bishop&holland

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Things to do in London with Kids

two women and three little boys bundled up in front of tower bridge london

London is one of our favorite cities. My grandfather moved to London in the early 80’s and we’ve been visiting him since we were little kids. We spent a lot of time in London growing up, and I studied abroad in London in college. Fast forward many years and now I get to share those experiences with my kids, for which I am very grateful!

The last time we took the boys to London Willam was 2.5 and Henry was almost 1 year old. Ford wasn’t even in the picture yet! We did a lot of fun things, but I would say this is our first trip where they dictated a lot of the things they wanted to see and do, and I loved seeing how much they loved the city.

There is so much to see and do in London with kids. Here’s what we did on this visit:

three little boys standing in front of red double decker bus in london
interior of milestone hotel london with boy laying on sofa
toddler boy in red coat and yellow rain boots
interior of milestone hotel london
red double decker bus on london street
interior banquette the ivy chelsea london
two little boys riding on double decker bus in london
entry to the ivy chelsea london
family group around dining table the ivy chelsea london
interior the ivy chelsea london
man and woman standing outside the fulham football club london
two women and three little boys in garden at the ivy chelsea london
avocado toast with poached eggs
two men and woman standing near fulham football club field
little boy kissing mother on cheek
little boy heading downstairs at the ivy chelsea garden london
little boy bundled up in front of big ben london
child's map of london sights
two little boys enjoying afternoon tea the milestone hotel london
view of tower bridge from southbank london
family group southbank london view of tower bridge
family group inside the london eye
spiral staircase in kew garden london
family group in front of waterloo station london
two women and toddler boy having afternoon tea the milestone hotel london
toasting with champagne the milestone hotel london
sabrage presentation at the milestone hotel london
gaiol's coffee kew garden london
childrens playground kew garden london
family group in front of london eye
dad sitting with three little boys in pub london
two women and three little boys bundled up in front of tower bridge london
magnolia blooms kew garden
boy hanging on the ropes childrens garden kew garden london
two little boys in london eye view over river thames
woman and little boy on bridge view of london eye
view of big ben and parliament
three little boys sitting with lion statue trafalgar square
two little boys at the london transport museum
view of river from Eton england
woman with toddler boy in front of windsor castle
windsor castle
three little boys standing with guard windsor castle
three generations of women having tea and champagne the milestone hotel london

Things to do in London with Kids

  • Afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel: This was our first stop when we made it from Four Seasons Hampshire to London. We chose the Milestone Hotel for afternoon tea, because they have a special children’s afternoon tea menu and we wanted the boys to experience it. It was so much fun and the boys loved using fancy tea cups while drinking “the best hot chocolate ever” and snacking on delicious sandwiches and desserts. The adults were equally as happy enjoying champagne as well as tea, sandwiches and desserts and just thankful to be in London! As a bonus, we were treated to the Art of Sabrage experience. Sabrage is the art of opening a champagne bottle with a saber, a tradition which Napoleon started during his reign. It’s a very exciting thing to see! Tip: Reservations are needed in advance. The Milestone is a boutique hotel with limited seating for afternoon tea and for the Art of Sabrage.
  • Visit Hamley’s toy store on Regent Street: Since the boys’ great grandmother lives in London, we decided to pick up a few toys to have for her house. We have gone to Harrod’s in the past, but the boys wanted to see the “oldest and greatest” toy store.
  • Bus ride/Tube/Taxi/Uber boat taxi/Train: Basically any mode of transportation and the boys had the best time.
  • London Eye: Last time we were in London, William was afraid to go on the London Eye, but this time it was number 1 on his list!
  • Big Ben: This was high on the kids’ list, too. On our last visit Big Ben was covered in scaffolding, this time we we got to see Big Ben in it’s full glory.
  • Trafalger Square: The boys loved climbing on the lion statues and running around the plaza.
  • London Transport Museum: This is a must visit for kids if they are into trains/buses/etc! This is so close to Covent Garden which always has fun street entertainment.
  • Tower Bridge: We had so much fun taking an Uber boat to Tower Bridge and walking across it. The Tower of London is next door and we will definitely do that on our next visit when the boys are a little older. They were very interested in the dungeons 🙂
  • Kew Garden: Just outside of London, this is a beautiful botanical garden. We took a slow day here, taking the train from London and exploring the grounds. They have the best children’s garden – the boys played for hours! We did the treetop walk, too. It’s very high above the trees… and some of us found it a little scary!
  • Windsor Castle: This is the perfect place to get up close to the guards and see the inside of a castle and the amazing Queen Mary’s Doll’s House. It’s a quick train ride from London, and be sure to walk across the bridge to Eton! Feeding the swans there on the River Thames is always fun for the kids.
  • There is SO much to do in London; this is just what we did this trip. We can’t wait for our next visit.

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine