Awesome things to see and do in London with the kids

It's been years since I last visited London - this was until last weekend when my husband and I decided to take our two children (aged nine and six) to experience the sights and sounds of the capital for three days - and we packed as much as we could to experience a wealth of family-oriented activities.

Despite it forecast to rain, even the sun came out and it was unusually warm! We had so many great places and landmarks to visit, but my children were only excited about seeing four things - Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, visiting Shrek's Adventure London and enjoying the iconic London Eye experience.

The lastminute.com London Eye is centrally located on the River Thames in the heart of the capital, positioned opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. At 135m, the London Eye is Europe’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel; a feat of design and engineering it has become the modern symbol representing the capital and a global icon. The attraction opens to visitors at 11am every day so on arrival at 11.25am, we joined quite a long queue. We had pre-booked tickets for noon and thought we would be waiting longer than that, but how wrong were we?! We got through the queue in 10 minutes and were joined in the spacious and bright pod by eight other people - there was more than enough room to enjoy the views socially distantly.

The experience was absolutely amazing with breathtaking views of London's landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Shard, Buckingham Palace, The Tower and The Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, London parks and gardens and so much more! It turned out to be a sunny, clear day so the views were incredible and we could see for miles. There is a bench in the middle of the pod if anyone fancies sitting down, but most people were standing enjoying the surroundings - especially my children who as soon as they stepped into the capsule, clamored for the best window spots!

A memorable and relaxing way to see the sights, the ride lasts around 30 minutes and the pods are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before the next set of people enter. There is plenty of opportunity to have your pictures taken and in the end buy a photo souvenir. Advance purchase tickets are available from £27.00, which is well worth the amazing experience. For further ticket options and information please visit: www.londoneye.comAfter the wonderful London Eye experience, conveniently, a couple of minutes walk along the South Bank is the Shrek's Adventure! I would definitely recommend parents to book in advance (especially during the school holidays) as this popular, interactive walkthrough attraction is a must if you are visiting London with children.

On arrival, you are greeted by friendly and efficient staff who, after scanning your tickets, ask you to get ready to enjoy the walking tour, which will immerse you in the magical land of Far Far Away (the home of Shrek and Fiona.). However, before you embark on the main tour, you are asked to pose for several photos.These will be presented to you at the end, where you can purchase them in a Travel Journal of your trip - a fantastic souvenir with lots of fun puzzles for the kids to enjoy (prices start at £25).

Without giving a lot away, you begin the tour by stepping onto a 4D magic bus ride driven by Donkey, which I would say is the highlight of the tour - so much fun and absolutely incredibly done and enjoyed by both adults and children alike! At times I felt I was on a roller coaster and the water spray, fog and other special effects when flying in the sky and meeting other children's firm favourites such as Kung Fu Panda and Hiccup and Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, were phenomenal!

After the bus ride, you are passed through different areas and rooms, each with a character from the Shrek movies, in which you help the character and interact in order to proceed to the next part. You meet Cinderella, A Fortune Teller, Doris and Puss in Boots in the Poison Apple Bar, Pinocchio and some more fantastic characters until in the end you meet Princess Fiona and the lovable green ogre, Shrek, before the children pose for pictures and pass into a Hall of Fame.

The whole tour is fantastic with lots of audience interaction. All the talented actors play their part very well and there's a lot of humour too. Dressed as characters, they are great at getting everyone into the mood and their enthusiasm was infectious. Among the cool features of the tour is The Mirror Maze of Insanity, which is good fun, we had a great time trying to navigate around it.

The tour lasts around an hour and is well worth the money. We were all so impressed. No photography or filming is allowed during the Shrek’s Adventure tour and you will be asked to switch your phone off.

And if you are in London this weekend and have nothing planned for Halloween, well look no further. The residents of Shrek’s Adventure! London, are celebrating Halloween this half term with a visit from a clumsy witch! The witch needs all the help to find her dropped belongings after crash landing in London. Guests can pick up a trail card from the entrance and keep their eyes peeled for the spooky items before they board the magic bus that will whisk them to Far Far Away. At the end of the tour just hand your list to the witch and she will delve into her spooky cauldron to give you a special treat!

The seasonal spectacular is just one reason to visit Shrek’s Adventure! London this autumn half term. The exciting adventure features 12 fairytale-themed live shows featuring popular characters from the Shrek franchise, including the penguins of Madagascar, Toothless the Dragon, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, Muffin Man, Pinocchio and Cinderella. It culminates with meeting Shrek himself before guests can dance and pose their way through the new Trolls World Tour experience.

#thewitchisback runs until tomorrow (October 31st) and the activity is included in the price of tickets.

On the day tickets for Shrek’s Adventure! London are £30, book online and save up to 20%. For more information and to book tickets please visit www.shreksadventure.com.

For more places to visit in London, please click onto www.visitlondon.com