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Post by epeanymous on Jan 14, 2017 16:33:07 GMT
I took my then-twelve-year-old a few years ago, and the London Bridge Experience was probably her favorite thing there. She still talks about it.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 14, 2017 17:58:19 GMT
I love Tower Bridge, may have to put the tour on my list... What about her the HMS BELFAST? Trying to book hotels and it is a nightmare, any suggestions for areas...... i want to be able to go out in the evening for a walk and there to be a good buzz...... Looking at Covent Garden, thinking Picadilly might also be what I am after.. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. Just trying to pick our date for Harry Potter studio tour.... I think we should go the day we arrive, land in the morning, drop bags off, have a walk around/bus tour/lunch the HP later in the afternoon... Force us to stay awake and then get to bed at a "normal" time Where are you flying from / how long is your flight? I would absolutely not book it the day you arrive if you're flying from the US/Canada and landing in the morning after 10+ hours of travel. You never know whether you're going to have delays or how you will all feel when you arrive. You also need to take the train out there and it's more crowded in the afternoon than in the morning (you receive a ticket to get in, but you can take as much time as you like so as the day goes on, the more people are in the studios). You should really devote several hours at the studios, plus an hour of travel each direction. We rented a flat. I found the hotels to be extremely expensive for a family - you just have one, so there may be more options for having a child stay in your room. We found a great 2 bedroom flat in Covent Garden. Tons of restaurants close and right by a million theaters. It was a tad noisy on Saturday night - but we were still up from having caught a show any way so didn't really mind. One could have further economized by using the full kitchen for meals. We had snacks on hand, but mostly ate out anyway. I think my husband brought in pastries one morning while we slept in.
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 14, 2017 20:29:36 GMT
I love Tower Bridge, may have to put the tour on my list... What about her the HMS BELFAST? Trying to book hotels and it is a nightmare, any suggestions for areas...... i want to be able to go out in the evening for a walk and there to be a good buzz...... Looking at Covent Garden, thinking Picadilly might also be what I am after.. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. Just trying to pick our date for Harry Potter studio tour.... I think we should go the day we arrive, land in the morning, drop bags off, have a walk around/bus tour/lunch the HP later in the afternoon... Force us to stay awake and then get to bed at a "normal" time Where are you flying from / how long is your flight? I would absolutely not book it the day you arrive if you're flying from the US/Canada and landing in the morning after 10+ hours of travel. You never know whether you're going to have delays or how you will all feel when you arrive. You also need to take the train out there and it's more crowded in the afternoon than in the morning (you receive a ticket to get in, but you can take as much time as you like so as the day goes on, the more people are in the studios). You should really devote several hours at the studios, plus an hour of travel each direction. We rented a flat. I found the hotels to be extremely expensive for a family - you just have one, so there may be more options for having a child stay in your room. We found a great 2 bedroom flat in Covent Garden. Tons of restaurants close and right by a million theaters. It was a tad noisy on Saturday night - but we were still up from having caught a show any way so didn't really mind. One could have further economized by using the full kitchen for meals. We had snacks on hand, but mostly ate out anyway. I think my husband brought in pastries one morning while we slept in. Could you share the name of the flat? It looks like we can only get HP tickets later in the afternoon, really want to keep day one busy.... If I sit after the flight I will be asleep for the afternoon and the totally messed up with time....
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 14, 2017 20:46:27 GMT
Where are you flying from / how long is your flight? I would absolutely not book it the day you arrive if you're flying from the US/Canada and landing in the morning after 10+ hours of travel. You never know whether you're going to have delays or how you will all feel when you arrive. You also need to take the train out there and it's more crowded in the afternoon than in the morning (you receive a ticket to get in, but you can take as much time as you like so as the day goes on, the more people are in the studios). You should really devote several hours at the studios, plus an hour of travel each direction. We rented a flat. I found the hotels to be extremely expensive for a family - you just have one, so there may be more options for having a child stay in your room. We found a great 2 bedroom flat in Covent Garden. Tons of restaurants close and right by a million theaters. It was a tad noisy on Saturday night - but we were still up from having caught a show any way so didn't really mind. One could have further economized by using the full kitchen for meals. We had snacks on hand, but mostly ate out anyway. I think my husband brought in pastries one morning while we slept in. Could you share the name of the flat? It looks like we can only get HP tickets later in the afternoon, really want to keep day one busy.... If I sit after the flight I will be asleep for the afternoon and the totally messed up with time.... This is where we stayed: www.vrbo.com/1681209ha?utm_campaign=VRBO_TRV_RES_HASC_reservationaccept_PPS&utm_content=propid_text_o_lprop&utm_term=20160421&utm_source=SYS&utm_medium=emailBefore you commit to the HP tickets check the train schedule. I know there was an express train in the morning which made the trip pretty quick. I don't know how many of those are run during the day. If you're on the multiple stop train, it's significantly longer - and frankly you're probably going to be sleeping on the train and totally defeat your desire to keep busy.
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twinjocks
New Member
Posts: 8
Jun 28, 2014 9:43:20 GMT
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Post by twinjocks on Jan 14, 2017 23:04:41 GMT
My 14yo son (and I!) loved the Arcelor Mittal Orbit slide in the Olympic Park arcelormittalorbit.com/ - great fun, reasonable price by London standards - and the Olympic Park buildings and view from the gallery in the tower are cool. Make sure to book ahead though - it sells out - the day we visted (having got bookings) there were many disappointed people being turned away as they hadn't booked.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jan 14, 2017 23:44:36 GMT
Lodging: Look in this thread for a post from me about the flat we stayed in in London. It's not the neighborhood you want, but it's a possibility - and unusual (being on a wharf). Discounts: At the end of that post is a link to ANOTHER post of mine about how to get 2for1 deals for tourist attractions. Seriously good deal, but hard to explain. Theatre: I thoroughly agree with SockMonkey about "Curious Incident" and also recommend "Matilda" for all ages. Definitely not just for little girls. Husband: Yes, husband should go to Churchill War Room. There's also a military museum south of the river. I forget the name. Street Markets: They all have different days/hours, and season affects this. If Camden and the others recommended here don't work out, we enjoyed Brick Lane on a Sunday. They also have a good international food space. Have fun!
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 15, 2017 3:33:59 GMT
Darcy Collins, thanks for the link, your apt is not available for all f our dates but there are a couple other options that may work AmeliaBloomer I had book market all the London threads and remember seeing your tip, will have to go back and check it out.
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Post by scrapnatya on Jan 15, 2017 3:42:44 GMT
We stayed at a Doubletree in Islington and found it to be really clean and modern and roomy. We had 2 queen beds for 4 people and never felt cramped. Free and really nice breakfast in the morning. Close to metro and train station. I got a good deal on one of the travel booking sites. linkWe loved the HP tour.
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Post by Karene on Jan 15, 2017 4:01:37 GMT
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Southwark, right behind the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe.
There were 4 of us, my husband, myself and our 16 year old and 10 year old. We got one room that had a queen, a sofa bed and a cot. They have a free breakfast. It was nice for me because when the others were all tired out in the evening, I could still go for a walk across the Millennium Bridge with my camera and take photos. We enjoyed walking along the river all the way to the HMS Belfast. It was nice being right in the city.
Because there were 4 of us, it was cheaper for us to hire a cab to go places instead of taking buses. We toured a bit of the south part of England first by car, including Oxford and then dropped the car off at the airport and went into London for the last week of our trip.
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 17, 2017 18:20:37 GMT
Could you share the name of the flat? It looks like we can only get HP tickets later in the afternoon, really want to keep day one busy.... If I sit after the flight I will be asleep for the afternoon and the totally messed up with time.... This is where we stayed: www.vrbo.com/1681209ha?utm_campaign=VRBO_TRV_RES_HASC_reservationaccept_PPS&utm_content=propid_text_o_lprop&utm_term=20160421&utm_source=SYS&utm_medium=emailBefore you commit to the HP tickets check the train schedule. I know there was an express train in the morning which made the trip pretty quick. I don't know how many of those are run during the day. If you're on the multiple stop train, it's significantly longer - and frankly you're probably going to be sleeping on the train and totally defeat your desire to keep busy. Used your suggestion and got a flat near Covent Garden, also booked HP tickets for the morning of Day 3!!! DD and I planning a HP marathon to get in the mood!! Still happy to get any other tips/tricks recommendations
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Post by Basket1lady on Jan 17, 2017 18:35:16 GMT
I love Tower Bridge, may have to put the tour on my list... What about her the HMS BELFAST? Trying to book hotels and it is a nightmare, any suggestions for areas...... i want to be able to go out in the evening for a walk and there to be a good buzz...... Looking at Covent Garden, thinking Picadilly might also be what I am after.. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. Just trying to pick our date for Harry Potter studio tour.... I think we should go the day we arrive, land in the morning, drop bags off, have a walk around/bus tour/lunch the HP later in the afternoon... Force us to stay awake and then get to bed at a "normal" timeThis was our theory as well. We landed at 6 am, was out of Heathrow by 7 am. We took the Underground into the city and dropped our bags at the hotel. Then we explored Trafalger Square and picked up our Oyster cards (didn't plan it out enough to have them mailed before we left.) Then we took a double decker bus ride around the city. By the end, I was done! I needed a nap! We headed back to the hotel and napped for an hour. It was just enough before we went back out again. We did the London Eye that night and something else--can't remember. But part of the fun is just wandering in a new city! Plan for something that day that you land, but keep it a bit flexible. We really didn't sleep on the plane (it was only midnight for us when we landed.) That nap made a huge difference for all of us.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 9, 2024 21:56:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 18:58:27 GMT
Used your suggestion and got a flat near Covent Garden, also booked HP tickets for the morning of Day 3!!! DD and I planning a HP marathon to get in the mood!! Still happy to get any other tips/tricks recommendations Trains can take anything between 15 min to 45min from London Euston to Watford Junction then you'll need to take the shuttle bus, takes about 20 min to the studios. here's the timetable for the train. I just put any week-day in there you'll need to put in the date you're going for that day's timetable. you can also take the coach from central London direct to the studio The shuttle transfer bus runs every 20 min from 9am and costs £2.50 return ticket in cash only and the last shuttle bus leaves 20 min before the last tour closes. ETA......Leave a good 30 min + to get to Euston from Covent Garden by underground, you have to change trains at Leicester Square from the Piccadilly line to Northern Line or walk round to Leicester square and get a direct train on the Northern Line going North.
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 17, 2017 22:50:32 GMT
Thanks dottyscrapper, new it would take time but hadn't realized how long it would take........... I should hire you to plan our entire trip!!!!!!! Starting to get very excited, fingers crossed for good weather
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jan 17, 2017 22:53:35 GMT
I love Tower Bridge, may have to put the tour on my list... What about her the HMS BELFAST? Trying to book hotels and it is a nightmare, any suggestions for areas...... i want to be able to go out in the evening for a walk and there to be a good buzz...... Looking at Covent Garden, thinking Picadilly might also be what I am after.. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. Just trying to pick our date for Harry Potter studio tour.... I think we should go the day we arrive, land in the morning, drop bags off, have a walk around/bus tour/lunch the HP later in the afternoon... Force us to stay awake and then get to bed at a "normal" timeThis was our theory as well. We landed at 6 am, was out of Heathrow by 7 am. We took the Underground into the city and dropped our bags at the hotel. Then we explored Trafalger Square and picked up our Oyster cards (didn't plan it out enough to have them mailed before we left.) Then we took a double decker bus ride around the city. By the end, I was done! I needed a nap! We headed back to the hotel and napped for an hour. It was just enough before we went back out again. We did the London Eye that night and something else--can't remember. But part of the fun is just wandering in a new city! Plan for something that day that you land, but keep it a bit flexible. We really didn't sleep on the plane (it was only midnight for us when we landed.) That nap made a huge difference for all of us. Will have to set every alarm to be sure we get up from a "Nap"..... Bus tour and waking around will likely be on the agenda for day one!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 9, 2024 21:56:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 23:27:28 GMT
Thanks dottyscrapper, new it would take time but hadn't realized how long it would take........... I should hire you to plan our entire trip!!!!!!! Starting to get very excited, fingers crossed for good weather You're very welcome. I would suggest that you take the heathrow express train into central London ( Paddington Station ) on arrival, the journey is about 15/20 minute and very frequent. I find the underground with luggage a bit of a pain Then take a Black cab from Paddington to Covent Garden. It will cost you approx $23/24. Do not take a black cab from Heathrow direct to CG as it will cost you a fortune! Here's the website for the Big Red Bus tours there's a bus stop at Covent Garden at 1 Aldwych. They also have an app that you can download to your phone, handy for a route map as you can hop on and hop off whenever you like along the route. Make sure you dress up warm if you intend to sit upstairs, it's open top. I guarantee that you won't fall asleep riding that top deck in March if it isn't raining that is!
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Post by ashleysummer on Feb 22, 2017 9:50:38 GMT
Hi there! My daughter (16 years old) and I had a great time in London last year! We enjoyed a day trip to Stonehenge a lot. We went to a theater at Trafalger Square- which was tons of fun and quite affordable since we booked our London theatre tickets in advance. Riding the London Eye and Thames River Cruise was exciting even for me. My daughter also enjoyed the Natural History museum with dinosaurs. Have a great and memorable journey!
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uksue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,506
Location: London
Jun 25, 2014 22:33:20 GMT
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Post by uksue on Feb 22, 2017 12:30:06 GMT
You might want to look at some of the London vlogs on YouTube by evainthecity. She and her boyfriend go to places and eat places I'm sure any 15 yr old would love. She goes outside the usual places listed and is so enthusiastic . Personally I think ANY age group will love Liberty - there's no other shop like it in my opinion .
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Post by hockeymom4 on Feb 22, 2017 12:41:50 GMT
Thanks ladies, just over 2 weeks til we go.... still have to sort out getting to HP, I think I will bite the bullet and just book the bus.... Theatre and River cruise are definitely on the list I haven't been to Liberty so that is definitely on the list for our "girls" day
Keep the tips coming
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Feb 22, 2017 12:45:48 GMT
Definitely will see a show, may just do a last minute in the day deal...... I suggested The Cursed Child but got vetoed....Curious incident sounds interesting.... Curious Incident is an EXPERIENCE. It is really outstanding. A great story, very sad at times and very funny at others. Incredible set/staging. It's seriously cool. Curious Incident is one of the best theatre experiences I have seen this year. In my books it is right up there with Hamilton. We saw the US National Tour on Sunday it was really a whole theatre experience.. not just great acting.
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