Things to do in London - Boarding HMS Belfast

Taking your family with you on theatre breaks, whether children or even grandchildren,  is not only possible but can be a delightful thing to do.

However, children do get bored and it’s a great idea to have lots of things planned in advance so you never run out of things to do

One of the best tips is to plan your things to do according to the age of the children. There’s nothing worse than getting the age/interest equation wrong. It leads to bored, frustrated children and grumpy, resentful adults.

Read on and let’s see if I can help you avoid that, shall we?

Top 5 Things to Do for Children Age 5+

Remember on theatre trips children must be over 5 to be sure of getting into the theatre.

1. London Aquarium – South Bank. Lots of big fish in tanks, always a winner!
2. The Rainforest Café – Shaftesbury Avenue. Fun, themed, child friendly cafe right in the heart of theatreland. Perfect if you’re going to The Lion King!
3. Kensington Gardens - Peter Pan statue/ Diana Memorial Playground. Park and playground, very handy if your hotel is in Kensington.
4. Coram’s Fields -  a unique seven acre playground and park for children in London. Near  the British Museum and Great Ormond Street Hospital. No adult can enter Coram’s Fields without a child and friendly on-site staff ensure that everyone can enjoy their visit. There’s lots to do, playgrounds,  a petting zoo, it’s a great place for the kids to let off a bit of steam during their trip to London.
5. London Duck Tours – A hybrid vehicle- drive around London and then splashdown in to the Thames for a river cruise

Top 5 Things to Do for Children Age 8+

Over 8s are a bit more sophisticated and many of them will enjoy what’s on offer at the best of the London museums. London museums have come a long way in the last few years and most are extremely child friendly. If you have a child who’s into dinosaurs, horror or mummies then the museum visit could be the highlight of their trip!

1. Madame Tussauds – Baker Street. Endlessly fascinating, slightly creepy and great fun. You can usually get a good discount on this if it’s booked at the same time as your theatre break.
2. The Science Museum – free
3. The Natural History Museum – Dinosaurs etc
4. The British Museum – Mummies
5. HMS Belfast - perfect for little (and larger) boys

Top 7 Things to Do for Teenagers

Teenagers get 7 things to do because they are just much harder to please. It’s not easy getting things just right for teenagers. Age, gender and obsessions all matter massively. Best advice is use this list as a starting point and ask them what they’d like to do. You might be surprised what interesting ideas they come up with. Of course, if you’ve involved them at the planning stage you are much less likely to hit the sulks later when you actually get there!

1. Camden Market
2. Shakespeare’s Globe – South Bank
3. The Museum of London
4. London Transport Museum – Covent Garden
5. London Dungeon – London Bridge
6. Westfield – Incredible shopping for fashionable teens
7. South Bank – An unofficial skateboard area and generally cool place to hang out.

Top 5 Tips for Things to Do with a Mixed Age Group

If there’s a teenager in your group do get them involved at the planning stage and ask them to help you plan stuff for the younger ones. Few teenagers can resist stepping back to childhood just a little, especially when they’ve got a good excuse.

1. Hamleys – everyone loves Hamleys. Little ones adore it, some of the older kids (and adults!) get fascinated with the techie toys, others adore the cutesy, trendy Hello Kitty stuff. Just keep an eye on your spending. It’s a hard place to say ‘no’!
2. London Eye
3. The Trocadero – Dodgems, bungee jumping
4. Tower of London
5. Tower Bridge experience

It’s London! There are Always More Things to Do

Many of these attractions are either free or can be booked as extras at a good discount when you book your theatre break.

If none of these appeal then try the listing in the Children’s Section of Saturday’s Guardian or even Time Out for even more ideas for things to do in London

Book Your Romantic theatre break now

Theatre breaks make a great anniversary treat and London can be just as romantic a city as Paris if you know how to make the best of it. I’m going give you some top tips on making the most of your theatre break and then suggest 3 top shows for romantic theatre breaks.

romantic theatre breaks

What makes the difference is a bit of planning. Stress and last minute stuff can be romantic but it really isn’t the best way to be sure of having a good time. Make sure you:

• Plan well in advance to be sure of getting your choice of show and dates (3 to 6 months is ideal, but you can do it much nearer the time if you have to.)
• Choose a show you’ll both enjoy
• Think about choosing a slightly more upmarket hotel than you’d normally book. Maybe try one of the boutique hotels with all the extra attention to detail and decor. That extra star brings with it the little touches that spell luxury, and, to be honest, luxury is romantic!
• Consider your travel arrangements well ahead of time.You can often book cheap rail tickets with your theatre break, saving both money and stress.

Three Shows for a romantic theatre break

Ideally for a romantic theatre break you want a show that you can both enjoy, something with a strong, possibly tragic, plot about relationships is a good choice for most couples. The classic shows really deliver for a romantic theatre break. Most of them have been running for many years and that’s no accident. People choose them because they know they can expect an evening of fine music and acting.

#1 Les Miserables

Les Mis is perfect for a romantic theatre break so long as you both enjoy a slightly operatic style of music. If your other half is a committed pop or rock fan you might need to reconsider. Of course the “Susan Boyle Effect” might help ease them into the idea so don’t just assume it’s a no go.
In One Line:

Lots of love, death and highly charged emotions.

#2 Phantom of the Opera

The plot of Phantom is slightly less complex than Les Mis and the music is a bit less operatic. The tragic story sweeps you along and this is definitely gothic Romance with a capital R. You definitely come out of the theatre feeling you’ve been on an emotional journey with the characters and that’s great for a romantic theatre break.

In One Line

Doomed, gothic, tragic twisted LOVE

#3 Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing

Change of mood for this one, Dirty Dancing is much lighter than the other two I’ve suggested. There’s lots of great dance numbers and good songs and it’s much less operatic than Phantom or Les Mis. Dirty Dancing’s central love story has some very tender moments that make it ideal for romantic theatre breaks. It’s sometimes thought to appeal to a younger age group but I think people of all ages can enjoy a high energy show like this.

In One Line:

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner!” coming of age, first love, passion and lots of dancing.

Other Shows and Attractions for Romantic Theatre Breaks

Of course this is just my selection of the possible choices for a romantic theatre break. For some couples an evening at Priscilla or Hairspray might be more to your liking. After all laughing at shared jokes is very romantic! For others Jersey Boys or We Will Rock You will bring romantic reminders of the early years of their romance. Or you could go for the gothic thrills of Woman in Black, being spooked is pretty good at invoking romantic feelings too!

• Book a pre-theatre meal with your theatre break. Italian or French is the classic choice for romance.
• A dinner cruise on the Thames is definitely romantic, twinkling lights, soft music, good food. Perfect end to the second day of your theatre break. You can save quite a bit of money and stress by booking that at the same time as your theatre break too.
• If you don’t fancy the river cruise how about a Champagne Flight on the London Eye? This is another sure fire romantic choice, you get a luxury London Eye experience without all the queues and a chance to see all the London sights from the comfort of the Eye. Again you save money by booking this with your theatre break.

Not everything in London costs money!

Not everything on your romantic theatre break needs to cost money. A arm in arm stroll along the banks of the Thames down by the Southbank, a wander through one of the many London parks (St. James’ is my favourite) or sitting at a pavement cafe watching the world go by are all great ways to reconnect with each other and keep the romance alive.

I suppose in the end that’s the whole point when you book romantic theatre breaks.