Help needed from a Londoner...

[Night Train]

I don't know what you consider ages but it takes me about 25 mins from my place around the corner from the Travelodge at East India/docklands to Oxford St. via 277 bus and Jubilee line from Canary Wharf.

It probably wasn't that long but standing on a DLR platform in a freezing gale with a little girl who just wants to go home made it feel like a long time.
Added to which she has a phobia of escalators and noise of which there was lots when we got onto the underground. That didn't help.

Personally, I don't rate London that much but I would stay a little closer to the places I would visit, museums, galleries and Covent Garden.

 

[DLB]

Many thanks for the responses so far. i'll check out the suggestions online and then decide.

Happy new year!

Darren

 

[snorri]

Have a look at this site and see which tickets or cards would best suit your family holiday https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do

It can make tube and bus trips less stressful when you have bought your ticket in advance.

 

[Speicher]

A question about the Underground. Is it The Angel Islington which had/has the tallest escalator, and do any of them still have spiral staircases?

 

[BigSteev]

I think Holborn has the longest escalator. If you want to climb up a spiral staircase (nutter) Tube-wise I'd recommend Russell Square but why not take a trip up the Monument for a real challenge.

As to getting around next summer avoiding the hot sweaty tube, hopefully BoJo's bike rentals should be up and running.

 

[Speicher]

The other thing I like doing is walking across bridges. I crossed the Wobbly bridge, whatever its proper name is. Can you walk over/across Tower Bridge? - the top bit not the bit that goes up for boats. Can you tell that I am getting all technical now?

 

[4F]

The Natural History Museum is well worth a visit and if you have time the Science Museum is right next door, both free to get into.

 

[BrumJim]

Tower Bridge High Walkway is open and has an exhibition.
Angel has the longest escalator in Western Europe.

 

[Tollers]

Yep. But any further east and you're in Bandit country.

Hey.....Im just East of Tower Bridge! The docks are beautiful. Don't worry about heading East, it's the North you need to worry about.

 

[ttcycle]

Oh here we go...this is where it all gets terratorial!

Do you know when you're planning to visit exactly as there might be some specific events around that time. Also quite a few Londonder sights that are off the beaten track but depends what you were wanting to do and what you and the family were up for/interested in.

 

[tdr1nka]

Bandit country?

There is an Ibis hotel in Greenwhich, which is in 'bandit country' but linked to the DLR, river buses and only 20 min by mainline rail to central London.

 

[surfgurl]

If you have small children, particularly ones who like dinosaurs you have to go to the Natural History Museum as already recommended. Make sure you go in the main entrance on Cromwell Road. There is normally a little queue, but it is well worth it for the look of amazement on the kid's faces when they see the huge dinosaur skeleton in front of them.

 

[Arch]

My favourite London walk (as a visitor), is to start from Tragfalgar Square, up the Mall, a quick look at Buck House, then back through St James' park to see the ducks (is there still a pelican?) and over to Horseguards, then through to Whitehall, look down Downing St (if only you could still go down there, like you could when I was little), then over past Big Ben to the embankment (stay this side of the river), and back up to... Charing Cross Road is it? that takes you back to Trafalagar Square. Depends on how much the kids like walking of course, and how interested they are in looking at famous buildings, and it being a nice day for strolling about.

+1 for the Nat Hist, and the Science Museum - being free, you can spend as little or much time as you like in there, so you don't end up with museum fatigue thinking you have to get your money's worth.... (The same applies to the National Railway Museum up here in York too, for any parents of small train-o-philes).

 

[Speicher]

Tower Bridge High Walkway is open and has an exhibition.
Angel has the longest escalator in Western Europe.

Thank you BrumJim for those links.

 

[rh100]

My favourite London walk (as a visitor), is to start from Tragfalgar Square, up the Mall, a quick look at Buck House, then back through St James' park to see the ducks (is there still a pelican?) and over to Horseguards, then through to Whitehall, look down Downing St (if only you could still go down there, like you could when I was little), then over past Big Ben to the embankment (stay this side of the river), and back up to... Charing Cross Road is it? that takes you back to Trafalagar Square. Depends on how much the kids like walking of course, and how interested they are in looking at famous buildings, and it being a nice day for strolling about.

+1 for the Nat Hist, and the Science Museum - being free, you can spend as little or much time as you like in there, so you don't end up with museum fatigue thinking you have to get your money's worth.... (The same applies to the National Railway Museum up here in York too, for any parents of small train-o-philes).

+1 to that area for walking - I recently had a day trip to London and got good advice on here re: parking and tube links etc. having a few hours to myself I had a walk from the theatre district to Trafalgar square, had a look in the art gallery, walked down Whitehall to Parliament square to see big ben and westminster etc, then back up embankment and cut back up to trafalgar sq. very enjoyable, had a nice feeling to the place.

We also had a weekend break there a few years back, we had booked a hotel through www.visitlondon.com and got a good last minute deal. Stayed in a 4 or 5 star hotel in kensington for about the price of a normal hotel. Just didn't use the bar or resteraunt as it would have broke the bank