Friday 3 April 2015

When my boys tire of London... well that's unlikely to happen.

We love days out in London and are so lucky that we live a short train ride from the centre. When we fancy going it's not too much of a hassle to get there, but it's still a big treat. Deciding on what we'd do with an entire weekend in London was a process of elimination as there is so much we would want to do.

First up is always the Transport Museum in Covent Garden. My boys love it here and it doesn't matter how often we go it's well worth being 'friends of' as we certainly make use of the free entry a lot. Bigger boy loves doing the trail around the museum and punching the card with all the different modes of transport through the ages. It's the driving that he is most keen on though. We've been coming here since he was very young and driving a bus or a tube train has always been his favourite activity - not least as he's now tall enough to actually reach the controls.


There are so many lovely places to eat in Covent Garden that we would be spoilt for choice for lunch, but we particularly love Joe Allen which is hidden away underground and is very child friendly. I'm told you often spot actors in there too.

In the afternoon we'd go for a walk along the South Bank and if we had time we'd have to go on the London Eye. This is my favourite thing to do in London and it's pretty spectacular how far you can see on a clear day from the top of the Eye. We've been on it a few times, but it's always worth a visit. There is a ticket option that includes a boat trip and that is really great fun. Travelling by boat on the Thames is so underrated, but we love it. If you get a guided tour it's fascinating what you can learn and you can even take a trip that goes through the Thames Barrier. That was a big deal when I was growing up and we went on school trips to see it and learn how it had been built. I guess it's less impressive these days.

So, in the evening we'd have dinner at Behinhana. It's so entertaining watching the chefs prepare the food at your table and great fun for kids and adults alike. We had a wonderful time when we went and would heartily recommend it for special occasions too.


As we'd be staying in Kensington we'd have to have brunch at a venue which is opposite the Royal Garden Hotel. Giraffe have a wonderful quirky menu and are completely geared towards families with children. They have balloons for all visitors and giraffe shaped stirrers in the kiddy cocktails. The pancake stack is amazing and they even have fresh fruit and salads if you prefer to eat a healthy option.

Due to the location we'd spend the morning at the museums on Exhibiton Road. It is difficult to decide between the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum so we usually do both. We could happily spend a whole day in just one of them, but usually choose one floor of the Science Museum to keep it manageable. I personally love the V&A and would love to take my boys to see the Mughal art and fabrics as well as the Indian textiles and designs when they are older. I suspect they will still prefer the dinosaurs and science.

If we had the chance to stop and eat I'd take the boys for a picnic outdoors as the Royal parks in London are so beautiful and spacious. If the weather was nice we could walk around and watch people rollerblading, practising tai chi or dog walking. I'd check if it was ok to feed the birds and take some feed for the boys to give them too.

There is so much more we could do such as take a Big Bus Tour, or visit Kensington Roof Gardens or go on the Duck Bus. I have to stop thinking about it as the more I do the more ideas I have. Clearly a weekend would be just the beginning of our adventures :)




This post is an entry to win a five star weekend in London with @tots100 and @royalgdnhotel #rghfamilies. 


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for reminding me about the amphibian duck tours.... always wanted to do one of those, will have to check it out this summer.

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    1. It's a great activity for the whole family - I highly recommend it :)

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  2. This sounds like the most brilliant time in London - great choices. We still haven't taken the kids on the London Eye, but your post makes me really think we must.....

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  3. Good luck! We haven't been on the London Eye yet - really must give it a try.

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