Here’s a perfect itinerary for a long weekend in London with kids
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How to Explore London with Kids in Three Days
Published on Oct. 30, 2024
A three-day weekend trip to London to sightsee and shop with kids in tow may sound like a challenge, but stick with me. You take an overnight flight, land in the morning and have three full days ahead to explore the town. That’s exactly what my 11-year-old son and I did in early October, one of the best times to visit London, and it was a trip we’ll never forget.
Read on for my advice on the top things to do in London with kids.
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Where to stay in London
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t start by sharing my hotel, but when you’re considering things to do in London with kids in a short period of time, location is paramount. We made our home base the stylish boutique BoTree Hotel in the Marylebone district. The area is known for its top-notch shopping and chic and sophisticated restaurants. (We ate on the early side and always felt welcome everywhere we went.) The BoTree Hotel’s central location put us within an easy walk or short Tube ride away from many of London’s top attractions, including Buckingham Palace, the British Museum and Hyde Park, and it’s steps away from famed Oxford Street, the busiest shopping street in Europe.
The rooms at the BoTree are cozy, comfy and just the right size for two people. My son, Leopold, loved the curved window seat complete with a semi-circle lounger. I wanted to take the rain shower and heated bathroom floors home with me. In-room soft drinks, sparkling water and coffee are complimentary—I particularly appreciated that last one!
The hotel’s location feels very safe. So much so that I felt comfortable allowing Leopold to head down to the lobby one evening when he was tired of waiting for me to finish getting dressed. I also liked that the hotel offers complimentary loaner umbrellas, so you don’t need to pack your own. Miraculously for us, it didn’t rain while we were in town.
Things to do in London with kids
Shopping
Believe it or not, shopping was at the top of Leopold’s list, and that was a request I could easily get on board with. Leopold’s first stop as a Hello Kitty fan was the Miniso store on Oxford Street. The store has walls full of Sanrio merch, including stuffies, notebooks, accessories, blind bags and more—basically everything an 11-year-old Sanrio fan could ever want. Once he spent nearly his entire life savings in the store (kidding—sorta!), it was time to focus on more grown-up pursuits.
My first stop was the original John Lewis department store. The historic store was founded in 1864, bombed to the ground during World War II and rebuilt from scratch. It’s filled with affordable(-ish) fashions from the likes of French Connection, Reiss, Calvin Klein and more, Sephora-level cosmetics like Sol de Janeiro and Charlotte Tilbury, and a floor full of toys, including Squishmallows and a large selection of LEGOs. When you need a break, I highly recommend stopping by the Rooftop Bar for lunch or a cocktail and a snack.
Another must-shop is Selfridge’s. This 115-year-old department store has nine floors of high-end styles where people from around the world come to shop. It would be easy to spend a full day here, getting lost among the designer clothes, shoes and handbags, and sampling one of the 20 eateries or picking up a souvenir (we opted for a double-decker-bus Christmas-tree ornament).
If you’re traveling with a tween or a teen, I highly recommend a stop at the Microsoft Experience Centre, also on Oxford Street. Now, chances are, you’re not in London to buy a laptop, but if you head up to the second floor, you’ll find the gaming floor. Kids and grown-ups alike can game to their hearts’ content—for free. Leopold enjoyed a quick run through Minecraft.
Sightseeing
While Leopold was most excited to shop, I would be remiss as a parent if I didn’t show him at least the top sights in London. One of the easiest ways to do that is on a Big Bus, a double-decker, hop-on-hop-off tour. Our nearest stop was the Marble Arch, less than a 10-minute walk from the BoTree. While it does take you around to all the sites, Leopold and I rode a short segment on our first day to see the London Eye, Parliament and Big Ben (if you don’t see Big Ben, can you even say you’ve been to London?). On the second day, we took a different route, past St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge and the Tower of London, where Ann Boleyn famously lost her life.
We also spent a morning touring the British Museum. The free museum is home to some of the world’s most historic antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles (a collection of marble statues from ancient Greece), Egyptian mummies and more. We were able to see all the museum’s “don’t misses,” which were handily marked on the museum guide for tourists like us who are pressed for time.
Another highlight was seeing the musical Wicked. The theater where it was showing is located about half a mile away from Buckingham Palace, so we got to the area early (two Tube stops away from our hotel) and walked over. While we missed witnessing the pageantry of the changing of the guards, there was something special to seeing the sun set over the castle, and the crowds were lighter at that time of day. We spent a few minutes walking around the Victoria Memorial in honor of Britain’s famed queen. The musical, of course, did not disappoint, and it got us excited to see the upcoming movie adaptation.
For an off-the-beaten-path attraction, I highly recommend Frameless. It’s a series of four rooms, and each room portrays a different style of art that morphs as you walk through it. It has been described as walking through a painting. Our favorite was the Impressionism-themed room. We saw a number of families enjoying it with young children. As a parent, I appreciated that kids can run and play around with the projections (no cries of “don’t touch!” here) while parents can catch their breath.
Dining in London with kids
My son is a pretty picky eater, so I was worried about what he would eat during our travels. While Leopold did lean heavily on the carbs, he managed to try—if not devour—a handful of new foods.
Our first dinner was at Aqua Kyoto, a short five-minute walk from our hotel. My picky eater does like sushi (go figure), so this was a top experience for him. We both loved the rock shrimp tempura and the fresh sushi platter, and I’m still dreaming about the Wagyu steak skewers.
Another top dining experience was high tea at the Bond St. Tea Rooms. Leopold loves to drink tea, and the pageantry of high tea was on our must-do list. He enjoyed the cheddar doughnuts, classic vanilla scones and strawberry tart, and he even sampled the cucumber watercress sandwich. Our meal was accompanied by a glass of prosecco for me and tea for both of us. (Leopold drank jasmine, while I had Darjeeling.)
When traveling with a picky eater, options are always a plus. You can’t do better than the Market Halls Oxford Street for selection. It’s essentially an upscale food court with global options. I devoured a lamb shawarma, while Leopold had a plate of drunken noodles (hold the spice, please). We finished with jumbo freshly baked cookies.
On our last night in London, we opted to stay at our hotel—we were pooped from our whirlwind trip. Lucky for us, the restaurant at the BoTree happens to be Lavo, the internationally renowned Italian restaurant. I started with tuna tartare and made a main of Lavo’s iconic giant meatball, while Leopold had burrata and a main course of Margherita pizza (no basil). Even without dessert, we were both so full and tired, it was a relief that our hotel room was only an elevator ride away.
The perfect long-weekend getaway
Did we see everything in three days? Definitely not. After all, as Samuel Johnson said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” But Leopold did get a taste of what the city has to offer, we both had a blast and, most importantly, we spent quality time together making core memories. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
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