Matryoshka Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 So, we're thinking of taking a family vacation to London this summer. One of my dds is going to spend the summer in Germany, and we figured we'd all go over for a bit and have her go on from there. Any ideas where a family of 5 could stay for cheap in London? Do they have family rooms at the youth hostels? A B&B? Rent an apartment? What would be the best way to go? We are budget travelers; we don't need luxury. What to see in London during the week? I'm thinking of getting us some kind of public transportation pass for the week, so I think we might just stick to London. Tower of London, British Museum, Buckingham Palace, London Eye (that's new since last I was there), Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, what else? Is Madam Tussad's still worth it? Is a week long enough/too long? Too bad the Dr. Who experience is all the way in Cardiff... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 Our family of 5 stayed at the Rhodes hotel. It has a room for 5. We saw the Tower of London, Churchill's bunkers and the museum that is there ( War Museum??) , the British Museum, saw a play at The Globe, St. Paul's and Westminster Abby. We did all of that in 4 or 5 days and had a ball before we took the train through the chunnel to Paris. Ooo - I have a question about taking the train through the Chunnel - where do you buy tickets? I'm thinking I might let dh go home and drop dd off in Germany and then take the other two to visit relatives & friends for a week. Trying to figure out the cheapest way to get from London to Frankfurt - I'm thinking either a bus or the train. For some reason I'm having a hard time figuring out where to get good train info for an international train originating in the UK... found some bus info, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Ooo - I have a question about taking the train through the Chunnel - where do you buy tickets? I'm thinking I might let dh go home and drop dd off in Germany and then take the other two to visit relatives & friends for a week. Trying to figure out the cheapest way to get from London to Frankfurt - I'm thinking either a bus or the train. For some reason I'm having a hard time figuring out where to get good train info for an international train originating in the UK... found some bus info, though... http://www.eurostar.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 http://www.hrp.org.uk/supportus/membership/ I would recommend buying this attraction pass for London area Palaces. The are all near the underground so will work with the travel pass. The price of one visit to the Tower for a family is not that much less. I love Hampton Court which is part of the pass. I was amazed at how much I liked Kew Palace -- you get a coupon for entrance into kew gardens at half off I think which you need to go to this one. The rest of the Palaces are free with the pass. British Museum and many others are free. You can stay busy for a week in London pretty easily. We normally drive in so I can't really recommend a letting agent but I would look at holiday house rentals. Basically that would give you an apartment with cooking facilities. Which would save quite a bit of money over the week, even if you just eat in once a day. We normally stay at Premier Inns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Sorry, would not let me back to the Premier Inn part to complete my thought. Grrrr I was going to say we normally stay at that chain because 2 children under 16 eat breakfast free with one adult at their restaurants. We eat a huge breakfast, then a snack type lunch, and then a meal out when we need to stay overnight. These are fairly basic but can sleep 4 which is not the norm here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 http://www.eurostar.com I was all excited, then I realized those trains don't book all the way to Germany (for some reason I can figure out quite easily how to book this in the other direction, from Frankfurt - London...). I know I could book a second leg (and maybe third?) leg, but that's a lot to cobble together, and I'd also rather not be changing trains if I don't have to. Maybe the bus is the way to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I was all excited, then I realized those trains don't book all the way to Germany (for some reason I can figure out quite easily how to book this in the other direction, from Frankfurt - London...). I know I could book a second leg (and maybe third?) leg, but that's a lot to cobble together, and I'd also rather not be changing trains if I don't have to. Maybe the bus is the way to go... You really only need two legs-one through the Chunnel, then one from Brussels/Paris to Frankfurt. We've only gone through Brussels, but it was very easy to figure out and book. But, we lived in Europe and booked it locally, so I have never booked it from the states online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Thanks everyone for all the info! I'm realizing I might have a bit of a problem with the age of my kids and all the discounted stuff - my twins will have turned 16 a whole week before we get there. Gah, is that going to double all our prices? For example, it doesn't seem I could even use the palace family ticket at all. Would I have to buy two separate 2-adult passes? What are families supposed to do when their kids are older teens? It's not like they're suddenly paying their own way vs. a week earlier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 A week is really only about 5 and 1/2 days when you consider jet lag. There is enough for about 3 weeks in London. Get a good guidebook and start planning. We were interested in the theater and went to 5 plays in 6 days including one at the Globe. Tickets were reasonable and we saw a variety of shows. There are tons of museums. Castles/Palaces. Bring rain gear and walking shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 You really only need two legs-one through the Chunnel, then one from Brussels/Paris to Frankfurt. We've only gone through Brussels, but it was very easy to figure out and book. But, we lived in Europe and booked it locally, so I have never booked it from the states online. I'll admit it's a bit intimidating booking things on those train sites from afar, especially with all the separate currencies and types of trains (InterCity, ICE...) and their different price points and speeds... I've traveled a ton on trains in Europe in the past, but mostly alone and with an Interrail pass that allowed me to go on most trains free for the period of the pass. So many less decisions! We rode around on the trains in Switzerland for a week when the kids were younger, but my cousin figured out which pass to buy, and it was still one price for all trains for the week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 No advice at all but I'm so excited for you! Have a wonderful time and tell us all about it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAIMOM Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Oh, how fun. We enjoyed the Buddy Holly show. I am not sure if it is still playing but it was so much fun. There is a square where you can buy discounted theater tickets for that day. It was a good trip, hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 A week is really only about 5 and 1/2 days when you consider jet lag. There is enough for about 3 weeks in London. Get a good guidebook and start planning. We were interested in the theater and went to 5 plays in 6 days including one at the Globe. Tickets were reasonable and we saw a variety of shows. There are tons of museums. Castles/Palaces. Bring rain gear and walking shoes. Well, hopefully we'll have not too bad jet lag, as we're also planning on stopping off three days or so in Iceland. One dd is obsessed with Iceland, and it doesn't cost extra for an extended stop-over (well, except for lodging). Dd's planning the itinerary for that, and apparently wants us to stay in some kind of cool hostel there. I'm game! The Globe theater sounds great! I didn't do that the other times I've been in London (both when much younger! :) ) My older two dds love Shakespeare, so that should be a huge hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin'sMom Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 We did a week in London and a week in Paris a year ago. We rented an apartment through Air B&B. It was comfortable and relatively inexpensive. We did the usual stuff, but I have seen Westminster Abbey for the last time. We took the metro everywhere. One evening we went to Notting Hill and had dinner and window shopped. Outside Buckingham Palace there is a nice park and playground. I should have brought a picnic. We took the Eurostar from the Paris side. Beware if you do that. There are pickpockets everywhere, especially right after you go through security and have all your things slightly disarrayed. A story for another time. Our fav trip, though, is to Ireland. I think we have been five times now. If anyone is thinking of going there and needs tips, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 If your kids are teens, I think they are at a great age for going to London! And yes, many hostels have family rooms, or rooms that sleep up to six. (You might have to pay for the 6th bed in the room so that you can have the whole room to yourself.) You can search on various hostel sites, and then read reviews on them to see if they are quiet and not party hostels. (www.tripadvisor is great) For our family of 7, we sometimes rented apartments when we traveled, although I'm not sure of the best source for that in London. You can check www.airbnb, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Also check Ryanair and other discount airlines. College students are flying around Europe because of these low cost airlines. But be sure and check baggage fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Be VERY careful if you fly Ryanair. We did and it was cheap but they have LOTS of restrictions and fine print and if you violate those restrictions - watch out your cheap ticket just became VERY VERY expensive! We did a week in London - loved it!! For me we went to the Sherlock Holmes museum. For DD we went to the British Museum for the Egyptian exhibit (Rosetta Stone!!). For DH we did the Tower of London (so he could complain about how the gems in the crown jewels were all stolen from India!). We also did the Longdon Eye, the Natural History Museum, we went out to Oxford for a day. We wished we had a MUCH longer visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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