London with kiddos - a few questions..

There are so many things to do in London that I would recommend skipping Stonehenge because it might be not that exciting for the Kids. There are only the stones to see and they might not have enough magic without the background knowledge to go with them. I've been there twice and was lucky enough to walk thru the Stones, but I still say take the kids to Harry Potter instead. The various Street Markets are a lot of fun. Hampton Court Palace has actors to bring History alive...you can take a Thames boat one way and the train back or vice versa. A lot of the Museums in London are free and have lots of stuff for everyone. The tube gets you places faster if necessary but you do see more if you stay above ground. Be sure to go to the Tower. Check the National Trust UK Web site for some good ideas.

"Oyster cards - is there a sight to check out what they entail? Is it best to buy them ahead of time, or wait until we are there"

Don't buy online, works out more expensive as you have to pay postage and you will be sent visitor oyster cards which are a more restrictive product, just buy normal oysters when you get here.

About your hotel: You may well not need air conditioning. But then again, you could hit a heat wave. If you are sweating it out for five days in a hotel without a/c, I don't think you will care at all about the missing fitness center, and the missing kitchen will be just a minor annoyance. My priority would be the a/c unless finances were so tight that I really, really needed that kitchen so I could save money by preparing some meals.

What's your main reason for visiting Stonehenge? Is there a genuine interest or is it simply because everyone else seems to do it. It almost always appears on every visitor's itinerary/bucket list etc and I'm not sure why. Yes it's interesting but not enough, in my opinion, to warrant a separate day excursion from London at the expense of the more interesting sights in the capital (even more so given your limited time and ages of the children). Not only that but there are so many other sights within the immediate area that offer more than Stonehenge and it just seems such a shame that the usual, predictable route of London-Oxford-Stonehenge-Bath is the de-facto itinerary for so many tourists.

There is so much to see and do in London that taking a day out to see Stonehenge (and you might as well visit Salisbury while you're there) is a rather gratuitous use of your precious time. My kids love the Natural History Museum and Sceince Museum in Kensington. They are next to each other so you can easily fill a couple of hours. There's lots of interactive displays in the Science Museum, even for your youngest. There's also the Victoria and Albert Museum opposite the Science Museum although that is less likely to be of interest to the younger family members.

Definitely take a ho-ho bus, even sitting on board for the duration without getting off will allow you to see so many iconic sights. I can't recommend a particular company as I've never used one in London however I suspect there's not much difference between them.

I'll give a contrary view of HOHO buses - you and your children could easily be standing around waiting 30 minutes for one to turn up at sight one to get to sight two which doesn't sound restful to me (as plenty of buses from other companies go by to add to your frustration) . If you want to consider them as a tour rather than point to point transport then things shift a bit.

Or you could use public buses rather than the expensive HoHo's:
http://londonist.com/2016/02/london-s-10-best-bus-routes

-- Harry Potter tour - how long should we allot for this - half day/all day?

Plan to spend half a day there, not including travel time to/from the studio. I'm not even a Harry Potter fan and I enjoyed the tour!

I'd skip Stonehenge also. I've seen people moved to tears over it, and others left cold (sometimes literally) stating... It's just a pile of rocks (albeit a 4000yr old pile of rocks). 5 days isn't much time in London, focus there and minimise travel/wasted time. HP world, definately. Upwards of 3-4hrs isn't uncommon for visits. Have fun.

anything on this link of interest to you and the kids?

Things to do with kids in London

One way to save money and time with a family on the run is to go to the Grocery stores for lunch...they usually have a take out deli that is better than most fast food places. Or you could go posher and go to the food courts in the department stores such as Harrods. Don't forget the Street Markets. You won't miss a kitchen if you picnic in a park instead.

THANK YOU so much everyone! your advice is invaluable! I have loved your insights and recommendations. I can't wait for the trip!

Kensington Gardens will be a good place for you to be near...definitely hit the Princess Diana memorial playground. It's an amazing place for the kids to run around and enjoy being kids.

Drop Stonehenge. Stay in London.

Things that children might enjoy:

Mudchute Farm
Camden Lock Market then walk along the canal
Hemley's Toy Store
Harrods Food Court
Feeding the fowl in Hyde Park
Paddle Boats in Regents Parks
Riding Bikes in Hyde Park or Regent Park
Tower Bridge Experience
Transport Museum
Horse Guards Parade in the morning or the 4 O'clock Parade
Horniman Museum
London Eye
Madam Tussaudes
Baker Street Underground station to take photos with the Sherlock Holmes wall.
Trafalgar Square Lions
Watch the pelicans being fed in St James Park
Looking for the entrance to Harry Potter's Leaky Caldron in Leadenhall Market
River cruise on the Thames

Thanks for this thread, everyone. We're going to London in June with our 8YO son and 6YO daughter. My son is getting interested in history, but my daughter is a little too young for anything heavy. We're staying in an apartment in South Kensington. What would be some good highlights of the large museums like the Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Tate Modern? Any other fun playgrounds other than KP? Thanks!

Citadines Holborn has air-conditioning and kitchenettes in all rooms and claims to have a fitness centre, although I don't know how good the facilities are. I find Citadines in general reliable though, and while it doesn't have any sites right on the doorstep it has good transport links to other parts of central London.

For the original poster, make sure you book your Harry Potter tour as soon as possible. You're travelling in the school summer holidays and tickets will sell out.

Harry Potter is absolutely must do-get tickets now-the sell out. Natural History Museum is really good. Mummies and Assyrian statues in British Museum, especially if they saw Night in Museum movie that was about the British Museum. Of course, Tower of London.

For an 8yo and a 6yo I think The British Museum might be a bit too much for them. I took my 11yo who is a massive history fan and even he found it all a bit overwhelming.

I would recommend the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum in Kensington, they're next to one another and are more geared towards children, particularly the Science Museum which has lots of cool interactive exhibits that the kids will love.