Easter last we decided to take a family trip to London for a few days. I have been to London numerous times in the past but never took the kids. During the trip I realised how kid friendly London actually is.
We stayed three nights in one of the newly established Premier Inns near Southwark tube station. It was literally just a five minute walk to the station which was very convenient. The hotel lies in a very quiet part of London. There is a Tesco around the corner from the hotel as well as a good few restaurants. For us Premier Inn was the most budget friendly hotel but yet be in Central London because kids get free breakfast if there is a paying adult.
Jungle Cave (formerly known as Rainforest Café)
I heard good and bad things about this restaurant located just off Piccadilly Circus. We decided to give it a go as Chloe loves animals. I think the shop upstairs is probably what she was most interested in. You can’t reserve a table in this restaurant which is located in the basement. We were added to the waiting list and bought a drink at the bar while waiting. It didn’t take any longer than thirty minutes to be honest.
The restaurant is jungle themed and every so often they have the elephant or a monkey moving around making noise. It was a nice experience for the kids but it is not something I would have to go to again. The food was alright. The kids menu ranges from pizza, burgers to pasta. For my main I had a burger and even though I told them I wanted it well done, the burger was still red inside. In my opinion for the quality of the food it was way overpriced.
Afterwards we headed to the shop upstairs. Somehow Chloe managed to bag herself two new teddies, added to her collection. They did have some nice things so just to have browse around the shop it’s worth it to stop by if you are near Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus.
Sky Garden
On our first full day we went to see London from the top of a “skyscraper”. Sky Garden is free, however you need to book your slot online well in advanced when tickets are being released. They release tickets every Monday around 7am and tickets are available up to three weeks in advanced. There is a bit of a queue so make sure you arrive about 20 to 30 mins before your slot comes up. Once through security, you will have an hour to roam around.
After we enjoyed the 360 degrees views of London, we sat down and ordered a coffee and a treat for the kids at the little café in the middle of the gardens.
City Sightseeing Bus
The absolute best way to see all London’s important sights without dragging the kids in every direction is without the doubt the sightseeing bus. You can hop on any of the stops and enjoy the sights on the open double decker bus. We hopped on at London Bridge and done a whole loop. You are able to get a pair of headphones from the bus driver which you can plug into the audio located in the seat in front of you.
The bus passes through Tower Bridge, Tower Hill, Buckingham Gate, Big Ben and many more. We purchased the iconic tour which is currently £84 for two adults and two kids. We were on the bus for roughly an hour.
Leicester Square (M&M World/Lego Store)
We actually loved hanging out in the Leicester Square area. Which means we were not there just once. The kids loved exploring the M&M store as well as the Lego store. They are not greatly into Lego anymore but still enjoyed all the stuff in the store they built out of Lego. From what I have seen, both the Lego and M&M store (across from each other) always have a queue outside but it is moving fast.
We enjoyed having a break on the grass in Leicester Square and Chloe loved feeding the pigeons. Musicals and cinemas are available around Leicester Square but we didn’t take advantage of it. It is a great little place for a picnic but also handy grab a slice of Pizza from the Pizza hut take away shop located just beside the green.
Chinatown
Chinatown is located literally behind M&M World. Packed with restaurants and sweet treat shops it is a great place to hang out for something to eat or to grab some dessert. Next time we are heading to London my plan is for all of us to eat at one of the Chinese restaurants as we didn’t get the time then.
I did manage to grab one of the famous fish shaped ice cream cones. One of the flavours was green tea I believe. The kids didn’t like it but I am glad I gave it ago at least. I am always up for trying new foods.
Buckingham Palace
Since Chloe knew we were going to London, she really wanted to visit the place where Queen (now King) lives. Every so often within the month they have a change of guar at 11am, mainly on a Friday. We drove to the closest tube station and queued up to watch the change of guard. It was packed so it wasn’t as enjoyable. People start queuing for this early in the morning but I wouldn’t advise this with kids. What we say was plentiful.
St. James Park
Having said that going to Buckingham Palace enabled us to connect this visit with St James Park right beside the Palace. This is a great place for the kids to let off some steam. It also has a nice little playground and some picnic benches to take a break.
The park does have public toilets beside the playground as well as near the main entrance. We were taking a break beside the playground and purchased some ice cream from the little shop next to it to cool down.
Battersea Park Zoo
We could have gone to the ordinary London Zoo but instead we decided to give Battersea Park Zoo a go. Battersea Park is located on the outskirts of Central London. Normally you would be able to get here by tube no problem but at the time we went there was no tube service on that line unfortunately. So we made our way to the closest station possible, chilled out in a Starbucks café and called an Uber for the rest of the way. It wasn’t a big deal really and it was lovely for the kids to see London from the road perspective too as we took an Uber back into Central London afterwards.
They mostly enjoyed the playgrounds scattered around the zoo as well as the little tunnel that leads into the territory of the meercats. There they are able to stand up in a little cubicle and watch the meerkats running by.
You’ll find animals such as frogs, snakes, different types of exotic birds, monkeys, lemurs and so on.
It is worth it to go for a walk around the park outside of the zoo too. There is a little rentals shop beside the zoo where you can rent bikes, go karts etc to cruise around.
A family ticket for the zoo is £35.50.
Southbank Walk
Southbank is a great little stretch for a nice walk along the Thames. It stretches from London Eye to Tower Bridge if you wanted walk it all. I have walked this many times in the past but with the kids we just stayed around Jubilee Park beside the London Eye.
Along the Southbank there are many great restaurants to choose from. I read good things about Giraffe which seems to be a chain so one of the evenings we went for dinner there with my friend. It was delicious and we ended up having dinner again in Giraffe at the airport when we flew home.
We took the kids for a ride on the carousel and they had some candy floss. It was definitely the highlight of the day for them.
On some days you will find a street food market just behind all the restaurants. We grabbed a bubble tea before heading back to the hotel.
National History Museum
And last but not least on our last day of exploring London we went to the National History Museum in South Kensington. Again very easily accessible via the tube.
At the time we visited Chloe was very much into dinosaurs and this is the reason why this was the perfect place to bring. At the same time there are many other things to discover such as space which is something Matthew is fascinated about. They also learn about earthquakes and much more. We spent about three hours here and still didn’t even see everything. So basically you could spend an entire day here if you are going at a relaxing pace.
The museum is divided into different zones. I would advise to either download the map on your phone or avail one of the maps once you enter the building. There is a café/restaurant in every zone. We availed of the Central Cafe located in the Blue Zone. They have delicious sandwich options, as well as a kids lunch box. This contains a sandwich, drink, fruit and crisps.
Of course we couldn’t get past the souvenir shop. Chloe managed to grab herself a dinosaur puppet which to date she is still playing with.
You can book your free slot online or donate £5. We purchased free tickets and also included a Kids Only Guide book at £6 which has great information about the museum and activities.
