth seeing too. All highly educational

Lots of interest like the London Eye of course. Bet you run out of time in the end!

Les

Snazy

Hope you have a great trip.
Queues for certain things will be horrendous now, especially the eye.
There is loads to do, and see, I have my favourite places, but it all depends on what you want to do, interaction.
Maybe catch a show, Into The Hoods is back on now and is great for the kids, and the parents if you like music.

Don't go to the cutty sark though, you might be disappointed lol.
Although there are some great things locally. However Greenwich is not really in the central part of London, so requires a separate journey to the east.

Maybe a day in the centre, west end. A day over towards the east, tower bridge, tower of london, docks etc.

Snazy

Hope you have a great trip.
Queues for certain things will be horrendous now, especially the eye.
There is loads to do, and see, I have my favourite places, but it all depends on what you want to do, interaction.
Maybe catch a show, Into The Hoods is back on now and is great for the kids, and the parents if you like music.

Don't go to the cutty sark though, you might be disappointed lol.
Although there are some great things locally. However Greenwich is not really in the central part of London, so requires a separate journey to the east.

Maybe a day in the centre, west end. A day over towards the east, tower bridge, tower of london, docks etc.

Dr Hu

Wow - thanks for all the replies so far....

Cutty sark - lol - is that still a smouldering wreck? Dont think were planning to go that far.

The Duck Tours - is that the yellow truck/boat thing that drives into the river? Reckon the boy would like that one! I've actually heard good things about this tour.

Tempted now to give the London Eye a miss, seems expensive for 1/2 hr attraction, and dont fancy a 3hr+ queue with youngsters either Maybe we'll take lunch up the oxo tower in the grill/bar bit, seem to remember you get a good view from up there when I went a few yrs ago, unless another suggestions.

I've heard the queue to get into Nat Hist Museum can be large too, any best time to go?

Can any London Commuters help with my Oyster card questions?

Cheers Dr HU

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

According to this, you can't use the Oyster Card from Woking: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/wok/details.html

If you are getting train tickets from Woking to London Waterloo, then a travelcard (combined rail and tube ticket) may work out cheaper, as it will allow unlimited travel on the underground (and God forbid.... the buses!! )

I know some of the queues can be horrid, but I'm sure a bit of interwebbing will allow you to pre-book tickets to avoid them!

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Is this worth a look: http://www.londonpass.com/prices.asp

dantastic

I would give the London eye a miss, kids that age wont want to stand in a Que for a couple of hours, the natural history museum & science museum have plenty of things for the kids to see and do so are well worth going to and don't forget the Victoria & Albert museum just across the road, plus the tower of London & London zoo, also good for the kids but with only three days in London you wont have time to see much more.

Dr Hu

Thanks Andy for the info about Oyster - I will get travelcards then, was hoping to avoid the scramble at the machines every morning - ho hum.

Snazy

Cant see there being too much of a scrum at the machines in the morning. Most commuters buy weekly passes, and unless you travel at peak time, which I would strongly advise against, you should be fine.

Duck Tours look like they could be fun, but I have more fun watching them get stuck trying to get out of the water at low tide lol. Would not want to be in one when a barge goes past though haha.

Rib boat rides look amazing fun though, not sure if the kiddies will be old enough to appreciate it.

Sounds like you need a day for the museums and then a couple of fun days or something. Like I say loads to do. What are the days of the week you are in London for?

Science museum worth a go? Interaction for the kids, and dad of course lol.
Going Hamleys at all? Regent St, while you are round Trafalgar, might as well pop up to Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Regent etc.
London Zoo if the weather is nice, just up the other end of Regent Street (so to speak) Nice flowing tour. Not forgetting the Regent Street Apple Store lol

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Woking is quite a big station (for a suburban station), so shouldn't be much of a problem. Assume you will be travelling into London off peak (after 9:30am) when the queues are normally shorter. I think you can buy the tickets in advance, so may be able to get away with only queuing up once to buy tickets for all three days.

Also spotted that you can collect pre-paid tickets there as well.

This map may be of use: http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/pdfmaps/WOK.pdf

Failing that, get the children to queue as you have your breakfast!

Fat Boy

Nat History get there early and Science Museum (especially the basement) is really good for 5 & 7 year olds - I have the same and live in London (near greenwich).

Greenwich is nice - maritime musueum and, in the park, the Royal observatory plus excellent kid friendly caff near the latter at the top of the hill. Trains to Greenwich go from Waterloo east so you could go there in the morning when you arrive from Woking and get the open topped boat back up the river or vice versa. Tower of London/ HMS Belfast is another option and are stops on the boat route.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Although I live in Surrey and I have done it a few times, I still enjoy the open top boat ride from Waterloo to Greenwich. The guys on the boat normally give a good guide to the sites and history that you're passing.

David Lock

I wonder if the Olympic site is worth a visit? Your kids will remember the London Olympics for a life time and they'll be able to say "I saw all that before it was built"

dl

Chip

Kids will love lunch here : http://www.therainforestcafe.co.uk/

But book in advance.


London Aquarium is good too.

Chip

Chip

Kids will love lunch here : http://www.therainforestcafe.co.uk/

But book in advance.


London Aquarium is good too.

Chip

David Lock

Looks like they can have 2 lunches - should fill 'em up

dl

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

BTW I don't think your kids are free on the train / tube if they are over 5, happy to be corrected but check it out.

But kids travel for £1 after 9:30am if the child ticket is bought with an adult ticket at the same time. So if you are at a machine don't buy tickets individually, buy as a group.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I have been on HMS Belfast twice, brilliant, I got told off for letting the kids wander off, then exactly the same scenario was on that programme "Outnumbered" the following night.

Cabinet War Rooms were interesting, but asusuall my lot whisk us through in their normal mode, any attraction is just foreplay for the cafe and gift shop.

Tate Modern was very good (and free)

The Globe, I quite enjoyed an evening of Shakespear.

Covent Garden worth a look.

Snazy

I love the Tate Modern, as much for the history of the building, as the art inside.
Good little area to be in round there.
Oh and once back down by the eye, you can laugh at the entertainers for free, while taking amuzement at the people queuing to get on. Parliament just over the road, as well as Horse Guards, No10.