Traveling in London with two ten year olds

anybody with admission to the Tower of London is entitled to a free - great for both kiddoes and adults, the Yeoman Warders make sure there is plenty for both age groups - Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour. A bit of advice is get there early and do the Crown Jewels first. Those in the know do that while there are no or very short lines. Because it is on a moving walkway you aren't usually in there for very long but for early arrivals there is no reason not to circle back around and go through again. You can't do that after the crowds build up. Then back down by Traitors Gate and towards the moat where you came in and pop onto a Beefeaters tour. Are both 10 year olds ok with short tales of blood and gore? Most are - it is worth knowing that the tour does mention that - after all you are at the Tower of London!! If you need a break during your time there the cafe is really good.

Another of your questions - London Walks are fabulous. nuff said.

They even found the longest Togoggan ride

do you mean the Helter Skelter at the Olympic Park? Otherwise I'm boggled.

When we went to London with our then 8 year old grandaughter for the first time we all enjoyed some London Walks and would ask for a kid’s audio guide or activity at other locations such as Hampton Court Palace, Westminster, etc. It’s great that you are involving your grandchildren in the planning. You’ll have a great time.

We had a wonderful time in London with our two grandchildren, then 10-13. The only tour we did was the Tower of London. We had good guide books and bought children’s guide books for them. It was a wonderful trip! We continued on to Paris but they loved London more.

Viator is a third party broker- book any tours directly with the tour company. Have a wonderful family trip. You are so fortunate to have this experience, Safe travels!

As Suki said We had good guide books and bought children’s guide books
for them.

When we traveled with our kids we had to make book a tour or go on our own decisions. Two aspects of these decisions were (1) how much do we know or can get from a guidebook, and (2) are the kids willing to listen to us or to a tour guide?

BTW, check on the status of the Armory at the Tower. It is my understanding that some/much/all of the armor is on tour in other cities.

You can do a lot without booking tours. You will satisfy the boys' attention span and save money. We traveled with our kids at this age.

Beefeater Tour - free and included as noted above. Too much for the 7 year old. You can leave the tour and explore yourself which we had to do. I have also done the full tour - a bit vivid on the gory details for me. (my opinion and sensitivities!) If anyone in your family wants to see the Crown Jewels, standard advice is enter early in the AM, go directly there, bypassing Beefeater Tour. You can pick up the tour later.

Hampton Court - we self toured with young kids. Consider Windsor Castle also.

Westminister Abbey - I would not do a tour with young kids unless they are fascinated by details and British history. You can preview "highlights" yourselves and have them help you find them. Example - my kids were musicians even at a young age. We hunted down Handel's grave. You could find monarchs or what ever might interest them.

Walks through Hyde Park and Green Park. Find the Peter Pan Statue. Walk past Buckingham Palace and through Westminster areas. I, personally, wouldn't do a tour with kids that age. You are "trapped". I was certain mine would love a Hop on Hop Off with a double decker. No. Bored and these kids' didn't bore easily. Total waste of my money.

London Walks are wonderful, but maybe not for 10 year olds. Aimed at adults unless they also have special family and kid tours. I don't know any more.

My kids liked the Natural History, Science and British museums for a couple hours. they were well practiced with Chicago's museums. Yours might not enjoy, just mentioning. Free entry. I would preview what they might like - especially at the British Museum. I remember we found the Samurai warrior. First floor with Babylonian and Egyptian exhibits might interest them - or not. These are easy in and out stops if attention levels fail!

Imperial War Museum fascinated mine. Not a place that glorifies war - one of my favorite places still. There is also the HMS Belfast which is on the Thames. Self-tour, big hit. Fascinating for me as adult as well.

Consider a Thames boat ride - several options. London Eye???? This isn't something I've done. Shopping at Hamleys (toy store!!!)

Been going to London since Nixon was President.

Don’t use Viator. Book directly

Other options for the grandkids:

Tower Bridge Experience
Mrs Doubtfire or Matilda or Frozen or Back to the Future on stage.
The gondolas across the Thames
London Eye
London Transport Museum
Walk along the The Regents Canal
If you position yourselves on the corner of Spur Road and Birdcage Walk by 10:15am on MWF and Sunday you can watch and hear the Royal Guards as they march from their barracks to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
If the Royal Standard is flying atop the Palace it means King Charles is in residence.
Hamley’s toy store
Harrod’s Food Halls
Look for the green parrots in Hyde Park
Check the schedule for the pelican feeding times
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/st-jamess-park/pelicans-st-jamess-park

Great city to explore. Enjoy!

For this short trip I suggest just concentrating on London and saving Liverpool for the future. There is so much to see and do in London and with just six days you can stay busy the whole time. Like ORDtraveler my kids very much enjoyed the Imperial War Museum. Greenwich has several good sites to see and is a great place for kids. My kids very much enjoyed the Beefeater tour. A daytrip to either Hampton Court or Windsor Castle would also be fun.

You don't need to pay out for a special tour of Tower of London or Westminster Abbey.

As already mentioned your ticket for the Tower of London includes a free Beefeater tour. These are run by people who live and work in the Tower of London. The Beefeaters are also very good at gearing the tour and stories for the kids.

At Westminster Abbey sign upo for one of the Verger tours as soon as you arrive. Again they are included free in your admission ticket. Go here and click on the link for Verger Guide tour information. There are also links for a virtual tour which it might be worth watching before you arrive.

A lot of the tours are geared at visitors who want to be spoon fed and everything done for them. Sorry is that sounding cynical?

Wasleys - you don't sound cynical to me!!

I ordered several books from Amazon. Any favorites?

Thank you all so much!! So helpful!!

Our grandaughter liked the humerous series Horrible Histories. I also bought Mission London: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure (Travel Guide For Kids) and modified it for our adventures. She had read and loved earlier works featuring London when she was younger so that gave her a lot to look forward to.

Others have covered the best parts, so let me just add:
Do not take a Beatles tour in London! There is one offered by LondonWalks, and it is the only one of many I have taken with them that was not good. Mainly because there really aren't many Beatle sites in London.

Go to St. Paul's for sure. They can climb up to the whispering gallery. Also in the back is the American Chapel dedicated to all our service men who were stationed in the UK and did not return home. It was paid for by UK citizens and is very impressive. Have been on the tour at the Tower and I thought it was just ok. Went two more times but I had tea in the cafe while friends did the tour. One liked it one didn't. I don't think kids would want to stay to the end. For a day trip York has a fantastic railroad museum. My husband is a railroad restoration specialist and he said it is one of the best railroad museums he had seen. The boys might like that. Enjoy this great experience.

I forgot St Paul's tower. Mine loved waving at Dad who has a "thing" about heights and didn't joins us. (I don't think Dad could actually see us!)

(Off topic - Gail, thanks for the mention of the railway museum in York. I'm hoping for a return visit later in the year. That would have been off my radar, but well within my interests!)

In addition to the great ideas you have planned, our grandchildren loved the London Eye. They also really enjoyed the Yeoman Warder Beefeater tour at the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. One of our grandsons enjoyed running at Kensington gardens. This will be a very special trip for you!

You guys are amazing! OK one last question, hopefully! No one has mentioned The British Museum or the V&A. Thoughts?

Chack back - I may be too long winded, but I did have suggestions for the British Museum.

V&A - if they were girls, the jewelry and fashion exhibits might be interesting. I love the V&A, but never took my young sons there.

Repeating from previous post (Just what you need!! I do tend to rattle on - probably not as memorable as short lists. I'll try to change my style easier to read):

"My kids liked the Natural History, Science and British museums for a couple hours. they were well practiced with Chicago's museums. Yours might not enjoy, just mentioning. Free entry. I would preview what they might like - especially at the British Museum. I remember we found the Samurai warrior. First floor with Babylonian and Egyptian exhibits might interest them - or not. These are easy in and out stops if attention levels fail!"

Great idea to preview their interests at The British Museum. Thank you!

yesterday a poster above mentioned a 7 year old child for whom they thought the Beefeater tour would be too much. Is there a 7 year old as well as the two 10 year olds?

I sure missed that....

For British Museum and V&A Museum do check out their websites in advance. I believe they offer things especially for kids.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/visit/family-visits

https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/families

and here also is a good resources for special events for families

https://www.timeout.com/london/kids/101-things-to-do-in-london-with-kids

London Walks is a great company and I have done several of their walks. It's nice you don't have to reserve, just show up. I do want to look into Free Tours By Foot on my next visit as I really enjoy their YouTube channel. The Tower admission includes a Yeoman Warder guided tour so no need to book anything else for that. It's great to get the kids involved in the planning. Have a great trip.

Sorry, Nigel. I mentioned a 7 year old from my own experience. Not necessarily directly related to the OP's 2 10 year olds.

The point I hoped to make was that if the tour iss too much, you can sneak away and self-tour without any difficulties.

The stories of the bloody ends and lost princes while standing on site was upsetting.for my then 7 year old's sensitivities. (Actually, they were to me also even though I knew the facts.) The Beefeaters text may have changed in recent years, but when I visited again in 2022, I avoided the tour remembering my past experience(s)!

Sorry for the confusion!

I can't edit the above - I would like to add:

I am well aware that many travelers of all ages have very much enjoyed the Beefeaters tour. They are professionals and great presenters. Just not the right presentation for me although I expect I am in the minority.

Yes we have two 10 year olds, no younger.

Adding another option that I forgot in my prior post.

Mudchute Farm https://www.mudchute.org/

Thank you!

Post by flickerandles reported

I think everyone is reporting those posts. :)

The British Museum was one of our grandkids
favorite sites! We had to drag them out of there!
They couldn’t wait to share what they had seen, The Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian mummies, with their teachers back home.

Keep in mind the impact of weather during your visit. We keep a list of places (museums, etc) that make sense to adapt to for rainy days and adjust accordingly. Recommend adding Borough Market as a place to visit and indulge your tummies with a variety of food experiences. Jump on a couple of buses for the second level experience of absorbing street scape, people watching and letting your feet rest. London parks are an excellent place to find other kids and allowing them to wander bout is a great experience. If you are lucky with weather then grab the makings of a picnic and enjoy a park. Scope out some food alternatives not found where you reside and explore the gastronomical experiences offered in this international city. Nothing fancy, but there are an amazing number of inexpensive food types to explore.

The kids/family audio guide tour at the British Museum is absolutely the way to go. It sends you to the hiighlights kids would be interested in and I think is only about 90 minutes long.

Since you've booked the Harry Potter studio tour, a Harry Potter walking tour in London itself may be another good option. I did one myself through Strawberry Tours about 5 years ago, and really enjoyed it. The guide takes you by sites that are connected with the books (as inspiration or film sites). To note, different companies (or even different guides for the free tours) may have some differences in sites/order, so some research may be worthwhile.

I've read that I can get the Oyster card once I'm in London. I had previously read that I need to order it before our trip. Any confirmation on getting it in London? Do you all do the London Pass? I see that there are two different kinds - one if for consecutive days and the other is for certain attractions. If you have a comment, please mention your thoughts. I'm going to research it a bit before I purchase.
Many many thanks to all who joined this topic! It really helped a lot!

There is no need to buy Oyster cards at all. They are rather outdated technology and you can now just use contactless cards or phone or smart watch pay. BUT, some people still like to use Oysters as they prefer to use one rather than using and therefore maybe losing a credit card.

So you can buy them when you arrive. But they cost £7 each, a cost you can avoid by using contactless.

Whatever you do don’t buy the Visitor Oysters - they cost extra in postage as well and have no advantages.

The London Pass only makes financial sense for a very small number of visitors. Bear in. Mind that most museums and galleries are free to enter. To make a London Pass work you usually need to rush around trying to see as many included sites as possible and ending up seeing very little.

Fabulous input! I wasn't sure about the London Pass, so thank you for making my life easier! And for the Oyster card as well. I would have bought the visitor pass! I'll do the contactless. Can't thank you enough!!

Might be totally wrong here, but I think you'll still need the oyster cards for your kids. You can't swipe your contactless through for more than one person, so they'll need their own. You can get them when you arrive and then ask a station employee to put the "young visitor's discount" on them, and they'll get reduced fares.

Children up to 10 travel free so you don’t need anything for the 10 year olds. Go through the large family and luggage gate. Tap your card and then you go through together.