We paid a short-but-sweet visit to London (read our full city guide here!) when our kid was 20 months old, and three other extended family members came along for the ride. This visit was bundled with our already planned trip to Paris (read about it here!), so while it was a great way to see two cities in one combined trip, our time was unfortunately limited. Still, we made the most of it!
Click to jump ahead to
Great Britain has a vast history of colonization and oppression across the globe. By 1922 it was the world’s largest empire, controlling “a quarter of Earth’s land surface” and 20 percent of the world’s population at the time.
It goes without saying that the effects of Britain’s empire-building have reverberated (in both positive and negative ways) across the entire world.
Trip Purpose
Enjoy a multi-family trip to London, especially while our 20 month old could still fly free!
Our main goals for this trip were to (all at minimal cost):
- visit Abbey Road Studios and recreate the iconic Beatles album cover;
- see a couple Harry Potter filming locations;
- enjoy high tea; and
- catch a glimpse of Buckingham Palace and the London skyline along the River Thames.
AGE OF OUR KID: 20 months
LENGTH OF STAY: 3 days
TIME OF YEAR: There are great deals on flights for visits in March or April, so we visited in mid-April. We do what we can to avoid summer travel, since European summers can be hot and flights can be quite expensive!
BASE COST
- Accommodations: ~$60/night/person
- Transportation: $200/person for the roundtrip Eurostar train ticket from Paris
- Tube tickets: $10/person/day
- Food & Incidentals: $50/person/day
Add-Ons:
- Shopping and souvenirs
- Baggage storage: $10 There was a six-hour gap between our Airbnb check-out time and our train trip back to Paris, so we found a luggage holding station near King’s Cross to store our luggage while we fit in a couple extra hours of sightseeing.
Getting There
From Paris’ Gare du Nord train station, we boarded a Eurostar train headed for London’s St. Pancras International train station. The total trip was 2.5 hours. Since we tacked on this trip to an already scheduled trip to Paris, we saved a couple hundred dollars per person on what we would’ve paid in airfare (~$500+/person) from the Bay Area.
How We Prepared
All optional, if you'd rather play it by ear:
- Book your major transportation tickets & accommodations
What We Packed
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Plane ride essentials
- Travel carseat (you could do without if you opt not to ride cars!)
- Umbrella stroller
- Ergobaby or soft baby carrier
- Passports 🙂
Where We Stayed
We enjoyed staying at an Airbnb between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. It was tight, but had a washer/dryer and plenty of beds for the lot of us. Plus it was in an ideal location: walking distance to a number of restaurants, neighborhoods, and the Tube.
Trip Highlights
Read our Guide to London for the full list of recommended family-friendly activities!
Abbey Road Studios
Epic, no?
St. John's Wood
St. John’s Wood is the neighborhood in which Abbey Road Studios is located, and was also a lovely destination overall. We enjoyed walking through the quaint neighborhood, taking photos next to phone booths, and eating brunch at art-deco-inspired The Ivy. The bakeshop GAIL’S was full of delicious treats, as well!
Extra hands on deck
Harry Potter
We unfortunately did not come across any wizards or magical beings during our trip to London, but the magic is real for us Potterheads (after all, my kid’s baby shower theme was Harry Potter!). We tried to incorporate what we could of our Harry Potter fandom into our already-packed itinerary. The most convenient Harry Potter filming locations for us to visit were King’s Cross Station, St. Pancras International Station, and Piccadilly Circus, and it was fun to simply visit and take pictures at each location.
London Chinatown
Our Airbnb was within walking distance of London Chinatown, so we made the most of it and wandered through the popular small alleys of restaurants and shops, including Pilipinx-owned Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream.
Mishaps
When things don't always go according to plan...
Timing
We planned our itinerary to reduce the number of transitions between accommodations, which all sounded like a fine plan at the time. But in the end it meant that at the top of our trip we traveled for almost 24 hours straight over a total of SIX legs (Home-SFO-Stopover in Munich-Paris-Gare du Nord-St. Pancras-Airbnb). WHEW!
We were also very close to missing our Eurostar train from Paris to London due to traffic through Paris’s streets—despite the fact that we had given ourselves about 5 hours to do so. If we could do it all over again, we would definitely opt to take a couple days’ rest at our first destination (in this case, Paris) before moving onto the next. As a friend pointed out, even though it might mean switching between three sets of accommodations rather than just two, we could take it as an opportunity to see and stay in another part of town.
Speaking of bad timing, we were also mistaken about the Buckingham Palace changing of the guard, so we missed it by a day! Make sure you check the schedule ahead of time.
Places You Can Skip
Some are overhyped, others just weren't memorable enough to be among our top recs.
We realized on this trip that we don’t really enjoy fish and chips, even at an institution like Poppies Fish & Chips, which has been around since 1952!
Itinerary
Here's our 3-day London itinerary. Our pace was quick, but left room for rest and on-the-go naptimes for our toddler.
DAY 1: Travel Day/Arrived in London
- Arrived from Paris, checked into Airbnb in Soho
- Dinner at Poppies Fish & Chips
- Walked through Leicester Square (with a quick stop at Shake Shack)
- Walked through London Chinatown
DAY 2: St. John’s Wood, Buckingham Palace, & Chinatown
- Took the Tube to St. John’s Wood
- Visited Abbey Road Studios
- Picked up pastries from GAIL’S Bakery St. Johns Wood
- Ate brunch at The Ivy St. John’s Wood
- Took the Tube to Buckingham Palace
- Had Tea Time at The English Rose Cafe and Tea Shop
Adults-only evening out in Chinatown:
- Picked up ube hot cocoa and halo-halo from Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream
- Enjoyed drinks at Cahoots London speakeasy
- Ate a late night snack at Jinjuu Soho
DAY 3: Soho, Westminster, King’s Cross, Travel to Paris
Ate breakfast at The Breakfast Club Soho
Picked up pastries at L’ETO CAFFE
Dropped our luggage at King’s Cross Luggage Storage
Walked along the River Thames to see Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben
Stopped into The British Museum
Visited St. Pancras International Station & King’s Cross/The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾
Departed for Paris
Wishlist for our Next Visit
- Now that I’m completely hooked on the Bridgerton empire, I’d love to visit Mayfair and other places referenced by the books and Netflix series.
London is one of those places I’m fascinated by, and also which makes me feel a bit icky when you think about England’s history overall. Despite being a prominent leader in the “free world,” England’s brutal track record of colonization and oppression has devastated countless nations and communities.
Still, London is one of the most diverse cities in the world and continues to be a top destination for travelers. If ever we visit again, I would love to take a tour through more neighborhoods that more diverse populations call home.
What are your favorite family-friendly must-dos in London?
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
You might also enjoy
The Beautiful Brown Adventures Guide to Visiting London with Kids
Our Favorite Family-Friendly Restaurants in London
BBA’s Ultimate Guide to Traveling with Your Family to Paris, France
Arrowtown Adventures with Kids: A Family-Friendly Guide to New Zealand’s Charming Gold Rush Town
How to Visit the Palace of Versailles with Kids
