A day in London, with kids

The one book i’ll never throw away when the kids are fully grown is, The Ladybird Heard on Holiday. Not only does it remind me of bedtime hugs but also totally inspired me for our first family day trip to London (spoiler alert: we didn’t make it to the zoo)

Here are my perfect day in London with two small ones (mine were 18 months and 4 years at the time)

Getting there and around

We travelled from Bristol by train, if you’re bound to London from Bristol it’s a good idea to check out the trains from Bristol Parkway which on a good day can take just an hour and 15 minutes, so very manageable for kids and parents alike. 

A few travel tips that’s worth knowing…

• Kids under 5 travel free but for GWR (and I bet this applies to other train operators) you have to ring them to book your seats together. GWR are so helpful and will always try and bagsy you a table
• Check if you could get a railcard, we had a ‘Two Together’ one that saves us ⅓ on tickets – our kids were free so it works perfectly for us. We also used Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for the railcard, double win
• London tube stations are terrible for access when you have a pram and a tired 5 year old. Plan ahead, tube maps highlight stations that are disability friendly and I highly recommend a buggy board incase you need to walk between stations

A full day in London

Morning: A wander and play in Hyde Park

Hyde park has to be one of the loveliest parks in London, it’s massive. Check out the Diana Memorial Fountain which, depending on the time of year, they allow kids to paddle in – we spent ages here. There’s also a great playground in the north west corner, the Diana Memorial Playground, with a huge pirate ship, you could spend a whole morning just exploring. Both are free to enter.

Lunch: Be hands on at the Science museum, where it’s encouraged for kids to make some noise!

We wandered through Hyde Park to the Science Museum (including breaks for playing, it took us an hour). The Science Museum is free and you can pre book tickets, which I recommend as it tends to get really busy. They have a brilliant water play section with a cafe on the basement floor, although it can get busy and when it does there’ll be a queue.

In the Science Museum there are several exhibitions on offer. We loved Wonder Lab, it’s hands on science fun and the kids got a chance to try their hands at experiments. 

Also, a little known fact, they have an indoor picnic spot on the 3rd floor where you can take your own lunch, so stock up before you go 

If you have time check out the Natural History Museum, which is next door

Afternoon: Get incredible birds eye views of London from the London Eye

Like everyone in London who want’s to see the sights from up high we were torn between the London Eye and the Shard. We opted for the London Eye because there is something truly iconic about being on one of London’s landmarks and the centre piece to London’s New Years Eve fireworks every year.

My concern about whether the kids would cope in a ‘pod’ weren’t realised at all, and it was the perfect way to spend some time enjoying the sights there’s loads of room to move about and when everyone has taken their hundredth photo, we sat the kids right up against the glass to get the best views. We also had wonderful weather, which always helps!

Some practical information it’s worth knowing:

• The pods fit about 15-20 people in it and there is a large bench type seat in the middle, but not enough room for everyone to sit on it
• We were allowed to take the buggy on once it had been collapsed and proved it could fit under the seating. However there is a buggy park if you need it.
• There is no toilet nearby or in the pod
• Even if you prebook tickets there will always be a queue to get on. When we were there it took about 30 minutes from start to getting on to the pod
• After you’ve been on the pod, head to the Jubilee Gardens with a play area, ice cream and great views of the London Eye

We wandered from the Science museum to the London Eye so the baby could have a nap, and i’m so glad we did, we got to hit up some of the classic sights…Buckingham Palace, trafalgar square and all the bridges