Highgate Cemetery

Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum  

The Cabinet War Rooms were ready for occupation by the Government to provide cover from the blitz and played an important role right up until VJ day. Closed down 16th August 1945 it was left exactly as it is today. Kids can watch film clips, look up information in the digital suite and test their knowledge of wartime Britain with new computer games and quizzes.

Open: Daily 9.30am-6pm, last admission 5pm
Admission: Adults £11, Under 16s free
Tube: Charing Cross (zone 1)
Address: Clive Steps, King Charles Street,London, SW1A 2AQ
Tel: (020) 7930 6961
Website
Facilities: BA, C, DAL, L, WCD, WC, BCF, S

St. Martin’s in the Fields 

In Trafalgar Square and in the heart of the bustling West-end, this church is a real tourist haven! Lunch-time choral recitals, ticketed evening concerts, award winning café, popular shop and the Brass Rubbing center makes it much more than the usual church! Of course the 18th century crypt, sculptures and paintings are main feautures too! The Brass Rubbing Centre is great for kids as they can combine a little history with a lot of fun! Kids will get to grips with characters from history in a creative way, which includes Medieval knights in armour, fabulously costumed ladies, St George and the Dragon and William Shakespeare ! Prices for brass rubbing range from just £2.90-£15.00, depending on the size of the brass.

Open: Church Daily 8am-6.30pm;Brass Rubbing Centre Mon-Wed 10am-7pm, Thu-Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 12-7pm
Admission: free
Tube: Leicester Sq, Charing Cross (zone 1)
Address: Trafalgar Sq, London, WC2N 4JJ
Tel: (020) 7766 1100
Website
Facilities: BA, C, DAR, WCD, WC, S With St. Martin’s in the Fields extended opening hours for the Café, Shop and London Brass Rubbing Centre, until 10.00pm  Thursdays to Saturdays, it's possible to relax with a meal and a glass of wine, whilst your children are busy having fun and creating another artwork for the kitchen wall!

Hampton Court Palace 

Beautiful Palace commissioned in 1514. Over the next 200 years it was to become a focal point in English history. Henry VIII lived there, Elizabeth I was imprisoned there, Shakespeare performed there and Oliver Cromwell moved in! Henry VIII’s state apartments, the King’s apartments, the Georgian rooms, Wolsey rooms, the Tudor kitchens, the courtyards & cloisters, 60 acres of riverside gardens and Mantegna’s work make up this very unique place. The ice-skating facility is set in perfect surroundings on the west side of the Palace in the winter.
Open: Daily 10am-4.30pm, last admission 3.30pm
Admission: Adults £12, under 16s £6.80, Under 5s free, Family £35, discounts available online or tel. bookings
BR: Hampton Court (zone 6)
Address: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU
Tel: 0870 751 5175 (visitors info) / 0870 752 7777(bookings)
Website
Facilities: BA, C, DAL, WCD, BCF, S

Cutty Sark 

Launched in 1869 it took tea to China and wool to Australia. Now a museum in dry dock at Greenwich. For families there are drop-in storytelling workshops exploring the seafaring life. There is a programme of seafairing crafts and skills demonstrations run by craft people and sailors.
Open: Daily 10am–5pm
Admission: Adults £5, 5-16yo £3.70, under 5 free, families (2a+3c) £12.50
DLR: Cutty Sark, Greewhich (zone 2)
Address: King William Walk, London, SE10 9HT
Tel: (020) 8858 3445
Website
Facilities: BS, S
Nearby Attractions: combine this with a visit to Greenwhich market, National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory and Greenwhich Park.

Westminster Abbey 

Westminster Abbey is tomb to many crowned heads of state and the place of coronations since 1066. Original ancient burial tomb of Edward the Confessor whose body lies within the Abbey. It is an inspiring place for all ages. If you are wondering about the vandelism, that'll be the reformation.  There is a great panarama on the Mayors website!

Open: Abbey Mon-Tue&Thur-Fri 9.30am-3.45pm, Wedn 9.30-6pm, Sat 9.30-1.45pm, check website as some days it may be closed. Abbey Museum Daily  10.30am-4pm, Cloysters Daily 8am-6pm, College Garden Tue-Thu 10am-4pm. Last entry 1h before closing
Admission: Adults £10, under 16s £7, Family £24
Tube: St.Jame's Park or Westminster (zone 1)
Address: 20 Dean’s Yard, London, SW1P 3PA
Tel: (020) 7222 5152 (General info)
Tel: (020) 7654 4900 (Tour times, Tourist info)
Website
Facilities: BA, C, WCD, S

Tower Bridge Exhibition  

You will learn all about how the World's most famous bridge works and the history behind its creation. Enjoy the panoramic views from the walkways situated 45m above the Thames and visit the original Victorian engines. For kids there are talking animatronic coalmen, buttons to push with some audio commentaries in 8 different languages and a wind-up seat which demonstrates hydraulic power.

Open: Daily 7am-10pm
Admission: Adults £5.50, Kids 5-15 £3, Families (1a+2c) £10, (2a+1c) £12, (2a+2c) £14 (discounts for joint tickets with The Monument)
Tube: Tower Hill (zone 1)
Address: Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2UP
Tel: (020) 7403 3761
Website
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Facilities: BA, DAL, WCD, BCF, WC, S
Why not go when the bridge is about to go up? Call 020 7940 3984 to find out when the next bridge lift will be or check the website!

Houses of Parliament

UK residents can arrange tours of the chambers and a visit to the gallery of the House of Commons through their local MP. Ticket allocations are low, so the more notice the better. Special arrangements are put in place during Summer Recess when the Palace of Westminster opens to visitors for more formal tours of this historic building.When the House is in session the Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesdays is usually oversubscribed.

Open: House of Commons and House of Lords Galleries are open at different times, please check before leaving. Tours of the Clock Tower available on request, not suitable to expectant mothers and kids Under 11
Admission: visitors Gallery free, Tours Adults £7, Kids 5-16 £5, Under 5s free
Tube: Westminster (zone 1)
Address: Parliament Sq, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: (020) 7219 3000 Website   www.parliament.uk
Facilities: BA, C, DAL, WCD, WC, S

Buckingham Palace, the Royal Mews and changing of the guard 

The Queen’s house is open in the summer months only, but you can view it from outside the gates all year round! You can watch the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace at 11.30 on alternate days, more details available from the listed site. Have a look at the Queen Victoria Memorial by Sir Thomas Brock outside the front gates.

Shakespeare's Globe 

Shakespeare's Globe is an impressive reconstruction using centuries old techniques. It is also on the site where William Shakespeare wrote many of his greatest plays. Take a tour (daily) with a storyteller and find out all about its fascinating history.
Open: Daily 10am-5pm
Admission: Tours (every 15-30min) Adults £9, Kids 5-15yo £6.50, Family (2a+3c) £25
Tube: London Bridge, Mansion House (zone 1)
Address: 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT
Tel: (020) 7902 1400 (General Enquiries)Tel: (020) 7902 1500 (tour booking and information)
Website
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Facilities: C, DAL, WCD, WC, BCF, R, S

St Paul's Cathedral  

The big dome of St Paul's Cathedral has been one of the city's major landmarks for more than 300 years and is more than 100m tall. There is a spooky crypt where you can see medieval stones, and the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper against the circular wall can be heard on the opposite side, over 40 metres away! listen to the daily 5pm Evensong choir. 
Open: Mon-Sat 8.30am-4pm
Admission: Adult £9, 7-13yo £3.50, Families (2a+2c) £21
Tube: St.Paul’s, Mansion House (zone 1)
Address: St Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD
Tel: (020) 7236 4128/020 7246 8350
Website
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Facilities: BA, C, DAR, DAL, WCD, WC, BCF, STours: available Mon-Sat (adults £3, under 16s £1)

Tower of London

Reserved for the enemies of state, go through the grisly Traitors Gate and you might never return! The Tower has served as a fortress, a palace, a prison and a royal execution site in its 900-year existence. The famous red-coated Beefeaters will tell you about the ravens that make the Tower their home. Have a picture taken with a Beefeater and visit the different towers! See where Anne Boleyn & Kathryn Howard (cousins), 2 of Henry VIII's six wives, lost their heads and are buried, explore the Bloody Tower and see the Queen's Crown Jewels. The Tower Green was the chopping block. Tours available every 30 minutes. Baby food and children's lunches are available in the New Armouries restaurant. Please note: if you have a pushchair mind the cobblestones and the White Tower doesn't allow pushchairs, which have to remain unsupervised outside.

Open: Tue-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun-Mon 10am-5pm, last admission 4pm

Please note: if you have a pushchair mind the cobble stones. The White Tower doesn’t allow pushchairs and they have to remain unsupervised outside.

The BA London Eye  

Jump in one of the London Eye's glass pods and take a flight in the biggest wheel in the world! From the top of the wheel you can see all over London and can apparently spot 55 of London's major landmarks. But you'd better get counting quickly, it only lasts 30 minutes. Check website for sunset times and to book your pod. Big discounts available with an Oyster card.

Open: Daily  10am–8pm
Admission: Adult £12.50, child £6.50 (special offer with a travel card and online booking on the eye and the river cruise experience!)
Tube/BR: Westminster, Waterloo (zone 1)
Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London, SE1 7PB
Tel: 0870 990  8883 (Cust. Service) Tel: 0870 500 0600 (Booking)
Website 
Nearby Attractions: London Aquarium

Trafalgar Square  

Climbing kids will give you a heart attack as they try to straddle the lions, there is now a coffee shop in situ and you can't feed the pigeons anymore. Nearby, St. Martin’s has a wonderful crypt café and is home to the London brass-rubbing centre. Thanks to the traffic calming and pidgeon control, Trafalgar Square is now a great place to hang out. For a good snap shot stand outside the main entrance of the National Gallery and line up Nelson's column with Big Ben down Whitehall! Also, check out the sculpture of Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn, better than a mustachioed General? You decide.  
Tube/BR: Charing Cross, Leicester Square (zone 1)
Address: Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N
St.James Park, St.Martin's Church, Café and brass rubbing centre, National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery.

Cleopatra's Needle 

Cleopatra's Needle was given as a gift to the British people in 1819, in recognition of Nelson's victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. The Obelisk was first erected in Egypt by Pharaoh Thotmes III around 1500BC. Flanked by two bronze sphinxes, it is situated on the north Thames embankment opposite Victoria Embankment Gardens.
Tube: Embankment (zone 1)
Address: Victoria Emankment, London, WC2N (exit Embankment tube station towards river Thames and turn left)

Monument 

Erected in 1671-77 by Sir Christopher Wren, the Monument commemorates the Great Fire of London that started on 2nd September 1666 in a bakery in Pudding Lane. The Monument is 202 feet high with 311 steps to the top, where you will get breath-taking views of the city. Get your certificate on the way out to prove you made it to the top!
Open: Daily 10am-6pm
Admission: Adults £2, Under 16s £1.50. Discounts available with combined Tower Bridge visit (£5.50, £3.50)
Tube: Monument (zone 1)
Address: Monument St, London, EC3R 8AH
Tel: (020) 7626 2717
Website