We just concluded a busy month of travel with a trip to London. We had planned to go to London last summer but I was pretty pregnant with Grace and we decided to postpone until this summer. I almost didn’t go as Andrew was too busy at work to make the trip, but we decided to have Brooks stay back with Andrew given how hard he is to travel with right now and for me to just take the bigs. I initially thought I might leave Grace too but she’s sort of at the end of the fairly easy to travel with stage and I still have a lot of trouble leaving her (it’s a me thing) so I decided to bring her. I thought I’d stress less with her with me and I was right. She was actually great on the trip and really easy to travel with so I’m glad she came along. I know once she starts walking it’ll be a whole different ball game, so I am glad I soaked in one last trip with her in the carrier. Fun fact if you’re newer around here: My mom is from England and though she grew up in the states, her whole family lives in England. I’ve always felt it was part of me and spent my junior year abroad there and hope to live there again with our family one day (been campaigning to Andrew to take us there). I hadn’t been back to London since James was born so it was wonderful to return – with (most of) our kids in tow. We spent a few days touring London and I got a good feel for how to tackle the city with kids (and a baby!) so I thought I’d compile a London with kids guide. We were there for four full day, five days total including travel so it’s really how to spend three days in London with kids. I think I touch on everything but let me know if you have any questions or I’m missing anything.
How did you find traveling to London with little kids?
I’ll start by saying that British Airways is so incredibly baby-friendly and I highly recommend flying it to London. They have cots and bouncer seats for babies, let kids and families board first, had special seatbelts and life vests for Grace, made sure I knew where changing tables were located, and just overall were so accommodating. There were lots of other babies on our flight back and I just felt like it was such a family-friendly experience, rather than feeling like you’re an inconvenience to everyone on the flight, which is how we usually feel. They also let you preorder kids meals, which I highly recommend. My kids really got to understand the goodness that is plane food (don’t @ me, I love it).
I will also note that other countries’ airports are so much more family friendly with special family lines for security and for customs etc. so that made everything much smoother. I find the long lines are generally the hardest part of traveling with littles, especially at the start or end of a long trip. Having a shorter line that was patient with kids made it much better.
The flights were fine. I don’t think we would have felt same with Brooks, who is just three. We struggle with him on the 4.5 hour flight to Utah so 7+ would have been hard. But once they can plug into iPads and movies for longer than 45 mins, it feels more doable. Charlotte (5) was a little on the edge a few times, but turned it around and James (8) did great, even when exhausted. I brought the YoYo stroller to use for either Charlotte or Grace and there were a few times in the airport I stuck Charlotte in there (like when we got off the overnight flight) and averted total meltdowns. I think James is the perfect age for these types of trips and can handle the travel the best. Grace, however, was a total champ. Babies are hit or miss so it’s hard to predict, but she did great.
We did an overnight flight there and then an afternoon flight home. We didn’t sleep a ton on the overnight so kids struggled a bit but it does help in getting you on the new time zone and not having to entertain them for 7 hours in middle of day (in theory). We don’t use iPads except when traveling and James only get Nintendo on weekends for a finite period of time (usually 30-60 mins) so having those on the plane kept them occupied. It felt very novel. They also watched the movies on the plane and didn’t do much with the activities I packed them on the way out because we slept for some of it. I got some card games (Uno and a card version of Guess Who) and some activity books to keep them busy at airport but I also let them sort of run around and be crazy pre-flight. Here’s a list of in-flight essentials I love for my kids.
Is it worth taking kids to London?
This was a big question I debated when booking. I finally decided to give it a try. I wanted to make it back to London, where I have family and friends, but I also wanted to bring my kids to a place that’s part of their heritage and to have them experience a European country. I think travel is really important for helping them get out of their suburban bubble, learn more about the world, and make memories. I also love to travel and hope to impart that onto them. My honest opinion is that I think if you want to go somewhere, you shouldn’t avoid it because you think they won’t remember or appreciate it. I think they learn to appreciate experiences as they do them more, but also as they age with perspective. Just like I didn’t fully appreciate all my parents did for me until I had kids, they won’t fully appreciate their travels, whether they’re four or fourteen, until they have to pay for them and lug kids around the world, ya know? But I do think the more they do it, the more of. an appreciation they get for adapting to other cultures and having new experiences.
In my opinion, most vacations are hard. We have done the family-friendly resorts and they’re hard too. We did that in the Bahamas last year at a place designed for families and kids. We did have a great time and it was special, but I don’t think we would have gone if we weren’t with the kids. This year, I felt like we could spend the same amount to go somewhere I really wanted to visit and give them a different type of experience. I’m glad we did both for different reasons. I saw kids of all ages there with parents and I think you just make it work. You have to set expectations and know that you won’t necessarily have tons of fine dining experiences and hours in museums, but you can still make it work. But city vacations aren’t as fun for smaller kids. And you will end up doing more things like Shrek’s Adventure than shopping along Knightsbridge or looking at exhibits. But that’s okay as long as it’s okay with you. I thought James was the perfect age to really appreciate it. Charlotte was a bit young but enjoyed all the things we did and did listen to a lot of the history of London on the double decker bus tour.
I think ages 1.5-3.5/4 are hard for a trip like this. Still doable but you can’t get as much sightseeing and meals in and it’s tricky with naps etc, so I think five and older is the best ages.
Where to stay?
London has so many great hotels and there are lots of good options with kids. Even the nicer hotels are mostly kid friendly and have amenities for kids like cribs and special setups and arrival treats. So really I would base it on location and budget. I have friends who like doing super fancy hotels with kids. I generally don’t like to take my crazy crew anywhere that I will feel like I need to shush them and keep them from breaking really nice stuff. But you know your family and if it was just Charlotte and I, or just Grace and I, I might feel differently. And it just depends on where we’re going. In this case, I chose a location that would be easy to get around from but would still feel safe and not too much in the crowd. We loved the Kensington Hotel and also Rubens for location and for kid-friendly amenities without being too fancy that I was worried the whole time that we’d break something.
Best things to do in London with kids?
Double Decker Bus Tour – kids love, it’s easy to see everything and only get off at sites you want and it allows you to walk as much or as little as kids can handle.
London Eye – fun way to see the city if you can handle the lines and Jubilee Gardens playground is nearby and quite fun. We got some frozen yogurt and did the carousel too.
National Portrait Gallery -it’s free so if they only want to stay for a minute, who cares?
Shrek’s Adventure – so cute and good indoor option to break up a hot day or when it rains
Paddington Experience – also adorable and fun way to break up the sites and indoor activity in rain or heat
Sea Life London Aquarium – we didn’t do this but looked really cute and a fun indoor option
See a Show – we loved Wicked but there are so many to choose from!
Harrod’s – maybe set a limit before you hit the toys section (lol)
Playgrounds: The Princess Diana Memorial Playground near Kensington Palace was our fave
Natural History Museum – also free!
Buckingham Palace
Kensington Palace
British Museum – also free and has lots of things they’ll think are really cool
Hyde Park – great place to run around and get some energy out
Platform 93/4 at King’s Cross Station – we didn’t get a chance to do this but a fun photo opp for Harry Potter fans. Same with the Warner Bros Studio Tour, which is a bit out of the city center, so we didn’t go but if you have bit HP fans, it would be great I’ve heard.
River Thames Boat Cruise – We did one as part of our Double Decker Bus tour and it was a great way to get around and mix it up without walking or taking the bus again.
Tower of London – this is such a fun tour for the kids
London Dungeon – must be five and older so they wouldn’t let us in with Grace but this is on our list for next time! I have heard from other moms that it can be scary
Themed Tea: We did the Charlie and Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych and loved
Portobello Market: Explore the stalls and stop by nearby Notting Hill to see the bookstore and eat
How Many Days in London is Enough with Kids?
We did five total, including travel and three full days, which I think was plenty. I wouldn’t do more than four. Of course there is so much to see and do, you could spend weeks. But we were ready for the next adventure after three full days. There was more I wanted to do but not with the kids (lol). I think three days is the perfect amount of time.
Where to eat in London with kids?
Honestly, this was not a culinary adventure for us. I got a lot of questions on where to eat so I wanted to include some restaurant recs in my London with kids guide. But unless your kids are good in restaurants or have adventurous palettes, i find it’s sometimes easier to just know half the meals will not be London’s finest and be okay with it. We did some nicer meals with friends and family and then we just found places to eat as the kids got hungry while we toured around. Sometimes that was muffins and croissants from Gail’s, pizza from Pizza Pilgrims (my kids loved so much we went twice) and sometimes ice cream outside the London Eye. And some restaurants recs for where to eat in London with kids we got from friends or tried out include (keeping in mind, I am NOT a culinary expert for London right now):
Giraffe in Southbank
Seashell of Lisson Grove
Brewdog Brewhouse in Waterloo
Fonda in Mayfair
Dorian in West London
The Dover in Mayfair
Ivy Market Grill in Convent Garden
Maxwell’s in Convent Garden
Wildwood Kitchen
Pizza Pilgrims
How to spend three days in London with kids?
Here’s a rough itinerary of how we did it.
Day 1:
Grabbed a quick breakfast and then jumped on a Double Decker Bus Tour
Stopped at Buckingham Palace and did a tour
Stopped at Tower of London, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
Paddington Experience (near London eye) and ate lunch nearby
Took a Boat Cruise and then caught bus rest of way back to hotel
Back to hotel early for room service and bed
Day 2
Enjoyed a quick breakfast near our hotel
Hopped on Double Decker Bus Tour
Got off at Picadilly Circus
Stopped at National Portrait Gallery
Walked to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych Hotel
Took bus to Shrek’s Adventure and the London Eye
Played at nearby playground in Jubilee Gardens and on the carousel and got ice cream
Dinner and a show
Day 3
Experienced an English Breakfast
Went to Kensington Palace and played at Princess Diana Memorial Playground
Explored Notting Hill and Portobello Market
Stopped at Harrod’s
Back to hotel to change for a final dinner
Of course I can’t wait to return and spend more time eating at some of London’s finest and exploring more of the museums and doing more shopping in Knightsbridge but this wasn’t the trip for that.
Let me know if you have any questions or anything I left out if my London with kids guide!
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