Right within the coronary heart of vacationer London, the possibilities are you’ll end up in or round Leicester Square with youngsters sooner or later throughout your keep within the metropolis.
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Whether you’re drawn right here by its film and theatre hyperlinks, or have your sights set on Lego and M&Ms, the sq. and its environment are filled with household sights – to not point out being a stone’s throw from Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
So when you’re on the lookout for issues to do close to Leicester Square with youngsters, I’ve picked out a few of the finest choices for various ages, in addition to some family-friendly locations to eat within the space.
Follow the Movie Character Trail
Young film followers can snap some photographs with their favorite movie characters alongside Leicester Square’s family-friendly Scenes within the Square path.
The distinctive artwork set up encompasses a assortment of bronze statues scattered across the sq.. You can discover Harry Potter on his broomstick taking part in Quidditch, Paddington Bear consuming a marmalade sandwich on a bench, and Mary Poppins floating into the sky together with her umbrella.
It was beforehand house to a full-sized duplicate of the Iron Throne from the hit present Game of Thrones, so whereas that has moved on, it’s price protecting an eye fixed out for brand new arrivals too.
Following the path is without doubt one of the high free issues to do in Leicester Square when you’re visiting London on a finances.
For extra of the perfect issues to do in London with youngsters, take a look at my high suggestions
Snap some photographs within the Lego Store
What child (or grownup for that matter!) wouldn’t take pleasure in visiting the most important Lego retailer on the planet!?
Spread throughout two enormous flooring on the nook of Leicester Square, the Lego Store is finest recognized for its many wonderful interactive Lego sculptures. You can sit inside a life-size Lego tube carriage, take a household picture with Lego Shakespeare, and admire the 20+ foot tall mannequin of Big Ben with its working clock face.
You’ll additionally discover loads of cool Lego merchandise and restricted version gadgets on supply. Obviously, you don’t have to purchase something but it surely’s fairly troublesome to go to the shop with youngsters and never stroll away with one thing.
The Lego Store is so in style that there’s usually a queue to enter. But don’t let this put you off as the road strikes pretty shortly.
Indulge your candy tooth in M&M World
One of the perfect issues to do in Leicester Square with youngsters with a candy tooth is visiting the chocolate-lover’s heaven that’s M&M World.
At 35,000 sq. toes over 4 flooring, M&M World is the most important candy retailer on the planet. Kids can construct their very own pick-n-mix from the world’s greatest chocolate wall, that includes over 100 M&M varieties, have their ‘colour mood’ analysed, and even get their faces printed on an M&M.
Plus the colourful and busy retailer sells way over simply sweets. You’ll discover vibrant M&M branded youngsters clothes, towels, mugs, toys, and a lot extra.
Needless to say, it’s very simple for the prices so as to add up: this isn’t the place to seize some low cost choc!
Splash round within the Leicester Square fountains
Leicester Square Gardens is a peaceable inexperienced area proper within the centre of the energetic sq.. During the nice and cozy summer season months, it’s the right place to chill down and escape the hectic streets of London’s West End for some time.
Adults can calm down beneath the massive cover of bushes, whereas kids will love splashing round within the fountains that shoot up from the bottom across the sq.’s Grade II listed Shakespeare statue.
For extra free issues to do in London with youngsters, take a look at my high picks
Listen to the Swiss Glockenspiel
Leicester Square was as soon as house to the Swiss Center, a singular attraction constructed to showcase Swiss tradition and promote tourism within the nation.
After the constructing was demolished in 2008, the Swiss Glockenspiel, with its bells and figures, discovered a brand new house on a pole near its former web site to commemorate the attraction (you possibly can learn extra about its historical past right here).
The Glockenspiel options 27 bells and lots of Swiss collectible figurines, together with mini bell-ringers, set in a standard Swiss alpine backdrop. Several occasions every day, the bells ring and the figures transfer in a enjoyable five-minute efficiency.
It’s a unusual element that loads of guests miss, however a enjoyable one for youthful youngsters – to not point out being one other of the perfect free issues to do in Leicester Square for households.
Treasure Map Trails
One of the perfect methods to discover Leicester Square with youthful kids is taking up the problem of a Treasure Map Trail.
Perfect for households with 5 to 12 yr olds, this Leicester Square and Chinatown Rogue Robots path challenges little ones to seek out many hidden treasures across the neighbourhood, together with sculptures, statues, gargoyles, and extra. The path takes round 90 minutes to finish.
Priced £6.99 for the folded path, there’s 10% off when you use the code MUMMYTRAVELS. And in addition to the brightly colored illustrated map that’s posted to you, you’ll discover some fascinating details on the map to assist get youngsters extra engaged in native historical past as you navigate the sq. and get hold of its treasures.
Watch a movie on the cinema
Leicester Square’s cinemas are like no others within the nation, with their state-of-the-art movie know-how and fashionable amenities.
There are three enormous flagship cinemas positioned on the sq.; Odeon, Vue, and the Cineworld Leicester Square (previously the Empire). Located within the coronary heart of London’s West End, the cinemas have been internet hosting glitzy purple carpet premieres and film first runs for many years and when you’re fortunate, you would possibly even stumble throughout one happening.
If you’re not within the sq. whereas a star-studded premiere is in progress, you possibly can nonetheless stroll within the footsteps – and sit in the identical seats – as a few of your favorite celebrities, by taking the household to see a brand new launch on one of many massive screens.
As you’d anticipate from a central London cinema, tickets and meals generally is a little on the steep aspect, so don’t be shocked to seek out it’s pricier than your native multiplex although.
The sq. can also be house to the smaller Prince Charles cinema, which frequently exhibits basic (and cult basic) films when you’re visiting London with teenagers, in addition to different family-friendly films.
Grab low cost theatre tickets from the TKTS Booth
A visit to the theatre is without doubt one of the finest household night actions in London’s West End. And the excellent news is that it doesn’t must value you your life financial savings to get good tickets.
The TKTS Booth has been located within the south of Leicester Square for the reason that Eighties and is understood for being the go-to place for discounted theatre tickets. The sales space is the one official low cost ticket vendor within the space because it’s run by the Society of London Theatres (SOLT), so you’re not going to get scammed.
At the sales space, you should buy last-minute tickets for a lot of of London’s high exhibits for as much as 50% off. Most tickets are for a similar day or the approaching few days, and when you do get same-day tickets, most West End theatres are only a quick stroll from Leicester Square.
For extra tips about saving cash on London with youngsters, together with different concepts for theatre reductions (and the TKTS app), take a look at my high picks
Check what’s on in Leicester Square
You’ll discover pop-up occasions happening all year long in Leicester Square, together with a Christmas market in December and Christmas lights twinkling from November, in addition to occasional artwork installations.
Check out the entire listing of what’s on in Leicester Square right here.
TOP TIP: Struggling with the weird pronunciation? It’s stated ‘Lester’ Square
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience
One of the most recent family-friendly sights round Leicester Square is the exhilarating Crystal Maze LIVE Experience.
While mother and father reminisce concerning the well-known 90s TV present, youngsters over the age of 9 will take pleasure in working across the totally different themed zones with an amusing host, fixing mysteries and going through a sequence of psychological and bodily challenges to win the coveted crystals.
Once all the challenges are full, your loved ones will head inside the long-lasting Crystal Dome itself to seize tokens which are being whooshed round your head by sturdy followers. It actually is a enjoyable family-bonding expertise.
Jump on a bus tour of London
Although you possibly can leap on London’s hop-on hop-off buses at stops across the capital, the place to begin for the Tootbus Yellow route is on Coventry Street, simply on the finish of Swiss Court main from Leicester Square.
Quite a number of of the corporate’s different particular excursions depart from this level, together with the Christmas lights tour and the Night Tour, whereas the Tootbus Kids tour additionally departs from Charles II Street, a couple of minutes away.
For extra tips about the finest London bus excursions with youngsters, take a look at this publish
Take a stroll round Chinatown
London’s Chinatown will be discovered simply to the north of Leicester Square and is a cool space to discover with kids of all ages.
Pass by M&M World and take a proper flip onto Wardour Street. Here you’ll discover the long-lasting Chinatown gate resulting in a sequence of small streets, full of thrilling sights, smells, and sounds.
Kids will love wandering by way of the energetic streets of Chinatown, marvelling on the rows of hanging purple lanterns and peering into home windows on the scrumptious Asian delights.
Treat the littles ones to an indulgent Bubble Waffle from Bubblewrap, a brightly-colored mermaid-tail matcha ice cream from Taiyakiya, or a candy Bubble Tea from Woo Tea. The space’s many buffet-style Chinese eating places are additionally an reasonably priced lunch possibility for hungry households.
Walk to Trafalgar Square
The official centre of London, Trafalgar Square is only a five-minute stroll away, with an entire sequence of sights of its personal that are simple to mix with the opposite issues to do round Leicester Square with youngsters.
Home to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, you’ll additionally discover public artwork on the Fourth Plinth, which modifications frequently – there’s all the time one thing eye-catching and thought-provoking to find there.
You may spot Nelson’s Column and the Trafalgar Square lions at its base, together with the statue of Charles I on his horse, the purpose the place all distances are measured from within the metropolis.
Visit Covent Garden
Leicester Square can also be lower than 10 minutes’ stroll from Covent Garden – in truth, at busy occasions in Covent Garden Underground station, you’ll be requested to get off at Leicester Square tube and end your journey on foot, it’s so shut.
As effectively because the London Transport Museum and Covent Garden market, there are sometimes further pop-up occasions happening all year long, from faux snow at Christmas and pumpkins at Halloween, to short-term occasions themed round something from Frozen to Lego plus massive screens within the piazza.
Get 6% off tickets to the London Transport Museum utilizing my code MUMMYTRAVELS6 when you ebook by way of this hyperlink
With some extra of London’s finest family-friendly theatre within the space, together with Matilda and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it’s a straightforward one to mix with the string of issues to do close to Leicester Square with youngsters.
See Piccadilly Circus
In the other way, it’s additionally simply 5 minutes to Piccadilly Circus, famously house to the statue of Eros – which is definitely a statue of Anteros, and formally named the Statue of Christian Charity, though you received’t discover anybody calling it that!
It’s additionally well-known for the string of illuminated indicators which flash and flicker day and evening, together with an advert for Coca-Cola, which has been displayed in Piccadilly Circus since 1955. Originally the Piccadilly Circus lights weighed 5,000 kilos and contained practically a mile of neon – at the moment there’s an ultra-high definition 4K decision display with 11,858,400 pixels and 281 trillion colors.
There’s no precise circus, in fact: the title comes from the Latin for ring or circle, though this specific one has changed into one thing of a traffic-snarled sq. over time, one of many metropolis’s busiest junctions.
As some bonus trivia for Harry Potter followers, the scene filmed right here included 300 extras and needed to be shot early within the morning due to the difficulties of shutting Piccadilly Circus down.
For extra Harry Potter areas in London, take a look at this publish
Where to eat round Leicester Square with youngsters
The coronary heart of vacationer London additionally has greater than its fair proportion of vacationer traps, however you possibly can nonetheless discover some nice locations to eat close to Leicester Square for households.
There are a string of chain eating places as effectively, comparable to Byron Burgers, TGI Fridays and Bella Italia amongst others.
Chinatown
Chinatown has numerous locations for households to eat, with decisions together with dim sum and all-you-can-eat buffets in addition to Dumplings Legend – take a look at the part above for extra concepts of Chinatown treats as effectively, however you received’t be wanting choices.
Japan Centre
The courtyard on the Japan Centre has the whole lot from katsu curry to sushi and sashimi to gasoline you up on your time out in London, to not point out loads of different enjoyable odds and ends to purchase, from Japanese sweets to ceramics.
Hard Rock Cafe
Along with the world’s largest Rock Shop, Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus is one other household favorite when you’re on the lookout for locations to eat round Leicester Square with youngsters – discover pasta, salad and rooster on the menu in addition to burgers.
Happy
The flagship Happy Bar & Grill sits proper between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, and it’s an amazing place for households, with favourites together with burgers, rooster strips and fish & chips on the children’ menu.
The Theatre Cafe
This theatre-themed cafe on St Martin’s Lane has reside performances by West End stars, and present tunes in between, together with theatrical memorabilia on the partitions. There are snacks and desserts on The Theatre Cafe menu in addition to pizza – you possibly can even carry out your self at one of many open mic slots.
Pizza Pilgrims
One of a string of branches across the capital, Pizza Pilgrims Covent Garden is simply a few minutes from Leicester Square and has vegan choices alongside basic margheritas and extra creative choices for mini gourmets.
Sadly the department of Mod Pizza on Leicester Square, with its build-your-own pizza choices, has now closed.
Greggs flagship retailer
I do know what you’re most likely considering however the Greggs flagship retailer on Leicester Square is without doubt one of the greatest within the nation, with extra steak bakes than you possibly can shake a vegan sausage roll at on this ‘MegaGreggs’.
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