Top 10 Kid Friendly Things To Do and Attractions in West Thurrock

"Hyde Park is the largest park in central London and another of the capitals important Royal Parks. There are plenty of free things to do in Hyde Park, including taking a stroll through the colourful Rose Garden, visiting the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain (or one of the parks many other statues and memorials), stepping inside the free Serpentine Art Gallery, listening to the speakers at Speakers Corner or sitting beside the large Serpentine Lake to watch the swans and pedalos for a while."

"Covering 350 acres, Hyde Park is London's largest open space and has been a destination for sightseers since 1635. One of the park's highlights is the Serpentine, an 18th-century man-made lake popular for boating and swimming. Hyde Park is also where you'll find Speakers' Corner, a traditional forum for free speech — and heckling."

"A huge 350 acres, you won't struggle for a decent walk here. There's space to swim, too: Hyde Park houses a lido and is famous for the Serpentine. Both offer bracing dips, and the Serpentine can be enjoyed by hiring a pedalo, rowing boat, or scooting about as a passenger on the solar-powered SolarShuttle."

"Standing proudly next to the Westminster Houses of Parliament, the home of British politics, is the beautiful and hugely significant Westminster Abbey. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site back in 1987, this church is one of the most important in the UK and dates back to around 800AD. Westminster Abbey is steeped in history and has been the scene of royalty since William the Conqueror in the 1000s."

"If walls could talk, Westminster Abbey would have plenty to say!. The site of every coronation since 1066, this Gothic church is the final resting place for 17 monarchs, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, Sir Laurence Olivier, and many, many others. It’s also a favourite for royal weddings—in 2011 Prince William married Kate Middleton here."

"The Westminster Abbey Museum, or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, sits 52 feet above the abbey floor in the 13th century triforium. Guests will take in incredible views of the abbey as they climb the Weston Tower to the museum. The secret space that houses the galleries was hidden for more than 700 years."

"When Asian hospitality chain Shangri-La opened in the Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building, in 2014, it was literally head and shoulders above the rest of London – as well as being the first luxury hotel south of the river. The hotel, which occupies the floors from level 35 upwards, pairs its pared-back guestrooms – lots of business-friendly beige and black lacquer – with panoramic views across the entire city. Deep baths are positioned by the glass windows to maximise the views."

"The Shangri-La Suite is the top suite at the Shangri-La at The Shard, designed to maximise the view of London’s skyline from every direction possible. The 2,000 square foot one bedroom suite is plush and homely with one of the best views you’ll see from any hotel room. Click to read about the Shangri-La Luxury Circle programme which gives guests access to a host of added value amenities."

"The Shard is one of the tallest buildings in Europe and it is a popular tourist attraction as it offers a restaurant, bars and a viewing platform. So, many visitors head there to get one of best views in the city. When The Shard was completed in 2012 it was the tallest building in Europe, but it has now been knocked off the top spot by new skyscrapers built in Moscow."

"It includes all the major attractions (e.g., Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the National Gallery), but also includes several lesser known sites and encourages you to explore several of London’s diverse neighborhoods including Westminster, Greenwich, Kensington, and Camden. We suggest using this itinerary as a starting point for planning your 6 days in London, not as a definitive itinerary, and you can edit it to put together your own personal itinerary that reflects your own needs and interests."

"The best view of Tower Bridge (in my opinion) is from the water; however, not everyone has a chance to do a Thames River Cruise. If that’s not on your itinerary, try to get a photo of Tower Bridge from afar, featuring something else iconic – perhaps City Hall?. Alternatively, a head on shot crossing the bridge is pretty incredible, too!"

"Definitely up there as one of my favourite bridges in the world, Tower Bridge is marvellous to photograph both during the day…. … and at night, as a long exposure. It’s also good from both sides of the river, although if you go to the south bank then you can frame it with the Tower of London as well, which is nice."

"It’s easy to spend your days walking around South Kensington’s alleyways but you will have a lot of London’s iconic sites at your doorstep too. This includes the V&A, Natural History Museum, The Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park!. What’s more, all the other London landmarks are just a hop, skip, and jump away. This makes it our top choice for a short summer getaway in London"

"St Lawrence Jewry is a splendid Baroque church by Sir Christopher Wren, built on the site of an earlier church destroyed in the Great Fire. It’s across the square from London Guildhall, and is the official church of the Lord Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation. The Jewry in its name refers to the London Jewish ghetto, which was centred around the street named Old Jewry, which can be found less than 100 metres east along Gresham Street from the church – it’s on the right."

"St Lawrence Jewry was founded in the 12th century and dedicated to St Lawrence, roasted alive on a gridiron in 3rd century Rome. The church was rebuilt by Wren in1670-87. It was one of Wren’s most expensive City Churches and was badly gutted on 29th December 1940."

"Situated next to the Guildhall in the old Jewish quarter, this was rebuilt by Wren after the original burned down in the Great Fire"

"Serving up the dreamiest of ice cream on a global scale is Four Winters. Their ice cream is prepared using top seasonal produce by their ice cream chefs, who work hard to bring new flavour combinations to the world of ice cream. A personal favourite of ours is their knafeh – a blend of ice cream with kataifi dough and syrup, topped with pistachio."

"Restaurants Italian Peckham. This honest-to-goodness Italian is just about the most perfect local restaurant you can imagine: smart but low-key; cool without being pretentious; brilliant value despite its sky-high quality; and with a concise, market-led chalkboard menu that offers constantly changing seasonal dishes such as crispy ox tongue, roasted sprouts with homemade ricotta and hazelnuts and leg of lamb with bagna cauda, borlotti beans and kale."

"Restaurants Italian Peckham"

"The team behind Chinatown’s Experimental Cocktail Bar opened its first London hotel in 2017, and has been a hit with the Instagram set ever since. A sumptuous boutique number in Covent Garden, the Henrietta has 18 bedrooms dressed with handpainted wallpaper, upholstered headboards and marble details - yet this room number could soon double as an expansion plan has been permitted. The beating heart of the hotel is its eponymous restaurant, a chic fusion of ornate Victorian and sleek Art Deco led by star chef Sylvain Roucayrol."

"Although Henrietta is run by bartenders—the hotel is part of the Experimental Group, which runs the speakeasy-style Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown—it doesn’t feel built for the night. The interiors, rather, are light, whimsical, and irreverently French. The lobby's spring shades and splashes of leopard print continue upstairs in the 18 spacious rooms, which are interesting without being over-the-top."

"Restaurants Italian Covent Garden. Wunderkind Ollie Dabbous was here for a while, but this boutique hotel dining room is now a Basque-influenced small plates eatery overseen by chef Sylvain Roucayrol. During the week they serve Spanish-inflected breakfasts, but on Sundays an extended version (till noon) moves into brunch territory."

"Cafe Monico is 140 years old, talk about a London classic and a must go-to if you're in the capital. The restaurant specialises in a mix of French and Italian gastronomy (reads: the most renowned in the world), so you'll certainly be eating well. Why is it the perfect romantic restaurant?"

"The V&A's Theatre Collections hold the UK's national collection of material about live performance in the UK since Shakespeare's day, covering drama, dance, musical theatre, circus, music hall, rock and pop, and other forms of live entertainment. Theatre and Performance galleries dedicated to the performing arts, display works of art, costumes, ephemera, video recordings, puppets, posters and photographs."

"Alternatives (or additional spots) in the area to the above attractions: Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market (one of London’s most famous food markets), The Old Operating Theatre Museum (fee*), The Monument (fee*), and The View from the Shard (fee*)."

"PRACTICAL INFORMATION: The museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm. Tickets cost £20 GBP (around $26 USD). Make sure to book your tickets and pick a time-slot in advance directly on the museum website."

"The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide is the oldest organization in the world devoted to the study of the Holocaust. The Wiener Library was founded in 1933 to keep Jewish communities up to date on Nazi persecution. Later, it became a research institute and public access library following the end of World War II. The library today has an estimated 70,000 books, 2,000 document, 45,000 photographs and 3,000 periodicals."

"Restaurants Crêperies Southwark. Your kids don’t have to wait till Shrove Tuesday comes around for their pancake fix – thanks to this bright, buzzy venue squeezed into one corner of Flat Iron Square. Sweet and savoury buttermilk varieties abound, from 1,000 baby greens to banana with praline and marshmallow."

"From your savoury to your sweet, your classic to you're weird, epic and mega. There's even choices for vegans, veggies and those riding the gluten-free wave with the 3 in 1 batter. The hardest part is choosing which topping you're digging."