The Talking Suitcase

It’s really no surprise that London is a top vacation destination.  It’s full of history, culture, food, shopping, theatre, nightlife, royalty and more all lumped together in England’s capital city. And you don’t have to look far to find countless family attractions there to entertain the entire clan.  We recently spent 5 days in London with our tweens.  While it wasn’t nearly long enough to experience all the kids attractions in London,  we were able to visit many of our must-see spots.

Getting around London is easy with the extensive public transportation system.   We alternated between the bus and tube, depending on where in the city we wanted to go. Grab a tube map when you arrive to help navigate all the different lines. We found everyone to be super helpful and willing to answer our questions when we weren’t sure how to get to our destination.   Having the Oyster Card made it easier (and cheaper) to get around as well.  The city is also extremely walkable.  While we used public transport to get us to from point A to point B, we walked whenever possible.

For our London itinerary, we tried to balance the wants of both parents and children.  We typically strive for at least one youth activity and one adult activity per day. As my kids are older, this is a lot easier than traveling with little ones.  Many of the attractions listed will be fun for teens as well as adults traveling without kids.   Keep reading to find the best family attractions in London.

Family Attractions in London:

Fun things to do with kids in London

• Platform 9 3/4
• Hamley’s Toy Store
• Piccadilly Circus
• British Museum
• Changing the Guards
• Westminster Abbey
• Big Ben
• Kensington Palace & Princess Diana Memorial Playground
• Tower of London
• London Bridge
• Shrek’s Adventure
• London Eye
• Sea Life London Aquarium
• Afternoon Tea

London Day #1 – Apartment, Relaxation & Cars

Lucy and I stayed in the apartment during our first day in London.  Lucy was on a high dosage of pain medication from her surgery, so she was sleepy and spent the day resting.

Derrick & K explored the Chelsea neighborhood with the goal of seeing how many exotic cars they could find. They couldn’t get over how crazy it was to see $200,000+ cars parked all along the street!  I think Derrick wanted to go around with a bucket and sponge to wash the dirt and grime off the high priced McLarens and Bentleys parked throughout the neighborhood.

Prior to the accident, our plan was to take a sightseeing tour of London which included an early look at the Crown Jewels and watching the changing of the guards.  The tour would have lasted until 12:30pm.   Afterwards we planned to have lunch at Piccadilly Market, then wander around sightseeing for the rest of the day.

If you don’t want to take a tour and would like to follow the rest of our itinerary, you could visit the ZSL London Zoo and Platform 9 3/4 for my fellow Harry Potter fans.  The Camden Market is near the zoo, so that’s an option for another activity if you have time.

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