Child friendly London

Child Friendly Travelogues - London

I love travelling, in my understanding it’s the best gift one can give themselves and is a great investment. Yes investment! In self. It makes you discover more not just about the world but gives depth to your own being. I see it as true education. Being an art buff, travel gives me the opportunity to admire architecture and devour museums. So after I had my kids I wondered as to when would I really be able to travel carefree again? It’s not really easy to gaze at a coin collection with two bobbing heads right next to you, posing a million questions an hour!
So, the itinerary planning took a 180 degrees twist. I had my heart set on Europe but the very thought of pulling out baby wipes while standing at the Louvre made me cringe. It’s when i realised if you can’t beat it, embrace it. We started searching for kid friendly Europe. That doesn't mean only amusement parks and zoos but holistic fun for all.

London I must say caters to everyone! Here is my guide and hacks for full blown fun in the queen’s capital.

1. The Stay:

I would suggest that one must book way in advance whether it’s for a hotel or a homestay. The deals are very attractive and you can possibly stay in Zone 1 at the price of Zone 2. I don't mean booking 3 months in advance but much earlier. When one is travelling with kids convenience is high priority. Staying in a central area makes things walkable and has convenient access to the undergrounds. I am glad we took the recommendation by a friend and hooked up in the heart of the city. Every building was like piece of art or history. I discovered the joy of booking a junior suite cos, it came along with a kitchenette. It was perfect to heat a cup of soup, plug in a travel pot or scruff up some munchies for the day.

2. Food:

There are places in the world where you can eat out every single meal and there are some where you struggle. ( read vegetarians/ vegans) Being a vegetarian was easy, God bless the Subways and Tescos of the world. A bowl of soup/ slice of pizza and yummy sandwiches were always an arms length away. The fresh produce is wonderful, we unanimously chose fruit, salad and berries as snack. It’s not tough to find an Indian restaurant at all but over all eating out in restaurants is an expensive affair. The currency conversion hits you hard. A great mix of eating out, food on the go and the travel cook pot worked well for us.

3. Travel:

London has amongst the finest transport systems in the world. In fact it was amongst the highlights of our trip. The kids loved using the public transport, the underground, trains, buses flights, clean, easy and great connectivity. Back home in Mumbai, I can’t brace all public transport

fearing crowds and sometimes hygiene. What made life convenient was picking up the visitor oyster travel card, its a smart card that makes it easy to pay across most modes of transport.

https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do

Some Absolute Must Do’s with Kids:

City Tour:

London is your classic monopoly board come alive. I smiled as we hopped onto the city bus tour awaiting to see all the names one has read about. It’s a great way to get a feel of the whole city and all the popular sites. One can’t cover everything in a day but you can choose and prioritise. We covered all the sights that were furthest away from our point of stay. Look out for the London pass, most of the sights are covered under ticket and one can skip queues completely, it also has lot of freebies with it depending on the season your visiting.

https://london.city-tour.com/en
https://www.londonpass.com

Museums:

London has some fantastic museums most of which are free. Art, science, history, you name it and it’s archived. We throughly enjoyed the science museum and were blown away with the 3d film at the IMAX theatre. The space and airplane exhibit had my son gleaming with joy, it was like living in his encyclopaedia. One mustn't miss the Natural History museum as their robotised T Rex makes you feel as though your a character in Jurassic Park. There are open air shows outside the buildings to engage the passer-byes. The Victoria and Albert Museum, science and natural history museums are all in one road and is worth a day of your time.

Another museum that deserves extra love is the transport museum at Covent Garden Piazza. Its ideal for younger children and explains the transport heritage of the city. The design and detailing is endearing for all ages. Its also a great place to pick up unique gifts as one doesn’t get any of their designs at the souvenir shops. Covent Garden is London’s theatre and entertainment area, home to fashion stores and the Royal Opera House. It is a beautiful area to hover around and get the vibe of the city.

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
https://www.vam.ac.uk/visit
http://www.nhm.ac.uk
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

Palaces and Castles:

One can’t go to the Queen’s country and not see her abode. We took a day trip to Windsor Castle, especially since my daughter is a born princess. It is spectacular to say the least. My daughter flipped over the Queen Mary’s miniature doll house collection! It was adorable, nothing like I have ever seen before! But I must say it takes an entire day whether you take the train or choose a coach tour. A city option to this would be The Kensington Palace near Hyde Park which is currently home to Prince William and his family. We were fortunate to catch the Princess Diana Collection whilst there. The gardens are glorious and so are the kids play area.
A tip for parents with young kids, please catch the change of guard while it walks through St. James Park rather than waiting right outside the overcrowded Buckingham Palace.

https://www.rct.uk/about/news-and-features/queen-marys-dolls-house#/
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/

Churches Piers & Bridges:

If you aren't a historian at heart or an art buff, one may catch a glimpse of the churches, ride through the Westminster Pier and the Tower Bridge while you are on the city tour bus. But I must say the structures are breathtaking. The detailing is jaw dropping and one can’t help but feel overwhelmed with it’s beauty. The St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the exhibits at the Tower Bridge are all worth your time. A peek to history well documented and preserved to savour slowly.

https://www.towerbridge.org.uk
https://www.westminster-abbey.org
https://www.stpauls.co.uk

Legoland:

We are a Lego loving family and Legoland was a dream come true. It was like waking up as a minifigure and falling into one of your own Lego boxes. The theme park beats all expectation and is one of the nicest experiences a child can have. It’s a mix between the nicest displays, innovation centre, 4d movie experience, rides, live shows you name it and it’s there. I would recommend reaching at crack of dawn as it’s worth the whole day. I recommend carry lots of munchies as it’s a very large space and the kids just don't stop they function from another reserve of energy. The Lego and mini figure store stole my heart as you can buy things that you never see outside commercially. We made our own mini-figures and will cherish them forever.

https://www.legoland.co.uk

Warner Bros Studio Tour:

If there is anything that could give a beating to the Legoland experience it would be the Warner Bros Studio. My kids and I are big Harry Potter fans and this original tour takes the cake. You walk through, touch and see all the important sets, the jaw dropping detailing of the robotised, digitised props. Nothing can prepare you for this. If you are a fan of the series it’s an absolute must do!!

My son cherishes their passport as much as his real one. Please book in advance for the tour they have many slots and you can’t simply reach there and buy a ticket.

https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

Other Useful Info:

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do
https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

Figuring the shortest, fastest means to travel.

https://www.londonpass.com

Read for all the fine print, the London pass includes almost all the touristy places at a great price and many freebies. If you have a budding sports fan do not miss fan The Wimbledon Tour, Lords Tour or the Football Tours. Look through their various suggested itineraries to customise your trip.

www.happycow.net

Searching for veg, vegan restaurants close to you.

https://www.bbc.com/weather/

Do check the daily weather predications to know if you would need a jacket or umbrella.

In our trip we needed it all, especially with kids. Light shower and it can get really cold.

https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

Chelsea Physic Garden. A must see if you are into botany and love plants. It a quaint garden with over 5000 types of plants and a great cafe.

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/diana-memorial-playground

The Princess Diana Memorial play area at the Kensington Gardens is adorable, massive garden with free entry. Ponds, play areas and large stretches of green. Perfect for a lazy day.