London
Note: This is a fun map that shows you the different neighborhoods throughout and around central London. This will give you an idea of where things are. It’s helpful to also use Big Ben as the “Center” of the map and this is the area we choose our hotel to be in to easily get to the major sites and highlights to be centrally located.
Looking for the best tours and activities while you're in London?
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Our 5 day Central London Itinerary
Day 1 – Changing of the Guards/Buckingham Palace/St. James Park/Big Ben/Westminster Abbey
1. Fly into London. The Overnight flight will get you here nice and early.
🛏️ STAY: St. Ermins Hotel - Drop your luggage at your hotel and begin exploring! Immediately see the changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace at 11:00 (Check schedule - not everyday).
2. Go to St. James Park(right next to Buckingham palace) - great playground here to let the kids play and get some energy out
3. Walk to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, & Westminster Abbey.
4. Have an early dinner and early bedtime to wake up refreshed for next day.
Day 2 – Camden Market/Babylon Park/London Zoo/Regent Street/Carnaby Street/Hamleys
1. Skip borough market and do Camden market instead! Go at 10am on a weekday when it first opens if possible for less crowds.
2. There is a secret underground small amusement park/arcade across the street - Babylon Park
3. Visit the London Zoo - a short walk from the market
4. Walk through Regents Park - which zoo is located in - multiple playgrounds throughout the park
5. Walk around Marylebone neighborhood and walk to regent street to shop - Hamley’s toy store for kids
6. Carnaby street - Kingly Court for dinner (20+ restaurants/bars to choose from)
Day 3 – British Museum /Postal Museum/ Covent Garden/Musical Theatre
1. Start at British Museum. Then go to Postal Museum (very kid friendly). If time allows for only one - we would pick postal museum especially w/ little kids.
2. Head to Covent Garden for dinner & walk around shops/watch the street performers
3. Dinner at Ave Mario for pre theatre
4. See a Fammily-Friendly Show – good picks include Matilda the Musical, Frozen, or The Lion King
***only have 3-4 days then skip day 3/4 and go to day 5. You can pick and choose what’s most important for you to see or swap days if it rains, etc.
Day 4 – Hyde Park/Princess Diana Playground/Royal Muse/London Eye/Leake Street Tunnel/Brewdog
1. Walk through Hyde Park - see the boating pond, ducks
2. Go to Princess Diana Playground
3. Visit the Royal Mews- a working part of Buckingham Palace that is open to the public and houses the royal family's carriages and horses
Second Half of the Day:
4. Dinner at Brew dog Waterloo- duckpin bowling and huge slide inside with an ice cream truck
5. Leake street tunnel graffiti tunnel
6. London Eye
Day 5 - Hampton Court Palace
1. Everyone wants to tour the inside of Buckingham Palace - but instead use one day to visit Hampton Court Palace. 1000% worth the trip and one of our fav things we did. About an 1 hour train ride from Central London. The palace is most family-friendly and has an amazing outdoor Famous Maze and Magic Garden that includes playgrounds, sand pits and water play. This is a full day activity - you can have lunch on site at their adorable cafe and gardens.
Day 5(Alternative) – History and Science Museum
1. If a day trip to Hampton Court Palace doesn’t work for your family, you can swap out Natural History Museum. Lunch. Science Museum. You could always save this as your rainy day itinerary as a backup since both are located across from each other and all inside
St. Ermin’s Hotel
After a bunch of google searching, asking ChatGPT AND reading countless reviews, I settled on the St. Ermin Hotel (which is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection) for a few reasons:
1.The VERY central location - Located right in the Westminster area. You can walk to Buckingham Palace, St. James Park Playground, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, The Royal Mews, The London Eye & more
2. The amazing hotel room setup for families - They have multiple different room type but the one we stayed in and loved had “family rooms” that can sleep two adults and up to 3 children comfortably. We had plenty of room for the kids to play which is rare in a hotel room.
3. The Staff - Seriously, when I say the hospitality was next level here. I mean it. Every time we walked in the doors everyone from the doorman to the concierge was so friendly. They go above and beyond.
4. Other Fun & Educational Activities: Unique experiences like the Bee Terrace (where kids can safely observe bees) and the "Spy for a Day" mission provide fun, educational adventures that keep children entertained and curious.
Packing
When packing for London, having layers will be key. The days usually start off so much colder and warm up as the day goes on.
We lived in London for 4 months and maybe our expectations were just off but it didn’t rain as nearly as much as I expected it to. With that being said it might rain for an hour or 3 days straight so we always carried an umbrella.
Remember to check the weather ahead of your trip, but bring a variety of short and long pants and shorts.
The number one thing to remember to pack is a rain coat and an umbrella. Also, it is know that thieves do operate in central London. It is nothing to be scared of, but more be aware of. Make sure to have a purse that completely closes and keep your phone away when walking with crowds.
Pro Tips:
Kids 11 and under ride free with an adult. You just need to go through the stroller/handicap turnstile.
Not all stations have handicap/stroller entrances and elevators so be prepared to fold up your stroller and carry it on the escalators.
Build in Playground and Park time. London has some of the best parks we have ever seen & multiple huge parks spread throughout the city to enjoy,
Download the Apps you need before you go , like: Google Maps offline and Citymapper.
Resources & Pro Tips
London is a very popular destination to visit, of course, it is one of the biggest cities in the world. London is unique for its blend of history and the modern city feel, which is reflected in its architecture and culture (and of course the cleanliness of the city).
It is still a big city feel but it is nothing like NYC. London is filled with beautiful huge parks all over the city, in which people use as third spaces. At any given time, you will see lots of people hanging out in the parks, having a picnic, a child’s birthday party, throwing a frisbee or enjoying the sun on a park bench. The park system (also known as The Royal Parks) also have lots of full service restaurants, coffee and ice cream stands and even service alcohol.
We created these resources for you:
The perfect sunny day itinerary in central London with kids under 10
The perfect 2 day itinerary for first time visitors traveling to London with little kids
In addition to our blogs, these are some of our favorite resources:
-London Family Days Out: This instagram page is a great place for ideas and things to do while in London.
-Local Passport Family: This family has a blog and instagram with great resources for multiple places but specifically loved the Free things to do in London and London on a Budget.
-Rick Steves Forum: I have bought Rick Steves books before planning to travel to so many countries and have used and LOVED them. This one for London has so many resources and information for you.
