Tips for London with children

Vic had been asking for a while if he could come along on a plane. He did fly a few times as a baby, but during his 'conscious life' we actually always went on holiday by car. I liked the idea and decided to look for a city trip reasonably close to home. To a city we could easily fly to and spend a few days together. It turned out to be London: just a 45-minute flight from Amsterdam. Perfect for Vic to experience flying and everything that goes with it.

City trip with children

Let me start by saying that a city trip with children is different from a city trip on your own or with another adult. When I book a city trip for myself, like the one to Chicago recently, I really make a list in advance of things I want to see, places I want to eat, etc.

You can of course do this with children too, but the days will undoubtedly look a bit different. For example, my child is an early bird, so the days started nice and early, but I don't have to go out with him late at night. Additionally, he is incredibly active, but his 20,000 steps a day are still really too much for him; after all, he is only 7.

Of course, this depends somewhat on the age of your children, but generally speaking, you simply need to adapt the program a little to them. While I love wandering aimlessly through streets, visiting museums, and marveling at a city's architecture, Vic mainly needs a goal. And that goal is often a fun activity.

What to do in London with children

Fortunately, there are plenty of things to do in London with children. We spent three days in the English capital ourselves and had a fantastic time. By tailoring my itinerary during the city trip mainly to Vic, we both thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together.

It also helps that I had already visited London twice before and was therefore already familiar with the famous attractions. So I didn't necessarily have to go anywhere or do anything myself.

Here are my personal tips for things to do and eat in London with children. The city has much more to offer, but these were some great recommendations for us.

LEGO Store London

The LEGO Store in London was located just a stone's throw from our hotel. Vic really wanted to go inside, so it became the first activity on our list. The LEGO Store in London is quite large and consists of two floors, both decorated according to different themes. The enormous LEGO creations alone are worth seeing. The gigantic Big Ben clock tower, Harry Potter scenes, a flying dragon… Vic was truly wide-eyed with wonder.

The corner where you can assemble your own LEGO minifigures is especially fun. Vic was really busy with this for a while.

Walking through Chinatown

Strolling through a city is, of course, how you see the most. However, London is large and, in my opinion, quite confusing, so you really are dependent on public transport. Walking through Chinatown is highly recommended, though. It is busy there, and you will find plenty of nice little eateries with unique dishes. But simply admiring the entrance gate and the many red lanterns is an activity in itself.

London Eye

It is impossible to miss if you walk along the banks of the Thames: the London Eye, or the Ferris wheel. As I mentioned, I had visited the city a few times before, but I had never been on the Ferris wheel. This time, however, the time had come. First of all: the view from the Ferris wheel is gorgeous, provided the weather is nice and clear, and from the top you look out over almost all of London. But it is one of the attractions that I personally find far too overpriced. Converted, I paid about €90 for the two of us for a ride of roughly 20 minutes. Would I do it again? Absolutely not. Was it fun? Definitely.

Sea Life Aquarium

Vic saw an advertising poster for the Sea Life Aquarium and really wanted to go. Fine! When you’ve seen a bit of the city or if the weather isn't that nice, Sea Life is a fun activity to do in London with children. It is quite pricey again (around €100 for the two of us), but there is a lot to see.

The Sea Life Aquarium is located behind the London Eye, and if I'm not mistaken, you can buy combo tickets (for three attractions in total), which can save you some money. So, it's highly recommended if you plan to visit multiple attractions.

There is a standard walking route through Sea Life that you can simply follow. This way, you can see everything and won't miss anything.

Natural History Museum

The Natura History Museum is highly recommended for adults, but even more so for children. We skipped it during our visit to London this time, but I have visited the museum myself a few times before. The life-sized dinosaur skeletons are a sight to behold in themselves, and if your child is even slightly fascinated by mummies, you really shouldn't miss the museum.

Hamleys

I've been tipped off a few times already, but the world's oldest toy shop is located in London. Admittedly, the location on Regent Street is indeed beautiful to look at, with its wooden balustrades and old escalators. And there is plenty for the children to see and experiment with.

Personally, however, I found it terrible. So crowded, so hot, very chaotic… With children who tend to run off, Hamleys might be slightly less recommended.

Harry Potter Store op platform 9 3/4

Much more my cup of tea, and secretly Vic's too, is the Harry Potter Store on platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station. Very easy to reach by public transport.

Don't be put off by the long line outside; it's mainly there for the famous luggage trolley that seems to go through the wall. You can have your picture taken with it, and you can—yes, you guessed it—buy these photos inside the store.

The shop itself is small and has lots of nice little nooks, but real Harry Potter fans simply have to pop inside. You'll find tons of fun gadgets, limited editions, clothing, and so on. Vic had no trouble entertaining himself for an hour in this little shop.

Changing of the guard @ Buckingham Palace

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is, of course, very impressive to see. Unfortunately, we missed it ourselves because it didn't work out time-wise, but it is still on the list for next time.

You can see exactly when each ceremony takes place via the special Changing Guard website.

Eating in London with children

During your visit to London with children, you naturally have to eat something. And that just happens to be right up my alley. Fortunately, I have a child who likes everything and loves to try new things, so I was very lucky with that.

These restaurants and eateries were our favorites.

Wizard Exploratorium Afternoon tea

At the top of the list is Afternoon Tea at Wizard Exploratorium, a true experience in itself and great fun for both adults and children. Harry Potter fans will love this too. A magical afternoon tea is served in a tiny room (so book in advance!), complete with spells, wands, wizard costumes, and special potions.

Admittedly, the food wasn't fantastic—it could be called ordinary—but the whole ambiance and experience are really nice.

I think we spent about 2 hours on it, so it's a nice activity to do in between.

Bill’s

When we decided to have breakfast at Bill's, the place already looked familiar to me, and I eventually concluded that I had actually had breakfast at the Covent Garden location before. That was no hardship, however, as the breakfast menu is wonderfully extensive. Immediately upon entering, children are given a large placemat with coloring pages, games, and a box of colored pencils. The children's menu is also printed on this placemat, featuring dishes such as pancakes (naturally) and smaller versions of the dishes on the standard menu.

Vic enjoyed his pancakes with bacon, I a bowl of yogurt with granola and fresh fruit.

Borough Market

Borough Market is a true paradise for foodies, but it is also highly recommended to visit this market if you are going to London with children. Especially the section where you find the bakeries and where the biggest cakes and most beautiful creations ever are sold. Since we were in London around Halloween, Vic was wide-eyed at all the skeleton and ghost cakes.

We made a quick stop at Bread Ahead Bakery for a fantastic crème brûlée donut. You really shouldn't miss that if you go to Borough Market.

Hail Mary

Like every child, mine is a fan of all dishes that start with the letter P. So it was no surprise that he got in the mood for pizza, so we decided to go eat at Ave Mario. Coincidentally, one of the restaurants I had pinpointed. Ave Mario looks very small from the outside, but it extends all the way down to the basement.

We got a spot at the kitchen table, and for Vic, this was naturally wonderful. He looked around in amazement during dinner. The pizza he chose was delicious, and the fresh pasta with tomatoes and smoked stracciatella that I ate was irresistible.

Kudos to the staff who were incredibly friendly to Vic and made serving his chosen lemon meringue tart a real treat.

Wahaca

Mexican food lovers must pay a visit to Wahaca. This restaurant is also largely located underground and has a wonderfully spacious and bright layout. We went there for a late lunch, which is ideal because it isn't packed yet, and here too, Vic immediately received a large coloring page and a box of crayons.

The menu is very extensive and ranges from small snacks to elaborate dishes. Not all dishes are very spicy, so they are certainly suitable for children as well. Vic thoroughly enjoyed the tacos and quesadillas with roasted chicken.

Brother Marcus

During our breakfast at Bill's, we spotted a Brother Marcus branch a little further down the road and decided right then and there that we would go there the next day. Brother Marcus brings Middle Eastern flavors to London, and the menu gives you instant decision paralysis.

I ate incredibly delicious shakshuka myself, and although children can certainly eat from the menu, smaller rolls and sweets are also available. Handy for smaller eaters! Vic had a cinnamon roll there and really liked it.

Whipped

Finally, I’d like to recommend Whipped, the place to be for cheesecake, large cookies, and other sweet treats. After our late lunch at Wahaca, we decided to only go out for dessert in the evening, and since Whipped was just around the corner from our hotel, that was an easy choice.

The selection is HUGE and the slices of cake just as big. We comfortably took a seat at one of the small tables downstairs and munched on our cake there. As a late-night snack, we bought two cookies, both of which were delicious as well.

So, highly recommended to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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You may have already gathered this from the text above, but personally, I highly recommend London with children. It is an incredibly kid-friendly city and there is more than enough to do. Adapt your city trip itinerary to them a little, as much as possible, and you will have the time of your life.

For Vic, it was a fantastic experience in any case, and when the plane took off from Heathrow, I heard him say: “Bye London, hopefully see you someday!”