Today I’m sharing all of our tips for visiting London with kids and the perfect 4 day London itinerary.
We just returned from almost three weeks in the UK and Greece. We spent four days in London, nine days in the Greek Islands, and four days in Scotland.
My husband and I had visited London once before back in 2017, and we were SO excited to experience it with our kids (ages 4 and 6) this time around.
In this London itinerary, I am going to cover a few popular questions when it comes to planning a trip to London with kids. Then, I’ll walk through the perfect 4 day London itinerary with kids, based on our time in the city and what I’d recommend to others. The itinerary will include a handful of easy walking tours too and would easily work for just adults too.
Also, I linked every place I mentioned in this guide on Google Maps to make things as easy as possible. Drop your email below, and I’ll send the Google Maps version of our itinerary to your inbox!
London Family Travel Guide + The Perfect 4 Day London Itinerary with Kids
How many days to spend in London?
We spent four nights in London which gave us three and a half days to explore. This felt like the perfect amount of time. We had plenty of room in our London itinerary to see a handful of the big sites as well as experience some of the classic activities that we knew our kids would love: afternoon tea, boating in Regents Park, etc. I even had time to squeeze some shopping in along the way.
Is London kid friendly?
Like most big cities we’ve visited in Europe, we found London to be incredibly kid friendly. There are, after all, tons of families living in London, so the city is built out to accommodate young kids in a lot of ways. We found tons of amazing, gated-off parks and no shortage of things to do in London with kids.
And, for what it’s worth, both of our girls absolutely LOVED our time in London. Between Peter Pan, Paddington Bear, and the royals, of course, there was plenty of lore to indulge in. Our girls loved the bright red phone booths, the flowers blooming everywhere, the guards, the National Gallery, and our afternoon tea.
That said, like any big city, London was definitely overwhelming and hectic at times. This was especially true of the more touristy areas we visited which was to be expected. If you are deciding whether or not to visit London with kids, I would take a good hard look at your own tolerance for big cities. If you get overstimulated and don’t enjoy these types of places even on your own, it might not make sense to include London in your itinerary. If you, on the other hand, get a thrill out of visiting big cities, I say go for it!! London is such a fabulous, diverse place with tons to do and see. We made such great memories with our kids and I’m so glad we included it in our itinerary.
*If you are looking for more advice on planning a big trip with kids, check out my list of 30 tips for traveling internationally with small kids.
Where to stay in London with kids
We had an amazing experience staying in an Airbnb in Notting Hill this trip, and I would definitely recommend it. There are so many cute shops, bakeries, and restaurants in Notting HIll, and our girls loved all of the colorful houses and cute streets.
Also, Notting Hill is still relatively close to all of the things we wanted to do in London with our kids but was low-key enough that we felt more like “locals” than we would have if we were staying in a big hotel near the touristy areas. Notting Hill does get busy with visitors coming in to visit Portobello Market during the day, but this didn’t really affect us as we were out exploring during those times.
Notting Hill favorites
Our must-hit spots in Notting Hill: croissants at Layla Bakery (a major highlight), breakfast at Farm Girl (must get there right when they open), Buns from Home, Granger and Co for breakfast, the Notting Hill Bookstore, Dishoom’s Permit Room for dinner (get a reservation!), Powis Square Playground. And don’t miss Lancaster Road and St. Lukes Mews.
The Portobello Market is well worth a walk through, especially if you are into vintage shopping. The market is open Monday-Saturday all day, and the famous vintage/flea market is at its peak on Fridays and Saturdays.
A few tips for traveling to London with kids
Stay in a quieter (but still convenient) neighborhood
As covered above, I would definitely recommend booking a hotel or Airbnb in a quieter neighborhood. If you’re planning to visit London with kids, consider choosing a location that is tucked away from the busy tourist areas so your family can have some space to relax between all of your activities. Outside of Notting Hill, a few other spots to look at would be Earl’s Court, Marylebone, or Kensington. When I’m considering lodging options, I always like to search on Google Maps around a property for small grocery stores, coffee shops, and playgrounds.
Use the Heathrow Express to get into London
If you’re flying into Heathrow, you have a few options for traveling into the city: by car/taxi, the tube, or via Heathrow Express. The Heathrow Express is more expensive than the first two options but by far the easiest and quickest. The Heathrow Express runs directly between Heathrow and Paddington Station–our journey took us less than 20 minutes and made no stops at all. From Paddington, we were able to easily hail a taxi which took us over to our Airbnb in Notting Hill.
This made getting into London SO EASY and seamless, and I definitely recommend this route if you are planning a trip to London with kids. Consider purchasing your tickets ahead of time and having them ready to go on your phone.
Similarly, we used the Gatwick Express to travel out to the Gatwick airport in London too. This was a longer journey, but, again, no stops and was super easy to execute with kids. Our taxi driver who drove us to the Victoria station dropped us right at the entrance to the Gatwick Express train which was just right down the steps. Easy! Grab tickets ahead of time for this too.
Taxis in London with kids
Mostly because I was so pregnant during our visit to London, we relied on taxis more than we normally would have. It just worked out that we walked A LOT and would then hail a taxi when I needed to get off my feet for a while. If you’re wondering how taxis in London with kids work, you should know that they do not require car seats for children over the age of 3, so with my girls between almost 5 and 6, we were able to hop on and hop off very easily throughout the day. The cabs are very big and spacious, and we were able to load our travel stroller into the cabin without even collapsing it.
Bring a travel stroller (!!!)
No matter how you structure your London itinerary with kids, you’ll be walking a LOT. We hardly ever use our stroller at home anymore, so we were tempted to not bring one at all on this trip. This would have been a huge mistake. We ended up walking almost 20k steps each day in London, and we were SO glad we had it for our younger daughter who was still jet lagged and tired for a lot of the day. It absolutely saved us.
*BTW, we brought our favorite travel stroller ever–check out my full review here and use my link for $15 off your purchase!
The Perfect 4 Day London Itinerary With Kids
This 4 day London itinerary will cover a lot of the main sites in London. I also added in the activities we specifically included because we knew our kids would love them, but this is a great itinerary for just adults too–if I do say so myself. At the end of the itinerary, I’ll share options to include if you have more time in London too.
Day 1: Kensington Gardens + Hyde Park Walking Tour + Afternoon Tea
Our first day’s agenda is all about easing into the hustle and bustle of the city. We’ll spend the morning touring Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park before heading to afternoon tea and a little shopping.
Princess Diana Memorial Playground
Day 1 of our London itinerary begins at the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. One of my favorite family travel tips is to start your day at a playground. This will kick things off strong for your kids and help them burn off some energy before you take on a big day of exploring.
The Diana Memorial Playground is truly remarkable. It’s huge with a ton of creative play areas, and it’s all completely gated off. And free, btw! They have a cute little snack shack inside the gates with coffee and ice cream too which we loved.
Diana Princess of Wales Sunken Garden
After the park, it’s time to head over to Kensington Palace. Make sure to make a stop at the Diana Princess of Wales Sunken Garden in Kensington Gardens. This beautiful memorial was commissioned by William and Harry in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of the princess’ passing.
Kensington Palace
Make your way over to Kensington Palace which is right next to the Sunken Garden. At this point, you’re welcome to tour the inside of the palace (buy your tickets here in advance), but we didn’t think it was necessary this time around.
From there, you’ll head to the famous Round Pond on the other side of the big walkway. Follow the walkway around the pond and through the park to the Peter Pan Statue and then on to the Italian Gardens. We’ll end today’s walking tour at the Buckhill Playground.
We spent an entire morning on this walking tour, leaving plenty of time for wandering and playing, but you could get it done in an hour or so if you were pressed for time.
Afternoon Tea in London
What better way to kick off a visit to London than with a festive afternoon tea reservation? There are tons of options for afternoon teas in London, and we ended up booking a reservation at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason. This was very fancy and ridiculously expensive. They did have a children’s tea menu which brought the price down, but it was still a very pricey affair. That said, everything was delicious, and it was a lovely, memorable afternoon. The girls loved it.
Shopping in SoHo London
After tea, we spent the rest of our afternoon shopping around SoHo. A few highlights: Polene store (this was just for me, lol), Liberty London, Hamleys Toy Store, and Carnaby Street and Heddon Street. We did check out “JellyCat Experience” at Selfridges, but it was unbelievably crowded and I would skip it next time for sure.
We had a fabulous dinner at the Ivy Soho. The vibes, decor, and live music were phenomenal and the food was really good too! You’ll want to make a reservation in advance.
Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the National Gallery
Today’s itinerary includes a fancy breakfast, a walking tour of the city’s most iconic sites, and a visit to the National Gallery.
Breakfast at Sketch
We started Day 2 with breakfast at The Parlor at Sketch. Sketch is one of those places that I think everyone should check out at least once. Tyler and I had a drink here on our first visit, and I knew the girls would get a huge kick out of it. Our breakfast at The Parlor was amazing, and the girls still talk about all of the unique decor (the hopscotch in the lobby and the bathrooms in particular made a huge impression, haha) to this day.
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
After breakfast, make your way to Buckingham Palace. The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 11am. We arrived a few minutes before the ceremony started, stayed for the first 10 minutes, and then left after that. If you’re really passionate about having a good view of the ceremony, you’ll need to get there early and post up at the palace gates. The ceremony usually takes 45 minutes.
If you’re traveling to London with kids, you’ll want to check out the St. James Playground which is right around the corner from Buckingham Palace.
Westminster Abbey and Big Ben
It takes about 12 minutes to walk from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. We stopped for coffee at Nostos Coffee which we’d definitely recommend.
Westminster Abbey has hosted royal weddings, funerals, and most coronations since 1066. If you want to go inside, you’ll need to purchase tickets ahead of time here. Note that Westminster Abbey visiting hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The church is open only for worship on Sundays and not to the general public.
Perhaps the skyline’s most notable landmark, Big Ben, is located five minutes away from Westminster Abbey, so you’ll head there next. The best photo op is from the river bridge beneath Big Ben. If you’re patient, you can find a break in the crowds to grab a family selfie along the railing.
Whitehall Walk: Downing Street and Scotland Yard
From here, you can make your way to Parliament Street which turns into Whitehall. Along this route, you’ll pass Downing Street, Scotland Yard, and various memorial statues.
This walk ends at Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery just beyond.
National Gallery
We were really excited to take the girls to the National Gallery in London because they have both taken a big interest in art this past year. The National Gallery houses one of the most prestigious art collections in the world, so we really wanted to prioritize a visit on our trip.
*All of the main museums in London are free entry!
Day 3: Marylebone and Regents Park
This day’s agenda is great if you are over the more touristy areas but still want to have a classic, quaint London day. We’ll kick things off in the trendy Marylebone neighborhood and then head over to Regents Park for the afternoon.
Exploring Marylebone
Marylebone is such a cute neighborhood with tons of fun shopping and cafes. We spent a few hours wandering all of the shops and made sure to leave plenty of time to explore Daunt Books which was even prettier in person and well worth a visit. Make sure to explore both the main street (Sézane and Farm Rio were both on my to-do list) and as well as all of the charming side streets).
After a morning of shopping, we fueled up at The Wigmore. This place was so cute, and the cheese toastie was AMAZING.
Regents Park
After lunch, we made our way to Regents Park. You could easily spend the rest of the day here. There is a ton to see and do in Regents Park–from the open air theatre to the London Zoo to Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens, there’s something for everyone.
If you are traveling to London with kids, you might head first to the Marylebone Green Playground. Our kids loved this. Then, we walked over to the lake. You can rent little paddle boats here for 30 or 60 minutes–Tyler and the girls did this and they had a great time.
Day 4: Tower of London + Borough Market + Tate Modern
Day 4 of our London itinerary is jam-packed and hits a few more of London’s major attractions: the Tower of London, lunch at Borough Market, and a visit to the Tate Modern.
Tower of London
On day 4 of this London itinerary, we’ll head to the Tower of London. Buy tickets in advance here and reserve the first slot of the day (10am). We did not end up having time to do this tour but it is at the top of our list for our next visit to London. One great tip I read is to start with the Crown Jewels.
After your visit at the Tower of London, head across Tower Bridge and make your way to Borough Market for lunch. This walk should take about 20 minutes.
Borough Market
Borough Market does get very crowded, but it is historic and iconic and home to some of London’s most famous eats. Our favorite was the cheese toastie from Kappacasein Dairy. And don’t miss Bread Ahead Bakery and Monmouth Coffee.
Tate Modern
After lunch, spend the afternoon getting lost at the Tate Modern, another one of London’s world class museums and a huge hit with kids. You might also check out Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre nearby.
Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral
Once you wrap up at the museum, head across the Thames on the elegant Millenium Bridge. Keep going on Peter’s Hill until you reach St. Paul’s Cathedral, our last stop of our very full day. If you want to go inside the cathedral, you can buy tickets in advance here, but note that the last entry of the day is 4pm.
Thank you for checking out our tips for visiting London with kids and our 4 day London itinerary! I hope this was helpful and that you have the best trip! Please reach out and let me know how it goes.
On that note…
30 tips for traveling internationally with small kids
15 things to do in Paris with kids
For more family travel tips, city guides, and itinerary inspiration, click here.
Packing list for London:
