It was a warm summer July day when Slaed and I made the big decision to visit London, England with the kids.  A sale got our attention initially.  Norwegian Air was advertising amazing deals for their new nonstop flights from Seattle to London, and the internet was a buzz.

I thought what an opportunity for our family! The kids had yet to visit Europe, and London would be a fantastic starting point. Slaed was a little skeptical.  What about the flight duration? The jet lag? And of course, when will we actually go…and what about school?

Sitting across from each other with cold drinks in hand, those worries could quickly be reasoned away.  We went with the signs the universe was throwing out to us, took a leap of faith, and booked that trip.  Looking at the dates available with the flight sale, and our travel calendar at the time, we chose to utilize the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.  Going in January meant we’d likely have rainy weather, but the weather would be the same if we stayed home, so we figured, let’s travel!

We traveled to London, England in January 2018.  Our kids were 6 years and 3 years.  Just as we had anticipated (but hoped wouldn’t actually happen, of course) the flight from Seattle to London was rough. Despite all the tricks we had up our sleeves, the kids just could not settle into sleep.  Our youngest, in fact, fought “bedtime” no matter how hard we tried, until she finally passed out in the ergo on my back as we exited the plane and headed to passport control.

Frustrating? Yes. Completely devastating though? Absolutely not! We’d arrived, and we had a whole week to explore LONDON.  A brand-new city to each of us.  In true “Wild Tales of…” fashion, we covered a lot of ground.  Here’s what we were able to get to in a nutshell:

London, England with Kids

Day 1:

• Arrive in London, 6:30 am
• Gatwick Express Train to Victoria Station
• Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and treats at Costa (large British coffeehouse chain)
• Dropped off bags at our rental flat located in London’s Pimlico neighborhood (too early to check-in officially)

• Walked to and explored Battersea Park
  • Brunch at No.29.  Lovely service, very accepting of kids, and delicious food.
• Double Decker Bus (our first!) to Westminster Cathedral

• Back to the Flat to finally check-in, and take a nap!
• Headed out for more exploring:
  • London Bridge
  • Millennium Bridge
  • Dinner at Wagamama (casual Japanese Noodle bar with multiple London locations)

Day 2:

• We gloriously woke up to the sun streaming into our room! Fumbling curiously for our watches, we discovered it was 8am!  What a relief to know we had ALL slept through the night.
• We had breakfast at our flat (and every morning, actually).  Our host started us out with bacon, eggs, bread, and cereal, which was a lovely, and much appreciated touch.
• London Transport Museum: We actually met friends here, and explored the museum together.  Perfect museum for families as it has engaging exhibits and information for ALL ages.  Kids (17 years and younger) are free, and paid admission gets you in the museum for a full year!

• Back to Wagamama for lunch! We usually don’t return to restaurants during our travels (especially in such a big city), but we found out that Wagamama was one of the places our friends missed the most since they moved out to the countryside.  We were happy to indulge again since the first time was such a good experience.
• Nap time back at the Flat.
• Ventured off to see our friend’s art installation, called the Phantom Blot, at Kunstraum Art Gallery.
• Dinner at Kennedy’s Fish & Chips.  Another lovely casual spot, that was welcoming to kids, and also accommodating of our large (4 adults, 3 kids) group. Most importantly: very tasty fish and chips!
• Black Taxi home! A very fun experience for us and the kids, and another tick off of our London transportation checklist.

Day 3:

• Off and running early for the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.  Overall, we are very glad to have experienced this event, but even in the winter on a Wednesday, it was extremely crowded, hard to see (though having little kids helped a bit) through the droves of people and selfie sticks. The kids LOVED the horses, band, and parade.  If you are visiting the Changing of the Guard with young children, this is a great itinerary suggestion.

• Following the changing of the guard, we made our way through Green Park, then popped into Harvey Nichols, a fancy department store, for a quick lunch (plus amazing Matcha) in their basement cafe.
• After lunch, we entered Hyde Park with highlights being:
  • Princess Diana Fountain
  • Peter Pan statue
  • Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground/Pirate Ship Playground
  • Kensington Palace

• Opted for a carrier nap for Georgia, and continued on to the Natural History Museum (free for everyone!).
• Dinner at Anglesea Arms (in South Kensington).  This traditional pub was one of our favorite dinner spots.  Staff was gracious, food was delicious, and we planned it for Happy Hour making the meal more budget friendly.

Day 4:

• We traveled along the Queen’s Walk (south bank of the River Thames), and made our way to the Tower Bridge.  After crossing the Tower Bridge, we entered the Tower of London (castle and World Heritage Sight) where much to Bergen’s (6 years old) excitement one can see the Yeomen Warders, crown jewels, weapons, armor, and an old historic prison.  There is so much more to this fantastic sight, but those were just his highlights!

• After our fill of London history, we ate our way through the Borough Market thanks to Love and London’s helpful suggestions and recommendations.

• After naps back at the Flat, we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral for a bit, but unfortunately missed the last tour (see Day 5 though!).  We then opted for an appetizer and drink at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese.  This Tavern dates back to 1538 (though burned in a fire, and was rebuilt in 1667), and has several different rooms featuring different vibes and menus. Along with a pint for Slaed and I, we snacked on typical British pub food, and enjoyed the scenery & people watching.
• The Lumiere, a light festival, was happening while we were in town, so we decided to save a visit to Westminster Abbey for the evening so that we could essentially “kill two birds with one stone”. Touring Westminster Abbey is a little tricky with kids, but we found that splitting up (one parent per child) helped keep the kids interested and engaged.
• We ended the evening with dinner at Fire and Stone Pizza in the Covent Garden area. Wide variety of topping options, creative combinations, plus a dedicated kid’s menu.

Day 5:

• Coffee and second breakfast at Pret.
• Visit to Sky Garden.  The Sky Garden is London’s highest garden, and is a public space.  Entry is free, but a limited number of tickets are available each day, and must reserved through their online system.  I thought the space was gorgeous, and I loved getting to see the 360 degree views.  However, our kids had other ideas, and didn’t appreciate the space as much as we thought they would! We made the most of it though, with a glass of wine, and the sticker books we thankfully brought along.

• After wandering Leadenhall Market for a bit, we grabbed lunch at Leon.  Leon turned out to be the perfect spot to grab a quick (and healthy) lunch. So many delicious looking veggie-filled options that I had trouble deciding what to order!

• Bergen and I headed back to St. Paul’s Cathedral while Slaed and Georgia went back to the flat for nap time.  I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful place of worship, but know your kids.  We felt Georgia was too young at age 3, especially since there is an admission price.
  •   A multimedia guide/tour is included in the ticket price, and guests are welcome to tour at their own pace.  The guides (handheld device) are multi-lingual, and there is a specific guide just for kids.  Bergen (6 years) really enjoyed the tour.  His highlights included spotting the burned marks on the John Donne statue that date back to the Great Fire of 1666, the Whispering Gallery, and the climbing to the top of the cupola to the Golden Gallery.

• We met back up for dinner at The Punchbowl in the Mayfair district thanks to a great recommendations from Slaed’s brother who had recently visited the city.  The Punchbowl is a pub, but on the fancier side.  We found the food to be very tasty, and the atmosphere cozy and welcoming.

Day 6:

• For our last day in London, we had some fun, kid-centered adventures.  First we traveled by tube to Paddington Station so that the kids could find Paddington Bear! We made it sort of a mystery, trying to find clues, and leaving it up to the kids to discover where Paddington was “hanging out”.  What a joy to watch them finally track him down!

• Back on the subway, we traveled to central London for afternoon tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel.  When we visited, St. Ermin’s they had the Buzzy Bee’s Winter afternoon tea menu made specifically for kids, which has now changed to a “Mini Gardener”  theme.  We could not stop smiling during this afternoon tea experience.  The kids were in heaven with juice, delicious treats, sandwiches, and scones.  And Slaed and I (with our own grow-up version of afternoon tea) just loved watching the whole thing unfold.

• We skipped nap time on this final day in London opting to explore a bit more, and return to the flat for an early bedtime, and packing and organizing for Slaed and me. Not without squeezing in a few more important stops first though:
  • Hamley’s Toy Store: A must for those traveling to London with kids! Multiple floors of toys, books, and games with in-person demonstrations and experiences.  We let the kids pick out one small toy each.  This allowed them to just have fun, play, and enjoy the shop, without asking to buy everything!
  • James Smith & Sons Umbrellas: It was Slaed’s dream to purchase an umbrella in London.  While the kids and I grabbed snacks and explored (outside of the shop), he got specially fitted for the perfect London souvenir, an umbrella! See Slaed posing with his umbrella below.
  • The British Musuem: Since we were in the neighborhood, we decided to sneak in quick visit to this (FREE!) museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture. If you visit with kids, make sure to grab one of the “family trails” guides, categorized by age.  Though we didn’t get to complete the whole trail, Bergen really enjoyed it, and it was a great way to guide our visit.

We were up at the crack of dawn with an early morning flight back to Seattle.  This trip once again showed how much better our kids do flying during the day, even if the flight requires them to wake up super early! The 9-hour flight home was a breeze compared to the no-sleep red-eye on the way to London!

Have you traveled to London? Tell us your favorite sights, restaurants, and experiences! Have you traveled to London with kids? We’d love to hear you perspective, and what your kids enjoyed the most.

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