Navigating a family trip to London is never easy; the constant grumbles of ‘too much walking’, demands for snacks and wanting to stop at every opportunity is draining for any parent, we know all about it. However we managed to see a lot and keep the kids going strong. Here is our itinerary for a family trip to London.
After a 3 week trip back to the UK for Christmas we needed the cheapest trip to London that we could manage. We opted to stay at the Premier Inn Heathrow and travel daily into central London. This made the travel day back to Dubai easier and the accommodation costs so much cheaper.
Read below for our walking guide of a family trip to London. It will help you plan a trip to London.
Where to stay on a family trip to London
London is full of hotels but the prices can be astronomical. Due to an early flight back to Dubai we chose to stay in Heathrow. The travel from Heathrow to central London was pretty straightforward.
We stayed at Premier Inn, Terminal 4 Heathrow in a quadruple room. We booked room only but there is a Costa downstairs and a pub/restaurant on-site for the evening. If you’re looking for budget options before/after a flight we couldn’t fault this place – comfy bed, hot shower and runway views.
London has multiple hotel options depending on budget and location so choose what suits your family best.
Booking.comGetting around on a family trip to London
Heathrow is on the Piccadilly line so you can get the underground straight into central London – Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square. From outside the hotel there are buses that run to the Underground.
There is also the option of the Heathrow Express to Paddington, but that was going to be £74 for the 2 of us for a daily return with a daily underground travel card on top. I believe if you book in advance you can get it cheaper.
Day 1 – Afternoon and Evening on Family Trip to London
After arriving in London and checking into your hotel / leaving your luggage somewhere safe. It is time to hit the streets and get out and explore. This London family vacation was just after Christmas. We have included Christmas light stops as that was a highlight at this time of year.
Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden
Follow these steps for a walking guide around some of the best family attractions in London.
1. We caught the tube from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus and walked straight down Regent Street to see the Christmas lights. Then hit a very busy Hamleys for the boys to spend their Christmas money.
2. After Hamleys, we backtracked on Regent Street through to Carnaby Street. A street full of colour and atmosphere. The Christmas lights here are so vibrant.
3. Wander quickly through the streets of Soho (discreetly turning the kids eyes away from a few shop windows) towards Gerrards Cross.
4. Gerrards Cross is Chinatown, wander through Chinatown and admire the lanterns and the wonderful smells. Stop for a snack at one of the many stalls and restaurants. A must-do during a family trip to London.
5. Continue up to Leicester Square stop by the M&M or Lego Shop if the queues allow for it. Or avoid if you are attempting a cheap trip to London.
6. Carry on up through the streets towards Covent Garden, stop and watch some street performers and walk through Covent Garden Market. There’s lots of lovely pubs around here, we parked up on a table outside one for a quick beer and a rest of the legs.
7. We booked a table to at Wahaca in Covent Garden, a fun, lively Mexican (chain) Restaurant. Kids meal options for £6. Plenty of family friendly chains around like Nandos, Wagamamas (long queues), Pizza and independent Italian places etc. We wanted something casual and a cheap trip to London so this was perfect.
(If you’re staying at Heathrow and ready for home at this point, jump back on the tube from Covent Garden back to Heathrow)
Booking.com8. Walk back down towards Leicester Square. If it’s Christmas time there’s lots of lights to look at, the Christmas market and generally the buzz of Leicester Square. We wandered the Christmas market and stopped at a pub for a drink here outside listening to a street performer.
9. Carry back on walking to Piccadilly Circus and check out the Christmas lights of Regent Street. Jump on the tube back to hotel.
Day 2 – Full Day on Family Trip to London
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Camden Town, South Bank.
1. Grab breakfast/coffee and jump on the tube (Picadilly line from Heathrow) to Hyde Park Corner.
2. Explore Hyde Park Corner, there is a moving memorial statue and tribute to RAF soldiers definitely worth checking out here. Walk down constitution hill through the park towards Buckingham Palace.
3. Buckingham Palace, can’t really see much but always worth a look to see where the Queen lives. The kids were particularly excited about going here.
4. Walk up Birdcage Walk to Parliament Square. (We stopped in Pret to buy a snack and use the toilet!) Around Parliament Square are statues of various important people throughout history.
5. Westminster Abbey is straight opposite, it is expensive to go in (£24 per adult and £10 per kid) so we didn’t bother during this family trip to London. Although I’m sure it would be a lovely experience and a good family attraction in London. It was still interesting to walk around and admire from the outside.
6. Walk onto Westminster Bridge and check out Big Ben. Look back over the bridge at the enormity of the Houses of Parliament. Notice the London Eye on the other side of the water.
7. Cross the road past Westminster tube (plenty of places here for snacks) and turn right up Whitehall/Parliament St to see all the government buildings and hit Downing St. Not much to see here as the gates and security are up but again, the kids enjoyed the excitement of it.
8. Continue on to the Horse Guards, you will see people and obviously the horses on the road. If you turn left there are more soldiers and you can walk through the arch into Horse Guards parade.
9. Turn around back on yourself and continue on Parliament Street. Here we went to Tesco and got some snacks and crossed over to Trafalgar Square. (Save room to eat in Camden Market!)
10. Have a rest on Trafalgar Square. There are toilets and plenty of space to sit and rest the legs. The boys loved chasing the pigeons – a must-do on a family trip to London.
11. We needed a change of scenery so we got on the tube at Charing Cross and rode the Northern Line to Camden Town.
12. Camden High Street is one of my favourite parts of London. Full of character, alive and vibrant. The boys said it was like Thailand, full of things to buy; genuine fake bags, people chatting to them and lots of shiny tat to purchase.
Camden has a wonderful history of music and culture. There are some amazing Music Tours available that we would love to do next time we are in London.
13. Camden Market, go hungry. An incredible array of international food from Colombian street food, shawarmas, nasi goreng, tacos etc. Just Amazing. There is a lovely rooftop bar the Lockside Camden where you can try out the local lager – Camden Hells.
14. Northern Line south to Waterloo, a longer trip but a chance to rest the legs! We arrived on South Bank, home of the London Eye if you fancy a trip on there. We strolled along the river watching street performers, skaters, bought second hand books and headed to the Mulberry Bush pub (pre-booked) for an hour for a drink.
15. Pizza Express – kids favourite, cheap and cheerful just a 5 min walk away (pre booked) from the pub. There’s many family-friendly restaurants on South Bank. It is just a 5 minute walk afterwards to Waterloo tube. Change at Leicester Square back on the Piccadilly line down to Heathrow and the hotel.
If you have enjoyed reading this post A Family Trip to London then do check out our other posts. Our Destinations Page will give you lots of family travel inspiration like Thailand, Albania, Azerbaijan, Greece, Dubai and Oman to name a few.
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Loved this! And how detailed all the instructions are. You fitted so much in 36 hours! I imagine that time of year to go is perfect aswell as lots of London lovers will have gone home for Christmas.
We did manage to do a lot, a lot of walking – snack bribes necessary! Yes it’s apparently one of the busiest times of year usually, sad to see it not so busy really.
Great content! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed!