Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
An event that’s fun for the whole family is watching the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. From Buckingham Palace you can easily walk to other sights including; Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, River Thames, and even Hard Rock Cafe. Keep in mind that the ceremony will not take place in the rain.

Duck Tour
What could be more cool and fun than a tour bus that transforms into a tour boat? This is more than just a sightseeing tour. It's an exciting road and river adventure that’s fun for all ages. In an amphibious vehicle you will drive past famous London landmarks before a dramatic launch into the River Thames! The excitement of seeing London is enhanced by action packed commentary by character guides providing an alternative view of London's history, plus fascinating facts about the vehicles themselves. Tours depart directly in front of the London Eye.

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
The hop-on, hop-off double deck bus tours are enjoyed by a great number of all visitors to London. For children, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge will leave long term impressions. The Tower keeps everyone happy - the kids have a fun day out, while the parents feel the visit was educational.

London Dungeon
The creepy London Dungeon consists of a series of set scenes reproducing chilling aspects of medieval London in a more grisly format than at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Expect lots of darkness, dripping water, skeletons, tolling bells, etc to add to the atmosphere. Naturally there are scenes of torture in all its variations, burnings and depiction's of London characters like Jack the Ripper and events like the London fire. All are brought to life with special effects very well done, originally conceived for film and TV. Actors add life to the displays and among other things may sentence you personally to death. It may not be suitable for very young or very sensitive children. Queues can be long, so it’s a good idea to "fast track" your entry by purchasing your tickets on-line.

London Zoo
The London Zoo is just north of the central area at the top of Regents Park. The London Zoo is a substantial, modern zoo. All the animals that you would expect  are here and of course children are particularly catered for.

Museums
Madame Tussaud's waxworks is always crowded and can be tedious for youngsters. The London Dungeon is shorter and targeted to the more gruesome aspects of history which seems to be more popular with the slightly older children. Madame Tussaud's is one of the most visited attractions in London. Queues to get in are sometimes very long (more than an hour), do yourself a favour by purchasing tickets in advance.

Natural History Museum
If your kid likes dinosaurs, a visit to the Natural History Museum is a must. The dinosaur exhibits, incorporate robotic life size examples. A full scale exhibit of a whale also leaves a lasting impression.
Getting There: Bus: 14, 70, 74, C1 / Underground: South Kensington.

Parks
London has several large parks. St-James, Regents and Hyde Park are extensive parks. Dotted all around London are squares and smaller parks where you can get away for a few moments from the noise and traffic. Hyde Park offers swimming, boating, fishing, and horse riding with plenty of room to romp around. There is also an education centre used by schools from all over London. The west end of the park blends into Kensington Gardens, where Kensington Palace stands. St James Park has a lot of bird life around the lake.

Science Museum
The exhibits are high tech, hands-on, interactive and up-to-date. The basement area is focused on kids with different areas geared towards different age groups. The museum also conducts children’s workshops. The rest of this world-class museum is for adults too - most people will need a full day to do the museum justice.

Theme Parks
You may be relieved to learn that there are no theme parks in the modern sense in central London. On the periphery of London there are three, all of which close during the winter months. LegoLand is out in Windsor near the castle, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park are ride based venues to the south-west of London. All can be reached by train from London's Waterloo station.

Tower of London
Get on a frequent tour with the Yeoman Warders within the Tower. They will take special interest in making the tour relevant and fun for the kids. The Crown Jewels, gallows, ghosts and beheadings and the environment of a real castle keeps the kids enthralled.

Toy Stores
Harrods in Knightsbridge is unique and so is its toy area. If you need an excuse to go shopping, treat the kids to the toy floor at Harrods. A specialist major toy store also exists in Regent Street called Hamleys.

Boat Tours
All of London's history and development is linked with the River Thames. A boat trip along the river will give you an entirely different view of London than the one you get from land. Several companies operate boat tours from the Westminster piers (Underground: Westminster), offering panoramic views of one of Europe's most historic waterways en route.

Golf
There are over 30 golf courses in and around London. The world’s oldest course outside Scotland is at Royal Blackheath Gold Club, situated several kilometres outside the city. This par 70, 6219 yard course was established when King James I teed off here in 1608. The course also has an interesting museum. There are two courses at Wimbledon and others dotted around the city.

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
There are two major competitors, The Original Tour and The Big Bus, both whom offer the same formula. A single ticket, allows a day’s use of several circular sightseeing tour routes, covering all of London's main visitor attractions. Frequency is high, you can hop-on and hop-off the buses as much as you like all day. Buses run on various routes from about 8:30am to around 5 or 6pm. Routes include the best of London's museums, palaces and great shopping areas. They also run through many of the main hotel districts including Kensington, Bayswater, Victoria and Bloomsbury.

London Eye
Built as part of the year 2000 millennium celebrations, the London Eye captures the imagination and excitement of the young and old. Ride the giant Ferris wheel 135 meters high, taking 30 minutes to travel one revolution. You ride in a luxurious air-conditioned capsule. Each capsule rotates on a special device designed to keep everyone upright, so you may sit or walk around to view the sights below. It is located opposite Big Ben by the River Thames. Due to its popularity, it is best to book in advance.

Theatre
London is known for its theatre. There are numerous shows throughout the city, covering musicals, comedy, plays and classics. Most but not all venues are very central around the Leicester Square / Covent Garden area. The most economical way to purchase theatre tickets is directly from the theatre. If you find this impractical, you can purchase from an agent, who charges a booking fee. Around Leicester Square in the heart of the theatre district are a number of kiosks selling discounted tickets. The most established one is on the south edge of the square.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre is a unique site dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare's work. The venue is famous for the playhouse, recreated as an authentic replica of the original in Shakespearean London. The plays can last two to three hours and the cheaper admissions are strictly standing-room only. The theatre is open air and is not heated or air conditioned. If it rains the performance will normally carry on, but the standing audience are not sheltered.

In a city like London you are overwhelmed by choice, every cuisine and budget is catered for. From pub grub to multi-course feasts worthy of royalty, London spills over with age-old tradition and newfound culinary trends. New menus, new fusion cuisines, and new chefs make names for themselves in England’s capital, where the café culture embraces cuisines from more than 70 countries in some 6,000 restaurants and 5,000 pubs and bars.

Traditional English fare from fish and chips to kidney pie shows up in abundance, as do more refined refreshments such as fresh-baked scones with jams and clotted cream. Some of Europe’s best Cantonese eateries are in London, also a stronghold for Indian fare along with French, Italian, Greek, Japanese and Thai dining.

The 150 year old tradition of tea time, often a meal in itself, occurs between 4 and 5:30pm. Tea at the Ritz Hotel’s Palm Court is the ultimate indulgence (book early). Pre-booking is also essential at Brown’s Hotel, first opened by a former valet of Lord Byron, serving sandwiches and scones on Wedgwood porcelain near a fireplace. Fortnum & Mason food emporium houses St. James’s Tearoom, serving Traditional Tea, a Champagne Tea, or High Tea since 1707. The Orangery at Kensington Palace was built by Queen Anne in 1705 and was once a favoured tea retreat of Princess Diana. Tea here is accompanied with fresh strawberries and double cream.

London is a world-class shopping venue. As well as the world famous stores in Knightsbridge, Oxford Street and Regent Street, the markets and small boutiques are also international crowd-pleasers.

Perhaps the two best shopping streets in the area are Kensington High Street and King's Road. Both of these offer the usual up-market shops, as well as some independent boutiques.

Just off Kensington High Street are Camden Hill road and Church Street, offering a huge array of privately owned, unique shops. Church Street is also a wealth of antique shops selling Victorian paintings, Art Deco pieces and Oriental porcelain. Just off Church Street is the Kensington Market - a well laid out market place. The Kensington Market deals mainly in fashions and accessories, though many other items are available for the eagle-eyed shopper.

For those into markets, Portobello Road is highly recommended, situated just behind Notting Hill Gate. The area around Portobello Road also has many trendy and unique boutiques, perfect for fashionistas.

For big department stores, there is none better than the world-famous Harrods in Knightsbridge. Close behind is Peter Jones in Sloane Square, while Barkers in Kensington is smaller and not as well stocked, but still worth a look. Harrods is expensive, but it is well worth visiting even if you do not intend to buy anything because of the beautiful decor and the amazing selection. Visiting the enormous food hall, on the ground floor, is an absolute must. You might also enjoy having a cappuccino and a snack in one of the numerous cafes, or treat yourself to afternoon tea. Peter Jones is a more reasonably priced store.

The big event of the year is Harrods New Year’s sale when some well-known celebrity will open the doors. People will have queued overnight or longer in an orderly attempt to secure the best bargains.

Most shops open on Sundays, though many will not open until towards midday. Many of the shops will be open until at least 8pm during the week.