London is one of the major metropolitan capitals of the world and—before the pandemic—was the world’s third-most visited city, welcoming 21 million visitors in 2019.
London is a great place to visit with your family if you’re looking for a big-city experience, diverse population, cross-cultural restaurants/experiences, live shows, museums, and preserved history galore. Plus, in London you can pay homage to the many cultural icons (the Beatles, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, The Spice Girls, etc.) that have ties to the cosmopolitan city. Chances are that whatever you look for in a travel destination, London has plenty to offer you.
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Considerations for Your Trip
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Base Cost
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Getting There
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Before You Go & What to Pack
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Where to Stay
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Top Family-Friendly Activities
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If You Have Time
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Where to Eat
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Places You Can Skip
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Sample Itinerary
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.
Considerations for Your Trip
SUGGESTED AGE RANGE OF CHILDREN: Great for any age; we went when our child was 20 months to take advantage of her free airfare.
SUGGESTED LENGTH OF STAY: I’ve spent as little as 10 hours in London (solo on a stopover), but would opt for at least a few days to get through jet lag and feel like it wasn’t just an out-and-back long-haul. You could stay for weeks and still have plenty to do and eat!
SUGGESTED 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
- Plane or train ticket: Tickets can go for as little as $450 out of SFO
- Accommodations: $70+/night
- Meals: $20-$50/person/day
- Public transportation or rideshares: $10/person/day
Add-Ons:
- Shopping and souvenirs
Getting There
London is a major thoroughfare for travel to most destinations, so you will likely be able to find a nonstop flight or train ride from virtually anywhere. I’ve flown from SFO (tickets can go for as little as $450), and our family has also tried taking the 2.5-hour Eurostar train ride from Paris.
Before You Go
All optional, if you’d rather play it by ear:
- Book your major transportation tickets
- Book accommodations
- Make reservations for special restaurants
What to Pack
- 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 to Stay
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.
Family-Friendly Activities
Here are some worthwhile activities we did with our toddler in tow!
Abbey Road Studios at St. John’s Wood
free
The Beatles have made their mark on this world and our family is no exception (Paul McCartney was one of my kid’s first major concerts!). We knew that a first-ever visit to London (which was the case for everyone in our group but me) would not be complete without recreating the iconic Abbey Road album cover.
So best believe we got there at 7 a.m. to try our luck (and avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic in the process :D). It was not possible to visit the studio itself but we did spend an entire hour there doing a photo shoot of us crossing the road with our toddler in her stroller, laughing the entire way. How’d we do?
Harry Potter
Like the Beatles, Harry Potter and the entire wizarding world have taken Muggles by storm, so what better way to pay the book and film series homage than by visiting their birthplace?
While in London, you can visit the Warner Brothers Studio and set in Leavesden, but it would take at least half a day (and a bit of cash!) to go. We opted instead for the cheapie route and visit filming locations featured in the series, which are scattered throughout London and the rest of the United Kingdom. Below are the sites that we visited on a recent trip with our toddler.
King’s Cross and Platform 9¾
free+
King’s Cross is an active train station, and is also the starting point of Harry Potter’s journey to Hogwarts, as referenced in J.K. Rowling’s series.
Platform 9¾ is not an actual platform at King’s Cross (that we know of, anyway), but it does make for a great photo opportunity! Since my first visit to London in 2006, the photo backdrop that is Platform 9¾ has turned into a full-fledged attraction, which also means there is a (looong) line to take photos at the site. If you can’t get enough of your magical fix, visit the Harry Potter Shop adjacent to the photo area.
If you’d like to visit the actual Harry Potter filming location, make your way over Platforms 4 & 5.
St. Pancras International Station
free to visit
This was a two-for-one: we were already planning to be at St. Pancras to take the Eurostar train from London to Paris, and lucky for us, the external facade was also featured in the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We took a group picture in front of the station and admired the detail of the building’s architecture and design.
Piccadilly Circus
free
A more toned-down version of New York City’s Times Square, Piccadilly Circus was featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Both our Airbnb and a Tube station were nearby so it was a breeze to visit.
Walk Along the River Thames
free
The River Thames runs through London, and is a great vantage point from which to see the iconic London skyline: Big Ben, House of Parliament, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, etc. Take a family (naptime?) stroll along the river, or book a guided boat tour to get a different view.
Buckingham Palace
free+
The Queen of England’s official London residence. Tours of the palace are available, though the most accessible (and free!) activity at Buckingham Palace is to watch the Changing the Guard ceremony, during which the guards stationed at the palace are replaced with another set, usually accompanied by a marching band. Be sure to check the schedule, as the ceremony doesn’t occur daily.
During our recent visit with our toddler, we stood outside the gates, marveled at the palace exterior, then walked the .3 miles to our tea time reservation.
The British Museum
free
The world’s first public national museum with an extensive (and also disputed) collection of artifacts from across the globe, including the Rosetta Stone. Spend one hour or all day there oogling over historical items, some dating back millions of years.
Tower Bridge
free+
Completed in 1894, this iconic bridge is what I (along with countless others!) originally mistook for London Bridge. Its Neo-Gothic architecture makes it look more like a grand building than a bridge. Try walking across the bridge (free), or watching it lift for the passing boats. For 6-12 pounds, you can enter the towers and upper walkways.
If You Have Time
Westminster Abbey
£11-£25+/person; free for children 0-5
Anglophiles will not want to miss the more-than-1,000-year-old Westminster Abbey, for a myriad of reasons:
- the Abbey hosts the Coronation Chair, which has been used for coronations for the last 700 years
- it is where monarchs (such as Queen Elizabeth I) and prominent British figures (such as Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking) are buried
- it has been the site of various royal weddings, including that of Prince William to Kate Middleton
- the Abbey’s iconic Gothic architecture is simply breathtaking
London Eye
£33/adult
The London Eye isn’t among my top recommendations due to how cost-prohibitive it is. For £33 per adult you buy yourself a 30-minute ride round the wheel in a decently spacious pod full of other people. Admittedly, the views of London are really cool from 443-feet up (as long as you go on a clear day!).
Where to Eat
Check out our post with our favorite London eats!
Places You Can Skip
With so much to see and do in London, your itinerary can go from doable to overwhelming in an instant. Stay true to your family travel values and feel free to skip popular attractions if they ultimately don’t fit into those!
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?