Enjoying london when you are short of time

As you know we spend a lot of time in London as a family, living so close it is really easy for us to jump onto the tube and just travel around either on foot from attraction to attraction, by boat – we love using the Thames clippers to get around London, parking up at the O2 and then boating over to the Southbank, or of course there is the tube which makes travelling around so easy.

We generally come home again after our travels however recently stayed over with the children in Blackfriars which made our adventures even more fun and meant we could rest in the hotel when the children were tired and have a swim too.

In a few weeks Paul and I are heading back to London childfree and can’t wait to fit in a few activities which aren’t as child friendly which we’ve been saving for such an occasion – The shard is on our list, although the children would like the view I very much doubt it would hold their attention for long before getting bored and The London Dungeons which last time we started to queue the children freaked out and we had to leave….I’m not surprised really there but I was a tad gutted as I’d wanted to go for so long.

We will be staying over too making the most of our childfree time – while their may not be any clubbing involved like in our dating days there will be good food and a bar/pub or three involved.

I’m always being asked by non local friends on tips on where to stay and what to do with the children while in London. I love helping them to explore my favourite place and to make the most of all the things to do here.  Of course staying in London always has a price higher than outside of the city but it is the convenience you pay for – with everything so accessible it of course will bump up the price BUT that said there are cheaper places outside of the city which are just a tube away from all of the action. I always remind my none city dwelling friends that tubes take contactless bank cards so you can save time by not queuing for tickets but just jumping on and using your card to pay for your travel.

Not everything in London has to be expensive either – I’ve previously written about free days out in London with the kids which includes museum’s and parks, you can also do walking tours of London visiting the places of interest such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, The Houses of Parliament and so much more – you actually don’t have to spend money in the city to have fun.

Booking tickets online and in advance will also save money as will finding apps such as the interactive one that SACO London serviced apartments has created, this app is designed to help visitors make the most of the city in the short space of time they are staying for. It can help you to set itineraries for your stay from any length of stay. The itineraries within the tool have been split into one day, three days, one week and up two weeks, allowing users to plan their stay in detail and ‘live it like a local’ in the city.

It also presents users with a list of public work spaces, food, drink, health and well being outlets, history and cultural museums and shopping destinations, helping them find what they are looking for within the Square Mile when it’s needed.

It’s something I will be taking a closer look at on my next trip to London as it’s often hard to remember all the attractions within a local area and it may also be able to point me in the direction of new places to eat (and drink) and hopefully save me a few pounds in the process.

**Collaborative Post**

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