Note: for a more recent article on London with kids, see London Sightseeing: Top Ten Things to do
A while back, I was lucky enough to have two brief stopovers inLondon with my (then) nine-year-old son. Our aim: to pack in as much fun as possible.
London England: The Tube
At Heathrow airport we headed straight to the subway, bought a multi-trip pass, and took the hour-long trip to town.
The "tube" not only saves you money, it's a quintessential London experience. Using the Web, you can even plan your route before you go: see The Tube online.
London Science Museum
Jetlagged or not, that afternoon we tubed-it to the London Science Museum, a huge edifice with acres of galleries, and lots of interactive fun for kids-- including many displays to push, pull, poke, and otherwise explore and maybe learn a few scientific principles.
The Science Museum has since hugely expanded its interactive Launch Pad zone.
A note
about meals in London
In order to get a quick, cheap, kid-friendly meal, I headed to
(guess where?) MacDonald's. Trouble was, the prices were
identical to Canada-- while the currency was worth 2.2 times as
much. It took a long while to believe that a
Big Mac could truly cost eight Canadian dollars.
Stalk
the Ghosts of the West End
Onward, that evening, to a guided walk... London Walks
offers over 150 choices; most walks last two hours, and start at
subway stations. Our personable guide took us on a fascinating
hike through alleys, past landmarks and palaces; the topic was
ghosts, and he had good yarns. Other walks include On The Trail
Of Spies, or the Magical Mystery Tour... Cost for an adult was
about $10; kids are free.
Tip: The best entertainment in London: strolling around, eye-ing the old buildings; riding a double-decker bus.
Meals, again
When we returned to London ten days later, we reached our hotel
at night, too pooped to go out again. Naturally, my son was
hungry. Luckily, I'd packed some instant noodles; the hotel room
had a kettle, so he ate noodles from a teacup-- hardly fine dining, but it did the trick!
The next morning, we had a "full English breakfast" at our hotel: and we were certainly "full" once we'd finished it. A good thing, too: even mid-range hotels in London cost a fair penny, and it's a nice compensation to get a massive good meal in the deal.
The
British Museum
Though we had only an hour to spare that morning, we hurried
through the sunny spring streets (--yes, sun and spring do
happen in London--) to The British Museum. I knew we could see only a fraction of the
museum's treasures; but I wanted my son to have a glimpse. We
headed to the areas with Egyptian and other antiquities.
Even such a brief exposure can have a legacy: whenever my son hears a mention of the Rosetta stone, or the Elgin Marbles, he'll have the pleasure of thinking, "Yes! I've seen that!"
London Hotels
London is an expensive city. My son and I stayed at a mid-range "Bed and Breakfast Hotel": there are many in Bloomsbury and elsewhere.
Our London hotel was in a wonderful location and was picture-perfect; if and when the inside is renovated*, this would be a classy joint. We shared bathroom facilities (spotless), and the room had a sink, cable tv, kettle, and phone. Breakfast in a pleasant dining room was great, and several other families kept us company.
That particular London hotel was the Euro Hotel: click for info and rates, and updates to the hotel.
See also: More London Guest Houses.
Another option, especially for weekly or longer stays, is to check out apartment rentals at such websites as Barclayweb or London Short Lets.
Murphy's
law
Having traveled from Heathrow to
London by subway so easily, we decided to return to the airport
by subway too. Surprise! The subway ride ended suddenly, seven stops before Heathrow. The gruesome reason: a
person had been hit by another train. We scrambled to the airport
by taxi, with other frantic travelers.
Moral of the story: allow plenty of time to reach for airport for your departure flight!
(The Eurohotel has had major renovation since.)
