When it comes to unmissable attractions and activities in the big city, you’re spoilt for choice. We’ve handpicked a few of the best…
The London Dungeons
Big Bus Tour: Stop 13, 14 & 22
Expect a 90-minute, heart-thumping journey through the murky, unseemly, violent and often disgusting depths of the past 1,000 years of London’s history, with both scares and laughs from the company of costumed actors, as well as underground rides.
Price: Tickets cost from £17.50 for adults; £15.95 for children.
Open: Daily from 10am (11am on Thursdays) to 5pm (6pm at weekends).
Info: 0871 423 2240; thedungeons.com/London
Tube: Waterloo
Harry Potter studio tour
Take a walk along Diagon Alley in this behind-the-scenes tour of the Leavesden studios where most of the eight Harry Potter films were shot. Attractions on the three-hour Warner Bros Studio Tour’s ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ also include Hagrid’s hut, Dumbledore’s study and the Great Hall.
Look out for special happenings in the world of wizardry, such as a chance to duel with a Death Eater during the next ‘Wand Week’ (23 May to 2 June).
Price: Tickets cost from £30 for adults; £22.50 for children.
Open: Daily from 9am to 6.30pm.
Info: 0845 084 0900; wbstudiotour.co.uk
Train: Watford Junction, then by shuttle bus
The Cutty Sark
Walk the decks and explore the cargo hold of the last surviving tea clipper, fully restored after the 2007 fire and more impressive than ever. It now sits on a glass canopy enabling visitors to inspect the hull from below the ‘waterline’ and also, for the first time, to admire a collection of 80 figureheads.
Price: Tickets cost £13.50 for adults; £7 for children. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.
Info: 020 8312 6608; rmg.co.uk/cuttysark
Train: Cutty Sark on the DLR
Shakespeare’s Globe
Big Bus Tour: Stop 18
Come either to see a Shakespeare performance (late April until early October) or the permanent exhibition (self or guided tours), which explores the Bard’s London and takes you inside the amazingly authentic replica of the original Elizabethan theatre, the only building in London with a thatched roof.
Price: Exhibition and tour tickets cost £13.50 for adults; £8 for children.
Open: Daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
Info: 020 7401 9919; shakespearesglobe.com
Tube: London Bridge or Southwark
The Old Operating Museum and Herb Garret
Big Bus Tour: Stop 18
An operating theatre, with tiered seats for students to watch the proceedings, is probably the last thing you’d expect to see in the attic of a Baroque church, but the latter was next to the old women’s ward of St Thomas’ Hospital. Kids will squirm at the surgical knives and marvel at the medicinal herbs in the oldy worldy garret.
Price: Tickets cost £6.50 for adults; £3.50 for children.
Open: Daily from 10.30am to 5pm.
Info: 020 7188 2679; thegarret.org.uk
Tube: London Bridge
Cluequest
Big Bust Tour: Stop 19
You, meaning a team of three to five players, have an hour to escape from a locked room using your mind, logic and teamwork. Great for families (the recommended minimum age is nine).
Price: Tickets cost from £21 per person.
Open: Daily from 12pm to 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 10pm on weekends.
Info: 07913 243535; cluequest.co.uk
Tube: Liverpool Street
Madame Tussauds
Big Bus Tour: Stop 5
First established 200 years ago, our current obsession with celebrities makes this, the world’s most famous waxworks, more enthralling than ever. Drawn from all fields of fame, you’ll find such famous faces as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio and, the latest arrival, Mo Farah.
Price: Tickets cost from £22.50 for adults; £19.29 for children.
Open: Daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm (6pm weekends).
Info: 0871 894 3000; madametussauds. co.uk
Tube: Baker Street