The Easter Holidays are approaching and you just know that the children are going to get bored. The problem is that London can be so expensive. A day out seeing the major attractions can leave you with little change from £150!
London doesn’t have to be expensive.
Yet that doesn’t have to be the case. London has so much to offer that either costs very little or else is totally free and it is possible to enjoy a day out in London for the cost of a one day travel card.
Churches, free museums, tucked away alleyways and old ruins abound in this wonderful city. Not only do these places cost nothing but, because they don’t advertise to the world and its mother, you’ll find when you visit them there are none of the crowds that just go with the territory and the major tourist attractions.
Kids Love Harry Potter.
A great way to get the kids out and about is to take them on a tour of the Harry Potter film locations. This way you can mingle history, film and, if you wish, an engaging treasure hunt that will keep them entertained and occupied for a full day.
Diagon Alley
You could start at Monument Underground Station (right next to the Monument to the Great Fire of London (1666)) and from there head for nearby Leadenhall Market. Built in 1881 this is Victorian London’s most beautiful market. But it was also the location where the Diagon Alley scenes were shot in the Harry Potter films.
Within the market complex there is an opticians (optometrist if you are visiting from America). This is situated in Bull’s Head Passage and was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in the Philosopher’s Stone.
From here take a walk along Lombard Street to board a Northern Line train from Bank Underground Station and head for King’s Cross where you will find a trolley embedded in a wall, a tribute to the fact that King’s Cross was/is where the pupil wizards board the Hogwart’s Express that departs from Platform 9 3/4 (you can have your photo taken by the platform sign!)
From King’s Cross you can head for Leicester Square Station, close to which is Cecil Court. This quirky little thoroughfare lined with antique shops is situated just off Charing Cross Road and is widely believed to have been the real life inspiration for Diagon Alley.
From here it is a short walk to the Charing Cross Underground Shopping complex where, tucked away in a dark corner, you will find Davenports Magic shop, the oldest family run magic business in the world. You can go in and watch magicians perform tricks and you can even buy your own magic tricks to perform and amaze others with!
Not far away you come to Scotland Yard (where the Metropolitan Police Force was founded) which was where the telephone box was located via which Harry and Mr Weasley enter the Ministry of Magic. Although the telephone box in the film was a prop specially erected for the scene, nearby Whitehall (the street that stretches from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square) has several red phone boxes into which you can cram and recreate the scene.
From here it is just a short walk to Parliament Square to have a look at Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and, if you wish, pay a visit to Westminster Abbey.
If you would like a step by step Harry Potter’s London walk we have created one for you to print of and guide yourself around London. This is part of our commitment to bringing you the most and the best of London.
So you see, London doesn’t have to cost the earth. Yourself and the kids really can enjoy a day out and come home with change from £10!!!
