Visiting London with Kids
London is SUCH a fun and beautiful city. Of course it is full of history, iconic landmarks, beautiful parks and playgrounds, diverse cultures, incredible museums, and so many things to see and do. Visiting London with kids is an absolutely memorable experience.
Years ago we met up in Paris for a post-nursing-(some of our)babies girls trip and decided to take the Chunnel to London for a day. We absolutely BLITZED the city and saw all we could possibly see in 10ish hours.
Since then we’ve wanted to go back, so last year we decided to surprise our oldest daughters with a 10th birthday meet up in London, and all 4 of us loved every bit of it.
Exploring the city with two 10-year-olds was so great because they could keep up with the amount of walking the city demanded, wanted to see the sites we were excited about, and enjoyed a Sunday dinner at a pub and a late night showing of Matilda in the West End as much as we did.
Where to stay:
We considered many options, but ended up choosing a rental home in Belgravia. When traveling with kids we typically prefer a rental property to a hotel for the added space, full kitchen, and the ability to live a little more like a local.
We decided we wanted to be close enough that we didn’t have to take the tube into the city every day, as we knew we had a ton we wanted to explore. It obviously costs more to stay closer to the city, but we felt it was worth it for a short trip where we had a lot of ground to cover. We’re also used to paying for a house for 11, so a 2-bedroom apartment in the city didn’t seem quite so bad.
Belgravia ended up being such a wonderful location – walkable to many sights and multiple tube stations if public transportation was needed. It also led to us walking by some of the most beautiful locations just on our daily commute to other attractions.
Things to do in London with Kids
London has so much to offer in terms of sights to see. It’s truly hard to fit it all in! We decided to prioritize seeing the touristy iconic London sights while still leaving time for exploring, soaking up city life, and visiting more local spots like farmer’s markets & playgrounds.
A few of our favorite must-do’s are below.
Visit Buckingham Palace
The very first thing we did was stop by Buckingham Palace. We didn’t opt for the tour, but wanted to see the palace, and because of where we were staying, continued to walk by it daily, which felt like a treat.
In addition to taking selfies in front of the palace (see: travel with two 10-year-old girls), Buckingham is obviously famous for the changing of the guard ceremony, and apparently for the giant pink pelicans that live across the street!
We also loved stopping by St. James’s Park Playground. It’s right across the street from the palace, and so fun to watch your kids play with the palace in the background. Bonus points for the coffee cart out front if you need more caffeine to fuel your day.
Take in the sights along the Thames
Touristy, but a must-do, pick a great weather day (and still be prepared with umbrellas) and enjoy a walk along the Thames. The bridges and towering sights are just so quintessentially London. Our favorite sights along the river include:
- Westminster Abbey
- Westminster Palace (via the Westminster Bridge)
- Big Ben
- London Eye
- Millennium Bridge (from Harry Potter, it also offers a great view of the Tower Bridge, especially at night!)
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Tower of London + Tower Bridge
Of course many of these are worth a longer visit or tour depending on the time you have & interests of your group.
Explore Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens
Exploring Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens is one of my favorite things to do on a sunny day in London. Again thanks to where we stayed, we were in and out of Hyde Park every day, which was such a treat.
There are so many things to see even within the park, but definitely don’t miss the Diana Memorial Playground. It’s an incredible playground with so many fun different areas. Famous for the giant ship, but our girls loved the other areas just as much.
A few other favorite spots in/near Hyde Park include:
- Watching the ducks near the boat house on The Serpentine
- Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
- Peter Pan statue
- Giant Pelican statue
- Kensington Palace
- South Kensington area – find a great bookshop (South Kensington Books) and/or coffee spot
Shop at a local farmers market
Depending on where you’re steaying, there are so many options, but we recommend finding the closest farmer’s market and living it up as a local. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
We bought homemade pastas & sauce, fresh veggies & fruits, delicious bread, and were convinced to try this famous apple cake that absolutely lived up to the hype!
Enjoy an afternoon tea
Another London must-do, and for a good reason! We researched a ton of options, but ultimately wanted something more kid friendly, not insanely expensive, but still fancy & fun.
Peggy Porchen was perfect! The food & drinks were delicious, and the ambiance made it super special but we didn’t feel out of place. The doorway is also one of the most beautifully decorated, which is a tough competition among London storefronts!
Explore a museum or two
There are so many to chose from, but for this trip we opted for the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Both are free, but do require tickets for timed entry, so make sure to book those in advance. We heard so many great things about both museums and they definitely didn’t disappoint.
Other museums that I’d love to visit next time include the British Museum, the London Transport Museum, and the Royal Air Force Museum. Again, this is such a great opportunity for you to follow your family’s interests and plan accordingly!
See a show in the West End
Like Broadway in NYC, we knew this was something we wanted to do, especially with our girls! There were several show options we considered, and I’m sure we would not have been disappointed with whatever we chose.
We ended up seeing Matilda, which was absolutely incredible. We were all truly blown away with the talent, and I loved the feel of the smaller theatre compared to what we’re used to in NC.
Head out of the city for a Warner Brothers Studio Tour
Honestly, we’re not usually ones to opt for group tours, but both of our girls love Harry Potter, so we decided to take the time and money to make this happen. Good thing too, because it was at the very top of both of their lists of favorite things we did while in London.
We opted for the tour with transportation through Golden Tours & used the family pack for 2 adults and 2 children. The included transportation made it super easy (plus you could watch Harry Potter on the bus!), and we needed every bit of the “extended 4 hour” tour.
There is a stop for food, Butterbeer, and Butterbeer ice cream (delish!) in the middle of the tour, but we also made sure to pack snacks to get us through the day and both bus rides.
Quick tip – Pace yourself! It really will take the whole time to get through everything there is to see. Be sure to allow some time for souvenir shopping and a bathroom stop before you have to be back on the bus!
London Favorites
There is truly so much to see and do in London, that one guide (or one trip) can’t do it justice. So much depends on your personal / group’s interests in order to get the most out of your time in this incredible city.
We felt like we found a really great balance for what we had hoped for out of this trip – a great mix of touristy London + enjoying the beautiful spring weather and outdoor spaces + time together to celebrate our girls.
Our Top 3 Favorites:
When we asked the girls their favorite things from our trip both said the Harry Potter studios tour, Matilda, and our tea at Peggy Porchen were their top 3.
Chelsea said she enjoyed the farmer’s market shopping & meal, our evening stroll along the Thames away from other tourists, and seeing Matilda. I loved our time strolling through Kensington Gardens & Hyde Park, our farmer’s market adventure, and watching our oldest girls play on a playground in front of a palace.
A few honorable mentions…
A few other favorites not noted above include:
- Trafalgar Square Lions – so gorgeous! Just sit for a spell and take it all in – and then climb the lions.
- Whittard hot chocolate / chai – go for the samples, stay for the souvies you can bring home.
- Sunday dinner at a pub – don’t forget to make reservations ahead of time!
- Notting Hill – we loved visiting this neighborhood the first time we were in London, and would have loved to go back if we had the time. There are so many great neighborhoods in London – all worth exploring for different reasons.
Have you been to London?! If so, what would be on your “top 3 favorites” list?
Interested in other European destinations with kids? Check out these other posts…
