Summary
I went to London during our summer break in August 2024 with my wife and our two young children (9 son, 6 daughter). The trip was wonderful – it was a great family break, getting away to a kid-friendly town like NYC and disconnecting from our daily lives. We spent five days staying in the central Covent Garden area – which is perfect because we could easily navigate the city and its amazing sites, restaurants and experiences. The weather cooperated nicely – 70s every day, breezy nights and minimal rain. Uber was easy all over the town and we managed to see and do a lot during a short visit.
Accommodations
During our visit, we stayed at the Rosewood London. The Rosewood is in a perfect location in the center of town – it has a classic feel, an awesome bar and lovely breakfast set up. The experience was outstanding.
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Activities
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- Given our kids are still on the younger side, we skipped most of the museums and visited more of the touristy landmarks and sites
- Our favorite sites included: Tower of London with the famous Beefeaters, a cruise along the River Thames, Buckingham Palace with the fun Changing of the Foot Guards, Kensington Palace alongside Kensington Gardens, Big Ben alongside the Tower Bridge, London Eye and London Bridge
- Our favorite experiences included the Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea trip for our daughter and or visit to Harry Potter Studios for our son. Both are truly special – depending on your love for Harry Potter, plan for more time than less! A hidden gem in town that provided a nice reprieve from the sightseeing was a visit to the Princess Diana Playground
Dining
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- Our favorite lunches were at Dishoom (Indian) in Covent Gardens, Gymkhana (Indian) in Mayfair and Padella (Italian) in Borough Market
- Our favorite dinners were at Hoppers (South Indian) and Berenjak (Middle Eastern) in Soho, Trattoria Brutto (Italian) near Covent Gardens and Churchill Arms Pub (Thai) in Kensington/Notting Hill
- We also took in our first ever afternoon tea at Claridges High Tea in Mayfair – very fancy but a fun, unique experience for the whole family; the kids loved the hot chocolate, Nutella sandwiches and scones.
- We love exploring the best ice cream places in new cities – our favorites on this trip included Snowflake and Gelupo in Soho, Badiani in Notting Hill/Kensington and Mayfair and Il Gelataio and La Gelateria around the Covent Garden area. The world famous chocolate covered strawberries at Turnips in Borough Market was a random was very memorable treat!
Recommendation
I would highly recommend an extended break to London. There are so many unique destinations, dining spots and experiences to take in. Make reservations and plan tours well ahead of time to get the spots you want. Enjoy!
