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Regent's Park – |
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Regent's Park dates back to the time of Henry VIII, when it was a large royal hunting grounds. Today the park is perfect for a family day out, including the London Zoo, pedal boating, children's playground, swans and geese on the lake, bridges and islands to explore, there are cafes in the park, or bring a picnic. |
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 Rent a pedal boat and go out on the lake, or for little kids, there's pint-sized pedal boats in the Children's Boating Pond, and a playground nearby. |
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Drop by the Open Air Theatre to see
what's playing. Often there are plays and musicals tailored to kids. |
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London
Zoo – A trip to the London Zoo has always been fun, but now kids can walk in Harry Potter’s footsteps, remembering his one happy
day with those Muggles the Dursleys. Check out owls, but
don’t miss the reptile room, where Harry realized he could talk to
a boa constrictor. |
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Check out new exhibits, children's activities, crafts, storytelling: What's On. |
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Tip: London Zoo is included in the London Pass. |
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Boat ride on Regent's Canal – Canals were once a main source
of industrial transportation into London, and it's fun to take a ride on
the canal today, for an interesting, unique view of London. |
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To pick up the boat, take the underground to Warwick Ave.
and walk over to Little Venice, a lovely part of London where the canal
is lined with green trees, ducks glide around on the water, and there's
lots of colorful narrowboats, permanently moored along the canal. Spend
some time walking around Little Venice, stop into a cafe for a bite to eat,
then take the London Waterbus that goes along Regent's Canal to Camden Lock. |
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The ride lasts about 45 min. and passes through tunnels,
under bridges, and goes along the back section of Regent's Park. At Camden
Lock, watch the locks in action, narrowboats going up and down the canal.
The canal boat trips run year round, but more frequently in summer. The
boats are all weather, so this is a fun thing to do in even bad weather. |
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Tip: The London Waterbus is the perfect way to get
to the London Zoo. Buy a combination boat ride and zoo entrance ticket,
and there's a stop for the zoo along the way. |
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Sherlock Holmes Museum – London and Sherlock Holmes
are almost synonymous. Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character created
by Conan Doyle, but he seems real to kids and adults alike. So real that
when you visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street, step into Holmes' study where his solved his famous cases. |
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If you
take the underground, when you exit the Baker Street station on Marylebone St., there's a statue of Sherlock
Holmes. |
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Madame Tussauds – It's tacky and wonderful and
if you're going to see any of Madame Tussaud museums, London is the place
to do it. Madame Tussauds is a way into English history. Queen Victoria
is especially lifelike. And how could you fail to miss Henry VIII and his
wives. |
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Tip: Madame Tussauds is included in the London Pass. |
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The Wallace Collection – A hidden gem, this museum has a stellar collection of armor from all over the world – India, Persia, Italy Germany, England, with oodles of swords, daggers, maces, helmets, shields, chain mail, horse armor. |
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Also, world famous paintings – our favorites are Rembrandt self portrait and his son Titus, a young lady with her dog Miss Bowles by Joshua Reynolds, The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals, and a charming portrait of Queen Victoria as a young woman, not dressed in black. |
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The Wallace Collection is free. Tip: We visited on a rainy Sunday, along with local London families and their kids. |
