Best London location for a family of seven wanting to see/do the following:

It is just under 5 miles to walk from the Tower of London to the Victoria and Albert museum in South Kensington. Are you sure you really want to march your troop that far? There is no one central place for your list, I'm afraid. Most people settle on a place well connected by Tube or bus.

Living in a fair share of large metropolitan areas in the U.S., I am also pretty comfortable walking just about everywhere. While in London, I stayed just a few blocks from Trafalgar Square and found it very convenient to walk to all of the sights you mention above (no idea where those 3 walking tours start) plus it was well-located for the theater district if you are wanting to take in a show one evening. I only took the Tube or a taxi just a few times from that location - to Notting Hill/Portobello Road, Battersea Square and Paddington Station. It's a busy, bustling area - so if you are looking for a relaxed, quiet "neighborhood", then it's probably not going to be the right fit, but if you want convenience for walking (and convenient to multiple forms of public transit with many Tube and bus stops right on your doorstep), you may want to take a look at lodging options around there. Especially with a large number in your party, unless you are looking to rent an apartment/townhome, a lot of the smaller hotels Rick Steves writes about may not have the room sizes you need if you are looking for quads and triples.

I love your ambition to walk everywhere! Just know though that London is extremely hard on the feet. The only "soft" surfaces will be found on the occasional park path. EVERYTHING else will be concrete, cobbles, or hewn stone. Don't be too married to the idea of walking everywhere...especially with kids, I would leave your mind open to the occasional tube or cab ride! The sights you want to see are very spread out...I would group them geographically so that your littler ones will enjoy their time.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the replies.
Cecily

Check the website for Premier Inn. Two of their locations in London that are convenient for the tourist destinations are County Hall and Borough Market/Southwark. Reasonable rates, for London, that is. Get to the Tower of London when they open early morning to get in without a long line.

With a family of 7, I would recommend staying in a flat if you havent booked anything yet. Try airbnb.com. A flat may well be cheaper than booking 2 or 3 rooms for such a big group.

In the end we have taken a flat in Denmark Hill which isn't close to anything but could house all of us within our budget! We have a good amount of time so we will just have to commute in to town.

Thank you for your guidance.

Pepita, transportation cost, for 7 people to get back and forth between Denmark Hill and London every day, may be a significant cost. For that reason, I'd suggest you start a new topic asking the question: "Best way to get from Denmark Hill to London and return for family of 7?" Something like that. And say how many days you'll be there. You want to get the attention of the several London residents who regularly read this forum and know the London transportation system. The Underground/Tube and overground rail system are good, but not cheap, and with a family of 7 you want to know what your best transportation options are.

A few notes on the "Doctor Who walking tour" from a hardcore Doctor Who fan:

You do know that most of the modern "Doctor Who" series is filmed in South Wales, don't you? You won't see much in the way of actual locations from the Eccleston/Tennant/Smith seasons on a walking tour of London, and the London locations that appeared or were mentioned in it are really, really, well-known sites that you don't need a walking tour to see (London Eye, Cabinet War Rooms, Tower of London etc).

If you have a worthwhile London "Doctor Who" walking tour that isn't a tour of well-known London sites with a thin "Who" veneer, it will probably deal with London area locations that were used in the original 1963-1989 series and how they have changed or not nowadays. That could be very interesting for someone like me, but possibly not for a fan of the modern show. As a quick test, do you understand and are you excited by the words "And those railings are the ones that Geoffrey Palmer as Masters collapsed against and died, when he became the first victim of the Silurian bioweapon"? If not, I wouldn't bother.

If it is the Britmovie tour then it does lean towards the original series, but has some locations from the current. Although billed as a walking tour there is some non walking travel as part of it including the underground. Can get 2 for 1.

Well, I was going to say - You might check out places around St. James Park. From there it's an easy and pleasant walk to Buckingham Palace, Cabinet War Rooms, Westminster, London Eye. Many of the bus/tube routes run around Westminster so you can catch tube/bus to the farther out places, ex. Tower of London. Plus, a nice kids playground near the Buckingham Palace side of St. James Park.

However, you might have already settled this with your reservation! :) Have fun.

My daughter is the Dr. Who fan ... she is actively encouraging a side trip to Wales but I do not see that happening on this trip so Dr. Who may have to wait while Harry Potter is a go.

Transportation is going to be costly and perhaps tricky but more convenient accommodations were not working out so I went with what I could. I think using the Friends and Family card is supposed to be our best option.

Thank you for all of your recommendations.