London Itinerary
I have to admit that London was never on my must-travel-to list but since we were heading to Greece we decided to stay here for a few nights as a stopover. I fell in love with this charming city. It is so clean and welcoming that I didn’t want to leave. There are many quaint English pubs where you can stop in for a pint. Many of these pubs welcome families and the loud atmosphere provides good distractions for the kids. I wish I had more time to see the countryside and the next time I go to London I will rent a car and get out of the city for a few days. Here is an itinerary for 5 full days in London, with plenty of time for exploring the city.
Where do you fly in?
The best place to fly in is London Heathrow (LHR) (14.4 miles)
London Gatwick (LGW) (24.5 miles)
London City (LCY) Airport (7.7 miles)
CLICK HERE TO FIND AN AMAZING FLIGHT
DAY 1
Spend your morning walking around London enjoying the quaint feel of the city. Walk through St. James Park and take in the flowers, trees, bridges, and ponds that make this park so lovely and offers endless photo opportunities. This is a great place to let your kids run around, stretch their legs, and maybe climb a tree or two.
LUNCH: If the weather is nice, grab some takeout and find somewhere quiet to eat in the park.
After lunch, head over to the Natural History Museum. You could easily spend the entire afternoon exploring this gem of a museum. The building is gorgeous and the layout is easy to follow. Best part…most museums in London are FREE, so except for food, your entire day didn’t cost a thing. Can’t say that too often on vacation!
Address: Cromwell Road, London
DAY 2:
This morning, after another London stroll, get ready to see the Changing of the Guards. I hate crowds but it is worth it to see this historic ceremony.
After lunch, take a boat ride on the Thames River. The hop-on-hop-off boat lets you get off at Westminster Pier, London Eye, Tower Bridge, and Greenwich. I would start at Westminster and take it the entire way to see the sights from the water.
On the way back, get off at the London Eye stop.
Time to view London from an aerial view from the London Eye. Hate waiting? They offer express passes. The whole family will love taking in the views of London from the sky.
The ride takes about 30 minutes to make one full rotation. I bet it would also be amazing to go on at sunset or at night.
Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road
Check the website for hours since they change depending on the season.
DAY 3:
Get in line early to get into Westminster Abbey. They have a great self-guided audio tour that will lead you through the abbey, but you can choose what you want to listen to so it gives you control over your tour. My daughter loved sitting in the pews listening to the audio of the choir singing while looking around the abbey in awe. We were all surprised at the number of famous people buried there.
After lunch, head over to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Like most museums, don’t try to do it all… hit your key exhibits first. It has amazing sculptures, paintings, furniture, costumes, ceramics, and jewelry collection. You can easily spend an entire day here.
Address: Cromwell Road, London
DAY 4:
Spend your morning walking around London and end up in Covent Garden. It is such a cool marketplace. Shop (or window shop) and find a cute place for lunch.
After lunch, head to the Tower of London. This was my favorite place in London. There are lots of interesting stories about the castle that will interest both adults and kids so make sure you have an audio guide.
This is the perfect place to get a great picture with the guards.
Make sure you take the time to go see the Crown Jewels, where you can take a peek into the jewelry box of the royal family. My girls pretended pick out which one they could bring home!
DAY 5:
Older kids and Shakespeare lovers will enjoy this morning at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I might be biased because I was an eighth grade English teacher who loved to do Shakespeare with my kids each year. During the summer you can see a play. The tour shows you costumes as well as demonstrate sword fighting so the kids will not lose interest.
Address: 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London
Instead of having lunch, head over to the St. Ermin’s Hotel to have afternoon tea. After appreciating their cascading staircases and enormous crystal chandeliers, head to the tea lounge and library to enjoy the Buzzy Bees afternoon tea. It includes delights such as Marshmallow Christmas pudding with chocolate mousse, scones, St. Ermin’s teddy chocolate lollipops, finger sandwiches, and apple juice.
The hotel is unique because they have bee hives at the hotel and they use honey from the hives during tea. I’m pretty sure you can go up to see the hives even if you are not staying there.
Address: Caxton Street, London
After tea, head to Kensington Garden and take in all the natural beauty. Depending on the season, the gardens are works of art. Take some time to forget you are in a large city and escape into nature. You can also try to find the spot where Harry and Meagan announced their engagement.
What else can you do in the area?
Big Bus London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour and River Cruise
Harry Potter Tour of Warner Bros. Studio with Transport from London
The Kensington Palace Royal High Tea
Westminster Walking Tour & Westminster Abbey Entry
The London Dinner Cruise on the Thames River
Stonehenge Half- Day Tour from London with Admission
Private Tower of London Opening Ceremony with Changing of The Guard and Cruise
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